Money Matters Monday – Food Banks

I have seen people comment that in today’s day and age there should be not be any need for food banks or soup kitchens in the UK or for any persons to be going hungry.

I agree, there shouldn’t  be this need in an ideal world. However this world isn’t ideal and there ARE people starving in this country and there IS a need for food banks and unfortunately that issue is not going to end anytime soon.

It is very much a political issue and if anything the Government is making the matter worse and not better! We as the general public have little to no control over what the Government does ultimately (even though we are the ones to elect them!?) so we need to focus on what we can do at the micro level.

So what can we do to help ourselves and others in times of need?

• Budget for yourselves. Creating a budget system before you hit dire straits can prevent it from happening or allow you to have some savings “for those rainy days” if it does happen. There are so many different ways that could be utilised and each person will find their open way of doing it successfully. Pintrest has a multitude of ideas for budgeting on the link above.
• Following on from budgeting, saving and creating a stockpile of items when you have the spare money or good coupons/cashback offers come along can help in times of need. Remember that surplus items should be non-perishable and a suitable area of your home should be utilised for storage so that the items do not spoil.
• When you can, help family, friends and neighbours that are struggling. Remember the tale of borrowing a cup of sugar? If you have some sugar spare and a friend needs it, why not lend them some? The offer could be reciprocated in your times of need. This Bisto advert reminds me of the small gestures that we can offer others.

• Reduce your waste. I will be covering waste management in another blog post but essentially it means that you make full use of what you buy. Firstly plan what you need before you go shopping and buy only what you need (obviously if there is a coupon or cashback offer available for something that could go towards your stock pile then plan for that too). Develop ways in which you can fully use the items you have purchased. For example using meat carcass bones for stock or veg peelings for a soup base can work well.
• Give to food banks or soup kitchens. These are all over the UK and are currently struggling to keep up with demand. Also remember that food banks don’t just accept food!!! If you find your local, get a list and try and match their needs to coupons/cashback offers you can get items for your stock pile and items to donate that may be useful to others. The same applies here to pet shelters. I do not have a dog but if an offer comes up for dog food I will get it and donate it to a shelter or to a person I know with a dog. My local food bank is the Black Country food bank and their list of food and non-food items has quite a few items on it that could easily be fulfilled with the latest coupon/cashback offers.

What can we do if we are seriously struggling?

• Don’t be silent. Ask for help. Family, friends and neighbours won’t know you are struggling if you don’t tell them. It is not a sign of weakness. They are your friends for a reason and I am sure they will help if they can. Keeping the matter silent only furthers the taboo of the struggle.

• If you have exhausted all other methods then find a food bank or a soup kitchen for help. Anyone in financial trouble can go to these. Each food bank works with different front-line professionals, such as doctors, health visitors, social workers and the Citizens Advice, who make referrals to the food bank using a voucher. You will have to approach one of these professionals and show you are in financial distress to be given a voucher for three days of food and provisions.

As I said at the beginning of this post, there is a need for food banks and soup kitchens in the UK, we must not hide this issue. Speak up, be heard and there are ways to help those in need.

Laura x

*TO ENSURE THAT COUPON CLIPPERS UK REMAINS FREE, THIS BLOG POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS*

 

Money Matters Monday – Could you live on £1 per day?

For a few years now I have been participating in the £5 for 5 days challenge. This means you have only £5 to spend on food and drink for 5 days.

The £1 per day figure is stated to be what those on the poverty bread line have to survive on. To put yourself into the shoes or moccasins of a person that has very little money to exist on is, in my opinion, the only way you can fully understand what it is truly like.

I have done this challenge both with and without the use of coupons and both times I found it incredibly difficult. I found that you had to either be extremely organised and plan the 5 days out with very similar meals or be very spontaneous with bargains, reduced to clear or whoopsied items. Weird (although they ended up being rather tasty) concoctions such as tinned tomatoes, carrots and celery on toast transpired.

I did not waste anything with carefully portioned out meals. I utilised my fridge and freezer to make sure things kept for the length of the challenge and I used my nose and eyes instead of best before dates to evaluate if things were good to eat or not.

There was little wiggle room for sweet treats until a free breakfast bar came through the post! The delight! My levels of energy and concentration fluctuated drastically and most of the time I was focused on what I was going to eat for my next meal.

The reality of how the world is struck me HARD! There are people that have to do this everyday!

It also made me think about if the challenge would be better performed over a longer period of time and by each member of the household at the same time. For instance, for a month £1 per day would be £30 per person and in a household such as mine with 3 people that would amass to £90 per month. With savvy shopping, coupons and cashback we do not spend £90 per month on just food and drink. However, the issue is that those that HAVE to live like this probably won’t have the £90 to spend in one go for the month, although this could be broken down into £45 per fortnight or £22.50 per week. They also may not have access to a smart phone for cashback apps, or the Internet for some of the available coupons. Travel costs to travel to the different shops to get the best bargains may also pose an issue.

