Beating the Exchange Rate

[mint]

Greetings to everybody.  How about some suggestions for mitigating the lousy exchange rate?  People have talked about how their pensions have suffered and how prices of many basic goods have gone up.  So, I'm thinking that perhaps there are things that many on the forum now do to make their money stretch that little further and that we could all benefit if they'd share their favourite money-saving tips with the rest of us.

To get the ball rolling, I'll start with a query.

Does the champagne you drink have to be Verve Cliquot or would you really notice if you got the stuff that's on "promotion" at Lidl's?

Well, for all I know, the forum is overrun with champagne-quaffers.  Why else do the Amanda Lamb programmes always end with househunters sitting down with her, holding champagne flutes?

More serious and helpful tips much appreciated.

 

[Clair]

If it has to be champagne, it's Nicolas Feuillate.

If it is simply bubbly, Clairette de Die or Lidl's Crémant de Bourgogne are just right.

(I hear Veuve Cliquot causes a lot of verve...[:D])

[Cat]

I agree Claire, I'd far rather have a good cremant de Loire, or even d'Alsace for around 5€ than a cut-price champagne.  But I am a great fan of Lidl and Leader Price, and I save a small fortune by buying most of my essentials there.

 

[mint]

Trust you to notice, Clair!  Anyway, to get rich and be in charge of a champagne house, you have to get shot of the husband first?  Why else are they all veuves? 

[Russethouse]

I wonder if growing your own veg is a 'real' saving, and if so how much do you have to produce to allow for the cost of composts, etc. Or is the main gain having produce to exchange for other items ?

We are growing a few things in pots this year, potatoes, tomatoes, runner beans, carrots, beetroot, courgette  etc, but it is for the pleasure, not economy, as I have a feeling on a small scale it is not very economical.

[cooperlola]

I tend to agree R/H although I'm hoping that this year my compost mixture of garden/household waste and dobbin poo should be ready and I'll be able to give up on buying compost, so that may make a difference.

[Pads]

My Money saving tip is to learn french............... I no longer spend my days lunching with girl friends spending half a day shopping, or boozing in the evenings, buying books that I no longer have the time to read...... its saving me a fortune. all I do now is sit in front of my books trying to work out my home work. In fact when my last credit card bill came in, my hubby looked at it and said , whats the matter with your credit card, I looked up from my books and said what ? well he says it must be broken as you havnt been using it !! 

Russethouse   your right by time I brought a green house, compost, made raised veg beds and brought seeds it cost me a fortune for my veg and salad, but im at the stage where i use my own compost and save my seeds from last year, so in a few years I may just break even. [:)] 

My other tip is send your hubby away from home to work, I save a fortune on phone bill, electricity, diesel, tea bags, toilet rolls, beer, and remote control batteries [:)]

[woody234]

PADS whats the "1month 1 week 5 days untill casona" written at the bottom of your tag mean

[Kitty]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

would you really notice if you got the stuff that's on "promotion" at Lidl's?

[/quote]

I swear by the Lidl stuff.  It's been 12 euros for months now and I buy a case whenever I can.  Most people don't know the difference, especially after the 3rd bottle, and just say 'ooo, real champagne' and I grin and say 'of course'...

[Pads]

[quote user="woody234"]PADS whats the "1month 1 week 5 days untill casona" written at the bottom of your tag mean[/quote]

Its now 1 month 1 week and 4 days till I go to Carcassonne .................. cant wait [:D]

[Quillan]

Plenty of freezer space.

Not just Lidl but like for instance Champion have pork for 2.30 per kg, I bought 80 pork chops and some rolls of pork for the freezer. LeClerc have stewing steak half price (buy a kilo and get another free). All this via the pub we get stuffed in to our postbox each week. Then a double benefit, the wife makes the paper in to bricks for the fire. Keep an eye open for the offers and buy then and stick it in the freezer.

[mint]

Quillan, do you know how long meat, fish, etc can be kept frozen?  There are, excepting when we have friends for dinner and visitors to stay, only the two of us and OH doesn't eat meat.  I'm always a little bit worried about keeping food in the freezer for too long.  I mean 80 pork chops would last me forever!

