Little ways to save

moonbeam682

there are some great ideas on this thread - thanks everyone

I keep 2 bottles of washing up liquid by the sink one cheapo & one more expensive. I use the cheap one when I have just cups/tea plates etc & the other when I need more cleaning power, dishes from roasts etc. It lasts so much longer.

Also I have 2 gerbils & never buy bedding for them. I shred junk mail (after the back of it has been used for note writing of course) & use this instead. They love it as you can be really generous with it. After it goes in the compost bin.
Also DH got a huge bag of wood chippings for free from a carpentery firm near where he works which they also have.

Also as has been mentioned I put WM on timer to go on at night to make the most of economy 7, do this with breadmaker & slow cooker too.

I also buy full fat milk & water it down for custard/sauces etc but no-one has ever noticed!

scuzz

I always save the containers from Chinese take aways as they're great for freezing stuff, or for taking salads to work.

I save shopping carrier bags for bin liners.

Use old pants/t-shirts for dusters

We're only using one electric heater at the moment instead of the heating. It keeps the room we're in warm, and my nan's 86 so have to think of her health in the winter. To keep warm at night, just pile dressing gowns, fleeces and jumpers on the bed:D Keep doors closed to keep heat in

Make sure all lights are turned off in rooms that aren't being used. We have a nightlight for my Nan though

The obvious of not buying compost but making our own

Always take a packed lunch to work

I only ever get BOGOF toiletries and try to buy own brand where possible (Tesco chocolate is very nice!)

We always use up old tea from the pot to make a barmbrak (malt loaf thing) and old bread in bread puddings

kiwichick

mmmmmmmmmm, not too sure I have many but will list the few I can think of.

*put all unused breadcrusts in thefreezer andwhen the bag is full leave in them in the bottom of the oven whilst cooking something else, then blistz in food processor for a few seconds for breadcrumbs, I even use the crusts cutoff the kids sarnies
*ALWAYS share bath water, my 3 kids have a wash,then me,then DH.
*use half the amount of liquid laundry stuff, still works fine.
*DH brings home old office paper for kids to draw on. We use junk mail for colourful cutouts as the kidsl ove glueing.
*mix some cheap PVA glue with water and it still is good enough for kids artwork.
*save ALL the kids clothes to use as hand me downs for the next child. They grow so fast when little that they hardly get any wear.
*ALWAYS turn of tv/pc etc when not in use.
*i tend to "loose" DH's car keys at the weekends as he has a tendency to drive the 1/2 mile to the shops to get his paper :eek: This way he has to walk
*plastic containers from tomatoes/mushrooms etcfrom tescoareusedas seed trays, though I do give a lot to me neighbour she rewards me with seedlings to be planted the next year
*hot water bottles instead of electric balnkets, I pop them into the kids beds half an hour before bedtime so it is toasty warm for them

Sure there aremore to follow, just need to think a bit more.

Thanks for the inspiration guys!

kiwichick

oh, another one.

I have friends who take their young kidsto expensive playbarns etc. I havent had the money to join in but do feel great that my kids would much rather go to the library or the park. Both are free and loads of fun.

Aril

Some great ideas here. Some of them I did already- some I've incorporated from here.
A couple that spring to mind are
-all old veggies are thrown together this time of year to make bottom of the fridge soup
-when boiling eggs for kedgeree I also boil extra for sandwiches the next day
-cook a bit of extra pasta and add leftover veg for cold pasta salad for lunch
-empty marg pots for freezing leftovers [mind you I'm never then quite sure what's in them when I come to defrost them all again!!]
-look at redundant worn out clothes. If the fabric is a favourite I cut them up and use them for patchwork or I just used some velvet from a ripped skirt to turn it into a posh scar. You could also use them to cover notebooks, picture frames, rag rugs etc. All cottons are used by OH as rags for his miniature furniture
-sending ecards rather than shop bought ones where appropriate
-hand deliver items if it's local and within walking distance rather than posting
-if you have a cake or like I did flapjacks that didn't work can you retrieve them as a desert with icecream or triffle base or in the case of flapjacks I made it into cereal
-if you have to make a peak rate call make sure you've got your main points written down before you ring to save waffle time
if you've got leftover bread why not make toast to go with your main meal rather than having pasta or rice
-I use recipe books from the library rather than buying them because I've found on balance I only ever use 4 recipes from any book.
Regards
Aril

MATH

I dry everything except towels and jeans on airers or washing line.

Toothpaste, handcream, cleanser tubes are slashed open once empty to reveal another 5-10 uses.

I never put the oven on for 1 thing but cook something else alongside and freeze as a standby.

Use the micro for cooking veg rather than the hob.

Turn off the hot tap on the shower when shampooing up the kidz hair. Turn it back on to rinse obviously, I not that cruel!

Fill our mince dishes with grated carrot and breadcrumbs.

Have all my appiances on timers to get the most of econ 7.

Walk approx 9 out of every 10 trips rather than use my car.

Give vouchers earned on Cashback sites as Birthday gifts.

Use about £6 in printable vouchers for my weekly shop at tesco.

I'm sure there are others but they become so much part of your normal routine that you don't think of them as moneysaving it's just what you do.

VickyA_2

I'm not nearly as good as some of you, but I do manage to:

- Switch the lights/appliances off at the wall in a room that I'm not in.
- Dry everything on airers or washing line (no tumble drier, y'see!)
- Take sandwiches to work everyday.
- Re-use plastic carrier bags.
- Recycle everything possible.
- Use up tired looking veggies in veggie pasta sauce/bolognese sauce.
- Borrow books from the library OR buy them from a charity shop. (I make exceptions for Martin's Money Diet, which is obviously an essential purchase )

And not so OS, but I'm saving up £5 a week so that when my car tax is due for renewal in April, I've got the money there ready and I don't have to scrabble around for money that I've already spent.

Kimberley

Blimey i'm going to have to type all these ideas onto a word document later because trying to remember them all will do my head in

Mind you to save time i could just copy and paste them onto the document

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi

When using the oven-cook more than one item and freeze.
Keep heating at certain temp and if get too cold put a wooly on.
Only put DW or WM on when there is a full load.
Pad out shepards pie/curries/chillies etc with tin of cheapie beans-extra portions freeze or have lunch next day.
When OH has coffee in morning-he makes a small flask of coffee for me to have through the morning.
Use SC where possible.
Left over veg is used in bubble and squeak.
Roast chicken is stretched for another meal and sarnies.
Have 1 very cheapie meal a week (egg,o/chips & bread/butter etc)
Buy reduced decent bread & milk too freeze for when needed.
Make sure all direct debits are cancelled that arent needed/wanted.
Re-cycle envelopes/bags to use

Lots more

PP
xx

Kimberley

Walk around the house naked to save on laundry washing.
Sleep in sleeping bags on top of beds to save on washing bed linen.
Buy paper plates to have dinner on to save on washing up.
Buy imatation flowers/plants in vases to save on buying flowers. I have them and they look as good as the real thing.
If you buy Jay clothes cut each one in half then half again to make them last longer.
Buy a bike to go to work on.
If you don't want to stop smoking, buy rolled tobacco instead of cigarettes.
If kids don't like shop brand cereals then keep old boxes of their favourite and poor cheaper version in.
Washing up liquid works just as good as shampoo.
Use washing up gloves instead of washing up cloths. Rubber gloves last ages.

The first three i was joking on by the way :rolleyes: