Household Money Saving Tips

[KevinTW]

Don't go the pub at all, will save plenty of money then lol...


Out of interest, as theres a few superscrimpers on here, how much do you roughly spend on bills/food etc over a month? I'm not talking about 'fun' if that's your thing (alcohol, clubbing etc) but just normal living costs?

Groceries £250 a month for the 4 of us. Thanks Jamie Oliver, The Ministry of Food book is fantastic. Cheap and healthy grub. Water £20 month-rainwater tank. Gas Elec £80 for both -woodburner fuelled from skips. Council tax £1800 a year! WTF

[Eeyore]

How are you managing to spend £250 a month on food? D:

[THE_Liam]

I was just thinking that. Me and my lass spend £70 in Asda, £20 at the butchers, and then maybe a tenner a week on milk, bread, veg and other short-lived stuff, so £120 a month absolute maxiumum a month, and that's eating really well and includes a couple of crates of beer...

[bigcheez2k3]

Maybe he has young'uns, nappies are expensive.

[Toms306]

Judging by the council tax I assume he lives in a mansion....so the groceries also have to cover the servants.

But seriously, I don't think that's bad for 4 people in all honesty? I was budgeting myself about £150! Though £100 of that would be loo rolls.

[lolsteve]

£15 a week for food , smartprice chicken burgers, hash browns and frozen peas pretty much everyday for a week now

[THE_Liam]

£15 a week for food , smartprice chicken burgers, hash browns and frozen peas pretty much everyday for a week now

Jesus mate I wouldn't live on that, that's really bad for you...

[Eeyore]

Maybe he has young'uns, nappies are expensive.

Are nappies Groceries? D:

[bigcheez2k3]

Maybe he has young'uns, nappies are expensive.

Are nappies Groceries? D:

Depends what you're into

You'd normally buy them along with the shopping though.

[Toms306]

£15 a week for food , smartprice chicken burgers, hash browns and frozen peas pretty much everyday for a week now

I can't eat most of the cheap ASDA shite, they cram it with garlic/onions/spices etc to cover up the fact it's made of chicken arse which doesn't go well with my delicate guts. Sucks tbh, I'd spend much less on food if I could just eat anything lol.

Maybe he has young'uns, nappies are expensive.

Are nappies Groceries? D:

I would include them in groceries tbh, as well as loo roll, kitchen roll, washing powder, fairy liquid etc....

[lolsteve]

Jesus mate I wouldn't live on that, that's really bad for you...

I can't eat most of the cheap ASDA shite, they cram it with garlic/onions/spices etc to cover up the fact it's made of chicken arse which doesn't go well with my delicate guts. Sucks tbh, I'd spend much less on food if I could just eat anything lol.

Seems to be doing me alright, been pretty much just been eating that and toast for 4 years that and smash before I realized actually making mash myself is so much more tasty. am trying to replace the cheap meat with quorn where i can as its only a little more expensive and much nicer

[Wolverine1091]

Massive bag of potatoes - can do so much with them, and store in a cool dry place, they rarely go off - yea they sprout and may go a little soft, just pull the sproutings off before cooking.

If you use bread, keep it in the fridge, lasts much much longer than in a bread bin.

I only use heating to dry clothes, man up if you're cold.

Never watch live TV, so no tv licence - saves loads.

If you drink alot of tea - 3 teabags in litre flask, will stay hot all day - use less tea bags and only boil the kettle once. Just don't dishwasher a flask, it destroys the internals and stops insulating.

If you're bored - ride bike, raining? man up, or take bike apart, clean everything, put it back together.

Valentines is coming up - make something from scratch, will be much more appreciated than a meal out - cheaper too!

[lolsteve]

I find the bread goes dry quicker in the fridge though :/

[rocker8742]

Freeze it and only defrost it when you need it, me and the mrs buy it when it's reduced to 10p or so

[Sian]

£250 on food! :O i have two kiddies and only spend £40 a week! Madness!
And nappies are like 2 big packs for a tenner in tesco last about 2weeks! So there not that expensive unless your child wears gold lol

[RetroPug]

I was just thinking that. Me and my lass spend £70 in Asda, £20 at the butchers, and then maybe a tenner a week on milk, bread, veg and other short-lived stuff, so £120 a month absolute maxiumum a month, and that's eating really well and includes a couple of crates of beer...

