With all the bad news (and I daresay Hype)....Prices rises in food,fuel and even gold is on the increase...and now with the news about the Bear Bank in the USA....plus in LA there are tent cities with hundreds of people because of the foreclosures... I feel very very bad for those folks. I am from America originally and I keep hearing the news getting worse and worse.....

While I know it is Very Much NOT a light subject.....in view of all this I thought I would ask you all :

what are your best frugal ideas for saving money/cutting food bills/slashing fuel costs/getting things low cost or free......it seems we will all have to tighten up sooner rather than later....and I thought this would maybe be a good discussion.

Sooooo let the ideas go...share and get ideas it could be worth it....

TA

I don't really have any tips, find it all quite depressing really :(

I don't know how some people are going to manage, I get annoyed about paying more for my 4x4, which is only actually a 1.8 petrol, I live in a rural area and have used it to go off-road when taking dogs training/to shows etc...now been outmoded by our lovely dispatch, but I don't see why I should pay more to compensate for people in inner-cities who have no need for the 4x4 attributes AT ALL    grrrrrrr

and I get annoyed because our pay-rise this year worked out at 1.9%...hardly in line with inflation...it's costing me more to do my usual shopping, even with cutting back and getting basic brands where I can...

and the cost of housing!!! How on earth can anyone get on the property ladder?? I really worry, I am having some major domestics, and I want out, but I know I will struggle to buy another house on my own, and I have a pretty good wage...I will end up fighting for any equity, it will probably take over a year to sell if that's what it comes to, and I would no doubt have to take a long mortgage term on just to keep my monthly payments down......I despair, I really do

sorry its turned into a bit of a rant, am at work, the air con is bust in the office and I feel stuffy and itchy and grouchy.....bleugh

At the moment I'm living on benefits. I don't see how I can make any more cuts in what I do, except I won't be showing much this year ;-) I have to look for the BOGOF's every time I go shopping. The extras either go in the cupboard or the freezer, depending on what it is. I also live in the countryside. The nearest shop is 7 miles away, so if I forget something I either have to use petrol I can't afford, or ask a neighbour to get it for me, or wait until I go next time. I can't just nip down to the shop anymore. Thankfully I wil be able to go back to work soon (back related problems have stopped me for over a year) but where is the work? There's nothing local so I'm going to have to travel, using even more fuel.....

i thought bye the time i was 50 i would go part time {not] i work hard now than i did when i was in my 20s with 2 kid,a mortage.which i work part time then to raise  the kids with their dad..i work 6 days a week.but we are comfortable still got a mortage for another 5 years which lucky we did a fix rate in sept,but we not had a holiday for 10 years,
we need to change the cars has i got 4+4 but dont want to take out loans again for them at the moment,
my and andews hobbie are the dog,we dont smoke,drink,rearly go out for a meal.
no kids to support,
but still need to work hard,
the only thing i can  cut back on are the dogs show for open limted to a 50 mile champshows no going pass stafford,.share the car with some elis for petrol,cut back on the number of dogs to take this year it be pagan at some shows,and the spanish at other shows,
shop around for the best deal.in food,clothes.petrol some super market are cheaper anothers,when i go north i fill up there as you are cheaper than the south at times,dog food/ insurance.ask your vet for discount if you got muilt dogs.
another thing that we are doing is buy food as we need it than buy it weeky as we found we had alot of waste food.
phone call after 6pm free with bt

we use to have good holidays and days out with the kids untill the late 80s to 90, when the uk went pear sharp,
but if you a home.a car,a computer,moblie phone.and other things you are well off than some like watching sport reife last night,

it is a sad world we live in at times,

Having been surviving on £5000 a year for a couple of years (at least our Council Tax was paid - but that benefit's stopped now) I don't think it's possible to cut any more corners!

I always saved on my shopping bills by preparing a menu for the forthcoming week.
It stopped arguements from children about 'oh I dont like that', they simply knew what was coming and accepted it.
The shopping was also very deliberate and none of the 'lets try this' as fills my trolley again now.
Another thing is books and newspapers....the library and the telly and P.C. provide news,stories and information in abundance.

