Little ways to save

biffer_2

- When boiling rice, still use the same amount of water (2 cups water to 1 cup rice, or whatever), but add carrots or brocolli. You use the same amount of water and the same amount of heat (assuming there's physically enough space in the pot.
- Buy cookery books of one-pot meals, it's amazing what you can do other than 'hot pot'. Saves heat, hassle, and washing up.
- After eating a bowl of cereal, just rinse the bowl under cold water immediately (if you leave it more than about 20 mins it's no good). Then your partner can eat out of the same bowl and it looks like straight out of the dishwasher.
- Share a butter knife with your partner/family.
- Most meals don't need knives and can be eaten with just a fork or spoon
- Have fruit for desert. People don't mind eating fruit off the plate they had the meal on, but apple crumble might be a problem ;-).
- Pasta sauce doesn't really need heating up in another pan. You can add it to the just-cooked pasta (I've not got food poisoning yet...)
- Set aside a special place in the kitchen where family members can put their own cup/glass. Tea/coffee mugs don't need to be washed with every use, but some people don't like them just lying around.
- I heard a lot of money saving ideas about freezers, but you save more by not even having one. Buy a selection of tinned and fresh meat/vegetables, and work through the things that go off first. Buy fresh and UHT milk (in our case we like to have soya for variety, which always keeps out of the fridge). If someone happens to pass a shop then that's a bonus and you end up with fresh milk all week.
- Turn the heating off at night (of course), never use a timer for CH, if people are cold enough they'll get off their ar*& and switch it on (on second thoughts, I suppose they might leave it on...). The important thing here, is that when everyone is out you *don't* want the heating coming on...
- Never buy *anything* on the Internet (over about 40 quid) without at least 1 hour googling (time it!!). Particularly important for flights, hire car costs, hotels abroad, airport parking, but also anything else. Don't bother with Kelkoo, or any price comparison website that advertises on TV. Start looking about 20-30 pages down the list of matches to find the cheaper prices.
- Always shower with your partner (ooo-errr), no, I mean one after another, without switching off in between, because heating up the hot water pipes consumes energy.
- Collect plastic bags from supermarkets for rubbish. If you have a deep kitchen bin, fill bags with newspapers, tie them up and put them in the bottom of the bin. The volume of the kitchen bin is reduced, but you can then use tescos bags at the top without them falling into the bottom.

This is all rather silly isn't it (but fun).

blackberry-rum

Just a quick one because you've all covered everything else: when your tube of tomato paste is empty cut it in half crossways, prize the metal apart and peek inside. There's another tablespoonful in there, AT LEAST. Oh and lots of food that's allegedly past its sell-by date is still fine to eat for days after that, don't throw it away unless it's obviously off. And then it goes onto the compost not in the bin!

eileenfromplaistow

Buy small bananas, smallish apples, as people only want a few bites when they eat fruit - NEVER BUY GRAPES!not in my house anyway.
Packet cheese - I like mature cheddar, but i will buy the cheapest pack on the shelf (ie £1.68 rather than £1.81) as the last bit gets stretched not polished off for being too small to put back in the fridge.
A bonus to using hubby's disreputable teeshirts/shirts/boxer shorts for cleaning is the look on his face when he finds them in the ragbag!

MATH

needmoney wrote:

MATH wrote:

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

QUOTE]

Where do you find them and do you find this amount every week, I never seem to find 'usable' vouchers for Tesco. Thanks if you reply.:)

Use the online/offline coupons board. I download them into a word doc and print it off each week. HTH

Dagobert

• tooth-paste - you need much less than you think: a pea-sized squirt is enough!
• tooth-paste - when you think it's finished, cut the tube in half. You will find it still contains a few days' worth of tooth-paste. Make sure it doesn't dry out though.
• envelopes - I carefully open envelopes I receive to re-use them. DL-sized envelopes often open easier along the short side as their flaps are often intended to rip. I keep a box of windowed, plain and padded envelopes of different sizes. Haven't bought envelopes in years!
• notepads - I make my own notepads: I cut sheets of paper which have only been printed on one side (junk-mail or stuff I printed myself) down to A5 or A6 and staple them together. Keep the pads in the office and kitchen for shopping lists, notes etc.
• printer paper - I collect used paper, which is still suitable for printing on the back (I have a laser printer), for instance letters I receive or stuff I printed myself. That's still good enough for print-outs only used internally.

