How to save a fortune every week

Hello there! I have been on a quest to save money for a while now, but one aspect of my life that I was reluctant to change for a long time was buying lunches at work. I just didn't think I could be bothered making something for myself the night/morning before work, plus I loved having the treat of going out for lunch. My sister Alice had switched to making her own lunches, and had tried to persuade me, but I was having none of it! I thought I would quickly share with you how I FINALLY kicked the habit.

I'd never really worked out how much buying lunch at work was costing me, but once I did I was sold on the idea!! I had been spending around £3 a day on lunches for work. That's £15 a week, and that's when I didn't treat myself to a dessert as well! I realised I could spend £1 a day on lunches if I brought my own, which would save me a whopping £10 a week. Even allowing for four weeks off work a year, that would save me a total of £480 every year!! To me, that could pay for a decent holiday (something I had been unable to afford for years)! Suddenly, the 'treat' of buying lunch at work seemed a horrendous waste of money!

One thing that helped to wean me off expensive shop-bought lunches was buying cheap ready meals instead. I know that's not very healthy, but it was a great way for me to persuade myself to take lunches to work, as there was no preparation involved. I'm slowly starting to cook proper meals now, with leftovers for lunches, but the ready meals softened the blow of not eating out for lunch, because at least I didn't have to put in any extra effort. You can get plenty of frozen ready meals for £1; Asda do tasty Sharwood's oriental ready meals for this price, and Iceland do 3 for £3 on Weightwatchers ready meals. Don't worry if you don't have a freezer at work, I let my frozen meal defrost for the morning (you can keep it in the fridge or even at room temperature) and just adjust the cooking time. If you don't have a microwave at work then you can always make sandwiches! I've now started making my own cooked lunches from time to time. I make a big batch of pasta sauce and pasta, or a big batch of vegetarian (because it's cheaper) chilli. As long as you keep it simple, it only works out at around 50p a portion and it's really healthy!

If you're reluctant, like I was, to take your own lunches to work, just give it a try! I'm sure you will be convinced when you realise how much you could save. And there are lots of options for cheap lunches available, you just have to find something that works for you!

If you have any more cheap lunch ideas, please comment below, I'd love to hear them :-)

Venturing into the World of Aldi...

Hello there! I was planning on doing a couple of blog posts today but I'm a bit poorly so I slept for most of the day. Oopsies!!

Anyway, I thought I'd tell you all about my Aldi experience. I know I always talk about Lidl, because it's a bit easier for me to get to than Aldi, but in the name of being a helpful blogger, I thought I would take a slight detour to see what Aldi has to offer. I'm so glad I did!! I always assumed it would be a bit more expensive than Lidl, as it's known as being a bit more 'upmarket' (if you can call Aldi and Lidl upmarket...) but it wasn't at all! I got all this for £10.72!!

Lemon Antibacterial Wipes 75p

Antibacterial Handwash 75p

Gnocci/Tortelloni/Ravioli 65p each

Pasta Sauce 75p

Crumpets (6) 37p

Extra Large Granary Baps 79p

Baby Leaf Salad 79p

Crispbreads (fake Ryvitas) 59p

Cherry Tomatoes 79p

Penne 500g 29p

Chicken Slices (4) 89p

Frozen Chips 1.5kg 82p

My verdict so far...

First I want to start by saying DO NOT BUY ALDI CRUMPETS!! I don't know if I got a dodgy batch or something, but they were so disgusting I only managed to eat one and had to throw the other five away! Not good. I've heard people say they were nice, but they were certainly not to my taste. I'll definitely be sticking to Lidl or Asda crumpets in future!

I've been impressed with the other things I've tried so far though. The salad, granary rolls and chicken are all pretty good considering how cheap they are. The chicken is obviously not the highest quality but it tastes quite good and I can't afford to be fussy at the moment! The tomatoes are by far my favourite purchase so far though; they're sweet and delicious, definitely nicer than any other tomatoes at that price!

