Thrifty Thursday: preparing for winter

The Aldi super-six this week are Royal Gala apples, conference pears, cocktail vine tomatoes (250g), sweet pointed peppers (2), large flat mushrooms (250g) and persimmon (3). They are all 69p each. I’ve tried persimmon, they’re nice…

There are price cuts in the meat offers this week and they include sausages and chicken thighs and drumsticks.

The Christmas products are now starting to be stocked. They had frozen turkeys in my local Aldi this week. It’s worth getting drinks early and avoiding the last minute rush.

Today’s special buys include walking boots and other outdoor wear. They have the gluten free sausages again. They were delicious last time. I hope they have those when I go next, I’ll stock up and freeze loads of them…

Sunday’s special buys are for coping with the cold weather too. There is thermal clothing and ice scrapers for the car. The snow shovel would be useful too. I wore all my thermal gear last night and then couldn’t get to the firework display because of traffic chaos. I did have to get out of the car when I got stuck, but I was nice and warm!

Officially it’s still autumn, but the weather is turning wintry and we have to be prepared. I will be out taking photos again and so I’ve got thermal socks, thermal underwear, a parka with a hood and the usual scarf and gloves. I even have some gel things to warm my hands at the press of a button!

Remember to check your car too. I had mine serviced yesterday and I will carry a scraper and de-icer with me through the winter. Cloths to wipe windows are useful and a shovel if it snows. I have new Firestone tyres and the car is gripping much better in the wet, so it should be better on the ice and snow.

I read my electricity and gas meters yesterday and I’m in credit with my fuel bills. I won’t waste energy though. Don’t leave doors open longer than you need to. Don’t waste hot water and remember to close curtains at night to conserve heat and temperatures fall. Wear a few layers of clothing to keep warm. I wore a thermal tee shirt with long sleeves with a warm winter cardigan on top and my parka on top of that last night.

I have a thermos to take hot drinks with me this winter too. Bovril was made originally as a liquid food for soldiers in the trenches. It’s ideal for a warming drink when you are cold; just use one Bovril cube to make 2 cups.

Most people are shopping around now and it’s easier now the price of petrol has dropped. The cheapest in my area is 120.7, but it still costs money to drive to different supermarkets. Try to do shopping as you’re passing. It costs me about 50p to drive to Aldi in petrol and I try to go in one of the big four when I’m passing to get things Aldi doesn’t sell. Check out the smaller shops too, the local butcher might be cheaper than the supermarket and offer personal service and advice.  Tesco has fruit on special for 89p, but that’s still more expensive than Aldi. The satumas were 1.50 for 600g before the price reduction, that seems expensive. Try to make the most of loyalty schemes in the bigger supermarkets.

That’s it for this week. Have you seen a bargain? Do you have a money saving tip? Please share your thoughts in the comments box. You can also follow me on Twitter. 

Advertisement