Money Saving Fugees

[ReikiAnge]

Money saving ...

 

make sure you are last up to bed so you can check your husband doesn't leave the fan on in the bathroom all night (fan "pullie" is now tucked away behind a mirror in the hope of him not using it).

 

Make sure you are last coming downstairs too, so you can check lights etc. turned off

 

We now use mostly the low-energy lightbulbs (there are a few lights that aren't suitable). I've no idea if they have saved us any money but we used to get through soooooo many lightbulbs before and now I think we have had to change one so far and we've used them for absolutely ages.

 

Live so far from any store that you can't just pop across the road to buy lots of goodies

 

I keep trying to go to the local farmers market, although I'm not convinced they are going to be cheaper. However they keep messing up the site so the dates never seem right. I am going to go next week though, come what may!

[krusewalker]

just to let you all know that Lidl have one of the worst reputations for treating staff and have been critisised in many countries. for example, at one stage, women with periods had to wear a special armband to identify themselves as so. this way they could go to the toilet freely, as lidl staff had to ask permission of their supervisor every time thye wished to go to the loo.

 

lidl on wikipedia plus link to 'lidl black book' pdf

[Spins4me]

Back to the money saving - use washballs instead of washing powder. Poundland often has good bargains in toiletries - branded products as long as you're not fussy about the brand you use.

 

If you're desperate for a takeaway curry lookout for restaurants that do "Banquet Nights"where there are 2-3 dishes for a fixed price.

[Kathyw]

I make a large stockpot of Ratatouille and then put it into small freezer bags (one portion) and freeze them.

You can use it as rata - pasta sauce - blitz in blender for soup - cover with mashed potatoes and reheat in oven.(my fav).

 

I use the tumble dry balls and find them better than the sheets anyway.

 

White vinegar is my cleaner of choice.

Non-brewed condiment vinegar for hard water, down loo at night leaves it sparkling clean.

Tea Tree my disinfectant of choice.

[K9Fran]

Dont' stick to certain brands, buy what's on offer

If the BOGOFF offer is that good, buy extra

Go for the 33% or 50% extra

 

 

But check the prices first - not all 'Special Offers' are really that Special. For instance, Asda were selling some brand of crisps (I forget which) big bags - 98p each, or 2 for £2!!!!!!!

[Rudi]

But check the prices first - not all 'Special Offers' are really that Special. For instance, Asda were selling some brand of crisps (I forget which) big bags - 98p each, or 2 for £2!!!!!!!

 

Ooh, that's sneaky

[rufus the wonderdog]

If there are any book reading peeps out there, try this site: http://www.readitswapit.co.uk/TheLibrary.aspx

 

It's a book swap site - you list books that you have that you no longer need, list books that you'd like to read and then you can do swaps with other members - the only cost involved is the postage and paperbacks aren't that weighty.

 

Much cheaper than buying new and you can look out for particular books that you want.

 

 

Slightly off topic - more of the eco type stuff really - there is a place that recycles old CDs, DVDs and CD-Rom including the cases and the packaging materials. Their website is: http://www.polymerrecycling.co.uk/cd.html and all you do is pop items in a jiffybag/ parcel and post them off. OK you do have to pay the postage but it is better than these things ending up in landfill.

[laura g]

another yay for charity shops and boot fairs.

 

we bought practically all daughters b'day presents from a local bootfair. literally a couple of hundred poundsworth of stuff for quids. tons of practically never worn top shop / warehouse clothes. bath and makeup kits never opened. and a never used babyliss hair extension kit - less than a fiver as i recall.

 

dogs also do very well at bootfairs. toys and balls and the like.

 

and i had a good one last week. bought a book for 20p that i'm going to turn around for at least £20.

 

like a said in a previous post - i'm struggling with whether watchmovies.net is kosher. because if it is i never have to buy a dvd or go to blockbusters ever again. or go to the movies even. we love the cinema but it's becoming so expensive. even without the popcorn / drink stuff.