This brings me onto next week’s subject area. Where you can go if you are struggling with the costs of food and drink; the topical subject of food banks and soup kitchens.

For now why not give the challenge a go yourself? You could do it for as long as you think would be best, 5 days or a month etc. Think about if you could get sponsored to do it so as to donate to charities that are trying to help those who have to do this everyday.

Laura x

*TO ENSURE THAT COUPON CLIPPERS UK REMAINS FREE, THIS BLOG POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS*

£5 for 5 days April 24th 2014

£5 for 5 days

This diary was started April 24, 2014. Prices shown were correct at the time of writing. Coupons mentioned are no longer available.

 

From the 24th April 2014 and for the next 5 days I will be eating and drinking for £1 per day. Next year I may do it for charity, this year is kind of a challenge for myself (I will however make a personal donation of products to the food bank).I of course will be including items I have got with coupons (most of the stuff in my house would be ruled out otherwise! ). If a coupon has been printed though I will deduct 6p per coupon from the £5 total as this is the average cost for my printer.Living below the line is a charity that raises money for poverty causes. It is estimated that so many people in the UK are currently living on £1 per day!I have a feeling the food is going to be samey for the 5 days. So we will see how it goes! X

Day 1 Thursday 24th April 2014

It can’t be lack of food but it could be lack of caffeine! My mind has been racing this morning!

Living on £5 over 5 days for food and drink has got me thinking about what other costs people living below the line face and how they cope. I am lucky that I live within reasonable walking distance from work. However I am fairly lazy in a morning and usually catch the bus instead. It’s a short hop so £1.80. It’s ok on the way back as it’s down hill but looking up at Milking Bank in a morning just makes me grab my purse! £1.80 is nearly 2 days food below the line! Yet I think nothing really of it to save my legs in a morning! Needless to say – I walked to work this morning!

I have sorted out my breakfasts for the next 5 days. At the weekend I managed to get 2 boxes (500g) of shreddies for 15p a box. They were on offer in Morrisons for £1.15 but there was a £1 off coupon.  This made them 15p but I am adding 6p to that as I had to print the coupon. I have separated the box into 5 portions of 100g each. Placing them into tied food bags. What has surprised me is that the recommended portion size on the box is 40g! That seems bugger all if I’m honest! Usually, I just grab a bowl, grab the box and then pour until it’s full! No wonder cereal disappears in our house!

We always keep a stock of milk in our house. Whenever the Aldi £5 off coupons come out in the Daily mirror newspaper each month (they are out today btw!), I get one and then ask my lovely Dad to take me over there in the car. Our house usually gets through at least a litre a day between the 3 of us. We are fine with UHT milk. It keeps in the cupboard and at around 57p per litre (before taking into consideration the coupon) it is so much cheaper than fresh milk.

My total breakfast costs for the week is therefore 78p. A good start but I can see myself getting a little bored of shreddies after 5 days!

I have been thinking of how people that do this everyday must have to plan and get used to similar foods on a daily basis. I doubt it would actually be possible to just use the £1 per day and that you would actually buy for the week/fortnight/month so that you can get ‘more for your money’ so to speak. Households with more people doing the same thing would probably have it a little easier too as they could lump together and buy bulk items. Then I guess you’d have the problem of some eating more than they should though!

As I have also mentioned, I am using coupons for items. It has made me really think about what you would do if you didn’t have them or not know about them. I have written blog posts about people that don’t want to use coupons, whether it’s down to being embarrassed about using them, a hatred for them (?!) or just not knowing how to use them. For me, believe it or not (lol!), coupons are a big part of how I shop. People have looked at me strangely when they see my stockpile. However, I see coupons as a fantastic tool and I am proud of my stockpile as if I was unable to afford washing up liquid/clothes washing liquid for a while, we wouldn’t have to worry about it.  If I do this again, I may try it without the use of coupons to see what that is like.

Another point was raised last night that got me thinking. That being, what am I going to eat when we go to my parents on Sunday. I have decided that I will now spread my 5 days to not include that day. What I have been thinking though is that they have paid for the food not me. It someone else offers to buy or make you some food, should you not take it if you cannot afford it? I know several people that do not like to ‘accept charity’ from others however I think accepting a meal occasionally is ok.

Anyway, enough ramblings from me this morning!

Breakfasts 78p for 5 days

Tea time!

Tea

Huge tin of tomatoes (2550g) from asda for £1.

Extra put in the fridge. Whoopsied bread and butter.Free (12p for print outs) yogurts (coupons) and whoopsied fruit juice.

1 thing I’ve learnt so far – best before dates me jack squat!!!!! Especially when you can freeze stuff!

Total spent so far = £3.99. Have also had ryvita minis (free with coupons from their roadshow) coffee and water but have enough food to cover the next 4 days. Will be getting a few bits of whoopsied fruit and veg though.

