Great 'Embarrassing MoneySaving tips' Hunt

The_Bluester

If you, like me, are sick of paying inflated supermarket prices for anything from james to wine then make your own! It can be so much cheaper (and tastier!) The only problem I had was finding jars and bottles for the end product. Thank goodness for the dog is all I can say! Taking him for a walk early in the morning (by torchlight - now there's dedication!) revealed an untapped treasure trove of jars and bottles put out for recycling. Well, I'm recycling, aren't I? Took a carrier bag with me on each walk and came back with loads. That's all my jams, chutneys and wine sorted for the next few months! :T

The_Bluester

Not particularly festive (although I'll be eating fresh sprouts the day after tomorrow!) but do try to get an allotment - I can't tell you how much I've saved having taken over my plot! Even better, fellow allotmenters grow different things, so you can swap your unwanted excess produce for some of theirs. My food bills have seriously reduced over the past year - it really is amazing. Also, I make wine from some of the by products (Richard Briers knew what he was talking about with the Pea Pod Express!) If you're worried about being an amateur then don't - I'd never done anything like this before and found the more experienced allotmenters very helpful indeed (I even got free plants!)

I made chutney and pickles to give as Christmas presents this year and haven't spent a bean (pun intended) on veg for Christmas dinner. An investment in a second hand chest freezer (see small ads in local papers - ebay is much too expensive) was well worth it.

I took on half a plot - my friend took the other half, it was well worth the effort as I lost weight and now no longer have to pay for Weight Watchers! What a result!

Merry Christmas everyone! Now all that I have to do is persuade my family that they actually LIKE sprouts!

babyshoes

The_Bluester wrote: »

If you, like me, are sick of paying inflated supermarket prices for anything from james to wine then make your own! It can be so much cheaper (and tastier!) The only problem I had was finding jars and bottles for the end product. Thank goodness for the dog is all I can say! Taking him for a walk early in the morning (by torchlight - now there's dedication!) revealed an untapped treasure trove of jars and bottles put out for recycling. Well, I'm recycling, aren't I? Took a carrier bag with me on each walk and came back with loads. That's all my jams, chutneys and wine sorted for the next few months! :T

You can buy James in the supermarket now? Well I never! That said, most of the James' I have known have been students of mine, and I don't know anyone who would want to pay for them!

As for jars and bottles etc, an appeal on freecycle usually turns up a fair few - and the bonus is that they normally have their lids and have been washed well! We also have a couple of friends who save all their jars for us. Freecycle also works for fruit - this year a very nice lady offered us all the damsons on her tree, as she doesn't eat them, and her husband got annoyed with picking the rotten ones up off the lawn all the time. We picked the tree bare as high up as we could go with a ladder which turned into 2 carrier bags full, about 7kg if I recall correctly, and gave her a jar of raspberry jam we had made earlier in the year to say thanks. Everyone was happy! This year everyone is getting damson gin and damson jam for Christmas...:xmastree:

'Pick your own' farms are also fantastic value for fruit, and a good day out into the bargain! Just be sure to phone them before you go to see what fruit they have ready to pick, as it varies from year to year, so something you picked in August last year may be ready mid July this year, for example.

Primrose

cliffjudith wrote: »

Have a wee in the garden, especially the compost bin. It saves 7 litres of water and is jolly good for the garden.

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I must remember to do this. It might help dislodge the rat who right now is comfortably nesting in the middle of my compost heap. He might not relish living in less fragrant surroundings!

zarazara

when I worked in a Pet Shop many years ago one of our customers used to buy cat food and only 1 lb of cat litter occasionally. we plucked up courage and asked her how she covered the litter tray,as it was normally in 3 or 5 lb bags or larger. Her reply was that she didnt buy much as she just added ie topped up what was in the tray already, after drying it out in the oven............................................

Primrose

Eenymeeny wrote: »

My husband is involved with a local charity and is always asking for raffle prize donations, so guess where our unwanted gifts go to?:D (I have noticed that sometimes prizes reappear in the next raffle so I'm not the only one to do this!) As long as they've raised funds I don't think that it matters.:)

We have numerous fund raising events in our local community and last year I noticed that one particular bottle of blackcurrant licqueur kept re-appearing time after time in different raffles for different events. Perhaps somebody has actually drunk it by now rather than just passing it on!

Primrose

The_Bluester wrote: »

Now all that I have to do is persuade my family that they actually LIKE sprouts!

Try them thinly sliced with onions in a stir fry for just two or three minutes. They have a completely different flavour to boiled sprouts and are deliciously nutty. This mixtures is nice added to a bun with burgers or sausages.

It's also nice for mixing in with surplus mashed potatoes to make Colcannon. Just turn into little cakes and fry on each side until crispy brown.

Pembroke

A friend of mines father used to go on holiday once a year and treat himself to a ride on Concorde, well part of the perks of that was a free leatherette covered notebook with the logo on it that he would give to my friend.

To make it last (so that it looked like he had been on the plane himself recently) he would start at the beginning of the notebook and write in pencil, when he reached the end he would then go back to the start and use a black pen and write over the previous pencil notes. If he found he was using it up too fast he would use a light blue Biro after the pencil and then the black pen for a third go through.

janb5

shazzprozz wrote: »

i always recycle padded envelopes.i have never bought any envelopes or packaging for e bay.i turn .i have had lots of these over xmas.i dont think the po has time....one more thing use pre paid envelopes with a sticky label over the address.they have already been paid.just dont rely on them for anything too inportant.

I thought this was illegal - you cant use pre paid envelopes without stamping it yourself.

janetmw

I rarely buy bubble wrap.

This can be obtained from supermarkets who use it between the layers of fruit and veg on display. I'm sure it is already in the crates when delivered and then thrown out when empty.

Janet