[zzze]

assalamu alaykum

i second what Fatima said - move out at the same time as ur husband? You'll be saving money that way, too (nice food, cosy room, company - no tv, net or husband = crazy) even if you feel you might not be making use of the house.

surah waqia :flower

[Bluestar]

If you have to live poor, i've been skipping a couple of times. Which is basically looking whether there's anything edible in supermarket tips. I found my very lovely purple orchid whom i saved and brought back to life, chocolate cake that went out of date just that day and 15 perfectly shaped peppers. There was nothing wrong with them whatsoever. I've found carrots in them before and mostly baked stuff. If you do that, which i doubt but you never know then try and make sure you pick stuff with packaging, always wash the vegetables even if they're in packaging. This is because, obvious reason, you don't know who's handled it and supermarkets tend to pour bleach into their tips to stop people eating the food they throw away

oh yeah, they don't like it so wear dark colours and get ready to run at any time. You'll need a torch and don't veil your face in the hope it'll bring more security, people aren't sympathetic to people they can't see and they're more likely to let you off if they catch you and see you're a girl. Most people who work there are actually sane and don't want the food to go to waste so they allow people to skip it and turn a blind eye

Get some good books to bide the time. You don't realise how beneficial it is to get away from the internet and go back to basics sometimes. You appreciate silence and time.

Hot water bottle to keep you warm. You don't necessarily need the kettle but it can come in handy.

Oh and cook stuff, no ready meals I've had a meal of baked beans and barley once and the only thing that made it edible was the fact i'm good with my spices

If you do do it, let us know how it goes afterwards i.e. your little survival tips

[zzze]

asslamau alaykum

isnt skipping illegal miss?

[Bluestar]

yes but it's immoral to throw food away and morality comes before legality

and when you're poor you're poor. I have to admit, i've done it more out of fun than desperation but people on tree sites have to eat that way

[zzze]

assalamu alaykum

lol. maybe you should work for Tesco instead...and then like steal the food ur supposed to throw out? Hit it at the source

now ur going to tell me tesco is bad, right?

i miss tesco. and your bread and sugary desert

[Bluestar]

lol tried that in my uni days. Then your stomach in at threat as well as your employment status/financial security etc

[PhDGirl]

Can you move in July or August 1st instead? If you're going to be alone and broke, that's not much fun. If you cook a whole chicken (roast it, which is pretty easy), you can do a bunch of things with the meat for meals and use the bones for soup. Will there be a farmer's market near you? That's a good source for produce.

I wouldn't go nuts with the whole pepper spray thing. If an attacker is bigger/stronger than you, he can easily spray you. Good luck!

[displaced]

if you're getting pepper spray or a taser gun, get them before you move. from what I remember, they aren't sold in NJ.

[ShotgunMessiah]

Congratulations, moving out is awesome.

Check craigslist, they have all kinds of perfectly good stuff up there free or dirt cheap. Around here, there's people who make stupid money so they'll upgrade their CRT television to plasma then give the old one away, or have a leather sofa that's not "in style" anymore, replace it, and give the old one away as long as you cart it off yourself. And that's really what brothers are for, right? You could probably furnish the place out pretty nicely at very little or no charge.

Another way to save money (and go green) is to absolutely save on power. Avoid turning lights on, utilize those blinds or drapes or whatever, use those new bulbs that last forever and barely use any power.

For food, try Costco or whatever wholesale places you have there. You can get just about everything for much less, and since you get a lot of it you don't have to go back for a long time.

[PhDGirl]

Originally Posted by Hijabigirl

arent you married? isnt your husband supposed to be paying for the apartment? not that I'm aganist the wife helping out....but for something like buying an apartment/paying for food/utlities I think thats a bit much,,,especiallly since its his basic responsiblity to provide food and shelter no?

Well, maybe they have a joint account and she paid the deposit out of that. No need to get all up in their finances!

[ShotgunMessiah]

Originally Posted by Hijabigirl

arent you married? isnt your husband supposed to be paying for the apartment? not that I'm aganist the wife helping out....but for something like buying an apartment/paying for food/utlities I think thats a bit much,,,especiallly since its his basic responsiblity to provide food and shelter no?

Hmm..........

Nope, I don't think I'm going to touch that one. Not this time

[vegetables]

yep someones gonna get it

[Jamroll]

Congrats on getting your own place, Shazzy. I know you'll do great and enjoy your own space, although it might take a little while to get used to it.

This is just a little thing, but one thing which I find is really useful is plastic carrier bags from supermarkets. Whenever you go shopping, get loads more than you need. They come especially useful for acting as bin liners, you can put your dirty laundry in them, wear them over your socks while you're cleaning. They can even act as insulation, if you put them over windows and doors when it's cold.

Also, find your local bargain basement supermarket. We have a couple over here in England, like Aldi and Netto. You can get really cheap food. Not the highest quality, but it's dirt cheap.

I don't know what public transport is like where you live, but get a bus pass, or a train pass or whatever the public transport system is where you're at.

Good idea of yours with getting the condiments from BurgerKing. You can also get milk from these kind of places, burger places like MaccyD's or BK, maybe a Starbucks or Costa - the tiny little containers with the long-life milk. If you get enough you can use them in your morning cereal.

Also, you don;t have to become a veggie. No one can bear that for very long, unless they willingly chose a vegetarian lifestyle. Get tinned meat, like fish. Okay so it's not the same as frsh from the butcher's or fishmongers but they taste okay, some taste pretty good. They last for ages, and they're much much cheaper than being fresh meat.

Originally Posted by Hijabigirl

arent you married? isnt your husband supposed to be paying for the apartment? not that I'm aganist the wife helping out....but for something like buying an apartment/paying for food/utlities I think thats a bit much,,,especiallly since its his basic responsiblity to provide food and shelter no?

She's already stated they're getting a place together, but finances are gonna be tight, and she just wants tips to save on money. You don't know their situation, so really there's no point blaming her husband for it. If you want to help, just suggest some money-saving tips for two young people starting out life on their own.

[rawrr]

Buy a microwave, seriously. I'm sure I've seen microwaves for £20 ($40?) in Tesco or something. You can probably find a cheap one at a second hand store or something..

When my eldest sister first moved out she started going to charity shops, and found some really cheap good things! I've even volunteered in one, and some of the rich people used to come in with almost brand new stuff!

Also when you go shopping, make a list. and stick to it. You can get coupons and vouchers and things to spend in supermarkets online aswell, so print as many out whilst you have internet access.

Try to keep your utility bills low.

Spend time with family and friends! It's free and (sometimes) fun.

I'll post more when I have more ideas....

[Pushpa]

Energy-saving lightbulbs.
It'll be summer so you probably won't need to use much heating.
cook/prepare your own food rather than eating out.
If you have any big laundry, take it home on the weekend like someone already said; you could do your smalls by hand if you're desperate.
Don't know about your family but my dad always buys things like soap and toothpaste and toiletpaper in bulk, so there are ALWAYS spares in my parents' airing cupboard. for one person you don't need very much, and plus you;ll only be alone for about 6 weeks so you shouldn't need too much.
Check out the local LIBRARY - you could go there to borrow books and use the Internet if you really need to.