Following from Money Challenge

What money saving ideas do you have to cut back on things??

My big money waster are smokes and coke. I am cutting down big time on my smokes as I do want to give up but not in the right head space at the moment.

Coke is really bad I buy 1 or 2 600ml bottles a day. I have thought about buying a few 2.25 litre bottles a week and having glasses of that at work. Would that save me money??

We are supposed to be giving up smoking as well. It was agreed that we would give up at Christmas.....but DF reckons he can't remember agreeing, so it was going to be the end of the year. The end of the year has come and now he says he didn't say the end of the year, he'll give up when I'm pg. I don't QUITE have the willpower to give up while still living with DF who will be smoking....so for now I'm cutting down as well.

My MIL buys the 12/18 packs of Coke cans (usually on special for about $10 for either the 12 pack, or sometimes the 18 box) and just pours them into a glass. It's a LOT cheaper - she's a Diet Coke fanatic. It means that it works out to be less than $1 a can for one BIG glass, so doesn't only save you money, it means you may end up drinking less (which is also good!!).

DF used to buy the big bottles of GForce and could easily go through 2-3 a day (that's around $10 a day). Now we buy Raro sachets and he makes up his own drinks. It's not the healthiest, but it's cheaper than buying GForce.

My biggest expense is lunch. I don't like sandwiches much, and usually end up binning what ever I make and buying it instead.
I have to come up with some interesting packed lunch ideas.

I've been keeping a spreadsheet of our supermarket shop, and food has simply got more expensive, we are spending $10-20 more a week than we did 6 months ago on essentially the same items.

Geez, I did a shopping plan and stuck religiously to the list - cost over $80 more than usual!!

ooooh yes, DH's chips... same here.

oooh and the snack box at work - i hear you on that. I go into the handover room at the end of a long shift to record handover, and I see that box sitting there with all it's chocolatey goodness and think "oooooh i NEED something from there"

Edited by mum2paris

I didn't think food has gone up at all.. for the same stuff we are spending less each fortnight

Well going down to one income we're definitely going to have to be more careful! IWe're lucky that dh is starting a new job on the 12th January - he will be able to come home for lunch now that he's only working 3 minutes drive from home We'll also save on his petrol to and from work. With me not at work I'll also have time to do things like get meat from the mad butcher or somewhere where it's cheaper rather than getting it at the supermarket with everything else.