SAVE MONEY GROW YOUR OWN & VEGATABLES
During these tough times any way to cut down on your shopping bill is a great help so we a Promostop have done up a guide to help you save on vegetables and herbs by helping you grow your own. It may seem a lot of hassle put follow are simple guide and you could be the next Gerry Daley!
A major decision you need to decide is where to grow the vegetables patch and how much of your garden your a going to set aside, it is best to allocate depending on your needs; is it to provide for a couple or a large family. Don’t worry if you dont have much space you can use containers to the same great effect .
Light
As with all plants light is essential. Most vegetables need a maximum of 5 to 6 hours of sunlight and south facing areas are best. Avoid shaded areas if possible.
Soil
Preparation of the soil is another major factor to producing a quality crop. Vegetables herbs grow best in slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.5 and as they are heavy feeders they need soil rich in organic matter this allows for the earth to be more penetrable for roots to grow
To enrich your soil you can add organic fertilizers such as compost or animal manure, or a general fertiliser such as 10-10-20 which can be bought from your local garden centre
Ensure you soil has good drainage as if water does not flow through the soil your plants wont be able to absorb the essential nutrients. If flooding is a problem use raised beds.
Plot Preparation
Decide what type of plot you would like, raised bed and drills are the best options For small areas a raised bed may be the best and most successful option. Dig over the soil to a depth of roughly 30-35cm and take away any excess grass, weeds or stones. Now add some compost,
most gardeners would recommend a half a bag per square metre and work in a hand full or two of fertiliser per square metre into the soil and rake in. If you are going to use containers for your vegetables there is no shortage of items to use from flower pots, buckets, wooden boxes. To ensure good drainage have 1-2 inches of pebbles at bottom of container also make sure you have drain holes in the bottom of container to allow excess water to drain off.
Vegetables To Grow
Firstly you will need to decide if you want to plant vegetable seeds, or purchase small plants from the garden centre. Start of simple dont plant vegetables that need a lot of attention, try lettuce, onions, radishes, and carrots and herbs, potatoes,beetroots these can easily be planted from seeds and will need to be planted at 2-3 week intervals from spring to the end of summer . When choosing seeds always read the sowing instructions which will tell you the best time and conditions to plant for best results.
Gardeners suggest applying a staggered technique when sowing and planting vegetables and herbs this ensures a much longer production time and allows you to harvest crops over a longer period. When sowing dont use the entire packet of one vegetable seed instead sow 6 or 12 seeds of one variety every few weeks during the summer. Most vegetables take 10- 12 weeks to mature to their full potential.
SAVE MONEY BRING YOUR LUNCH TO WORK
People in Ireland work an average of 48 weeks during the year. On average most will spend €10 a day on lunches amounting to €2400 a year which is a tidy little sum in any ones book, also there’s the time spent queuing during you valuable lunch break, so time and money are going to waste!
This guide will help you reduce this amount and in turn provide you with a healthier lunch option, if you so desire!
1) Firstly get the right utensils for what you like to eat!:
Spoon
Fork
Knife
Thermos
Lunch bag
Lunch box/Reusable food containers (Chinese clear containers)
Bottle for milk or water
Small container for sauces
Resealable plastic bags
Napkins
2) Now that you have the right equipment its time to choose your menu and when you want to prepare your lunch. As time maybe a luxury in the morning the best way to prepare is the night before, giving you those extra precious minutes in bed in the morning!
When you make your meals, plan extra portions so that you can use them for lunch the next day. If you had chicken for dinner, you could use left over for a chicken salad.
While doing your weekly shopping plan for your lunches, buy in bulk, use Promostop to identify special offers on fruits, bakery, juices etc that can easily be added to your lunch, hence saving money and effort.
Does your place of work have microwave, fridge, kettle etc?these will help you plan the versatility of the lunches you can bring to work, such as ahot meal, soup, toasted sandwich!
If you are partial to the odd toastie, ToastaBags are extremely handy. Also, toasties are cheap to make and very tasty.
3) It’s essential you pack a lunch that you will look forward to and enjoy, no point in making a lunch the night before and at 1 o’clock deciding you want to head to your local Café or fast food outlet, a likely occurrence if you bring a soggy sandwich!
Pack a balanced lunch. Include all the essentials fruit, veg, pasta, rice, and don’t be afraid to include some goodies, after all you are saving money so you deserve a treat!
As mentioned above if your work place has a microwave, fridge etc you could easily buy cheap microwavable meals in your local grocery store, or bring your own healthier versions or leftovers from the night before.
When making sandwiches make sure to add the right fillings and bread so as not to have a soggy sandwich or ideally bring bread and filling separate and make sandwiches during your break.