So you spend 120 for two people...which multiplied by 2 is 240, and you're wondering how on earth he manages to spend 250 for four people?

[KevinTW]

£250 that is food,washing powder,cleaning stuff,nappies,toiletries the lot.Band E council tax. It is ridiculous here as we council tax accounts for about 45% of what is spent by the council whereas in some places it is about 20%

£15 a week for food , smartprice chicken burgers, hash browns and frozen peas pretty much everyday for a week now

I can't eat most of the cheap ASDA shite, they cram it with garlic/onions/spices etc to cover up the fact it's made of chicken arse which doesn't go well with my delicate guts. Sucks tbh, I'd spend much less on food if I could just eat anything lol.

Maybe he has young'uns, nappies are expensive.

Are nappies Groceries? D:

I would include them in groceries tbh, as well as loo roll, kitchen roll, washing powder, fairy liquid etc....

[THE_Liam]

I was just thinking that. Me and my lass spend £70 in Asda, £20 at the butchers, and then maybe a tenner a week on milk, bread, veg and other short-lived stuff, so £120 a month absolute maxiumum a month, and that's eating really well and includes a couple of crates of beer...

So you spend 120 for two people...which multiplied by 2 is 240, and you're wondering how on earth he manages to spend 250 for four people?

What I eat could feed 4 kids mate. Also kids don't often get through 2-3 crates of beer....

[RetroPug]

I was just thinking that. Me and my lass spend £70 in Asda, £20 at the butchers, and then maybe a tenner a week on milk, bread, veg and other short-lived stuff, so £120 a month absolute maxiumum a month, and that's eating really well and includes a couple of crates of beer...

So you spend 120 for two people...which multiplied by 2 is 240, and you're wondering how on earth he manages to spend 250 for four people?

What I eat could feed 4 kids mate. Also kids don't often get through 2-3 crates of beer....

True but then kids need loads of other assorted stuff.
Just saying it's not as ridiculous as it sounds for a family of four.

[Atterz]

- Join Army, enjoy entire wage to self.

[Poodle]

Shit, he's got us beat!

[Piggy]

Till he gets shot

[Dum-Dum]

Groceries £250 a month for the 4 of us. Thanks Jamie Oliver, The Ministry of Food book is fantastic. Cheap and healthy grub. Water £20 month-rainwater tank. Gas Elec £80 for both -woodburner fuelled from skips. Council tax £1800 a year! WTF

Judging by the council tax I assume he lives in a mansion....so the groceries also have to cover the servants.

That's not bad for a family if four. I pay about £1100 a year council tax and that's after the 25% discount for living on my own in my tiny little house that's band A.

[KevinTW]

Council tax is crazy now. Thank God it has been more or less frozen since 2010.

Groceries £250 a month for the 4 of us. Thanks Jamie Oliver, The Ministry of Food book is fantastic. Cheap and healthy grub. Water £20 month-rainwater tank. Gas Elec £80 for both -woodburner fuelled from skips. Council tax £1800 a year! WTF

Judging by the council tax I assume he lives in a mansion....so the groceries also have to cover the servants.

That's not bad for a family if four. I pay about £1100 a year council tax and that's after the 25% discount for living on my own in my tiny little house that's band A.

[Atterz]

Till he gets shot

LOL .. Not sure if serious!?

[Sian]

I have a family of four and don't spend that much!
Spend around £40 a week on food and if they need nappies i spend £30 on food
Dont have gas. So just electric key meter which is costing me around £15 a week now as use a plug in oil heater instead of the storage heaters
Car insurance for both our cars is £100
Water £100 every 3months
And £100 ish a month council tax

We scrimp with some things but we get by!

[Piggy]

Not sure if already mentioned, natwest are doing cashback on their standard current account debit card.
Few uses, more to be added, but main one is BP.

You get 1% cashback. But along with nectar you then get 2% cashback with bp.
Its relative to the price, but my local bp is as cheap as jet/shell as it has two "cheap" days per week

---

PS a mate just got a natwest account just for buying fuel!!

[lolsteve]

Would this apply to a student account?
I also got an email from capital one offering me 1% cash back recently too

[RetroPug]

Not sure if they're still doing it but Halifax were giving you 100 quid if you switched your current account to them.

[Uberderv]

- Join Army, enjoy entire wage to self.

Them were the days

Never know how quick your life can change though....