[K9Fran]

Also, I put the washer/dishwasher on at night (well OH does when he comes to bed)

 

This is only a saving if you are Economy 7 tariff (and your machines are 'cold fill only'), and if you are, be aware that any power used during the day will cost you more per unit

 

If you use baby wipes, always turn the packet over after you've used it - this puts the wipes at the 'top' of the packet at the bottom, where gravity will pull the moisture, saving them from drying out and the ones at the bottom staying too wet........ Means you get to use the whole packet, instead of throwing them away because the top ones have dried out.

[nouggatti]

Before going shopping, as well as doing a list, if you shop in a supermarket that does online shopping, do your shop online, and check all of the prices and special offers.

 

Lots of time "special offers" are on premium/non own brand goods, and you can get more of an own brand than the stuff on special, like buy 2 for £2, two of the same volume own brand could well be cheaper.

 

Stick to the list. The reduced section can be good, but ask if you can make the same meal/item for less, as it tends to be clogged with processed food.

 

Unplug everything at night, use timers if things have to come on at specific times.

 

If you wear tights often in work with skirts and rip one leg, cut off the ripped leg at the top of the leg and pair with another pair of similiarly distraught tights to make one pair from two

Edited June 20, 2008 by nouggatti

[celeste]

I don't spend half as much on shopping if I do it on-line, I'm not tempted by stuff I don't need and because I'm about 20 miles from the nearest supermarket the cost of delivery is probably cheaper than the money it would cost in petrol

 

According to Moneysavingexpert you can save hundreds a year just my changing the way you drive, don't slam on the brakes when your coming to a stop, don't fill up your tank to the top as this makes the car heavier and use more fuel, switch of the air-con, keep your speed down and de-clutter your car to cut down on weight, although I'm not sure how much weight a pile of poo bags and sweetie wrappers will contribute The Moneysavingexpert site is free, you don't have to join to get full access to the site and as well as the saving tips there's the forums which are a mine of information, there's even a pet section.

[BillyMalc]

Don't drink, don't smoke! (*imagine Adam and the Ants tune* )

 

Stick to supermarkets' own brands as much as possible. Watch out for the "buy lots and get a little discount" ads though, I thought I'd saved myself quite a bit when I bought more than I'd put on my shopping list, because of a few "specials". When I checked my receipt it turned out I would have saved more if I had not bought just the one item at all

 

I've found 'eco balls' for doing laundry great! I got them a few weeks ago - at a discount! - for £8, and the should last about 150 washes, according to the info leaflet. 150 Washes for £8 is not bad

 

Store loyalty cards can save quite a bit in the long run, especially if you get points for petrol as well. A little while ago I got a discount of £25 on my weekly shop, just for collecting points

[cindere528]

..... visit charity shops or car boot sales, its amazing the brand new items at really cheap prices. You can also get books rather than buying new.

Even cheaper - use your public library, you can have as many books as you want and you don't pay a penny (well, not directly, you're already paying for it in your Council Tax )

[BillyMalc]

Echoing the ethnic shops tip:

 

Silken tofu is plm £1.15 (to £1.39 in my local health food shop! ) in any supermarket, but 80-90p a box in the supermarkets in China town. They now have a "buy 2 get 1 free" offer on their 80p fresh tofu in the fridge. Seeing as Mal consumes 1/2 a box a day, that adds up!

 

ETA: get a bike with panniers for those trips to the local shops! Whatever you spend on a bike - and they go cheap on ebay! - you will save in no time on petrol. Can you tell I'm Dutch?

Edited June 21, 2008 by BillyMalc

[Kathyw]

Where I used to live we had a china town and the shops were very cheap but our nearest now are city and west end and they are way way ott with prices.

 

Having successfully got the doglets eating quorn mince I am going to try tvp and see how that goes as that can be bought in bulk.