The Great "Extreme MoneySaving" Hunt: How far do you go?

HappySad

li'l_p wrote: »

Magazines are full of adverts anyway, so you are mostly paying for these. The magazines already have made their money selling that advertising space.

Also to the poster that said "You have enjoyed the book without paying the author for his/her services, and also both deprived the store of takings, and left them with a worn copy they may not be able to sell" - the stores where you can do this, i.e. Waterstones and Borders, encourage you to do this, so they are not exactly depriving themselves of takings, otherwise they wouldn't provide the seating areas and they would have people patrolling the floor stopping people from reading the books if they felt it really dented their takings.

I agree. Someone said the same thing to me about depriving the shop; but I have spent more money in that shop where he saves them from reading their books & therefore never visits them & spends nothing there. These shops want you to do this as this encourages people to spend more money. The leather cosy chairs + coffee shop where they encourage you to bring your books there to read. Our local one is even offering free playgroups, story time & other groups for adults.

A_fiend_for_life

Things I have bought in the last year and a half:

• 1 new CD
• 1 jumper from a charity shop £10 for winter (about £60 new)
• 1 curtain from a charity for winter energy saving £10 (M and S sample)
• 2 books in a charity shop £5 (price new about £70 first year academic texts that are work orientated)
• 1 hot water bottle
• cut energy use down to approx £370 in a year and decreasing
• stopped all newspapers and magazines
• done with out tv which went pop - i keep getting offered TV's

the only thing I buy new now is food and as much as possible from local shops. M&S and sainsbury's get a small look in.

Really my most 'extreme' moneysaving boils down to a no spend pledge.

If anything I guess reducing the heating in winter and having strip washes and turning the shower off between wetting and rinsing is the most extreme I've done and is moneysaving.

Heating only one room and putting up extra curtains in winter.

Putting up wanted adverts for course texts cut the price by about half.

HappySad

A_fiend_for_life wrote: »

Things I have bought in the last year and a half:

• 1 new CD
• 1 jumper from a charity shop £10 for winter (about £60 new)
• 1 curtain from a charity for winter energy saving £10 (M and S sample)
• 2 books in a charity shop £5 (price new about £70 first year academic texts that are work orientated)
• 1 hot water bottle
• cut energy use down to approx £370 in a year and decreasing
• stopped all newspapers and magazines
• done with out tv which went pop - i keep getting offered TV's

the only thing I buy new now is food and as much as possible from local shops. M&S and sainsbury's get a small look in.

Really my most 'extreme' moneysaving boils down to a no spend pledge.

If anything I guess reducing the heating in winter and having strip washes and turning the shower off between wetting and rinsing is the most extreme I've done and is moneysaving.

Heating only one room and putting up extra curtains in winter.

Putting up wanted adverts for course texts cut the price by about half.

YOU ARE A REAL LOW CONSUMER!!! When global warming really takes hold then you can look back and really say that you contributed very little in your consumptions of items.

I only buy underwear new and the odd new clothes-Last 3years bought 3 new items of clothing. The rest are hand-me-downs or charity shops. I keep all my classic clothes in the loft and every 3 years I go though them and bring down the clothes that I want to wear again. some of my loft clothes are now classed as 'vintage' as they are +10 & +20 years old!!

ellian

This is my 1st ever post, and I just couldn't resist not sharing my money saving tips with you guys!

