What More Can I Do, How Much Can I Save?

Fire_Fox

Sounds good - the only thing I'd add to that is to buy an electric underblanket for your bed instead of heating the entire bedroom. They only cost as much to run as a lightbulb (pence) and can save you a small fortune in heating.

devon27_2

Forgot to say that wash at 30 degrees where possible in the washing machine and also reduce the temp on your thermostat we leave ours at 20 degrees and it seems to be fine. on the hot water tank make sure its well insulated we put a new jacket on it (lucky water tank ) I wouldnt like a electric blanket personally i like a cool bed and bedroom never use the radiator in the bedroom. Also only heat the water that you need eg if you shower at 7am just switch it on say 6.45am and then off at 7.15 and then in the evening on for a hour to wash up/shower etc no point having a tank of hot water wasting!.when washing up or you have any residual water from washing the vegtables use it to fill up the water butt or water the garden with it.

LittleMissAspie

thescouselander wrote: »

Or you could just boil the correct amount to begin with and save yourself a tenner.

If you're going to be having several drinks over the day though, wouldn't it be more efficient to boil it all at once?


I save money and water by boiling a kettle for the washing up. It's much cheaper than heating the water tank just for a couple of litres (have an electric shower so only need hot water for washing up) and it saves water too because it takes AGES for hot water to get to the kitchen tap.

devon27_2

Depends on how many cups of tea/coffee you have i dont drink many usually water in the daytime much better for you, saying that with our water prices here in Devon its not a cheaper alternative lol!. Agree with the electric shower theory but i have a "off the tank" fed shower which is only a few years old so will not be replacing that. i use any left overs in the kettle to wash up with as well . mine doesnt take long to get the hot water to the tap my tank is directly above the kitchen.

notsoclevertrevor

I'll echo the praise for slow cookers. Ham hock (£1.50 each from my local butcher!) casseroles are the best thing ever.

devon27_2

and cheap as well, cheap vegtables in the reduced section, a cheap cut of meat and a cheap filling meal for 2 days and all for the cost of a lightbulb!

Ben84

You've done many things already, but a few things you might not have considered yet are:

Save plastic margarine/ice cream tubs to store leftovers or freeze things, as well as a reusable lunch box to avoid using foil and plastic wrap.

Buy recycled loo paper, tissues and kitchen paper. At least in Sainsburys their own brand recycled is cheaper than branded stuff from new wood, and cheaper than most their other own brands too.

Use cheaper and less environmentally harmful cleaning products. I find I can clean nearly everything with washing up liquid and soda crystals.

You can also reduce packaging waste and save money/resources by buying bigger packets of things that will keep well, like washing powder (look in to the new super-concentrated types too as these will save even more packaging).

I also save a lot of money and avoid a lot of packaging by buying fruit and vegetables loose at the market. Markets tend to be cheaper, and you can get some great bargain at the end of the day too.

One that doesn't save any money, but costs nothing is recycling plastic bags. Most local councils won't take them, but many big supermarkets have bins for them now. Not just carrier bags (we mostly avoid those anyway), they'll recycle many of the bags used to wrap bread, frozen foods and pasta/rice.

basmic

Could somebody explain the Australian shower technique to me please. I'm confused, and Google is not being very helpful.

devon27_2

Hi yer the australian shower technique is to get in the shower, get wet, then turn off shower,soap/shower gel and then turn the shower back on just to rinse off. so basically not leaving the shower run when soaping/lathering up.

Hope this help :T

SpursDave

Thanks again for your help, interesting reading for sure!

I just fitted our new 'eco' shower head and tried it out and it's great. Feels a bit different to normal, but you soon get used to it. Because it restricts the flow, the pump in the unit has been turned down to match, so should increase efficiency further still. My Tap Magic fittings came through as well, so will fit them tomorrow as no work.