Lots more Sneaky Ways to save the pennies

Primrose

One word of advice. It,s all very well buying in bulk or cheap bargains but so make sure you can realistically use them within a reasonable date.

We had a massive food cupboard sort out at the weekend. We have enough home made jams, marmalade & chutneys to last our lifetime and fruit syrups I made years ago were still lined up and unused. I found bottles syrups dating back to 2012 and they had actually solidified !! Our eating habits have gradually changed and we just no longer conaume some of these foods in the same quantities as we used to.
And although I'm not over fussy about "best before" and "use by" dates, some items were so out of date they are having to be disposed of and that just represents a waste of money.

We now have a food cupboard inventory. I don,t know how long this good habit will last but hopefully it will prevent us from accumulating or preserving stuff in future that doesn't get used within a reasonable timescale..

Siebrie

You are spot on, Primrose. I have taken to freezing my fruit harvest and making one pot of jam or compote at a time, just to prevent an overload like that. Added advantage: I add any wrinkly fruit from the fruit bowl to any compote I am making, and, so far, all combinations have tasted fine. I usually put a spoonful in my breakfast yoghurt.

Penny saving: I try to use my husband's company car as much as possible, or go on my pushbike. My own car is insured per km, and I try to stay under the limit to get a refund Last year, I only drove my car for 5,500 kms, down from 6,900 kms the year before.

flubberyzing

My mother was most frustrated when the plastic bag charge came in, because she'd been using the "free" plastic bags to line her kitchen bin for as long as I can remember! Now she has to actually BUY binbags!

I always keep plastic bags. They get folded up and stored for future use. It's always useful to have some plastic bags around, like carrying a lunch you want to throw away once eaten, or carrying a wet umbrella when out and about. I also use them for lining a few bins around the house. It doesn't look particularly glamourous, but it does the job, and makes emptying them so much easier.

Empty milk cartons are used for pouring off the fat from the tin, after a Sunday roast. You don't want that going down your sink! The carton lives in the fridge until it's full, then gets binned. All other plastic gets recycled, so honestly, I don't feel bad about one milk carton every couple of months getting put in the general waste.

I wouldn't use candle jars for drinking, personally. I have a couple that I use for storing small change, and although I wash them out really carefully, it's so hard to get rid of every scrap of wax, and often the higher quality candle containers will hold the smell of the candle for MONTHS after finishing and washing out.

VfM4meplse

Siebrie wrote: »

Penny saving: I try to use my husband's company car as much as possible

Personal usage of a company vehicle will still be taxed (as a benefit-in-kind expense on his P11D) so you may wish to see which actually costs more. Of course the pushbike is ideal.

Agree with Primrose re: storecupboard. Mine is full to the brim of stuff I buy on offer: Lild cereals and nuts! Now I'm back from holiday I'm trying to keep my fridge as empty as possible. If I don't fancy what's in there, it will be a case of walking to the supermarket for an alternative, or just not eating that evening. The latter is more likely!

Siebrie

I am in Belgium, I'm good on the taxes front

ouraggie

Like Primrose above, we had baked beans and packet sauces beyond life expectancy . Most of this was from when we worked full time and needed to have everything in stock in case we were too busy to food shop! However, also I would usually forget to check what we had before shopping and buy yet another of something we had already. I was a dreadful stockpiler of BOGOF deals too.
I made an inventory but just didn't tell DH. I would then just say "Do you know what, i fancy chicken in white wine tonight, with rice pudding for afters" (rather than "that jar of Chicken tonight is 3 months out of date so it needs eating asap, and that rice pudding has been in the cupboard for two years".). The stockpile is slowly reducing and so is our food bill!

Siebrie

I only use one way of prepping a food item at the time.

This may seem cryptic, but what I mean is that I don't boil and roast or mash potatoes for one meal. I will boil a double amount for one meal, and then roast the second half the next day or the day after.

I will make a lot of pasta sauce for one day, and use the second half in a lasagne at a later date.

So, it's not left-overs, but thought-out double amounts; I am cooking in stages, half-prepping meals for the next day(s).

Does this explanation make sense?

Vanlady

Siebrie- yes, your explanation makes perfect sense to me, I do just the same with a lot of food, especially potatoes. Cuts down on power, time etc.
Ouraggie- gotta tell you how much you made me laugh with your method of reducing your stockpile, I am going to try that on Mr van from now on:D

I also clean and reuse tin foil, plastic bags and even cling film as much as possible, I don't ever want to buy more of these products and will find ecofriendly ways, which tend to frugality, to do this.
I've started saving all paper bags eg flour bags, and bags that porridge comes in, I've found them a good for wrapping up sandwiches etc.

Siebrie

I save the offcuts from baking paper (if mire than 10x10cm) and use it when freezing bread, cake, or sliced ham, to keep the slices from freezing into one solid lump. It also means I don't have to use many separate plastic baggies.

gentlepurr

I use four pint milk containers to store washing powder, and two pinters for soda crystals. Much easier to handle than the HUGE boxes and flimsy soda crystals bag, - oh, and i only use about two tablespoons of powder in the washer, its plenty to do the job!