Any advice how I can cut costs

I used the money makeover tool and it didn't ask for net. I should have mentioned that too i suppose. I know that its silly cash doesn't just disappear i can;t seem to see where it goes every week?
 
niceoneted said:
Are you being paid in cash and therefore avoiding any tax inplications so.If not then this is where your problem lies, you do not realise how much money is coming into the household.
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fizz - I dont avoid any type of tax. this is the bit I thought was smart.
 
ok im sorry double deb.
And it's not at all silly I agree the cash disappears! Bringing my lunch to work and only taking small amounts out of ATM at a time has helped me a lot. Also I don't stop by the supermarket / Boots after work anymore (that 1 thing I stopped for used to turn into 6 things!) and I just wait until the weekly shop (I freeze bread and milk would last if you check dates when buying it I find) I don't throw out food (last night I made potato cakes out of the previous nights mash for example) The money can easily disappear, it's hard to account for it all, like for example when you stop for petrol or cigarettes do you also buy the lotto, magazine....these things add up.
 
I still don't know how groceries can be 600 per month, that just seems like an awful lot. If you don't have time to go to two shops, can one of ye not go to Lidl/Aldi and the other go to the 2nd shop for the other bits? Or is it that you are buying stuff that you don't realised how much it is costing you? Perhaps you should have a look at your grocery bill and see what jumps out as being quite expensive but not necessary.

I wrote something about the fags but deleted it, at the same time I am wondering to myself why are we giving you advice when you know what you have to do but don't seem to have any inclination to do it.
 
Ann I know we have to give up the cigs, just not in the frame of mind at the moment. Just asking if there is anywhere else we can cut things down. I agree the grocery shop is expensive alright but i check my receipts all the time and everything on there is necessary, veg, fruit, meat, dairy and nappies etc. I think those that are smokers will understand about the cigs.
your right there fizz when buying smokes i tend to get the lotto and maybe the paper then a treat for us all so before you know it €20 is gone!
 
Can you make it through each day with NO cash in your possession? Try it for a while and you'll soon break the habit of buying stuff you don't need. I was mugged a few times, don't bring money now, use laser card only if meeting friends or have to buy petrol, but that's all.
List your weekly groceries - use that list to buy as much as possible in Aldi/Lidl and then to whatever other overcharging supermarket for the rest. Don't deviate from the list. Also, if you both smoke and can't give them up at the moment, try getting a carton (as rarely as possible) so that you're not dropping in to the garage/shop ad hoc and ending up buying unnecessary stuff (glossy magazine, sweets etc.) Good luck :)
 
Appreciate your advice eithneangela. When someone else says it-it makes perfect sense. Actually doing it is up to me i suppose.
I appreciate all the other replies too... must quit the fags and cut back on the grocerys, thats what it boils down to really ....
 
No mention of SKY+Broadband+Landline = 77.5 a month = 930 a year.

You have 2 mobiles, you don't need a landline. I accept it probably comes as a package but there are undoubtedly better packages available where you can bundle these together - or pick and choose the bits you need.
 
Broadband and the landline are in a bundle for €46 per month. I'm tied to that for 12 months all in return for 3meg broadband. woopeedo. We dont have sky sports or movies or anything just some music channels for the teenager and cartoons for the baby.
 
sorry to hijack your post but

i posted on here a few months back and like you our shopping bill is 500 to 600 for 3 of us. We too make everything from scratch and our toddler is sent to the creche with a bag full of food every day, and hubbie and i bring lunch to work (so i spend a euro a day in subsidised restaurant).
Hubbie wont buy supermarket fruit,veg or meat so get them from local suppliers.
I think what we really need to do is a weekly plan and stick to it. We rarely get take aways and dont really drink.
Id just be interested to know what the other 3/4 people families spend a month on groceries, thanks

When i say groceries i mean all my bills from tesco, dunnes, butcher etc
 
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If your shopping bill is 500/600 and includes your lunches and not needing to buy expensive sandwiches / meals during work hours then maybe those who say it is too much have less shopping expenses themselves but buy their lunch out during the work week.
 
