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

HappySad

rozeepozee wrote: »

I've winced at a few of the "money saving" tips on here that to me seem like stealing, but I have to disagree with this one. I read the magazines on the stand at Tescos and do so very carefully and don't think it's harming anyone but Tesco's profits and I think it can stand that. Interesting to see where others' moral compass falls.

I have read WHOLE books at book shops and not bought it. I used to visit the large book shops (you know the ones with the leather cosy sofa's) and spend my lunch hour reading books. I would only then buy books that were on offer. Now we do the same now that we have children ..but instead if we want a book we order it from the library. We just spend money now on a coffee and the odd magazine there.

Pandrea

Think we'll have to agree to differ on this one. How is only reading the odd article any different?

Well, to me, if there is only one article in the whole magazine of any interest, I would never buy it. So by glancing at it in the shop, carefully, I am not depriving anyone of any money they would otherwise have got (usually when you look at the page you find the headline is misleading and it's not that interesting anyway). But if I liked the magazine enough to read several articles or the whole thing, then I would rather buy it to keep them in business, and also because relaxing with it on the sofa or in the bath (yes, that is where I read most magazines) is better anyway.

Same principle with bookshops, especially as it's hard for them to sell books whose spines have been cracked. But I hardly ever buy new books and visit the library almost constantly.

archdales

Pandrea wrote: »

Well, to me, if there is only one article in the whole magazine of any interest, I would never buy it. So by glancing at it in the shop, carefully, I am not depriving anyone of any money they would otherwise have got (usually when you look at the page you find the headline is misleading and it's not that interesting anyway). But if I liked the magazine enough to read several articles or the whole thing, then I would rather buy it to keep them in business, and also because relaxing with it on the sofa or in the bath (yes, that is where I read most magazines) is better anyway.

Same principle with bookshops, especially as it's hard for them to sell books whose spines have been cracked. But I hardly ever buy new books and visit the library almost constantly.

Get down to your nearest car boot sale. Paperbacks 50p each or 3 for £1. Some new releases that cost £7 in supermarkets and read once only!

tenuissent

"Pinching from local allotments to eat produce". I also am very sad to read this. I'm an OAP and I work very hard on my allotment to save money. Seeds cost a lot, birds, foxes, badgers, slugs, blackfly, wireworms, nematodes, potato blight and all the rest reduce the crops, but the idea that fellow human beings are just sauntering in and helping themselves is deeply depressing. I do understand that there are people who are desperate for food, but stealing from allotments reduces them to sub-human level. If we were in Zimbabwe in truly desperate starvation, I might understand it.

A_fiend_for_life

Bambywamby wrote: »

* Leaving pasta to soak for an hour in cold water so it rehydrates and only needs two minutes cooking time.

Oh those were the days. :rolleyes:

Thanks for that. I've been putting pasta in a flask and filling it with hot water.

Zith

I think that the most "extreme" money saving thing I have done was buy my wedding dress at a charity shop for £40. It had been worn before but was a proper wedding dress and it fit me perfectly! Must have been a sign! My whole wedding was quite moneysaving to be honest. Home made stationary, flowers bought at the wholesalers and done by my mum (if we had know how little they were gonna cost we would have bought tons more!) Vitage veil from ebay that was the most beautiful thing. A tiara from a charity shop... the list goes on. Granted not everyone would buy a second hand dress or beable to do their own flowers but we saved loads. All of the flowers for my wedding including two bouquets, button holes, corsages, table decor and flower topiarys cost less than the quote I had from a florist for my bouquet!!!! And I got exacty what I wanted without some know-it-all florist telling me what I could and couldnt do! Love it!

Another thing I do is get bus tickets on my mobile phone so that if I need to travel a lot in one day I pay £4.00 no matter where Im going or how many buses I need to use. As long as I stay with the one company it cost £4.00. So for example to get the bus to my parents house is £2.50 each way! So I get a day pass and then I can, if I want go to see my husband which is two bus rides over three area boundries (not sure how to describe it but anyone in the NorthEast region its worth looking at Go Northeast's website and look at the txt to go) So I just save most of my appointments for one day so it just costs me £4 to get to them all. Eg tomorrow I have to be in Sunderland then in Chester-le-Street and then I might go to the metro centre to meet hubby! All for £4.

My dog is only fed on dry dog food which is realatively cheap, depending on the brand. I spend £8.50 on a bag every 2 to 3 months and I dont have to buy mixers for wet food or denta stix to clean his teeth as the dry food does that already. His biscuit treats are from the pound shop and are exactly the same as the branded ones that you buy for loads at pet stores.

If Im in borders and I see a book I like the look of I will carefully read the first few pages or the first chapter to decide if I want to buy it. I am always careful with them as I hate it when I lend a book to someone and they bend the spine! *mutters darkly about her mother*

I too go to the supermarket later on in the day to get reduced things. The one problem with this is I am sometimes tempted by a "bargin" which I wont use and therefore isnt a real bargin at all.

I think thats about it really. Im still new to this moneysaving stuff! LOL

evansmg00

I have enjoyed reading some of the advice here, but have to echo the sentiment of a few other posters that some of the 'tips' on here cross the line into unreasonable behaviour.

Aside from the obvious stealing from allotments and sneaking into the cinema without paying, to my mind sitting in a bookshop and reading an entire novel, while not against the law, does show a lack of respect to both the author of the book (who are not all millionaires), and the bookshop staff. 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. I know it only seems a minor thing but ultimately if everyone did this then books wouldn't be written and bookshops would go bust.

I understand not everyone can buy books new but if you can't afford it then request your local library buy it, or buy it secondhand from a charity shop.

li'l_p

Pandrea wrote: »

Er, what about the magazine's profits? Newspapers and magazines are in crisis right now as it is. I must admit I've looked at the odd story while browsing but not of magazines I would otherwise buy, the ones I like I do make sure to purchase because I want them to keep going. However I have subscription deals for my favourite 2 magazines which saves money and I keep it to those only, no impulse buys.

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.

Bambywamby

For all those that are getting over excited regarding my comment of "pinching from allotments" ...the original post is entitled EXTREME money saving things.
I didn't advocate people do any of the things I listed, just things I have done in the past when hard up...and there are many things on the list I am not proud of but had to do at the time.

I have pinched from an allotment once or twice...it was over 20 years ago (and it isn't something I would dream of doing now as I am no longer a thoughtless teenager) but I am not going to worry about it or the comments passed. I also said I used to make other peoples cigerette ends into rollies when I was a student...it doesn't mean I am advocating smoking nor would I do it now, I haven't smoked for fifteen years!

If you have never made a moral infringement, pinched something, lied, hurt somebody's feelings, commited a traffic offence etc please feel free to chastise and tut in disgust at my swiping a savoy cabbage in 1987...if not, hush.

Let's get back to the extreme money saving and not the moral condemnation...tis boring...and hypocritcal.

Noggin_the_Nog_2

There's a charity fundraising website for ME/CFS research that raises money by offering weekly moneysaving tips to people and asks them to donate part of any saving - this week they're blogging about saving money on holidays including the very extreme moneysaving tactic of how to have a holiday in your own head rather than actually going anywhere, very entertaining! The site is www[dot]justfourquid[dot]com and that blog was posted on Tuesday 16 June, all about how to have a holiday in France (or elsewhere) without leaving your sofa.

If you know anyone with ME please tell them about the site so they can join in. Also, anyone can use the tips to save money and give a bit to a charity of their own choice. It's a very good idea.