I'm really pleased with the other bargains I've picked up. To get so many items for under a £1 each is incredible, and at that price you can afford to take the gamble of trying them. I'm interested to try the different varieties of dried filled pasta, and the gnocci; I really want them to be good because it's normally £1 or more for fresh pasta. I'll keep you posted on that one. I'm a bit dubious about the chips, but I thought I'd give them a try because, if I can tolerate them, it would be a huge saving for me (and I eat a lot of chips)!

Lidl versus Aldi

Product-wise, it's too soon for me to say. But I hope the crumpets are not a good representation of Aldi's food quality because I found their store so much nicer and better. It was a different world to Lidl; the shelves were all fully stocked, the store was quiet, clean and spacious, and the staff were friendly, polite and smartly dressed! Lidl is the complete opposite, I have been horrified by the poor customer service and general laziness of some of their staff (i.e. texting on their phones while on the till, not saying hello to the customers or even giving them eye contact, etc.). I realise that it varies store to store; the Aldi I went to was a very recently built store, and I've been in ones that are not as nice as that. Likewise, there are probably Lidl stores that are not quite as shocking as my local ones. But comparing my local Aldi to my local Lidl, Aldi wins hands down. I will still definitely be sticking to Lidl when I'm buying crumpets and shampoo though (because they are my faves)!

Are you considering switching to Aldi to save money? Or are you an Aldi shopper already? If so, what are your favourite Aldi products (can be food or beauty)? Please comment below :-)

My tips for spending less on takeaways (save £s and lose lbs!)...

If you're trying to save the pennies, takeaways are one area where you could potentially save a LOT of money!! We're all guilty of taking this lazy option from time to time but here are a few things I've done to help me stay away and save money: -

• Make sure your fridge and cupboards are never bare. You're much less likely to be tempted to a cheeky Chinese if you've got something tasty in at home! One great way to do this is to plan your meals for the week (and shopping list) before you go to the supermarket (not as tedious as it might sound, trust me); this will help you budget and save money on your food shop too!
• Stay on top of the washing up/dishwasher duties. This is easier said than done (especially if you're a natural washing-up shirker like me), but it really helps! Cooking a proper meal seems a lot less daunting/time consuming when you don't have to wash up loads of dishes first!
• Don't deprive yourself entirely. In my experience, you'll be less likely to stick to it that way! You could try allowing yourself one takeaway every 2 months (or only on special occasions). Alternatively, treat yourself to takeaway-style food from the supermarket (e.g. curries, pizzas etc) every once in a while. It's a lot cheaper, and probably a bit healthier too!
• Just can't resist the temptation? Have a look on the Food Standards Agency website for hygiene ratings in your local area. You may find that your favourite takeaways have really low ratings; suddenly their food may not seem so appetising! 
• If you're a fan of Domino's and you just can't give it up, NEVER pay full price for it! You can get plenty of half price and £10 off deals online if you search for Domino's voucher codes. 
• One final tip is my Dad's favourite phrase: 'Don't have eyes bigger than your belly'! If you DO splash out, make sure you don't order more than you can eat. This sounds so obvious but I'm guilty of throwing lots of take-away food away in the past because I'd ordered too much!

How do you resist takeaway temptation? I'd love to hear your suggestions! Please comment below :-)

Mini Primark Hall

Just a quick one today (I'll save the huge blog posts for the weekends). I went to Primark on my lunch today to get some short-sleeved t-shirts for work as it's absolutely boiling on my office (it's on the sunny side of the building and if there is air conditioning, it certainly doesn't work)! I was really pleased to find 3 lovely tops for £10!! Bargain!! [Btw my office is fairly laid-back so these t-shirts aren't too casual]

Black top with lovely lace detailing £4

Blue stripey top £3

Green stripey top £3

I'm really pleasantly surprised by the quality and fit of these t-shirts. I wasn't sure about the length of the stripey ones but they look a lot cuter (and more smart/stylish) tucked loosely into nice trousers. I'm so glad I finally have some tops for work that I'm not going to melt in! :-)

One last thing I got was this cute owl wrapping paper. It was only £1 for 5 metres, which will keep me going for a while! Yay!!

