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

HC_2

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

People buy this sort of stuff as presents.

And even moneysavers are allowed the odd luxurious treat.

jilltoon

I joined my local freecycle group ,and now if I need anything I ask if anyone has one before I go out and buy it. Recently I have been given a potable tv and a scratch post for my cat. Its also good if you want to get rid of things you no longer want. Everything must be free though and you need to sign up to yahoo

Hardlife_2

Bungarm2001 wrote: »

My OH plumbed both the washing machine and dishwasher into the hot water system for the same reason. We switch to cold fill for rinsing after the initial fill up for washing. All we have to do is actually remember to do it! He hasn't worked out way to get it to switch from hot to cold automatically...yet.

Seems ridiculous to have both these appliances heating water from cold when we have a super-efficient gas boiler heating water for less. I remember not so long ago that washers certainly had hot and cold fill. When did all that change and why? Probly some daft Euro directive....

The reasoning behind cold fill is explained fully here :
http://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/wordpress/i-want-a-washing-machine-with-a-hot-water-valve/

Basically the hot water supply takes a while to warm the water up, and by then the washing machine is nearing full as they only use around a washing-up bowl full of water. Plus hot water supply usually runs at around 60 degrees, hence this is useless for 40 degree washes straight away.

by connecting the hot hose to the cold input you are also rinsing your clothes in hot water (if it does get hot quick enough) Giving you more creases.

Test the theory by filling a washign up bowl by turning on the cold water first about 75% on for a 10 second burst to simulate washing out the detergent drawer, then turn it on fully along with the hot tap. When the bowl is full check the temperature of the water.

Cheers,
Gary

jilltoon

When I am on holiday ,we usually go to the pub at night ,and as we have 2 children we find it very expensive buying them fizzy drinks and crisps so the first night we buy them at the pub and I check what brand they are then I buy them at the supermarket and then take my own every night . If I cant find that brand in the shops for thier pop I just save the bottles and just refill them. This saves me money to give to the children for extra fun on thier holiday

mdcollins1984

Dudess wrote: »

If you're shopping in La Senza or Lush in the first place, how can you be fussed about saving money in the first place! Gah - Primark and Savers is how you save your cash, and your clothes smell nice once they've been washed!

Because if you can find a La Senza outlet-store they have unbelievable bargains from the end of the line stuff (they have loads of it too). My fiancee bought 3 bras for 25p each the other day with a RRP of over £47. Think I worked out she got 97% discount (and they weren't seconds).

Paul_Herring

Hardlife wrote: »

Basically the hot water supply takes a while to warm the water up, and by then the washing machine is nearing full as they only use around a washing-up bowl full of water. Plus hot water supply usually runs at around 60 degrees, hence this is useless for 40 degree washes straight away.

Two contradictory pieces of information there (yes I did read the links.)

Summarised: "The water doesn't warm up enough because of the length of the pipes containing sufficient water to fill the machine so no hot water gets to the machine, but the water that does get there for (say) a 40' wash is too hot if the hot water leaving the boiler is at (say)60'+?"

One or t'other may be true, but they both can't be true. (And all that's needed to mitigate the second is some sort of thermal valve controlling the mix of hot/cold entering the drum.)

louby_lou

outlet shopping is the best - always do present shopping there when you want the receiver to feel spoiled, but not spend too much cash. marks and spencer outlet is particularly good for underwear! and bath smellies as gifts. bought my mum some royal jelly bubble bath from there the other day for a pound, think it was originally 6, and she loved it

anyway moneysaving isnt always about scrimping, its exactly what it says on the tin, saving money, so if the price is high, find it cheaper - not neceassarily forgo it altogether.

i buy lots of nice things and yes i do have debt, but it would be a LOT worse if i didnt use this site

i guess one of the things i do all the time is always use laterooms or other sites via quidco, ive saved hundreds - also i never buy ANYTHING without doing a price comparison or looking for a voucher online. i found myself in pizza express the other day and saw some people using a voucher and literally slapped myself on the head for not taking one.

ho hum. i like this thread.

Jaycee3_2

Small points but they all add up don't they?
You only get Tesco/Sainsbury's etc points on whole pounds - so when buying petrol it's worth pulling the trigger to get as close as possible to the whole pound (after all you will use that tiny drop extra and your tank won't overfill)
- Keep a bucket in the bathroom - when you start a shower, run the initial (cold) water into the bucket, when the bucket is full (it may take more than one shower) use the water to flush the loo.
- You can freeze eggs. Sometimes you can buy nearly out of date eggs in the reduced section of a supermarket (I used to keep chickens and learnt this tip when I had surplus eggs) Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly with a fork then put them into containers (recyled of course) I find these perfect for quiches and cakes, I freeze the eggs in 2s.

oldandwise

HannaB wrote: »

Get to work early and make any 0845 or 0870 calls I need to make...;)

(Needless to say, I won't tell you where I work, so you can't report me)

Is it possible that you do ANY work.

whydontyou

Hi Folks

This is my first post, I've been lurking for a while. Thank you for all your excellent tips.

Here are some that may or may not be helpful to you!

I have a 'travelling' wash bag, I go away alot at weekends and things and so I've realised it's very useful to have a wash bag that I can just pick up and know that it will have everything in it. It's not perfect yet, as I am still trying to collect a number of small pots and containers to be able to have smaller versions of everything I use daily. But it does have a spare toothbrush, sponge/flannel, cotton pads, eye make up remover, deodarant etc in it already. Keep the small complimentary toiletry bottles from hotels and re-use those. Don't forget to mark them with a permanent marker so that you know whats in them!

My other half is awful when it comes to squeezing the middle of toothpaste, I have solved this by not buying squeezy tube toothpaste, it always has to be the plunger kind. Perhaps not the most economic but at least it means we don't row over petty things like that.

I'm trying to find ways to slow down his shower gel usage as well, as he refuses to use a sponge which makes the gel go so much further!

we always have a pile of the supermarket shopping bags (not the plastic ones) in the car, so that we can claim the bag points as well. tip - make sure you remind the cashier to add the bag points, 9 out of 10 times they forget, and to get them added you will then have to go to customer services which is a PITA!

Use old toothbrushes to clean those hard to reach places, also great for cleaning the grouting between tiles.

Invest in a shower cap, so that for the times you want a shower but don't want to wash your hair you can keep it dry. Saves time, water and shampoo!

I can't think of anything else right now, but I'm sure theres heaps of other things.

Hth
Fuchsia