Do you need to buy soft drinks for lunch? They are expensive and unhealthy, and water is free if you have a quality supply and a much healthier option! However, if you need your sugar fix, it’s an excellent idea to buy multipacks of your favourite soft drink and put them in the fridge at work.
While we advocate saving money by bringing your lunch to work, you should treat yourself one day a week, maybe your least favourite day, by going to your favourite café for your lunch. We get sick of things quickly, and by breaking up the monotony, it is easier to stick to the plan!
Finally, and most importantly, when you are weakening and heading towards the door to get that shop bought sandwich, think of what you can buy yourself with all the money you save! Save it, or blow it on a holiday or mad buy!
Subscription Free Satellite TV
Technology is accelerating at a phenomenal rate and with this there is always a cheaper way to do something. Satellite TV is now considered a nicety in most peoples lives but it can be a very expensive ranging from €20 – €30 for your basic package, and then €40 – €70 for the higher end packages with movies and sports.
A cheaper alternative which may not suit everyone is Freesat or also know as free to air satelite ( free-to-air satellite service from the BBC and ITV) this service is available throughout Ireland and the UK
With this system a once of payment is made for the equipment which may consist of a receiver box & remote, satellite dish, these are available from local suppliers, Maplin, Tesco and Powercity. And online suppliers. If you already have a satellite dish you may only need to connect your free sat box to the satellite.
With Freesat you can get over 140 stations with no subscription fees, Freesat also has an excellant 8 day EPG guide making it very easy to see what’s coming up over the next few days
.
Channels include
BBC 1
BBC 2
BBC3
ITV 1
ITV 2
CH 4
E4
Film 4
Cbeebies
CITV
For a full list click on link;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free-to-air_channels_in_the_UK.
Hopefully this article was of interest to you, so give it a try and see if you can save some money and enjoy satellite TV for a fraction of the price.
USING ONLINE SHOPPING COMPARISON SITES TO FIND BARGINS
The internet has a wide variety of uses and using it to shop for anything from clothes, CDs, electronics has made this sometimes tiresome chore a walk in the park, well in this case your fingers do the walking.
Online Shopping Comparison Sites (shopbots)
Using a shopbot means you can find any product that interests you and get the best price possible from all the retailers listed by that particular shopbot.. In tracking down the best deal you may need to use more than one shopbot as most have affiliates with different retailers, but it beats trolling through the city trying to find the cheapest deal. Also be aware when you see the cost price don’t forget you will have to include postage and packaging if delivered to your country, and this cost will depend on country of origin and the weight of the item.
Best Online Shopping Comparison Sites
www.google.co.uk/products
www.kelkoo.co.uk
www.ciao.co.uk
www.pricegrabber.co.uk/
www.nextag.co.uk
http://uk.shopping.com/
www.pricerunner.co.uk/
http://www.dealtime.co.uk/
www.bizrate.co.uk/
www.best-game-price.co.uk
www.ransacker.co.uk (football boots & runners)
Most of these comparison sites have an American version so it could be worth checking out there prices you might strike it lucky and grab a nice deal from the US.
Safety While Shopping Online
Make sure the retailer with the lowest price is reliable they should have a secure server and an address and telephone number. If not totally satisfied google the company and see if any negative or positive comments come up.
When paying for your products check for symbols that show your transaction is secure. You should be able to see a padlock at the bottom of your screen, and the web address you can see at the top of the screen may change from ‘http’ to ‘https’ , this is a sign that your personnel information will be kept secure.
As mentioned above make sure you take into account postage and packaging, and taxes and that the total amount paid corresponds to your receipt to ensure there are no hidden costs. Also make sure to save your transaction either buy printing it or saving in your email account for tracking purposes or faulty products.
Make sure to read the customer service sections on websites relating to information on guarantees and return policies.
Grocercy promotions are well catered for here at promostop, but why not let us know of any other bargains or promotions from all sectors, resturants, phone, fast food, electrical, Diy that are nationwide and help our users save money in these hard times.
MONEY SAVING IDEAS
Whether you are working to get by on a tight budget, or just trying to make savings here and there, it has become important to be careful with every euro you spend. Whatever your situation, one of the easiest and best ways to cut back on your spending is to look at and examine what you spend on food each week, because whether you know it or not, that’s where a good portion of your monthly income goes. Because of this, it’s vital that you become intentional about planning out your meals and using resources like this site to plan ahead and save money on food and household necessities. . We have put together some tips to help you save money on your meals and shopping bills with these cost-effective tips:
1. Save money on your shopping by using weekly flier’s from shops:
Try to organise your main meals during the week around what happens to be on offer at the shop. For example, if chicken thighs, wraps and bacon are all on sale, your menus might include chicken fajitas, sweet wraps, bacon rolls, chicken stir fry, even club sandwiches! Challenge yourself to save money on shopping by coming up with as many different meals or lunches as you can using what’s on offer. It’s also very handy to take note of what snacks, biscuits and breakfast items such as cereals are on offer too, and stock up on them, particularly kid’s favourites, while they are on offer.