Please comment below and let me know if you've got any great bargains recently!

Hannah x

Frugal and fun ideas for nights in with your chummies

I used to spend a fortune going on nights out, to the cinema, for meals, etc. I still do this about once a month as a treat (not so much the nights out bit, I get horrendous hangovers now I’m a bit older!) but I also socialise a lot at home now. To be completely honest, some of the funniest/most memorable times I've had with my friends over the past few years have been at home! Not convinced? Here are a few suggestions: -

Make your own cocktails

Instead of going out to a snazzy bar, why not make your own cocktails? Look for recipes online and give it a try! Aldi and Lidl do delicious cheap own-brand versions of Baileys, Archers, etc. Not only does this idea save money but it gives you and your friends something fun to do too!

Take turns to cook each other dinner

This is such a simple and well-known idea but sometimes the oldies are the goodies! You don’t have to literally take turns; if you cook for your friends they’ll normally repay the favour one day (or if they’re lazy they may even take you out for a nice meal, bonus)! I’m not talking about spending loads of money and cooking a three course meal. Just make a nice simple home cooked meal. Your friends might even be nice and bring cake or wine! This idea is so much cheaper than going out somewhere for a meal, and it’s a lot more sociable! [I stole this idea from my boyfriend because he does this a lot and it always goes down well; I'm a bit too nervous about my cooking skills to cook for lots of people myself].

Have a picnic-style lunch

I would say ‘go for a picnic’, but the weather’s not often nice enough in this country! If you do get to go for a picnic then yay, but you can also have a picnic at home. Buy some nice fresh baguettes/crusty bread rolls, some continental meats and cheeses, arrange it all nicely in the centre of a table and you and your friends can help yourselves. You might think this is really expensive but a) It’s a lot cheaper than going to a café and b) Aldi and Lidl do some lovely continental meats and cheeses for less than you’d pay at other supermarkets. My favourite bargains are Mozzarella for 44p and freshly baked bread rolls at 75p for 5 (both Lidl). I bought all this (serves 3 people) for £5.16!

Continental-Style 'Picnic': Bread Rolls 75p for 5 (20p each), Mozzarella 44p, Babyleaf & Rocket Salad 79p, Milano Salami £1.49, Italian Prosciutto £1.49 (Lidl)

Have a board game night

I realise this suggestion might not be for everyone, but my friends and I are obsessed with playing board games these days (hooray for my sister Alice for getting me into board games)! We've got really into it over the past year or two, mainly because we can’t afford to go out as much as we used to. It’s great fun and free (even if you get in some tasty nibbles and wine, it’s still loads cheaper than going out anywhere). Of course, if you don’t own any board games already, there’s the initial cost, which can be up to a hefty £30, but you could try going halves with housemates if you share a flat/house with someone, or ask for a board game for your birthday/Christmas. I've certainly got my money’s worth out of my board games (and most of them were presents anyway)! I recommend Articulate* (definitely good for socialising), Carcassonne, Ingenious, Ticket to Ride and 7 Wonders, but you can find plenty of old-school board games for a couple of quid in charity shops. Can't be bothered scouring the charity shops and don't want to invest in a pricey board game? Try Mini Articulate (£4.99) or Yahtzee (£7.12), and there are always plenty of games to play with playing cards!