Karen ;-)

I think the main thigns you have to decide is what are things that you NEED and can't do without, and what are the things you WANT but can live without.

I must say I have cut showing to the minimum (about 10 shows a year), and I share travel costs as I don't drive.

I get the staples from Lidl, and get the own brands BOGOFS at other supermarkets when the offer leaflets come round. 

I don't drive but to save on Bus fares I walk most places that are within an hour walk.

Charity shops for things like coats, Jackets and some household items.

Only buy clothing that I need to replace, same with shoes, Umbro trainers for £9 from budget sports shop.

Try and be careful with heating and household bills.  I don't put the heating on if I am on my own in the house in the daytime, go and put on a jumper.

It is sad that food and clothing are the only areas you really have much control over how much you spend, as most other bills have to be paid come what may.

Same here, Aldi shop first, then elsewhere for whatever I can't get there, depending on what's needed, either LIDL or Morrisons - I find T**** prices extortionate at the moment :(

I've also saved a HUGE amount of money by changing dog food.  Was feeding Burns, but the dogs started losing weight and weren't looking as good, meaning I had to supplement with meat/oil etc. (has it changed??)  When the bag ran out I re-evaluated and felt it was an unnecessary expense as it wasn't 'doing the job'   Read some threads and did loads of research and am now feeding CSJ, the dogs look far better, better muscle/weight/coats/energy  I know what's in the food (as opposed to 'derivatives') not much to 'pick-up' and my pocket is happier :) - Result!

Can't help thinking that the government is 'shooting itself in the foot' with fuel tax rises (need rolling eye smiley here)  there are bound to be knock on effects, not just food prices but tourism - who'll come on Holiday to UK if fuel prices are sky high and food also?   And also the automotive industry - prices are bound to rise because of fuel costs but in a few years who will be buying if they can't afford to run a car? 

Would like to know how other countries manage to keep fuel prices lower?  http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx  the US are way below us :(

And of course, because everything is transported by road then any increase in the price of fuel is passed on to the customer (that's us!) by price rises in everything else as well.

It's a classic 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation.  It doesn't seem to matter what corners we all cut - the price rises get us one way or another.

I'm currently trying to make £10 of diesel last a full week - damn near impossible, when the cheap supermarkets are all too far to walk to, and the decent dog walks are driving distance too.  I can walk them to two - but can't let them off for most of those as it isn't safe.

I can't cut back much on heating because of Remy's lack of fur - even with his full body fleece on, if it's chilly he's chilly and I will not let that happen.

I've stopped eating chicken because I refuse to eat battery farmed meat - I'll go as low as the Willow Farm chicken in Tesco but I can't afford that now as it seems to have gone up, presumably in response to all the programs lately.  My protein now is coming from cheap beefburgers!  Not terribly healthy :-(

JG, how on earth did you live on £5k a year?? I earn just over that and there is no way on earth I can live on it.  I get housing and council tax benefits, which I'm probably going to lose because my friend's just moved in.  I'm £420 into a £500 overdraft and payday isn't for a fortnight - credit card's being broken into before then methinks.  And of course, I can't afford the repayments!

I'm setting up as a dog trainer next week (once insurance etc is sorted) to try and make my income up tp full-time equivalent - but I'm even starting to worry that I won't get enough business because no-one will have the money spare to pay for my help.

We survive on a very low wage too.   I've taken to making Chilli con Carne a lot, not much Carne - mostly beans, but beans is cheap and good for us LOL  and of course rice is fairly cheap so far! ;)

>JG, how on earth did you live on £5k a year??

All the supermarkets do their own economy version of the basics - rice, pasta, baked beans, tinned tomatoes, cheese etc. Onions and potatoes are fairly cheap and bulk out half a pound of mince! We lwarned to elbow our way to the front of the crowd at the 'reduced' section of the chiller cabinets! We grow some of our own veg, which helps. We don't smoke, we never go out to eat or go to the pub ... it's more of an existence than a Life, but it could be worse!

OH has already said to me, we will live on beans on toast if things get really bad - just to keep our boy and provide him with what he needs...we could never get rid of him to ease our finances, he is our a member of the family,we love him

just to say sorry your having a rough time {{hug}}