2. Stockpile:
Most items are discounted or on offer just once during a sales cycle, Seasonal items such as barbecue sauce or ice cream in summer and soups in winter show up regularly, while the more used, highly-competitive categories like cereal, soft drinks, alcohol come up less regularly. So really, while it’s not necessary to buy ten boxes of cereal, it’s not a bad idea to buy one or two of the household’s favourite while it’s on offer, because more than likely when you run out later it’ll probably be back to full price.
3. Try store brands:
It’s very unlikely you’ll notice a quality difference between Tesco’s frozen chopped broccoli and Birds Eye’s, in fact, most store brands are produced by the same manufacturers and production plant’s that make the brands you know, use and love. (This is not to say that Tesco and Bird’s Eye frozen veg. are made by the same manufacturer!). However, there’s a HUGE difference in price. Store-brand products are often 44% cheaper than the brand name counterparts.
4. Bring your lunch to work:
People who buy their lunches every day spend on average €7 on lunches. Taking this into account, do the math: The average working year is 260 days a year, multiply by seven….. this amounts to 1820 a year! Tot up a homemade sandwich, water, apple, even yogurt; the cost comes to about 500 a year!
5. Always look at your receipt:
This is a good idea firstly to see that you have not been overcharged. Most shops offer money back on any item if you have been overcharged, so effectively it becomes FREE! Secondly see how much prices have changed. If one of your favourite or frequently bought brands have increased too much it is definitely time to look for a cheaper alternative. Thirdly, sometimes offers are discounted at tills. If this is so, check to make sure you got the value you are shopping for.
6. Eat First:
Shops know the power of the sweet smell of freshly baked bread. It’s a tactic that fells even the best of us, one sniff will whet the appetite and send even the most hardened and seasoned buyer down the aisle grabbing for anything that looks good. Remember, everything looks good when our tummy is shouting, “Feed me!”
7. Do your homework:
Planning your shopping list before you head off to the supermarket will help you shop more economically. Take the time to do a quick inventory of your kitchen to find out what you need. Keep a piece of paper on the fridge and jot things you need down as you use them up or think of them. Prepare your shopping list and make notations of any coupons that you might have.
8. Look below eye level:
Usually the cheaper brands are on the lower shelves, and often placed near their brand name counterparts. So take the time to look around the brand name you want and more often than not you’ll find what you want!
9. Buy meat on offer or on sale:
Buy meat when it’s on sale and store it in the freezer. Put the date you bought it on the freezer bag and don’t forget: When you add food to the freezer bring the older stuff up to the top so you use that first!
10. Sale rails/ stands:
Look on the discontinued or reduced stands, as sometimes you can find some really good deals there. In most supermarkets there are designated reduced areas in both the perishable and non perishable aisles. In the perishable aisle reduced stands there are often expensive probiotic drinks and soups slashed in price. Most can be frozen too.
11. Check dates on packages:
All supermarkets do something called stock rotation. No matter what the item, they put the newer or fresher items to the back of the shelf and the older items at the front. So don’t just grab the first one you see, particularly with vegetables or milk. Put your hand back and grab the fresher stuff, it’s longevity will often be much longer.
12. Shop around:
Use this site to see what different offers different supermarkets have. This will help you get the best value, and help you decide on what to look out for in the future.
13. Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season:
Fruit and vegetables are what a lot of people spend a good chunk of their food budget. If you stick to fruit and vegetables that are in season, then you will save quite a bit. Just think of the price of strawberries in winter!
14. Grow your own herbs:
Herbs are one of the easiest plants to grow, and they are oh so useful! You can often pick the seeds up for very little, and most of them grow very well on the windowsill over the kitchen sink. Herbs are extortionately priced in supermarkets, and the packets often have too many in them so you end up throwing them away. Grow them yourself and use them as they are needed.
15. Eat more healthily:
it may have come to your notice before, but all those sweets and treats come not only with a high calorie count but also with a high price. Try to cut back on the sweets you buy. You don’t need to eliminate them, but maybe buy a little less and make up the difference in healthy snacks like fruit.
We are well into the recession now and prices have begun to fall within the grocery sector, are we now on par with Northern prices or is there still value to be got by heading North?