Whoopsied bread from Wilko

Whoopsied butter from Co op

Whoopsied juice from Tesco

Day 2 Friday 25th April 2014

Had such a good nights sleep last night! Not sure if it was to stop the thoughts of food or what! Probably due to not having coffee just before bedtime!

Walked to work again today. I have to start out earlier but it is actually a fairly nice walk.

I am seeing that caffeine withdrawals are happening though as I am not as artificially bright and sparky. Usually I have a litre bottle of sugar free energy drink for the few first hours in the morning. This costs about £1 in itself! Today I have had a solitary rationed cup of coffee and now onto the water.

I am thinking that food and drink is on my mind a lot. Usually I don’t have breakfast and have drinks instead. Now I am thinking about it because I cannot just go out and buy one. All spontaneity seems to have gone. I’m sure I could have worked one in but looking at the bigger picture of the week, if I spent £1 on a drink I would loose a days worth of food. If I could make a bottle last 5 days, fair enough but I know that won’t happen.

This has really opened my eyes up to those struggling to do this every day 😦

I was so excited when the postman arrived at the shop today! He ran the bell and then waved this box at me shouting “cereal bar!” He finds my freebies and coupons so funny but today I have never been so happy to see a cereal bar in all my life! I’d actually forgotten I had ordered it. Plus it was SO nice and free!

Free cereal bar through the post!

I also won 2 pints of fresh milk today 🙂 There is a competition on nestle cereal boxes. You enter the code inside the box and see if you’ve won. I got 4 boxes of Cheerios a few weeks back from Morrisons for 74p each with 50p off coupons that were in the Metro newspaper. So far 3 boxes have won pints of milk. The coupon prints twice if you hit the back button 😉 As it’s a free pint of any fresh milk I went for the organic ones last time. Not much taste difference if I’m honest!

Free milk! Whoot!

My lovely friend informed me of a great bargain yesterday that doesn’t involve coupons!!!!!! In Heron foods they do packs of Maggie 3 minute (instant) noodles. There are 5 in a pack. At the moment the beef and tomatoe are on offer 3 packs of 5 for £1. That’s 15 individual packs! The best before date is May so there is a month to use them but at just shy of 7p a pack it is a bargain and a half. Thank you! 😀

15 packs of noodles for £1 from Heron

I used on without the powder sachet with my tea tonight. I do think that I need to nick some salt and pepper from somewhere though! May sneak into the Full Moon to get some lol! In all a very filling tea though!

Variety lol!

Day 3 Saturday 26th April 2014

I guess they don’t call the middle day of the ‘week’ hump day for nothing!!

My hump day feels like Ben Nevis!

I fell asleep about 9:30pm but was awake at 4am this morning. I ache everywhere, I’m so tired and miserable. I forced myself to walk to work again this morning as I caught the bus back yesterday as it was tipping it down with rain. My shins are seriously giving me jip. It could be that I’m seriously unfit! However I think it’s a combination of things. I’m not a big fruit and veg eater, however if I want it then I will buy it. The problem now is that I can’t afford it unless I drop on something seriously whoopsied! I did say before that it would be ne-on impossible to just pay £1 per day. I stand by that point. To do this long term, you have to plan and bulk buy items to last longer than the 1 or 5 days. The noodles I got yesterday were one days cost of food but they could last 15 days when rationed and planned out.

I am seriously feeling so down! I actually can’t help feeling like why am I doing this?! I don’t have to do this!

That’s the point though, isn’t it?! I am SO lucky that I don’t HAVE to do this every single day. Yet according to Oxfam 1 in 5 people. 1 in 5! In the UK live below the poverty line. These people HAVE to do this EVERYDAY! They have no choice! My bit of ‘suffering’ will come to an end on Wednesday. Their’s won’t! Maybe it gets easier. Maybe if you take the £1 per day and do shopping for 30 days with £30 it would become a pattern for you?! Maybe it doesn’t and that is so sad and so disgusting in these days. Over 13 million people in the UK do not have enough to live on! Yet those in ‘power’ do nothing and some even sneak out of meetings when the subject of food banks are raised! This well and truly sucks!!!!!!!

Even though I have eaten today, I have still felt really achy and poop! I was talking to a friend about what I am doing and how I’m feeling and they went an bought me an energy drink. I was really torn for this as it was free for me but they paid for it. It did only cost 39p so it wasn’t too bad so I decided to accept the gift.

 A wonderful nectar gift!

What has struck me was the headache I was getting completely disappeared within a few sips of the drink! Crikey! I am well and truly addicted to caffeine! I now know that I do need to cut down on it but stopping it straight off is probably not the way to go!

After all the badness of hump day, I nipped into my local Co op on the way home from work. I usually do this as they tend to do their whoopsies about 6pm so I can fall on good bargains. Today was awesome!

10p for 1kg of carrots

36p for 9 bananas

30p for a heart of celery

Finding these fruit and veg whoopsies was great. I have been eating so many processed carbs that I just needed something to balance it out. Tea was wonderful and I was so full afterwards!

