Living Lean...

Oh, and Jewlz, I think you're right about supply teaching, but there aren't any requirements for private tutors to have qualifications, so if there is a subject you think you could tutor, there are websites where you can advertise or even just putting up a notice on the local supermarket community adverts board.
For buying meat, the butcher is so much better and often cheaper than the supermarket. We don't have one in our town, but there is a fab one in a town 2 miles away from us, and I have been surprised everytime with how little the final price comes to!

Another thing is to avoid buying bargains just for the sake of buying bargains.  Only buy what you need and will use, even it it means paying more in the short term. If you are talking about non-perishable non-food items, buy things that will last a long time.

I have a friend who is very frugal, and he swears that he saves money by buying his food at M&S, rather than cheaper supermarkets like Tesco or Sainsbury's, because when he is at M&S everything is so expensive that he will only buy just what he needs and if he isn't 100% sure that he needs it he won't get it. On the other hand, he is more likely to buy something at Tesco because it is marked on sale and he thinks that he might possibly find a use for it, so in the end, his Tesco bill comes out to be more.  (I stick to a shopping list so his method doesn't work for me.)

I think this is true to an extent.  I wouldn't go so far as to buy M&S, but I've heard people doing this.  I do think that some stores aren't worth shopping at for a lot of things.  I occassionally shopped at Aldi's in the States and learned what was worth getting there and what wasn't.  We don't have one near us, but we have numerous Lidl and Iceland shops.  A few weeks ago, we went to Lidl, and TBH, I've ended up throwing out a lot of what we bought.  The veg went off really quickly.  The bacon smelt off (it was well in date).  The tuna tasted weird (but I ate it).  It's not always worth it to go really cheap. 

I love Mitchell & Webb.

I saw that they sell packages of meat for a pound at the Poundland near us. I don't want to know what's in the meat.

I do think that some stores aren't worth shopping at for a lot of things. 

Bwahahaha! That link is hysterical!

Another way to save at the grocery store is to live by a strict List Law. Write up your list before you leave home, and you are ONLY allowed to buy what's on the list. No exceptions.

This worked really well for us in our shared house at uni where we were all like little magpies, especially in the world foods section!

Another way to save at the grocery store is to live by a strict List Law. Write up your list before you leave home, and you are ONLY allowed to buy what's on the list. No exceptions.

This worked really well for us in our shared house at uni where we were all like little magpies, especially in the world foods section!

Definitely.  Planning out will help a lot as well.  Plus it helps with losing weight. 

If you don't have a freezer, sometimes they come up cheap when people are clearing out or through Freecycle.  I think Argos has a small chest freezer for £75.  Having a freezer means you can not only freeze the raw ingredients, but cook huge dishes and freeze meal size containers.

It's basic stuff, but we forget sometimes.

Well, I do tend to go to Lidl about once a month or so for some basic items, which are cheaper there and for special deals on the name brand stuff. I steer clear of any generic, too cheap food and just get things like sugar, flour, and things like that. I've been popping up to Heron, which is a frozen food grocery type place, and they have some pretty good deals on Youngs, Birds Eye, etc, frozen foods (again, if I'm going for a bit of cheap frozen food, I try to stick with the name brand stuff over the really cheap stuff, especially when its meat or fish). I do try to cook things from scratch because its cheaper in the long run, but the odd fish finger isn't going to hurt anyone. 

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions, I think we are doing pretty well here and should be in a much better position by the end of the year, if our jobs hold out and we stick to our budget. 

Take up knitting & sewing.

Wool and fabric can be pretty expensive, unless you know of good discount places. I have bought hand-knit sweaters in charity shops that cost a lot less than what the wool would have been worth! Give 'em a good wash and they're as good as new  I've heard of people who un-ravel old sweaters and wash the wool and re-knit it as a new garment.
My mother used to make braided rugs out of old men's suits and fabric from factory outlets. They lasted for years.

My husband is a butter snob. He will only eat M&S easy spread butter (comes in a goldish square container) We found some the other day that was marked down to £1.00..still within date...We bought 10 of them.that will last us almost a year now..you can freeze butter!

We also freeze our bread if we find it reduced. If we are just making toast we get it out of the freezer..and it surprisingly taste better to me when it has been toasted out of the freezer..

In the winter time we buy the special offers that M&S do like the casserole combination they offer for £5.00...sausages or lamb or beef, veg and a sauce that you bung in the oven or a slow cooker...I agree with what Sweetpeach's friend says....

I think this is true to an extent.  I wouldn't go so far as to buy M&S, but I've heard people doing this.  I do think that some stores aren't worth shopping at for a lot of things.  I occassionally shopped at Aldi's in the States and learned what was worth getting there and what wasn't.  We don't have one near us, but we have numerous Lidl and Iceland shops.  A few weeks ago, we went to Lidl, and TBH, I've ended up throwing out a lot of what we bought.  The veg went off really quickly.  The bacon smelt off (it was well in date).  The tuna tasted weird (but I ate it).  It's not always worth it to go really cheap. 

Love the video! Mitchell and Webb are probably my favorite comedians!

Wool and fabric can be pretty expensive, unless you know of good discount places.

I assumed for the sewing part that she was meaning that if you know how to sew, you can greatly extend the life of your current clothes through mending, alteration, and maintenance, and even buy clothes that aren't quite right from the charity shop and alter them to fit or suit your tastes.

There are bargains to be had by sewing some things from scratch (like high-tec sports gear, underwear, jeans, and formal gowns), but by and large I'm definitely under no illusions that sewing saves me any money!

Meat-
Look into deliveries.  Box schemes can be very reasonable.  Even if you don't eat meat at every meal, you can freeze meat for the times you do.  Plus, most box schemes use ethically sourced meat.  They also sell things like soup bones and cuts you might not find at your supermarket.  I recommend the Well Hung Meat company (they have a nice "thrifty box"), but there are other boxes on offer).  

At the market- Cheaper cuts include pork belly (surprisingly good if you slow roast it), POSH sausages (don't bother with the crappy ones, the nice ones are cheap enough), turkey, and slow cooking cuts.  Talk to your butcher.

Thanks, I've been looking for a more affordable way to start eating organic meat, I currently get the freedom foods meat from Waitrose and only do occasional organic meat, but I'm going to start getting one of the meat boxes from this company as the price vs quality looks really great.

Thanks, I've been looking for a more affordable way to start eating organic meat, I currently get the freedom foods meat from Waitrose and only do occasional organic meat, but I'm going to start getting one of the meat boxes from this company as the price vs quality looks really great.

Oh that looks interesting!! Hmmm, wheels turning... 

I bought a pressure cooker at Lidl a few years ago and love it!  I've cooked various beans in it-I soak them overnight (if I remember) or for 4-5 hours...and then pressure cook for about 20-30 minutes depending on the bean. 
I've also made stews and roasts in it. 
While I realize that I'm in the minority, I prefer my pressure cooker over a slow cooker. 
Also, if you aren't qualified to be a teaching assistant, have you thought about working in a school kitchen?  I have done it in the past as the hours worked for me (during lunch time, term time only).  Plus I received a free lunch and a snazzy uniform 
The pay isn't great, but it is a honest job. 

Oh that Well Hung Meat Co. looks fantastic!  My BF was just saying last week how he wants to start only eating meat from good sources.  He'll love this.