*all links and prices are for Amazon

Watch DVDs instead of going to the cinema

This is a well known suggestion but I don’t know why people don’t do it more often; your sofa is probably a lot more comfy than a cinema seat, you can wear your pjs, and there are no annoying teenagers sat in the back playing on their mobiles! Plus, you're not tempted to buy expensive cinema snacks (you can buy loads of ice-cream and snacks from the supermarket instead, for a fraction of the cost). I know what you’re thinking ‘Hannah, you still have to buy the DVDS!’ but not necessarily; I mostly just borrow DVDs from my friends and family (I normally ask them first…)

Have a pampering session

Paint each others' nails and do face-masks (which you can pick up for £1). It sounds really cheesy but I did this a couple of years ago and it was actually a really good evening! 

I sadly had to crop myself out of this picture as I looked like a thumb!

One last thing...

My final suggestion is a bit odd but why not spend no money at all and just have a good old-fashioned catch-up!? Why do we always feel the need to go out somewhere or plan an elaborate night in when we meet up with our friends? If it’s a close friend you haven’t seen for a while, forget making plans for your night in, you’re probably not going to be interested anyway, because you’ll be too busy talking/laughing your heads off! This is something I've realised now I see my friends less (because they’re all scattered across the country now); sometimes there’s just no entertainment needed!

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Budget Beauty Reviews: Lidl Cien Provitamin Shampoo (for Dry/Damaged hair) 75p

I’ve been desperate to review this shampoo since I bought it (before I even had a blog) because I was so blown away by it!

I always assumed Lidl’s own-brand beauty products would be useless/horrible, because I always think ‘If something seems too good to be true, it probably is’. But I’d heard some good things about their body lotion while watching Superscrimpers. Even so, I was dubious about buying anything of theirs in case I wasted my money. Thankfully my housemate, who is also on a quest to pay off his debts, happened to buy this shampoo around the same time. It was fate! So I ‘borrowed’ some to try it, and I was amazed (and went out and bought some the next day)!

My first impressions were mixed. I can’t describe it but the shampoo feels a bit gloopy/greasy/not foamy when you use it, so I was a bit like ‘Oh dear, what is my hair going to look like when it dries!?’ On the plus side, the smell is pleasant enough (not as nice as the Aussie shampoo I was using, but it’s not worth paying an extra few pounds just for a nice smell).

I didn’t change anything about my hair routine. I used Aussie’s 3 Minute Miracle conditioner and, afterwards, used Aussie’s leave-in conditioner. But despite only changing my shampoo (I had been using an Aussie 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner previously, as I was so desperate to tame my frizz), my hair looked so much better! It was shinier, less dry looking, softer and more manageable. I kept saying at work ‘Look at my hair!! Look how much better it is!! 75p from Lidl!!’ (I’m sure my colleagues all thought I was mad, but they’re used to it by now)! I will never go back to using the expensive stuff now I’ve discovered this; my lifelong quest to tame my frizzy hair is over! Of course, my hair is not magically free of frizz/dryness (I’m just unlucky in the genes department) but it is 10 times better! I can’t wait for my conditioner and leave-in conditioner to run out, so I can try out the Cien conditioner and hair mouse.

I DO have one warning about this shampoo. It makes my hair greasy slightly earlier. Nothing major, but I used to wash my hair every 3 days and now it’s more like every 2 (but I still don’t have to wash it every day)! For me, it’s a price I’m willing to pay for shiny/non-frizzy hair, but if you’re prone to greasy hair you might want to try the same range but for a different hair type. Of course, I’ve not tried the shampoos for other hair types, so I can’t guarantee they’ll be as effective, but at 75p what have you got to lose?