Tea for day 3

It’s a little strange how a balanced meal can change how you feel and think. Mr CCUK has often said about getting the ‘meat sweats’ after eating too much meat but I’ve never really paid much attention to how I feel (mentally and physically) after what I eat. I know that having hardly any money could lead to depression but I am starting to think that a lack of fruit, veg and protein could be a contributing factor too.

Sunday 27th April 2014

I decided that today would be an ‘off day’ from the challenge as we are going to my parents house for tea. However I did plan to only stick to £1 of my money spent on food and drink for the rest of the day. I actually spent a whole lot less than that! I had around 3 cups of instant coffee, 4 slices of toast and butter (from 10p loaf and whoopsied butter) and a pack of 7p maggies noodles. I had a full Sunday dinner with veg and a quorn cottage pie followed by a piece of my Mom’s birthday cake. Lush!

However,  I have been suffering with really bad pain in my shins. I have got a doctors appointment on Wednesday so I will be talking to them about it. I have looked up the term ‘shin splits’ and it probably is due to walking quickly up hill to work in a morning. I know if I am to continue doing the walking that I will have to take it easier. The thought of continually spending £1.80 for a relatively short distance does annoy me as although I can afford it, it makes me feel lazy as so many people can’t.

Managed to sort out my daughter’s room as well today. I wasn’t sure that I would have the energy to do so. However, the fruit and veg last night really helped there.

Day 4 – Monday 28th April 2014

Definitely feel better today. It maybe due to only having 2 days left of the challenge, it might be the paracetamol I’ve taken for my shins, it might be that I was really lazy and caught the bus to work, it might be that I’ve had an energy drink and a coffee bought for me this morning (love my regular customers to the shop! I wasn’t asked, they just showed up with them!). It’s probably all of these things!

It’s lovely to know that friends and family will help you out in times of hardship (not that mine is actually anywhere near hardship!). However you do need to be truthful with them. Talking about what you are struggling with shouldn’t be seen as a sign of weakness. Friends and family are there to be a support for you. They may not be able to help loads or all the time but a little thing like a drink or a home cooked shared meal is nothing to be sniffed at! If any of my family or friends are in need then I will try and help them in anyway I can.

Tea day 4

Day 5 Tuesday 29th April 2014

Woke up in an angry mood today. Not sure why but I know I am really upset with how this country is economically. Walked to work and felt a lot better after a cup of coffee and sorting out the new summer window display. Doing things to take my mind off the matters in hand really does help me although I do end up more knackered due to lack of food/drink.

I am seriously apprehensive of how doing this will affect me. I was savvy anyway! I have been looking at the Medow Lark’s meal board each morning and seeing them advertise a beer and burger for about £6 and thinking that it is just ridiculous! 1 in 5 people cannot afford to go there and eat the cost of 6 days worth of food and drink in one sitting! Before this week I can honestly have said that that was cheap for a meal out. Now I think completely different.

What I’ve eaten and how much has it cost?

This list is what I have actually ate and drank. I actually have some bread, bananas, carrots and celery left over after my tea tonight. My daughter has also eaten a banana so not much I could do there!

500g shreddies 15p + 6p (printing cost for coupon)

1 litre UHT milk 57p

5 packs of ryvita minis free with roadshow coupons

8 x shape yogurts free but 12p coupon printing cost

1.5 loaves 10p + 3p (ish)

Butter 46p

2550g tin tomatoes £1

Water – free

10 x coffee sticks 99p

2 x litres tropicana juice 52p

1 x maggie noodles 7p

Half bag carrots 5p

6 bananas 27p

Half celery heart 15p

1 x litre value cola 17p

Cereal bar free in the post

Total spent for 5 days = £4.71

Got bought 3 x energy drink and 1 x coffee

Got fed a Sunday dinner on ‘off day’.

I have actually come under budget for the 5 days on what I have actually had. The food left over will be eaten over the next few days. The cost of the drinks bought for me (without me asking!!!) was £2.67!!! I am very grateful to the friends that bought me the drinks. I was planning to try and buy as much food for the food bank for £10 that I could get but I will add on this amount of money too.

I have learnt a lot through doing this challenge. Others have been so helpful to me, pointing out deals and buying drinks for me. I feel honoured having the friends that I have. Using coupons, deals and reduced to clear whoopsied items has meant that I have eaten rather well even if at times the food hasn’t looked that appeasing! I would find it very difficult not using these strategies if I found myself in a position where I had to do this on a daily basis. This is why I do use coupons regularly and have created a stockpile. This is why I do scour the whoopsie cabinets. This is why I don’t care what my food looks like. If it’s sustaining, reasonably healthy and cheap then that’s what I do. Although I don’t have to eat and drink for only £1 per day I also don’t like to go too far in the opposite direction (I also can’t afford to spend hundreds). Being too frivolous with money is what leads to wastage in my eyes.