I've already given money saving advice to 3 people today

I've got loads of money saving tips I use all the time:

-Before buying books/phones/electrical appliances/CD's/DVD's etc. I compile a spreadsheet with the products I want/need, and the stores that that sell the product. I then use colour-coding to find where it is cheapest to buy, along with notes of how much discount I can get and the total price inc delivery charges and how much cashback or nectar points I get
I also complie spreadsheets for price comparisons on aeroplane tickets/train tickets/hotels
-I search for online discount codes on various sites
-I volunteer at uni, so I get the NUS discount card for free as opposed to paying £10 for it
-I've saved all the money saving sites on my laptop for quick and easy access (and saves time)
-I sell my old stuff on ebay, play.com, amazon
-I bring my own food and water to work/uni
-I calculate how much my transport costs will be for the day/week/month in advance, and work out which is cheapest before buying tickets
-I only eat out at restaurants when there are deals going on (and I still only do this about once a fortnight)
-When using my laptop, I only charge the battery when it is dying, then I stop charging while I'm using when it is full
-I use 2 phones, both on PAYG, because it's cheaper. (one for texting, one for calling)
-For Xmas, I bake cakes and other treats and wrap them up for friends
-I do price comparisons online for grocery shopping to see which supermarkets are selling the product for the cheapest (Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Morrisons are all very close to me so it's not a problem)
-I compare prices for petrol to see where it is cheapest before filling up the car
-I use cashback sites everyday, even earning money on searches on a daily basis
-I ensure all the plugs and switches are off for electrical appliances and do tha laundry when it's a full load, also hang drying my laundry so no need for the tumble dryer
-I only develop my photos when I can get free prints from online
-I also book a table for restaurants for deals through toptable so I can get points, and earn it towards a free meal...

The list can still go on....it's amazing how much can be saved on small little things! =D

HappySad

ellian wrote: »

This is my 1st ever post, and I just couldn't resist not sharing my money saving tips with you guys!

I've already given money saving advice to 3 people today

I've got loads of money saving tips I use all the time:

-Before buying books/phones/electrical appliances/CD's/DVD's etc. I compile a spreadsheet with the products I want/need, and the stores that that sell the product. I then use colour-coding to find where it is cheapest to buy, along with notes of how much discount I can get and the total price inc delivery charges and how much cashback or nectar points I get
I also complie spreadsheets for price comparisons on aeroplane tickets/train tickets/hotels
-I search for online discount codes on various sites
-I volunteer at uni, so I get the NUS discount card for free as opposed to paying £10 for it
-I've saved all the money saving sites on my laptop for quick and easy access (and saves time)
-I sell my old stuff on ebay, play.com, amazon
-I bring my own food and water to work/uni
-I calculate how much my transport costs will be for the day/week/month in advance, and work out which is cheapest before buying tickets
-I only eat out at restaurants when there are deals going on (and I still only do this about once a fortnight)
-When using my laptop, I only charge the battery when it is dying, then I stop charging while I'm using when it is full
-I use 2 phones, both on PAYG, because it's cheaper. (one for texting, one for calling)
-For Xmas, I bake cakes and other treats and wrap them up for friends
-I do price comparisons online for grocery shopping to see which supermarkets are selling the product for the cheapest (Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Morrisons are all very close to me so it's not a problem)
-I compare prices for petrol to see where it is cheapest before filling up the car
-I use cashback sites everyday, even earning money on searches on a daily basis
-I ensure all the plugs and switches are off for electrical appliances and do tha laundry when it's a full load, also hang drying my laundry so no need for the tumble dryer
-I only develop my photos when I can get free prints from online
-I also book a table for restaurants for deals through toptable so I can get points, and earn it towards a free meal...

The list can still go on....it's amazing how much can be saved on small little things! =D

Welcome to MSE posting. :T

Post other tips that you have as I would love to know what they are.
I have been a MSE for many years now and I have read & learnt so much about how to spend & not spend money. I feel that I have completed an Hons Degree in moneysaving by learning all the tips/advice about money saving. There is ALWAYS so much to learn from other MSErs.

Another money saving is..Never buying just about anything without consulting MSErs 1st. .. This is not very extreme.

I bought the MSE recommend SundayTimes with £10 voucher for £60 shop @ Waitrose. Remove the voucher in the paper while in the shop then bought £60 worth of item. I ONLY bought the stuff that I normally would by in Waitrose because I can't get them anywhere else & I just bought 5-10 of them to make up the £60. I then bought the newpaper along with the £60 worth of goods in one go. So I did not have to visit on another day with the voucher...... I checked with customer service to ensure that it was OK for me to do this.

