Great Isn’t it Obvious MoneySaving Hunt: Tell us the secrets you didn't know you had

jb5

Our hot water system is switched once a day in the morning, the water is stored in an insulated hot water tank.
Once the thermostat has been dialled in, it provides enough hot water for a couple of showers in the morning. (Only two of us).
For the rest of the day the water is _warm_ enough to wash hands etc.

For washing dishes we boil water in a kettle, (a continuation of how we did things as a kid).
This way we don't have to run the tap until it gets warm/hot enough, boil ONLY the amount of water needed, and use a bowl rather than the sink itself to minimise the total volume of water.

(People with 'on-demand' hot water systems; dishwashers; - YMMV).

gillette147

Sharp_Eyes wrote: »

I was the one that mentioned that I use a PAYG phone but I also said that I rarely use it to make calls. I mostly use it as a point of contact. I prefer to meet people in person to chat rather than gab for hours on the phone. The above would work for you because you probably use your phone to talk a lot - either via calls or text messages. I could NEVER use 400 mins on a phone so it would be a waste of money for me. I go through 4 or 5 months with a 20 quid top up and its MUCH less hassle than doing all the contract shenanigans. It all depends on what works for the individual.

It wouldn't matter if you used 1 min a month.
The deals mean it is LESS than free to get a contract phone.
You can't beat less than zero.

gillette147

Sharp_Eyes wrote: »

I think the point of the post was that some people just can't help themselves when they have a card in hand so it pays for them to actually physically SEE the money that they have instead of it all being rather "surprising" once the bill comes!

Aside from not getting cashback on the spending, there is another drawback to carrying cash...I usually walk around the supermarket with my phone and use the calculator to input the prices of all goods so I can tell if I've been overcharged at the till on the final total. There is nothing more satisfying than having your bill work out to 10.38 when you have EXACTLY 10.38 in your pocket. However, sometimes when something swipes incorrectly and your bill ends up being more than what you have in cash, taking something off and sorting it out at CS can be a pain! Not to mention how terribly skint it makes you look! *LOL*

As a student I used to use cash.
There were a few times when i went 1/2p over!!!

But I'd have thought a list and some resolve would allow people to grab CC cashback.

...I'll shut up now.

Princess_Jane

I always take home-made popcorn and Wilko's pick&mix to the cinema. And bottles of pop. No-one has ever searched my bag and I certainly wouldn't let them! Surely that's something only police officers should be able to do? GGRR.

Padded envelopes get re-used for ebay.

Leftover tea for dinner the next day and empty bottles filled with diluty juice to drink.

Beauty BOGOFs/2-4-1s and decent-sized samples are saved and used as gift baskets for birthdays and Christmas.

I keep a pair of scissors in the bathroom to cut shampoo bottles etc in half - amazing how much further it goes.

Grow salad by the kitchen door so I can just grab a few bits - no need for expensive salad bags that go off quickly.

Hmm, sure there's loads more, some of it just seems second nature now.

My mam always takes a hip flask out with her - there's no telling her clubs and pubs aren't particulary keen on customers bringing their own!

Charis

Princess_Jane wrote: »

I always take home-made popcorn and Wilko's pick&mix to the cinema. And bottles of pop. No-one has ever searched my bag and I certainly wouldn't let them! Surely that's something only police officers should be able to do? GGRR.

I agree with you entirely and it's also sexist, since few men carry bags into a cinema. Do they body search large men to see if they have food secreted about their person? We women could wear one of those apron-style peg bags under a long jumper or coat and put our treats in there. Wear it round the back if necessary - just remember to move it before you sit down. :rotfl:

gizmocoe

Photocopy photos (several onto one page) to make wrapping paper for 10-15p per sheet (£0 if you can do it at work!!). I choose relevant photo's for special presents. Most photo's come out fine as black & white.
I re-use all the reply envelopes from junk mail to send money / signed letters back to school / scouts etc.
For cleaning windows / mirrors / bathroom taps etc all you need is a microfibre cloth and WATER. Microfibre cloth goes in wash machine when needed.
Gizmocoe:rotfl:

DuggyMak

Any needless business letters, or junk mail, that are blank on the back I use for notelets.

Save the hot water drained from cooking vegetables, potatoes, pasta or rice and, immediately, fill any other dirty pans so that when it comes to washing them they are easily cleaned. Also, boil only sufficient water in pans to wash the dishes rather than turning the immersion on. (I admit this is maybe not practical for large families but for one or two people it should still be possible.) For showering, turn on the immersion for only 10 minutes in the summer and a maximum 30 minutes in the winter. Immediately after showering, use any left-over hot water by doing a washing. Use the slowest spin cycle, on the washing machine (400rpm), and either dry the clothes outside, on the washing line, or inside on the screens. It saves money and there aren't so many creases!

I don't have central heating but even in the coldest winter it's surprising how little I need to turn the gas fire up when wearing a good quality body warmer. I am amazed at the number of people sitting in tee-shirts etc with the central heating going full-blast rather than putting on extra layers and turning it down a few degrees!

Buy olive oil in 2 litre bottles and decant into an old 500ml bottle for easy use. Buy a ! litre bottle of soya sauce and decant into an old 375ml bottle. It works out so much cheaper, but the large bottle of soya sauce has to be kept in the fridge after opening, unlike the olive oil!

Use 5ft wide "raised bed" vegetable plots so you don't need to walk between the rows to gather the crops. By not compacting the soil you don't need to spend hours "turning it over" in the spring. Each plot eventually gets dug, in rotation, when you harvest the potatoes. Keep any unused packets of vegetable/flower seeds in an old ice-cream tub in the fridge, they keep much longer.

Use an on-line broker to book hire cars prior to going on holiday, their prices are always much cheaper than the companies who actually provide the car (Hertz, National etc).

traceya89

Charge your mobile phone at work and digital camera/camcorder batteries at work.

anything that requires printing i email to work too to print out!

The paper towels in the kitchens/toilets are work are handy for spillages and i usally grab a handful of these. saves money on kitchen rolls!

Sharp_Eyes

Charis wrote: »

I agree with you entirely and it's also sexist, since few men carry bags into a cinema. Do they body search large men to see if they have food secreted about their person? :rotfl:

:rotfl: I can't seem to get the image of this out of my head!!!! *LOL* :rotfl:

Sharp_Eyes

DuggyMak wrote: »

Any needless business letters, or junk mail, that are blank on the back I use for notelets.

Save the hot water drained from cooking vegetables, potatoes, pasta or rice and, immediately, fill any other dirty pans so that when it comes to washing them they are easily cleaned.

A lot of the vitamins are contained in this "waste" water. So when you drain veg that you have been cooking, most of your nutrients go down the sink! :eek: If 'cooking' vegetables like carrots, parsnips, beets etc. make sure to get the skins really clean or lightly peel the skin off, and when they are done, use this water to cook your rice! You can also save to use as a soup base. You'll get much more vitamins out of your food that way. Can't be used for potatoes or pasta though but if you have a garden, let the water cool and then use it to give your soil some extra nutrients.