Different people have different definitions of grocery bill. For some, it means just the food they buy. For others, it means everything they buy in the supermarket, which may include cleaning products, personal hygene, babies nappies, household items and maybe even some clothes and electrical items.
 
There’s 6 in our house, including one small baby, and we spend 700-900 per month on shopping ( groceries, meat, cleaning and personal hygiene products etc). I cook everything from scratch and freeze loads of meals in portion sizes. We don’t really make much of an effort to keep the cost down but we wouldn’t be eating strip loin steaks every week (unless they were on special offer).
 
Rent a Room Scheme

Could you rent out a room ? Great money to be made - Tax Free> would also apply to a converted garage.
 
I admit I haven't counted our grocery bill recently but I'm struggling to see how we could spend more than 400 a month and that's including if we were to take all our lunches into work (at the moment we manage about half of them). We are two adults and a toddler.
If I was to pinpoint what saves us a lot of money it's probably that we don't buy a lot of meat. Many days we would have had it for lunch already in the subsidised canteen at work and anyway we don't need to eat it every single day. We eat a lot of vegetarian meals at home. I buy beans / lentils/ chickpeas in bulk in the asian supermarket in town, soooo cheap. makes me sound like a bit of a hippy but I like Indian food and a lot of it is vegetarian. In winter I cook a lot of Italian bean soups.
We don't buy any confectionary either like Coke, biscuits etc.
 
Wow - 600 pm - thats a heck of alot of groceries.

It would be interesting for you to post your 600 worth of groceries (or anyone spending that amount) to see what exactly ye buy.

I watched the Dell programme the other night - the way it has devastated families in Limerick and one family, complaining about lack of money, the mammy was unpacking her grocery bags and pulling out tropicana orange juice, huge carton of innocent smoothies and other unnecessary things and she is complaining about money??????

When are we going to wake up about what struggling really means/what necessities are?

I myself, am a (social) smoker - I now only smoke if go out - I couldnt afford it - usually once a week will smoke a few fags - I used to smoke 10+ a day. Its all about habit. And, if you stop, even for a few days, you will notice how fags actually make you feel more nervous/anxious - in case you are going to say they are a crutch for you. My aim is to stop altogether but now I actually enjoy the fag if I have one rather than horsing them into me for the sake of it.
 
I actually went grocery shopping today. came to €145 euro. That was without meat as I bought that in the butcher (special offer €20 for 5 meats). That will do us for the 7 days as I will re-use the left over beef and make a curry or something. 4 chicken breasts included in that so one chicken casserole and one stir fry. Still don't know where I am going wrong. Went in to the supermarket with the intention of cutting back and it still was expensive. I always buy dishwasher tabs and washing tablets when they are on special offer. Shampoo was half price. 3 pack of baby wipes under 4 euro. No nappies in that. Ok I did get a couple of packets of biscuits but we rarely get take out so I think we should have some treats. All in all the biscuits all together came to about a fiver. Am I being completely stupid and should cut out the biscuits as well? I have tried to shop in tesco.. same thing. My teenagers lunches are included in that as well btw. hopefully next week might be different....
 
Ah god no, surely a fiver on a few biscuits isnt the end of the world. I see you mention Tesco, what about Lidl? Lots of stuff is much cheaper than Tesco et al, especially toiletries and the like e.g. Cien brand shower gel/shampoo is 80c in Lidl compared to 3 or 4 euro for head and shoulders......similar experience on deodorant vs Lynx. 1L milk is 75c vs 97c in Tesco, huge block of cheese for E2.50 vs tiny amount you get for that in Tesco.
 
I know I should go there for fruit and veg alright and maybe some toiletries too. I just don't like the place and i don't really have the time to go to 2 supermarkets. I think what makes me stay with Dunnes too is the vouchers i get every quarter! The shampoo i bought today was only 1.34!
As other posters have pointed out my real issue is the smokes. I just don't know how people can spend €400 per month on food. Forgot to mention that we have 2 dogs as well thats €10 per week on food for them too
 
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