HappySad

I was trying to find extreme ways of getting new food at a discount. I was thinking of working the minimum hours @ Sainsbury's to allow me to get the max staff discount.

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

kings981 wrote: »

I set the alarm and put the washing machine on at 4am when the electric is cheaper. It is then ready to hang out before I go to work in the morning.

It may only save a few pennies but over a whole year it all adds up.

I put my washer and dishwasher on at night too but I don't think I could give up sleep to do it! How about if you got one of those plug in timers and set it to come on after midnight? I sometimes put things on very early so it finishes the cycle before 8am when E7 ends

rozeepozee

I use half the recommended amount of any detergents I use - dishwasher, washing etc. Everything lasts twice as long and seems just as clean.

polka.dot

Desperate_Housewife wrote: »

I put my washer and dishwasher on at night too but I don't think I could give up sleep to do it! How about if you got one of those plug in timers and set it to come on after midnight? I sometimes put things on very early so it finishes the cycle before 8am when E7 ends

yep, have been doing it for the last 20 years. You'll need economy 7 to make any savings though.
More on washing: I buy cheap tablets (Lidl or Tesco) and use one per wash. Yes, it works, even though I live in a very hard water area. For wash that's not very dirty (ie dark coloured clothes) I use Ecoballs I picked up free at a green exhibition - reusable, no detergent needed. All washing goes on the line outside - not only free, but you get a fresh smell and the sunlight kills bacteria and gives the whites a bit of a lift. If you're worried about colours getting bleached then turn them inside out before hanging.


Other comments also jogged my memory:

- Pasta: supermarkets sell "easy cook" version - cooks in half the time or less and I swear by it. Spaghetti's not that great (hollow in the middle) but any other shape you could not tell the difference.
- if you want to save on cooking time, start using bulgar wheat or couscous: no ned to cook , just soak (I add a little Marigold veggie stock to flavour it). Excellent instead of pasta/rice and also great in salads.
- cheap way of cooking rice (anf foolproof - nice fluffy rice every time and works with the cheap Tesco one as well as basmati and jasmine): put the amouth you need in a measuring jug. Remember how much there was! Cover in water and soak for at least 20 minutes. Rinse on a sieve and put in a saucepan. Cover with exactly the volume of water that you had rice originally - yes, that's right, exactly the volume. Add a pinch of salt, put the lid on and bring to boil. Immediately after it started to boil, stir, and put on the lowest flame you can get. Lid back on and don't be tempted to peek as you lose the moisture. Cook for 10 min, then turn off and leave for another 10. Done!
- beans/chickpeas etc: soak overnight, then cook in pressure cooker. If you do it first thing before going to work for 10 minutes under pressure, then leave standing untill you need it later in the day it will be perfectly cooked.
- soups: pressure cooker again. Bring to pressure with whatever you're making the soup with, then switch off. Let stand until you can open, then finish off - season, add delicate veg, cream or whatever you do to your soup. Bring to pressure again if you think it needs more cooking, turn off and finish off when pressure dropped. It takes time but hardly any gas.
- oven: Usually only on if I can think of at least two things to put in it. It's good discpipline and if you're not doing a full roast dinner with an oven cooked pudding you normally get a quiche out of it for another meal later in the week.

buckhysen

I don't smoke but a tip for smokers one of my friend's uses...

Every time he goes anywhere in pubic where a lot of people smoke he puts all the dog ends into a bag and takes home with him, he then cuts of the burnt end and squeezes out the tobacco into a pouch. He hasn't bought a packet of cigarettes for years yet smokes 10-20 a day!

He said it's harder now that he cannot just get butts from ashtrays in pubs but he always has so much that it covers any lengths of time he goes without being able to get any.