Laura x

*TO ENSURE THAT COUPON CLIPPERS UK REMAINS FREE, THIS BLOG POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS*

Monday Matters Monday – the bad rap given to money saving

A little sway from my ‘usual’ money matter Monday topics to talk about a subject that makes me ….ummm….a little agitated (to say the least!).

I have written blog posts before about Excuses, excuses, excuses and showing the ways that Couponing CAN save you money! but with the reading of recent comments to both mine and other people’s money saving newspaper articles, I felt compelled to write again. So here is my 2 cents worth (or should that be 2 pence?!).

I have often said that I am probably preaching  to the converted when I write these types of blogs as my readers are probably wanting to save money or already actively doing so. It you ever want  to share this article with the type of people that make the type of comments below, please do 😉

In the blogging world we have a motto of that if you get into the newspapers DO NOT read the comments on the online edition! Why? Because to be honest it is filled with people (I use that word in the broadest way) that like to troll articles that they haven’t read with mindless drivel that they do not put any thought into. The comments can be spiteful, hurtful, some focus on appearances that don’t have anything to do with the subject area at all (I have not included any of those below) and some just stink of the excuses I have written about before. These trolls are close minded, they fear the unknown, they either don’t want to try the money saving tips given, don’t need to or feel inside that they will fail if they try. In my honest opinion it comes down to jealousy.

You may actually encounter such trollish nature in real life. I certainly have! Certain people who struggle to comprehend how coupons, cashback and other money saving tips actually work. I have gotten into arguments before, however now I just keep back and the results speak for themselves. The go to response for trolls however is defense which results in them being bullies.

So lets have a look at some of the comments on recent money saving bloggers newspaper articles.

Blogger reveals how she saved £2500 in a year

Yes, life is short. However this lady is far from depressed about her money saving activities! She has got married (on a budget) and was able to replace her stolen motorcycle. She does work if a little more digging was ensued by reading her blog so there is revenue coming in.

Much of the other negativity of the comments on this article revolved around matched betting. This is not something I am into as I will freely admit that I cannot get my head around it. What I do know is that it works very well for some people and there is little to no risk of loss. The comment stunk of misunderstanding and an ill-informed nature about the subject area to me.

Woman who completed a ‘no spend challenge’ for a year

Again with the unhappiness! Yes, this lady took the money saving exercise to the extreme but wasn’t this the point of doing it – to see if it would be a miserable experience. As I wrote in last week’s Money Matters Monday – Be kind to yourself, budgeting and money saving shouldn’t feel like you are depriving yourself. Michelle embarked on this even though she didn’t have to as her family is financially secure. She has said actually felt happier doing without and she got more creative with socialising (these are actually listed in the article).

Michelle McGagh is a freelance financial journalist. She also runs the website London Minimalists so she does actually work and her wages are above the UK average so the second comment above is null and void anyway! However who says she doesn’t earn extra money in?! This article and exercise was about spending money and not earning it.

Thrifty mother-of-three who feeds her whole family for just £38 A WEEK

Wow! Quick to judge with that first one! I had many of these types of comments on my articles. I work and so does this lady. It says so in the article! However even if we didn’t would being conscious about our spending be a bad thing?! Wouldn’t we have to be MORE conscious then? My blog post on can you live an average life on minimum wage? shows how much budgeting and life style changes a family has to consider when on a lower income. I really do not understand the constant ridicule over working or not working when it comes to money saving!

The article above briefly mentions the Budget family meals Facebook page that this lady runs. However it isn’t linked. It only took me a few clicks to find it and it answers SO many of the questions asked in the comments section. The £38 a week is just for groceries, not toiletries etc. Danielle Ross goes to different supermarkets to buy her family’s food and on her Facebook page she shows a diversity of products not just the examples used on the article. Look for the bigger picture NOT just the snippet chosen by the newspaper!

 In all I am trying to say that you should not give much thought to other people’s comments regarding your chosen legal money saving methods. If they are helping you then that is all that matters.

 Breaking apart troll comments just shows how blind these people are. They do not find out the full facts before typing and the same applies in real life before some open their mouths! Do what makes YOU happy 🙂

Laura x

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Valentine’s bargains

With the 14th February just around the corner I thought it best to get cracking on some bargains for Valentine’s Day. Myself and Mr Coupon Clippers (Mr Shadow for those that know him by that name) have been together for quite some time now and so we have graduated on from the stereotypical Valentine’s presents. We love each other all year round so a cute card now suffices.

However if you are in a new relationship or like to celebrate with a bit more gusto but are on a budget what bargains may be out there at the moment? I have rounded up some of what I consider to be great Valentine’s Day bargains that won’t break the bank.

Pizza Plates B&M £3.99 for 2

With me going back onto the Weight Watchers plan and us curbing our take away spend to save up for our wedding, these pizza plates would be awesome for just having the one slice of pizza from a shared full one on movie night! Plus they are so cute! I have seen these selling at £14.99 on ebay so at £3.99 a pack in B&M they are an absolute bargain!