Dawnie_Donut

DH and I will often scamper off to bed early eg about 9 pm in the winter if there is something good on the TV and watch it in bed. This means that we can turn the heating off early in the evening.

Mind you, we're now expecting a baby in March so perhaps this tip has backfired! (Have been reading the other thread about how to save money on baby things, of course).

Poing

Dawnie Donut, I used to go to bed early to watch tv and snuggle up and stay warm, but my biggest problem was falling asleep, not being consumed by passion! We sometimes bring the duvet downstairs, but I still end up dozing off, zzzzzzzzzz

Liney_2

Wow this thread is truly inspirational. Thanks.
My main money-saving thing at the moment is saying to my hubby I have no cash on me so he pays instead of me! Cheeky I know - and not totally money-saving as I realise the money ultimately affects both of us!
Have just discovered I am pregnant and have debts to pay off before impending baby arrives so I am eager to adopt all the MS ideas I can get.
So tonight I am off to cut open my empty toothpaste and moisturiser tubes - to maximise use of the contents.
Tonight I will only be using half a dishwasher tablet!
I will be using white vinegar instead of expensive fabric softener and descaler.
I already shower with the dimmer switch on low (I hate bright lights in the morning).
I use candles in the evening and watch TV with the lights off.
Old towels become great floor cloths and are ideal for wiping the dogs paws!
I am a real bookworm and have been buying books on Ebay and from the charity shops instead of buying brand new - but am going to venture to the library from now on.
I have been taking packed lunches (homemade soup and bread rolls mainly) to work to save on going to the shops and buying junk.
I have also found that by avoiding my big supermarket shop and buying oddments at my corner shop I am avoiding wasting any food that goes out of date etc. so I guess this is money saving.
I save brown paper bags and and use instead of Clingfilm if I use half a piece of fruit or veg. I also use plastic tubs instead of Clingfilm.
Have been trying to limit my use of loo roll but I am sure as I am pregnant and cannot stop peeing (sorry too much info I know!) I am using too much right now! But have decided to save the tubes for my seedlings next spring - will save on buying seed trays.
Have saved all my jam jars and dispatched a load to my Mum's saying I love that lemon curd you make and she is currently making me some mmm
My other Mum (I have 2) has just made me some ginger biscuits for me at my request. mmm
Have been saving all old takeaway tubs, yoghurt pots, foil containers and reusing them for storage of food in the fridge and freezer.
Have been making my daily bowl of porridge with more water than milk ratio.
Takeaway pizzas are a thing of the past since I discovered pizza dough in my bread machine.
Am going to make a special effort to hang my clothes up that can be reworn rather than chucking everything in the dirty linen basket.
I always buy my Christmas Cards in the January Sale, so I have some for this year but next year I am going to make my own.
I am also going to make a little advent calendar, by sewing lots of little material pockets together from scraps and putting numbers on them and saving all those freebie gifts I get each year and putting them in it. This can reused year on year - and the contents are free less fattening than chocolate too.
At work I have been using paperclips rather than staples they can then be reused - we are also investing in some stapleless staplers (its my company so it does count as me moneysaving I hope), we also use both sides of the paper and make our own note pads too - bulldog clips are great things!

Added: Sept 06...

Have discovered that my library stocks the daily papers, I take a coffee from home in my thermos Mug and sit in the library in peace (when my baby isn't crying)

Also have stopped using aluminium foil to line my oven trays - we are officially foil and cling film free in this house.

Switched from liquid to block soap for washing my hands.

Use washable nappies on my new baby and 2nd hand cothes or cheapo ebay bargains.

Switched all possible bulbs to energy efficient ones and unplug everything or switch off when not in use - esp phone chargers and the microwave.

Am not buying anymore clutter for my house!

sans_2

Take the bus to work instead of the train or the car and buy a monthly bus pass. Alot cheaper than the train or taking the car for journeys over 15 minutes.

Pick up a free Metro paper instead of buying one, or if you do buy one try to use free or money off newspaper coupons. Or read the news online.

For those of us who can't resist buying magazines take out the 3 for £1 or 3 for £3/£5 subscriptions and cancel afterwords. Sometimes there is a great free gift too, shower gel etc always comes in handy.

Rebob

When out in a cafe, take a couple extra sauces, packets of vinegar, salt, sugar and uht milk. Handy for picnics/camping/holidays or even at home.

If on a journey, call at a supermarket rather than the services to buy a drink. ie.3 cartons of value pure orange is only 35p from tesco so saving pounds.