Lots more Sneaky Ways to save the pennies

Murrell

curiousralphy wrote: »

Not sure if it helps anyone but I use a trouser hanger (the one with clips at each end) to hold up my printed recipes when cooking in the kitchen - by putting the hanger on the handle of the higher cabinets it's at the perfect height. Holds a smallish recipe book as well.

I work in a shop and always ask if customers want the hangers and always give this tip to every customer that is interested. I just wish I had more tips to use hangers, not just trouser ones to pass on!

pondskater_2

I got some pretty pillow cases from charity shop and used a hanger to make a hanging laundry bag.

tattycath

charleybear wrote: »

I too hope I'm not stealing anyones ideas but If I spend cash I promise myself to put at least the small coins I get from change into a savings tin. I also sometimes puts notes in there too. After a few shopping trips its a surprise to how much you can save. I counted that I have saved over £30 doing this in about 4 weeks.

I do this. I don't count it up until the tin is nearly full. Like you said 'it's amazing how it adds up
I also have a compartmented coin saver for £1s, 50ps and 20ps ( as well as putting other change in my other pot), over about a month I've saved £30 in the coin saver. :j

tiny_courageous

charleybear wrote: »

I too hope I'm not stealing anyones ideas but If I spend cash I promise myself to put at least the small coins I get from change into a savings tin. I also sometimes puts notes in there too. After a few shopping trips its a surprise to how much you can save. I counted that I have saved over £30 doing this in about 4 weeks.

I do the opposite. I keep all small change in my purse, and try to use it to pay for small items/bills. If I can pay for something in change instead of taking money out of the bank, it seems to last a lot longer and I really think about what I buy because I have to think "do I have enough change?"

amber03

Charleybear this is what I do, every 1st jan is start a sealed tin with any loose change I have or find, I don't open it till the30th june, then start a new tin 1st july until 31st dec. I find that I save between 80 and 90 pounds which I pay off one of my debts. I tried this without a sealed tin and found i kept dipping into it. Roll on dec 31st.

Uniscots97

Got my Mum a lovely blouse out of the CS but it needed cufflinks. I made a set out of 4 buttons and tied the pair together with lengths of shirring elastic.

kboss2010

1) Use pretty mugs for pen holders/desk organisers

2) Use LED fairy lights instead of main lights in rooms

sparrer

I have a big event coming up and want to look good, but I'm always reluctant to sit in the sun since a relative got a melanoma by doing just that. Thought about a spray tan but it costs up to £17 locally, so went into Mr A and bought a bottle of Dove instant tan for £3. After 3 applications I have beautiful, natural looking bronze skin, and there's loads more in the bottle

Smoosh

I'm not sure I have any original ideas because I haven't had time to read through the whole thread! But I'll list what I do anyway...

Save takeaway tubs, ice cream tubs etc. and use to freeze homemade meals. I also cut up fruit and make a fruit salad type of thing for OH's lunch at work, and these tubs are great for keeping this in. I also use them as cheese boxes to keep cheese fresh in the fridge. Similarly, save any jars for homemade jam and pasta sauce.

Fill a small bowl with baking powder and keep it in the fridge to stop any nasty fridge smells!

When mashing potatoes (or any other vegetables) cut the chunks really small so that they cook quicker.

Use the bags you get free for fruit and vegetables in supermarkets as sandwich and freezer bags.

Do your shopping around 7pm, this is when I tend to find the best YS deals. Nothing better than buying food for 90% off!

Cut face wipes in half - I wear a fair amount of makeup and even I find I only need half a face wipe at a time, so packets last twice as long.

Similarly, I often cut cloths for cleaning in half as I find they don't need to be that large!

If you have a spare duvet, use 2 duvets in the winter, keeps you nice and toasty and saves heating.

Go charity shopping! I no longer buy clothes from "normal" shops, it's just too expensive. Charity shops may not be as cheap as they used to be, but there's still some excellent value to be had.

Check prices on everything - compare different sizes of them same item and compare the same item at different stores to get the best value for money.

Any shower gel, shampoo, conditioner etc. when you think it's empty, always add a little bit of warm water and give it a good shake, you can usually get at least an extra 2 washes out of it.

Apply a little conditioner before shaving your legs, cheap and makes them so smooth. I've also recently started using baby shampoo for the same purpose, leaves very soft legs!

Stalk your local freecycle, it's amazing what people want to give away for free.

Pick up any change you find and keep it in a jar and then change it up when you reach a specific amount (maybe £20).

When I use oil to make chips (rarely now though!) I keep the oil in an old ice cream tub and keep reusing it.

Use lentils in any meals involving mince - bulks them out and adds protein to the meal.

Don't be afraid to try the basics/value range of food, a lot of it is comparable to brand names and can save you a lot of money.

Keep old toothbrushes - they're great for cleaning in difficult places like grout in showers, oven racks and taps.


I can't think of anything else right now! I'm sure I'll think of more though

balconyj

I wanted to replace my boring terracotta plant pots with some that were colourful. Instead of buying new ones (why are they so expensive!) I used some old paint I had lying around. Now they look lovely in my garden.