Hand in hand with your tip, Quillan, is the obvious one of only using the car when you need to and try to keep shopping journeys to a minimum.

[Russethouse]

sweet 17 perhaps someone you know would go halves with you on one of these offers ?

Likewise shopping trips - if you can share transport on a turn about basis it may work.

I already buy offers in bulk on things like cleaning products, shower gel, liquid soap etc. For example when I saw a good deal on dishwasher tablets I liked I bought 6 months worth and would have bought a years worth if I had room.

[Quillan]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Quillan, do you know how long meat, fish, etc can be kept frozen?  There are, excepting when we have friends for dinner and visitors to stay, only the two of us and OH doesn't eat meat.  I'm always a little bit worried about keeping food in the freezer for too long.  I mean 80 pork chops would last me forever!

Hand in hand with your tip, Quillan, is the obvious one of only using the car when you need to and try to keep shopping journeys to a minimum.

[/quote]

Well in fairness we use them for our guests, BBQ and alike and they are normally gone in 3 months and no they don't have chops every night for a week. I also buy the trout when it's for a euro a pop.

We do use Lidl for our cleaning products, that W5 range is to be really recommended. The Anti Calc stuff is brilliant for the old shower glass, squirt it on and by the time you have cleaned the rest of the bathroom just rinse it off and walk away.

 

[cooperlola]

When I first had a freezer (yonks and yonks ago!), I had a little Penguin book about freezing food, Sweet 17.  It was quite clear from that that, (barring disasters such as long power cuts etc)  frozen food actually keeps for much longer than you would imagine - it is simply its quality which deteriorates.  What happens is that the moisture content eventually reduces, and the product certainly becomes less pleasant after months at low temperatures, but it will not harm you in any way.

Fish products tend to keep less long - not because they go off, but simply because they have a higher moisture content and dry out more quickly.  My little freezer bible recomended consuming fish within a month if possible, but certainly within three.  But meat (depending on density) can last anything between 3 and 12 months without losing much quality and taste.

[powerdesal]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Does the champagne you drink have to be Verve Cliquot or would you really notice if you got the stuff that's on "promotion" at Lidl's?

Well, for all I know, the forum is overrun with champagne-quaffers.  Why else do the Amanda Lamb programmes always end with househunters sitting down with her, holding champagne flutes?

More serious and helpful tips much appreciated.

 

[/quote]

Gossett for normal breakfast and Dom Perignon 98 for special breakfast

[Belle]

Just want to say thanks Quillan, for the tip on the anti calc for the shower, its really nice when some-one has tried something, and then sends a recommendation.That might be a good thread to start.

[Quillan]

[quote user="Belle"]Just want to say thanks Quillan, for the tip on the anti calc for the shower, its really nice when some-one has tried something, and then sends a recommendation.That might be a good thread to start.[/quote]

I really don't like housework but in any 'partnership' one is expected to (and of course should) do ones share. I'm for the easy life and anything that can give an excellent result with as little effort as possible has got to be a good thing in my book. I think I have tried just about everything thats been sold for cleaning and I have to say the old W5 stuff does it for me every time.

[Ian]

My money saving tips (in no particular order):

• Don't go shopping for "fun"/"recreation" - make a list of what you need and go and get just that.
• Eat seasonally - and get one of those healthy-budget food books aimed at students ... they have good recipes.
• Work out a menu of meals and buy only those items
• Eat more veggie meals
• Buy things with real cash (rather than credit/debit or cheques)
• Anticipate your needs - make the most of sales, offers, coupons etc
• Haggle / negotiate - learn how and try it. WAY more opportunities for this than you may at first realise! Big savings!
• Always pay off your credit cards before paying interest
• Pay off your mortgage asap
• Walk and cycle more
• Stop smoking
• Use price comparison websites - they are pretty good
• Use budget airlines
• Summer holiday - camping!
• Do Free exercise - walk, jog, at-home yoga, making love etc
• Begin a hobby that could earn you a few pennies
• Rent out a room or holiday home if you aren't using it
• Move to a cheaper area
• Go to vide greniers (to sell unwanted clutter and buy cheap items)
• Most people are over insured - never take out the added warranty offered with electrical appliances for example - rip off

[Quillan]

[quote user="Ian"]My money saving tips (in no particular order):

• Don't go shopping for "fun"/"recreation" - make a list of what you need and go and get just that.

