Tuesday 26 February 2013

No Asda bargains this week....still frugaling away...

Went a bit later to Asda this Sunday but I think it was too late - the only thing I got reduced was some asparagus for 1p. Still sticking to my £50 budget but finding it really hard if I dont get yellow sticky bargains. Frugalling away at other things - even though we have all energy saving light bulbs we were still bad at leaving them on but are working on that and getting a lot better. I have even taken a bulb out of our three light fitting - every little helps. TV etc is switched off at the wall every night and if its cold and the heating has to be on its turned off at 9pm at the latest as since we got our cavity wall insulation it takes a lot longer to cool down. I'm doing an experiment to make my own cleaning wipes. I bought the cheapest Smart price cleaner and put 1/2 cap into a container with water and added a pile of rags (old t-shirts, tea towels etc. I clean the bathroom every day with one then do the floor and put it in a seperate washing pile. We use others on a swiffer to clean the floors (I dont have carpets so no hoover) I also have knit/crocheted dishcloths as I had cotton left over from Christmas presents and use 1 per day in the kitchen and again, gets put into the seperate washing pile with the rags. My intention is to get a lidded bucket (when car boot season starts)and keep them in their (maybe in water/vinegar mix to keep them from going smelly) and put them in with my towels on a hot wash once a week. I know its fashionable to only wash clothes on a 30deg wash but my old washing machine got very smelly by only doing this. I do most of my washes in my new machine on 30 but once a week I do all my towels and tea towels on a 60 with a vinegar rinse and so far this machine hasnt smelled at all. I make a lot of home made soups which we have at lunchtime with crusty rolls - got 3packets of 10 of these in one of my Asda shops for 30p. We are having pasta at least twice a week. If we have chicken I have cut our portions down to 100gms each and nobody has complained. I have done an Approved food order (which is due today) so that will stretch our budget further. Trying to keep under £50 is proving really difficult as every time I seem to go shopping thep prices creep up every week.
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8 comments:

  1. Frugal in Derbyshire 26 February 2013 at 02:14

    I know what you mean and it is often the little things that add up too ( though the rise in diesel price has been HUGE this month!)My old man loves Lidl processed peas, which before Christmas were 18p a tin. This weekend they were 22p. On such a small amount that is roughly a 20% increase. These all add up don't they? Still love Lidl and Aldi though. Gill

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  2. Andrea@Familyconnect26 February 2013 at 02:24

    We use lots of rags, and almost never buys wipes of kitchen roll any more, it really does save a lot f money, doesn't it?

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  3. ALoadofOldTat26 February 2013 at 13:57

    I tried a tip I found on another blog, sorry can't find the blog now, for bathroom cleaner. It is simple, cheap and very effective. Fill a spray bottle with 3 tablespoons of white vinegar and 3 tablespoons of dish washing liquid. Spray on basin, bath, leave for a couple of minutes and wipe off with a microfibre cloth, the cheap pound shop ones work just as well. Rinse and you have a lovely shiny bath and sink. Thought you might find it useful.

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  4. Marjorie27 February 2013 at 03:45

    Do you keep your washer door cracked open? this keeps the smell away.

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  5. Mary17 March 2013 at 18:32

    Congratulations - Hi there - I am a follower of your blog and I nominated you for the Libester Award. Read all about it here.

    http://lessonsonthecheap.blogspot.com/2013/03/time-out-for-play-and-now-for-awards.html

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  6. Unknown18 March 2013 at 06:15

    The cost of food does just keep on rising . I spend £50 a week on a top up shop alone (theres 2 adults and 6 children in my house) And do a large shop each month for the basics. I am going to look in to bulk buying a bit more see if i canget things a bit cheaper is this an option you have explored. Loving your blog by the way x

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  7. Sue2 May 2013 at 00:52

    All the little savings do add up don't they.

    Yellow stickered items are getting harder and harder to find, especially in the evenings when the reductions are the greatest.

    I've managed to get some early in the day, but then there is only usually about 1/4 off the price, it goes down over the course of the day.

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  8. CTMOM12 July 2013 at 17:54

    I use rags for cleaning, preferring to air dry the dirty ones on the edge of the tub. Once dried, they go into a laundry sorted. No smells this way. I also always rinse the dirty rags with cold water first, before drying them to later be placed in the laundry.
    HTH

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