living on a budget

Salam Alaikum

Every day, in the news, we hear about spending cuts and financial crisis. It's alot more serious than many people think. So instead of going into debts, which you can't get out of and eventually you will lose everything you've got, I thought I get some tips together here.. However I'm fully aware that this might not apply for everyone, but every little penny helps :)

Food:

If you know anyone with a catering business or a corner shop, then ask them if you can go with them to the wholesalers. You can save quite alot of money by doing that. The father of my children has a restaurant, so I tend to shop in bookers.
They've got 20 kg good quality rice for £20 (4 kg for £6 in sainsbury's, basic one)
10 whole chickens for £20 (they're halal and sell for about £3-3,50 each in local halal shops)
10 kg chicken breast for £30 (also halal, and sell 500g for £4 in local halal stores)
the milk is also cheaper, £0.89 when you buy 4 (2,2 liters.. the cheapest i've seen in is in Iceland for £1)
6kg carrots for £3 (this is great if you share with some other sisters ie 2 kg pr head for £1)
24 toilet rolls for £2,50 (will look at the branded ones next time i go there)

Also local fruit and vegetable shops have lots of great deals. Much better prices and quality than the supermarket and most of it tend to be grown locally MashaAllah. They've also got homemade jams and so on. To get the best bargains go just before closing time and you'll find alot of reduced goods, which is still in very good condition MashaAllah.. this goes for the supermarkets aswell, if you go there after 6-7pm, you'll find alot of half price fruit, veg and bread mashaAllah

Another thing you could do, is to make the rule, never to buy anything at full price.. Might be a challenge but not impossible.. Stock up, everytime there is a good deal going on. Especially with dried and canned stuff that can last for long. Buy one get one free offers are great MashaAllah
Remember to look at the quantity compared with price, it's not always the bigger sizes are
Where they have loyalty cards such as tesco clubcards, nectar cards etc, use them! you can save quite alot there and get discount on utility bills aswell as other offers.
To make sure you only buy what you need, buy online, this is really effective if you're on a strict budget as you won't be tempted to dive in to everything your eye falls on (lol i tend to do this quite alot, always come home with more than i needed!)

Other Items:

For cleaning products and toiletries, try wilkinsons, poundland and savers. Always good deals on branded items

If you tend to do your shopping at the supermarket chains, look out for petrol deals.. I know sainsbury's often do 5p or 10p off petrol pr liter, depending on your spending in store.. Take advantage of this one and fill the tank, it can save you quite a bit of money

If you're looking at getting new appliances for your home, whether it's big or small, try to have a look at secondhand shops. I know this isn't ideal for many, but honestly many of the stores get appliances from big main street retailers, because there are a few dents on them or scratches, they can't be sold for their full prices.. We got a brand new freezer for the fraction of RRP, because there was a visible dent on the door. Nothing wrong with it at all, MashaAllah
Also car boot sales do have some great bargains aswell, you can even get brand new furnitures, such as tables, closets etc for next to nothing. I love car boot sales myself, as you can get anything and everything there, we went a few weeks ago and i got 4 bikes for £20! even though it's secondhand, it's a bargain!

For clothing, well this is what one prefers themselves really.. What i've done is to have 3 groups of clothing for my kids.. School clothes, nursery/play clothes and normal clothes.. School clothes, i tend to buy at Asda and Sainsbury's, but I always wait until the end of the month the term starts, as everything gets reduced to 50-75%. Then i buy in bulk in different sizes (especially for the girls, so they can be handed down, if one doesn't fit them).. Nursery/play clothes i usually buy on sales, in primark or on few occasions in charity shops or car boot sales if i find brand new items there... Then the other clothes I can allow myself to spend a bit more on and will buy at H&M, Next etc, but won't fill their wardrobe there though and majority of the items i will buy on sales.
With charity shops it can be quite tricky as to find the ones that do have good quality clothes. But keep looking around, you might just find one that suits your needs InshaAllah.
For outerwear, especially for the winter, I always buy good quality ones, they last longer and are much warmer. Try some of the outdoor shops. They're jackets/coats are fantastic value and can last a decade. My mum sent me coats for my 2 eldest daughters last Eid. They've practically been wearing them almost every day at school and they still look new MashaAllah. they're wind and waterproof, aswell as warm.
Footwear for winter i bought from next, found some really warm boots for all of them at next, for £15 each and they lasted the whole winter.


You can reduce your utility bills buy limiting the use of major appliances, such as dishwasher and tumble dryer. Also do laundry during evenings, will save you quite a bit aswell. Switch off all electrical goods, not only will you save electricity, but you'll make your home safer.
During winter times, you can save money on fuel bills by dressing warmer. Get some fleece or woollen items like cardigans, socks etc they're great for those cold months. I've found some thermal socks in cherry's buy for £1 each, they're really warm and comfy, even after several washes they're still in good shape. Use fleece blankets aswell, will keep the kids nice and warm throughout the night, you can get them for £5 each at primark. I usually put one under them and if it's really cold one on top aswell.
Put the heating on during the night and it should keep the house warm throughout the day inshaAllah.
also alot of energy suppliers will give you a reader (can't remember what it's called now) which you can see where you're usage is going and even give money back for any savings you made, usually done buy giving discount on the next bill.

And when it comes to savings on your luxuries ie tv packages or mobile phones etc... shop around, then when you've find a great deal, call your current provider and ask for a discount or you'll leave, in most cases they'll give you an equally good or even better deal (especially if you pay your bills on time). They want to keep good customers, so it's always worth a try, especially if you go to the cancellation department, as they've got better offers than the normal customer service :)
This also applies for when you buy bigger items, try to see if you can squeeze a bargain out of them, especially if you're going to spend quite alot of money... This isn't for everyone, but some people do have the gift of getting great bargains.. Be confident, play sellers up against each other, get them to throw extras in and ask for their best price, then offer a lower price and start negotiating, good luck!

Right that's what i can think of at the moment, might come back with more at a later stage..

Here some websites, that can give you great savings InshaAllah

http://womenfreebies.co.uk/

this site gives you free samples of various items, competitions etc. I recently got free pantene shampoo and conditioner and some skin care products, have a look InshaAllah

http://www.groupon.co.uk
http://www.kgbdeals.co.uk

these 2 sites are brilliant! you get heavily discounted prices on various of things ie restaurants, leisure, events, holidays, beauty treatments and much more, there can be a savings of up to 70%, so definitely worth signing up for

http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk

Here you find great deals on fragrances and skincare products. They've always have some sort of offers running and usually at a bargain price compared to RRP

http://www.supersavvyme.co.uk/home.aspx

this site has various of offers, money off vouchers, competitions, advice etc, love to browse this site

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/

Here you can compare the prices of most supermarket chains, really handy to have

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

is a fantastic site on how and where to save money, aswell as product reviews, scam deals etc, love it and use it quite frequently