Matching love key rings Ebay £1.39

There are similar ones selling at a bit less on ebay but they are from China and will arrive after Valentine’s Day. These uber cute keyrings come in different designs but with the true geekiness of the CCUK family the keyboard and mouse seems the most fitting. Coming from the UK these will arrive before the 14th and at £1.39 are still a steal!

Mr Grey mug, memories box and message in a bottle Poundland

£1 each

Poundland have a full range of Valentine’s Day gifts. From cards and bags to garlands and rose petals. It is doubtful that the recipient would even realise the items were from Poundland at all!

My favourites are the You are my Mr Grey mug, especially great for fans of the 50 Shades books or film; the memories box that you could fill with photos, notes etc and the little message in a bottle which would be perfect to hold a letter for your first fight/anniversary.

Clothes and accessories

If you like to give clothes or accessories on Valentine’s Day Everything’s £5 has some great womens and mens bargains at the moment all for £5 each.

Plus if you order my 11:59pm tonight (27/01/2017) you can get 5% off AND free delivery with the code Money Saving Expert has blagged  MEGA5MSE 🙂

I may add to this post if I find anything else as the date approaches so why not give me a follow 😉

Laura x

*TO ENSURE THAT COUPON CLIPPERS UK REMAINS FREE, THIS BLOG POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS*

Money Matters Monday – Can you live an average life on minimum wage?

Wow! When I came up with the idea of researching UK money matters for this blog I didn’t realise how ‘dark’ the area could be! Plus I am only 3 weeks in! It’s as I started writing this blog post that I realised how tangled the web of money is. It’s great when you have it, but being without it could impact survival!

Many readers will know that along side couponing and writing this blog I also work. I work 37 hours a week as a shop manager and I receive minimum wage.

Now being a mother and living with my partner we also currently get child benefit, working tax credits and child tax credits. We are not well off but I attribute my savvy shopping nature to us being able to live comfortably on a relatively low income. The benefits and credits we are entitled to do help considerably but so do the choices we make in regards to purchasing behaviour and where we live.

Thinking about the things we do to make our finances go further made me consider what it is like for a single person working on minimum wage that would be faced with the average living costs in the UK. I kept on asking myself “can you live an average life on minimum wage?”

Starting my research has shown that I am not the only one asking this question. BBC and The Guardian have both written articles in the past.

The average wage in the UK for 2017 is estimated at £28,000 per year. After tax and national insurance this is reduced to £22,127 (£5873 deductions). There are other deductions that could be taken out pre-payment for those earning this amount. These may include a pension (either workplace or personal plan) or student loans. However for the examples I tried to simplify and focus on the main expenditure people face.

AVERAGE UK costs per year for the following are :-

• Rent £9168 (£764 p/mth) outside London.*
• Energy £734  (standard tariff based on property size of small).
• Council tax £1,484 minus 25% single person discount = £1,133. Average band D property.
• Water rates £389.
• TV license £145.50.**

Total = £11,569.50

*I have focused on rent and not a mortgage as I am aware that on minimum wage facing an average mortgage debt of £85,000 (2015) is virtually impossible. Rent based on outside London, in London is was £1,543 per month! This article looks into living in London on minimum wage.

**I will be doing another blog post in regards to the exemptions from the TV license.

On the average £28,000 per year after deductions and bills, a person would be left with £10,557.50 per year or £879.29 per month for all other expenses (represented by the 38% on the above graph) such as travel, food, drink, clothing, medical bills, Internet, telephone, insurance, student loans etc.

 

All well and good for those earning the average wage but what about minimum wage?

In April 2017 the National Minimum Wage will be rising from £7.20 per hour to £7.50 per hour and will be renamed The National Living Wage. This will apply to worker over the age of 25.

For a 40 hour working week, a person would be receiving £15,600 per year. They would pay £1824.80 per year in tax and national insurance, dropping this to £13,775.20.

The average single person bills as worked out above total  £11,569.50 which means that they would be left with £2205.70 per year for everything else. That’s just £183.81 per month! This is represented by the 14% in the graph below.

Although the threshold of student loan repayment is not reached on minimum wage taking a look at these figures from 2012 we can see that food, drink, travel, personal and household shopping, home up keep, insurance and clothing averages take up just over £100 more a month than what the person is left with! This means that the answer to my question is :-

NO, a single person can NOT live an AVERAGE life in the UK on minimum wage!

Now, I have to say that the averages I found via my research really surprised me. They are higher than I expected, particularly the rent, if I am honest. Although the campaign for a National LIVING Wage of £9+ per hour makes more sense to me now seeing the figures.

Knowledge of the average expenditures and consciously choosing lower than average rates can help. Locations in the UK have considerably lower rent, utility rates and council tax bills. By remaining in the West Midlands I am able to save nearly £3000 per year on the average expenditures.

Looking at ways to lower the other incurred costs help too which is ultimately why I coupon!

So is there anyway a person could survive on minimum wage? Well, yes, but it is never going to be a life of luxury or consist of yearly holidays abroad etc. It will be hard, involve budget planning and cuts. Life changes CAN allow a person to live on minimum wage but it will not be “average”. It is definitely something our Government should be looking at!