Coming Soon: I review Lidl’s Cien shower gels (45p and 79p)*

*I promise I don’t work for Lidl, I’m just really impressed with the bargains I’ve found there :-)

Ten frivolous to frugal product switches

By far, the thing that has saved me the most money is switching the products I use to their cheaper counterparts. I used to turn my nose up at using own brand or even value range products but once I gave them a try I realised there is usually very little discernible difference. Even when there is a slight difference it is not a big enough difference to justify the price discrepancy. Switching your products is a great way to save money without giving up on anything. Here are a few of my biggest savings/best products: -

1. Lidl Crumpets - 49p for 8 

(Warbutons – 80p for 6)*

These are such a cheap and tasty option for breakfasts. There are other own brand options out there for a similar price, but I have a couple of crumpet-addicted close friends and they both say that, of all the own-brand crumpets they've tried, Lidl’s are the only ones that are as tasty as Warbutons. I had them for breakfast this morning and I don't think they're quite as good as the real thing, but they're delicious all the same!

2. Colgate Toothpaste (many varieties) - £1 100ml 

(Colgate Total Advanced - £1.99 75ml)

Pound shops offer branded toothpastes, which can give you savings of up to £2 compared to what you'd pay in the supermarket. You may have to get a toothpaste with a few less thrills (e.g. it might only offer 3 actions, such as whitening, tartar protection and gum protection, as opposed to offering 5 different actions), but you’re still using a branded toothpaste so it’s still going to taste okay and do the main jobs you’d expect from a toothpaste. 

3. Asda Chopped Tomatoes – 31p 400g 

(Napolina Chopped Tomatoes – £1.25 400g)

I’ve looked around and most supermarkets do own-brand versions for 31p. If you’re cooking from scratch to try and save money, this is a great way to cut down your costs (without cutting down on taste). I used to insist on using the fancy branded version (I have no idea why!) but lots of recipes I do contain two whole tins of tomatoes; by switching, I’m saving myself £1.88 every time I make a batch of pasta sauce or chilli, or 47p a portion!

4. Cussons Pure Antibacterial Handwash - £1 500ml 

(Carex Bacteria Protect - 90p 250ml HALF PRICE)

I discovered this lovely Cussons Handwash at my local pound shop. You get twice as much for more or less the same price (and that's only when the Carex one is on offer), which can save a lot of money if you normally get through a lot of the stuff! I personally think it looks a bit nicer and less clinical as well. Also, Carex is actually by Cussons so you don't have to substitute a branded product for a non-branded one. However, if you can't find this exact handwash, there are lots of nice own-brand versions available for around the same price.

5. Lidl Cien Provitamin Shampoo – 75p 300ml 

(Aussie Frizz Miracle Shampoo - £4.49 300ml)

Before discovering this shampoo, I was buying all sorts of expensive shampoos in a desperate attempt to tame my dry/frizzy hair. Not only is the Lidl version the best shampoo I've found, it’s also by far one of the cheapest I've tried. I can’t believe that I wasted so much money on products that didn’t work, when there is a product that does work for a tiny fraction of the cost! Full review coming soon. 

6. Pound Shop Loo Roll - £1 for 4 

(Tesco Luxury Soft - £3.50 for 9)

Not a very glamorous product, I know, but it really can save you a fortune. The £1 version works out at £2.25 for 9 rolls, giving a saving of £1.25 on Tesco's version. You may have to use a bit of trial an error to get the best one available at your local £1 shop but I've found that the couple of pound shop 'brands' I've tried have been far superior to the supermarket own brands (i.e. they're softer and don't fall apart). Give it a try!

7. Lidl Multivitamins & Iron – 75p for 60 tablets

(Boots Multivitamins with Iron - £4.89 for 90 tablets)

Why pay nearly a fiver for 90 tablets when you could get the same amount for £1.50!? I was sceptical myself, I thought 'I'm sure the Lidl vitamins won't offer 100% of my RDA' but I've checked and the two versions are pretty much identical! The only major difference is the Lidl one doesn't contain Calcium, but I take separate calcium tablets so this doesn't bother me (and if you get plenty of calcium in your diet this won't be an issue for you either). This is just an example, but you can find all sorts of vitamins at Lidl and £1 shops for a fraction of the cost (and they don't taste horrible or anything, in my experience). For more choice, try Asda; they do a wide range of vitamins, though they are more expensive (but still cheaper than Boots).

8. £1 Shop - Flash Guard Multi Surface Lemon Spray - £1 500ml

(Tesco - same product - £2 500ml)

You can get loads of branded household cleaning products in £1 shops, at around half the price for exactly the same product and quantity! I'm kicking myself that I didn't realise this years ago! Obviously it can vary a bit from shop to shop, but just go in one (or two) £1 shops and see which household items you can save money on (without even switching brands/products). I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

9. Lidl Casaburo Olive Spread £1 500g

(Bertolli - £1.90 500g)

I love Lidl's cheeky rip-off of Bertolli, it tastes exactly the same to me (and I'm quite fussy about my marg'). Also, I looked at the ingredients and nutritional values and couldn't really see a difference! 

10. Card Factory Birthday Cards - 5 cards for £1

Card Factory is amazing. Fact. The saving I'm making on what I used to spend (around £2 per card) amounts to nearly £50 a year! Card Factory do lots of lovely cards for 79p, £1 and £1.49 (you'd pay at least £3 for the £1.49 ones in other shops, they're pretty fancy). Plus, I've recently discovered that they actually do lots of pretty (and not tacky-looking) cards on an 'any 5 for £1' offer (so I bought 10, which will last me a while)! I will write a full blog-post on Card Factory soon because I used to turn my nose up at it, but now I'm completely converted!

This list is very heavy on Lidl products, that’s because there are 2 stores near me and I've found Lidl to be a bit cheaper (and better value) than Asda, Tesco, etc. However, if you don’t have a Lidl near you, try Aldi (the only reason I don’t go to Aldi is because it’s not on my way home) or Asda’s (or other supermarkets') value ranges. 

I hope this list has been helpful to you, and hopefully it will have given you a bit of inspiration to switch a few products to better value versions, even if you don't go for these exact products :-)

What is your favourite own-brand bargain? I'd love to hear your suggestions! Please comment below :-)

*For my comparison prices (for the expensive versions of the products) I looked at Tesco's prices online

My Top Tips for saving money (and resisting temptation)..

Here are some general tips I have picked up along the way on my quest to stop spending so much money (and get out of debt). I’m 26 this month and I have to admit that until fairly recently I have always lived beyond my means and had to borrow money (be it from family or from the bank), ever since I was a teenager, and throughout my student days and working life. If I can change my ways then anyone can! These are just some general rules and tips; for more specific tips on where to save money and great money-saving products, keep checking back for new posts! This is a list of a few things that have helped me…

• Pennies Equal Pounds. That sounds painfully obvious but I never fully appreciated the true meaning of this until recently. I always had the attitude of ‘What difference is a few pence going to make?’ but once you start to work out what you’re spending money on in terms of how much it costs per year, you realise just how much a few pence can add up to. For example, I went through a phase of buying an Iced Finger from Greggs every weekday for a few months. I thought ‘it’s only 40p, what harm will it do?’ but if I’d carried on doing that, it would have added up to £104 a year! Once I started to work out the cost of my regular, unnecessary, purchases in terms of weekly and yearly costs (no calculator necessary, just work out the weekly cost and multiply by 50 if you want to estimate it), it was a lot easier to give them up. As if I want to spend £104 a year on iced fingers! You can also apply this to your supermarket items easily. If you are reluctant to go to a lower cost supermarket/go for the value ranges of products, try to do just one cheap food shop, see how much you saved compared to your normal food shop and times that by 52. Then think of all the things you could do with that money you’d save (holiday, nice meals out, etc.) and suddenly sticking to the higher end products/shops seems a lot less worth it! 

• You can still get that shopping buzz while saving money. As a lifelong shopaholic, my biggest barrier to becoming frugal was the fact I love shopping and can’t seem to stop myself buying things! That hasn’t gone away (some habits are harder to shake than others), but now I get a buzz from finding a great bargain instead! 

