Lots more Sneaky Ways to save the pennies

VfM4meplse

VfM4meplse wrote: »

This is the kind of post that makes younger generations cross. What is the point of keeping a large home if you don't need it, and can't afford to maintain it?

You'd be much better off downsizing and enjoying the capital released. You can't take it with you when you're dead!

I'm a bit surprised by the reaction to my post. It is my opinion, nothing more than that, and not a judgement. The context was moneysaving, in the spirit of this thread.

I've been reviewing my will lately and have realised that unless I make some smart decisions to give now, a major beneficiary will be the treasury. I'm not a big spender but get a lot of satisfaction from giving small amounts the I won't miss, to improve the lives of others - hence would rather do this alive, than dead. Not for everyone, but personally important to me. I can go without the extra bedroom / living space to do this.

Goldiegirl

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I'm a bit surprised by the reaction to my post. It is my opinion, nothing more than that, and not a judgement. The context was moneysaving, in the spirit of this thread.

I've been reviewing my will lately and have realised that unless I make some smart decisions to give now, a major beneficiary will be the treasury. I'm not a big spender but get a lot of satisfaction from giving small amounts the I won't miss, to improve the lives of others - hence would rather do this alive, than dead. Not for everyone, but personally important to me. I can go without the extra bedroom / living space to do this.

Is that saying that people with an extra bedroom are slightly selfish?

VfM4meplse

Goldiegirl wrote: »

Is that saying that people with an extra bedroom are slightly selfish?

No, its saying that I'd rather spend my money on others than maintaining a home that is beyond my personal requirements.

consultant31

Goldiegirl wrote: »

Is that saying that people with an extra bedroom are slightly selfish?

I think what she's saying is that she can spend her own money, in her own way, without having to justify herself to anyone else.....as we all should be able to do.

[Deleted User]

I live alone now sadly, in a small terraced three bedroom cottage I have my double bedroom, a small spare room, plus the other one which is my computer/hobbies/library/ genealogy bit/ craft room rolled into one.

My sitting room downstairs would be crammed full if I had to spread it down there .I have a reasonable sized kitchen that I can eat in if I wanted to plus a conservatory which I use for one of my other hobbies which is renovating/upcycling old furniture for my family/friends.

If or when I get less mobile and able to cope with my present property then perhaps I would think of sheltered housing.But hopefully that's a long way off at the moment.

I have already had a walk-in shower room fitted plus I have a stair-lift which helps when I am climbing up those pesky stairs.
Mine is an old pre-war property, with pretty steep stairs that seem to get steeper the older I get but my stair lift is great and solved the problem :):)

kboss2010

milasavesmoney wrote: »

One thing that has helped my heating/cooling bill is shutting off half the house. We raised six children who are all (but one) grown and gone, so our house is too large for us. Since we only live in one part, I've shut off the other and loved the big drop in my gas/electric bill. Even on this side, I have shut off vents in two bedrooms. I turned the thermostat down 3* below what I kept it at last winter. My OH never said anything, but wore a few more clothes.
I also invested in LED bulbs last month when I found a great sale. I'm trying to remember to have two things ready to go when I'm cooking in my oven. I have been using my crockpot a lot more for batch cooking.
Our oldest daughter (36) came to visit last week and I was not happy to see her walk out of a room and leave the light on. She was not taught that way and it left me scurrying around turning lights off. I finally said something and she was better afterwards. I would hate to pay her electricity bill.
I have been unplugging a few vampire drainers.but so many things have plugs behind couches etc. I know I should attach these to power cords and flip them off, but am confused if the power cord still drains electricity even when flipped off? I need to google that question. Does anyone use regular power cords or should I get smart cords. They are pricy, don't have great reviews and I wouldn't be using them on a home computer as I use a laptop.

If you find a way to convert people to switching lights off, please let me know lol! OH has every light in the flat on at times, drives me scatty!

kboss2010

I think the thing that annoys young people (like me!) the most is the people who own a property portfolio of first-time buyer properties as an investment and charge horrendous rents whilst not maintaining said properties.

I live in Aberdeen and the amount of falling apart tenement flats full of mould, damp, peeling paint, unsuitable heating systems and shabby furnishings is ridiculous.

At some point someone will have to pay to repair these properties or we're going to end up with a heap of derelict, unmortgaged properties sitting empty and rotting because buy-to-let landlords are sitting on them with their mortgage paid up by tenants. Or, worse and is currently the case, people living in unhealthy damp, mouldy conditions because they can't afford to move and the properties are so poorly maintained that, if the heating is capable of heating the whole property sufficiently, it's too expensive to heat.

Before we bought our flat last year, we spent 8 years living in damp, mouldy subsiding flats which made us sick and at some points were 5 oC in winter when the heating stopped working because anything in our price range was like this (and, by that I mean RENT ONLY (excluding any bills or council tax) of £900 a month!)

I will never, ever take living in a dry, warm house for granted again. It's only now that we're out the other side that I realise just how bad it got and it angers me that millions of people still live like this in the UK!

milasavesmoney

I am using up this and that to make a pasta bake tonight. I've been inspired to try and not throw out food by Ilona of Life after Money/Mean Queen fame. I'm surprised at how far our food actually goes when I take the time to use it up. This has been a huge money saving technique that I was absolutely awful at before I became focused on using what I bought. She pointed her readers in the MSE direction by posting about reading the money saving blogs and it has been an eye opener. I don't want to be waste food or energy or money. I have been making a concerted effort to cut down on my family's consumer waste. My LBM was when I realized I was not being a good steward of what we have obtained. I'm out to change that habit!!

[Deleted User]

milasavesmoney wrote: »

I am using up this and that to make a pasta bake tonight. I've been inspired to try and not throw out food by Ilona of Life after Money/Mean Queen fame. I'm surprised at how far our food actually goes when I take the time to use it up. This has been a huge money saving technique that I was absolutely awful at before I became focused on using what I bought. She pointed her readers in the MSE direction by posting about reading the money saving blogs and it has been an eye opener. I don't want to be waste food or energy or money. I have been making a concerted effort to cut down on my family's consumer waste. My LBM was when I realized I was not being a good steward of what we have obtained. I'm out to change that habit!!

Well done on your 'lightbulb moment ' Mila it comes to us all at some point As you say its not just looking after the pennies (or in your case the dollars ) its making things go that just little bit further, be it food or energy.There are only infinite resources on this planet and making them last a bit longer will help everyone
I have PM'd you

Cheers everyone
JackieO xx

MallyGirl

Caterina wrote: »

We have considered shutting the radiators in the unused rooms but are worried that we might get damp in them if we don't heat the, regularly, is this the case I wonder, does anyone know?

We don't heat the rooms that we don't use from day to day - dining room, reception 2, spare bedroom. We don't have an issue with damp but it is a drafty Victorian house with chimneys so there is plenty of air flow. We don't use all of the rooms all of the time but found that we had to get the extra in order to get rooms of a decent size. DD (14) is still at home so we get regular visits from grandparents and we also have 2 big dogs. When guests are due we just turn on those radiators a day or 2 before they come as it takes a while to warm the cold rooms.