I do NOT want to place the blame of a low National Minimum Wage at the door of employers although there have been some appalling excuses! I myself am on National Minimum Wage and sectors such as retail, like I work in, are struggling and sometimes small shops etc are actually finding it very hard to afford to pay the National Minimum Wage due to falling trade.
As I said at the beginning of this blog post. I an not a single person and I am also a parent which differs from the examples given above as the Government has in place some financial help such as Child Benefit and Tax Credits (child and working). However with the Welfare reform and benefit cap (I plan to have a closer look at this in another blog post) credits are being changed, lowered and capped. For those on National Minimum Wage this is not a good sign. Some people have actually asked whether working is actually the better option.

I unfortunately do not have the answers as what needs to be done, nor am I in a position to help it change for the country. I however can do my best to try to help my family live a relatively comfortable life in the current economic climate.

Laura x

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Money Matters Monday – Hard Cash

I thought I would kick off Money Matters Monday with a blog about money. Actual hard cash. UK notes and coins to be precise.

You have probably got a new ‘plastic’ £5 note by now and you may have also read about the new £1 coin coming into circulation this year. You may be wondering why the UK is currently getting all these new notes and coins.

The new polymer £5 note came into circulation in the UK last year and it will be followed by new £10 and £20s over the next few years. They have caused quite a stir for reasons caring from selling for more than they are worth on eBay, not being veggie friendly and being virtually indestructible except when in the presence of an eraser!

On the 28th March 2017 a new £1 coin will be released. It will have a new shape (12 sides) and a new bimetallic gold/silver colouring. It will also feature a latent image, milled edges and micro-lettering.

BUT WHY?

To put it plainly, it is because of counterfeiting. It is estimated that 1 in 30 £1 coins in circulation are fake! Changing and ‘improving’ notes and coins helps in the fight against fraudulent currency.

It’s NOT a new trend!

Back in 1971 the UK moved to the decimal currency we have today from shillings and crowns.

The 5 pence coin was reduced in size in 1990, followed by a smaller 10 pence in 1992 and also the 50 pence in 1997.

UK bank notes have also been changed fairy frequently since they became fully printed in 1855 (prior to this they were hand written/signed). With the average design having about a ten year ‘life span’. In my life time (36 years), I can vividly remember at least 3 different series of note designs!

As with all past currency changes there will be a co-circulation period for the new £1 coin (ie a time where you can spend or swap your old design pounds) where both forms will be seen as legal tender in England. This should give companies who handle cash time to train staff on the new currency and for machines that take coins to be updated. For the £1 coin this co-circulation period will be between March and September 2017. In October 2017 the old round £1 coin will cease to be legal tender and will no longer be accepted in commercial settings (shops etc), however most banks will still swap them for a short time after this date. Coins deposited in banks and the post office after March 2017 will be removed from circulation and destroyed by the Bank of England.

Will your old £1 coins become worthless?

The answer to this is not clear cut. While you will not be able to spend them, they still might be worth something to a coin collector. But before you think you will rake in thousands for your old spare change – wait!

There are specific releases/designs of coins and notes that are considered rare and sort after. This is usually down to the minted amount, release date or misprints.

The recent press about the new polymer £5 notes being worth much more than face value is a prime example.

It is important to remember here that it is only the notes with the serial numbers starting with AA01 that are being looked for collectors. This is because they were the first batch made.

Any other serial number is only worth face value I am afraid! Except of course these four that micro-engraver artist Graham Short has drawn on.

With rare coins it is best to check the mintage amount on Change Checker to see how many of that coin were made. The lower the mintage, the rarer the coin and the note attractive the coin would be to a collector.

Examples of these would be:-

Kew Gardens 50p (very low mintage of just 210,00),

The undated 2008 20p,

The 1983 2 pence that says ‘new pence’ on the tails side.

This being taken into consideration I think that this will be the £1 coin to hold onto if it falls into your hands :-

It is the only £1 coin to have a mintage of less than 1 million but the odds of it ever being worth thousands are sim.

Laura x

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My 10 favourite coupons and bargains from 2016

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There are probably way more than 10 but her is a round up of some of my favourite coupons and bargains from 2016. The majority of these offers and coupons have now expired. What were yours?

• The Metro newspaper which is free on public transport went a bit Up and Go coupon mad in 2016! They released quite a few different coupons over the course of a month but the first was definitely the best. This coupon entitled the barer to a free carton of Up & Go in either of the two sizes up to the value of £1.79. The coupons scanned at this in stores (excluding Tesco) so there was opportunity for overage due to offers. Also the coupon was one per purchase and not per transaction.