[/quote]

Ian, your a brave chap. I'll give you a free nights stay with evening meal if you can tell my missus that and still be standing afterwards [;-)] I can almost taste the blood running down the walls now.

[cooperlola]

Do the shopping yourself then, Q!  I just give my o/h as many € as are in this week's budget and post him off to the supermarket.  Then I can sit at home and doss on the 'puter and learn all these money-saving ideas....[Www]

[tuppence]

Great list Ian, can I also mention that I have cancelled SKY TV because it cost more per annum than my taxe fonciere and d'habitation put together.[6] I am also about to get rid of my French mobile phone and just keep my UK one so cutting costs as I only use it for texts and it is 19.90€ per month. So altogether I have saved €900 pa just by doing those two things. I also never use the car on Sundays (except emergencies). E-bay is the next port of call to get rid of unwanted items if possible[:)] 

tuppence

[Quillan]

[quote user="cooperlola"]Do the shopping yourself then, Q!  I just give my o/h as many € as are in this week's budget and post him off to the supermarket.  Then I can sit at home and doss on the 'puter and learn all these money-saving ideas....[Www][/quote]

'Er indoors' says it an important part of female life, retail therapy that is, and it's every woman's right and that the mans job is just to fetch, carry and, more importantly, pay. When the credit card bill comes in the only bit I need to know about is on the little tear off slip that you send back with the payment as I could never posibly understand the rest of the satement and anyway I don't need to know [;-)]

[mint]

Great posts, guys.  Quillan, thanks for the tip re the cleaning products.  Our nearest Lidl is a half hour's drive, but it's also where the OH goes soon to see the orthopaedic chap so I'll fit in a trip then.

Ian, brilliant list and I am making notes.

Coops, as usual, you are the soul of good sense and information so I will no longer have to worry about the stuff in the freezer.  I will also make a point of putting in the date as well as the contents of packages.

Also, I was chez la coiffeuse this afternoon and I thought, well, perhaps I'll make it 7 weeks instead of 6 for my hair cut and the dear girl gave me back 10 per cent of the usual cost because she said I got that amount off on Mondays.  So, it's hairdresser's on a Monday every 7 weeks or so from now on.

Hey, perhaps the OH and I could have a go at tackling that ruin in the garden ourselves instead of paying someone else to do it.  Only problem is there are some bloody big stones that need moving and I don't think we have the strength to shift them!  C'est domage!

Keep the ideas coming, people.  It's got to be batten down the hatches time and sit it out, hopefully.  Has anyone checked the exchange rate today?  [:'(][:'(][:'(] eeh.....................!!!

[Ian]

A few more...

• Barter - "I'll baby-sit your kids for a haircut / "taxi" ride to the airport / basket of fresh veg from your potager!"
• Give your time/labour as a gift: a day gardening, babysitting, shopping-run, log splitting, chef-services, decorating etc
• Have "pot luck" dinner parties (each couple/diner bring a course) with friends rather than eating out
• Sell the second car - and get a smaller first car
• Car share with friends
• Turn the heating down one degree and pop on a thicker jumper (approx 10% reduction in your heating bill)

• Energy saving lightbulbs are worth it!
• Deep discount food stores like Lidl are worth it!
• Learn basic DIY / make-do-and-mend skills
• Swap books, cds and dvds with friends
• Write a budget and a log of your spending - it's illuminating and really works!
• Before buying anything ask: "Do I really need this? Or am I being seduced by the marketing?"
• Even when budgets get really tight (and debts are mounting) try to save a little of your income - the discipline is good ... and even with debts that need paying it makes financial sense in most cases.
• If you speak fluent or close to fluent English write a website or blog - the ads you put on give you a stream of income long after your content was written - money for nothing!
• Make sure you include all members of your family in your economy drive - it needn't be divisive (Honest Quillan!). In fact it can be a real bonding experience.