• For the most part I try to avoid buying non-essential items for myself now (though I do slip up now and again). But there is always that desire to go shopping, so now I scour £1 shops, charity shops, TK Maxx etc. for bargainous birthday (and even Christmas) presents. I still get that happy shopping feeling and by hunting for presents so far in advance I can make sure I find something really special (because it takes a bit of time to find a good present in a £1 shop)! 

• Stop shopping at Sainsbury’s, Tesco (or even M&S and Waitrose) and shop at Lidl, Asda, Iceland, Aldi, £1 shops etc.  Just give it a try, you’ve got nothing to lose. I was reluctant myself but since I tried it I’ve never looked back. I used to be a bit snobbish about shopping in these places but then I thought “I’m in a fairly low paid job and in debt, it’s a bit rich coming from me”! I will be writing some blog-posts about which of these shops are best for different types of products (e.g. £1 shops are great for finding branded household cleaning products for a fraction of the cost, but pretty useless for food!). I’ll also be writing reviews of the best own brand products I’ve come across (and the worst). 

• Sometimes it really pays to do a few quick sums! If you use public transport to travel to work, look into monthly or even yearly travel passes rather than weekly ones. This sounds obvious but it is not always clear that a monthly pass will save us much money (especially with buses) so we tend not to bother. In my area it is £12.50 for a weekly pass or £46 for a monthly pass. I used to think ‘I can’t be bothered, I’d hardly save any money’ but I was failing to take full account of the fact months are not 4 weeks long. As soon as I worked it out properly I realised that the monthly cost of buying weekly passes is actually £54.17, meaning switching to a monthly pass would save me £8.17 a month, which is £98 a year! I’m kicking myself that I didn’t switch years ago! Was avoiding the ‘hassle’ of signing up to a bus pass online, which took me all of 5 minutes, worth losing £98 a year for? No it was not! It just shows how valuable doing a bit of simple maths can be. I never would have realised how much money I was wasting if I hadn’t!

I could probably go on for hours talking about this topic, so I’ll stop for now (I may do a second part to this post in a few weeks/months, once you have all recovered from reading this essay of a post!). I hope that some of you have found this helpful! Next time I’ll be listing my Top 10 frivolous to frugal product switches!

How I went from Miss Spendthrift to Miss Thrifty

So I started a blog... The main reason for doing this is that I was in debt and living way beyond my means before six months ago (I'm still in debt now obviously, but the positive thing is I'm paying it off MUCH quicker now and can see the light at the end of the tunnel), and I want to help other people in the same situation. Or even people who just want to spend a bit less to save for a holiday, a house deposit, or even a designer handbag if they're that way inclined! 

The truth of the matter is, I never would have started this journey to frugality if I hadn't been in debt; we all have a little bit of snobbishness/laziness in us that can prevent us from making wise, frugal choices; but I'm so glad I did because I've never looked back (apart from a small relapse a couple of weeks ago but nobody's perfect)! Even if I got a really high paid job (unlikely!) I would never go back to shopping at Sainsbury's again now that I've discovered the joys of Asda, Lidl and various £1 shops; for any of you who recoil at the idea of shopping at these places, I'll be doing plenty of reviews of great bargains I've found that might help win you over (there will also be reviews of some not so great 'bargains' that are best avoided)!

I'm lucky because I pass various cheap and cheerful shops and supermarkets on my lunch and way home from work so I can shop around for things without much hassle, but I understand that most people don't have the time (or inclination) to shop around like I do and that's why I want to pass on my knowledge. The main thing I want to show people is that you don't have to spend a lot to have a nice life. If anything my new thrifty shopping habits have enabled me to have more treats. I can now afford/justify the occasional meal out, plus I'm going on holiday this year (another bargain) for the first time in years and I don't even have to feel guilty about it because I have saved, and am continuing to save, so much on a weekly basis. I hope you will all enjoy my first posts over the coming days :-)