• Argos reduced to clear a lot of stationary items in 2016. Including these Frozen books which went down to 9p each! I have a feeling a lot of kiddies got this for Christmas 😉

• This coupon is actually still valid until the end of January 2017, however the offer has now ended. Inside the present free in store Tesco magazine is a 50p off coupon for any Ocean spray product. They are one per transaction however there have been some good deals available to be used along side them. The sparkling drinks for example are 75p each or two for £1 so you can get two for 50p or 25p each. The cranberry sauce went on offer for £1 so this was bought down to 50p. The best offer was the juices however as they went to half price at 67p so these worked out to be just 17p after the coupons.

• Probably the best coupon of 2016! Inside Higgidy pie boxes there was a coupon for your next pie free up to the value of £3.75. This meant that you could buy 1 pie, take out the coupon and then get another for free with 25p overage as the pies were £3.50. This created a little bit of a whirl wind merry go round that was SO enjoyable! Also for every 10 pies you got you could send off the best before dates to Higgidy and receive another free coupon in the post!

continued below advertisement….

• Another coupon in the free in store Tesco magazine gave a free pouch of Hipp baby food. The coupon had such a long date on it that it was easy to stock up on the magazines and then spread out the usage over a few months. I have seen that a lot of couponers with out small children were getting the pouches and donating them to food banks which is awesome!

• New Covent Garden soup often had a £1 off coupon on their website. They also gave out similar coupons at events such as the Good Food Show. The soup is usually nearly £2 but there is often a half price offer on them making them free after the coupons. Perfect for Christmas dinner starter 🙂

• This Aldi offer came just in time for Christmas and will hopefully be repeated in 2017! Broccoli, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, sprouts and carrots all JUST 19p a pack! I have to say that the sprouts were amazing (and I would hardly ever say that about sprouts!).

• Due to some of their ice creams being affected by ice crystals Oppo sent this pdf coupon out by email. This mean you could get a free (or *cough* a few) tub off Oppo. Shopmium offered cashback on the item too which meant people had a fair bit of ice cream.

• Another Tesco magazine and another coupon that created a freebie! This time it was £1 off Almond Breeze milk. The UHT variety went on offer for £1 so it made them free with this coupon. I am still in the process of getting through mine!

• Brothers cider did a pdf £1 off coupon for their festival cartons in 2016. These were only valid at Tesco where the cider was £3. Not a great deal in itself but Click Snap and Check Out Smart did reoccurring cashback offers for £1.50 back. This combined with the coupons made the cartons just 50p each!

So that’s my round up for 2016. I’d love to know what your favourites were! Here’s to many, many more great coupons, cashback offers and bargains in 2017! 🙂

Laura x

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Money Matters Monday – Overview

For 2017 I am planning to start a regular blog post on a Monday that revolves around money matters subjects.

As you may have read in my other posts I do not just use coupons to save money. Although coupons CAN save you money!

Coupons are a very useful weapon to have in your arsenal in your fight to save money and destroy debt. However there are many other tools that can be utilized in union with coupons to reach this goal.

The top slot for these tools, I feel, is KNOWLEDGE.

A couple of sayings come to my mind they are “know your enemy” and “keep your friends close but your enemies closer”. Debt is the enemy here. Gaining knowledge of money matters can, in my opinion, help to avoid it and it’s pitfalls.

So that is why from next week I am planning to do this series of posts. I will be researching money matters subjects to gain knowledge for myself and then writing about them to try to pass on that knowledge to you.

I have several ideas in mind but if you have a money matters subject that you would like me to cover please message me or post in the comments section below.

Laura x

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Christmas dinner for under £1 a head?

You may have seen the article on Can you cook Christmas dinner for £1? and read my post on a cheap dinner a few weeks ago. Well I set myself the challenge of doing this years for less than £1 a head and I did it! Including turkey, seasonal veg AND a drink!

Actually I managed 80p per head for a 3 course Christmas dinner and drink!

I used bargains, offers, coupons, cashback and a sprinkle of wombling and used these per person :-

* 1/3 turkey leg joint from farm foods = 33.3p,

* Gravy, stuffing, apple sauce, mince pie =  free via cashback from click snap,

* 1 egg from aldi = 6.7p,

* Potatoes, Yorkshire pudding mix = free with cashback from shopmium,

* Carrots and broccoli = free after a wombled asda price guarantee,

* 75g sprouts from aldi = 3.2p,

* 75g parsnips from aldi = 2.4p,

* mustard from good food show = free,

* new covent garden soup with £1 off coupon from good food show = free,

* 1/4 packet custard from Morrison’s = 3.8p,

* 1/6th bottle ocean spray from Tesco with 50p off coupon from in store magazine = 4.5p,

*5g portion of cranberry sauce using another 50p off coupon for ocean spray = 1p

*1/4 Christmas pudding from B&M = 25p,

Total cost= 79.9p per person.

So can you get a Christmas dinner for under £1 a head? YES!

I also got a 5 year old to eat sprouts! PRICELESS!

Challenge for next year is for under 50p a head 😉

Laura x

*TO ENSURE THAT COUPON CLIPPERS UK REMAINS FREE, THIS BLOG POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS*