Great 'Best MoneySaving Equipment' Hunt

Former_MSE_Penelope

Great 'Best MoneySaving Equipment' Hunt

Whether it's a calculator, organiser, or even a breadmaker, we'd like to hear what equipment MoneySavers use to save money, and why they use it.

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aboard_epsilon

Not equipement as such ..but an idea for some people who are down to their last few quid ..and they have no choice in life .

quite a few of them about these days .

This tip is at your own risk. !!!

This tip is for:- run around cars..bangers and trailers ..not sports or fast performance cars ..

Ever had a puncture on an almost new tyre ..and the hole has been near the edge of the tread....not a rip or a tear ..just a nail or something

What usually happens is the tyre shops tell you that it's too dangerous to repair ..and they are not aloud to plug and vulcanise the hole so near to the edge ..because of risk of tread flexing in that region..and this would undo the repair ..

Therefor they will sell you a brand new tyre . ££££

What they don't tell you ..is that they can put a tube in it ..

Some alloys will not except a tube ..but most steel wheels will .

Mostly repairs like this can be had for as little as £10 and will usually last the life time of the tyre ..

so as far as equipement goes ..its worth carrying a spare tube around with you in the boot ..as the garages will not have them and will have to order one ..but this idea ..could save your job or your holiday .

and if your not too confident in it ..you could look on it as a tempory repair ..untill you have the money for a new tyre

All the best.markj

minuettoallegretto

Not exactly a cheap option, admittedly - but I'd be completely lost without the computer! I have internet banking with all my accounts, and check them daily against the spreadsheets to make sure they match. I don't know to the penny what's available when I'm at the shops, but I at least have a rough idea in my head whether we can afford that extra expensive item, either now or in the future.
Oh, and a nice bonus is that I get to access all the tips and advice on here!

vikingvampireparrot

Definitely a laptop - saves so much money - eg bought 2 new suits needed for work last year off ebay for a total of £25. That saving alone against cost of new almost pays for laptop, never mind all the comparison sites, cashback, discount codes etc etc that you can't get offline

mkirkby

aboard_epsilon wrote: »

Ever had a puncture on an almost new tyre ..and the hole has been near the edge of the tread....not a rip or a tear ..just a nail or something

What usually happens is the tyre shops tell you that it's too dangerous to repair ..and they are not aloud to plug and vulcanise the hole so near to the edge ..because of risk of tread flexing in that region..and this would undo the repair ..

Therefor they will sell you a brand new tyre . ££££

What they don't tell you ..is that they can put a tube in it ..


All the best.markj

Or you could always get one of these:-
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CAR-AND-VAN-TYRE-PUNCTURE-REPAIR-KIT-10-STRIPS-/130411085319?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item1e5d1b3e07

Tons of them on ebay.

I've used one on both car and bike tyres. The bike is a 1200 bandit and it has done over 4000 miles on a repair with one of these kits with no issues.

They wouldn't be used by proffesional repairers and they would all tell you they are unsafe, but then they are liable if anything went wrong.

You take your chance obviously but I've had no problems and saved tons of money.

puddings_2

I got one of these from a pound shop.
I use it to keep track when in the supermarket, one click per pound. Its not as precise as a calculator, but lots more discreet cos it never needs to leave my pocket.

and another problem with keeping track by calculator is that if you dont press any button for a few minutes that the power turns off and then you have to start again :-( even the M function on most calculators is cancelled when the power switches off.

simon_the_saver

A power crosscut/mitre saw; Wickes, £19.99, use it all the time for DIY; no direct money saving (except it was half-price when I bought it) but huge time & effort saving

jap200

Has to be my Panasonic bread machine. We are on our second one in 15 years (total cost around £300 over 15 years = £20 per year), but it gets used almost every day (overnight) for our family of 5 and makes a loaf costing around 30p, equivalent to a loaf cost of £1 in supermarket (for a similar size/style of wholemeal bread). The loaf is just big enough to do packed lunches for 5 people during the week or toast for breakfast at the weekend.

Very rough calculation:

Assuming 320 loaves per year at 30p = £105 + £20 proportional cost of machine = £125 per year for bread.
Equivalent cost for shop loaves £320 per year

Not including the cost of electricity (probably quite small), this works out at a saving of £195 per year.

We also do dough for home-made pizza's every week or two and save a huge amount there too.

DaleN

I have been using Microsoft Money 97 since, well, 1997 to keep track of all my bank accounts, cards, savings and investments. I can see at a glance the balance on every one of my accounts. I keep all receipts until they have been recorded in MS Money, and then every couple of weeks I compare my online banking statement with what I have recorded in MS Money. Makes it very easy to spot unexpected transactions (e.g. fraud) and serves as a nice reminder about what I'm spending my money on which, after a couple of weeks of cooling-off time, often makes a good disincentive to spend!

A handy little tip: I add a future-dated transfer in MS Money from my bank account to my credit card on the date I expect the direct debit to pay off the card (in full, of course!) and keep updating the transfer amount with the latest card balance every time I use the card. That way the bottom line in my bank account shows me what I really have left after taking into account the credit card spending, instead of the cash machine balance which only shows what is in my account and not what will be coming out later. It stops me from overspending on the credit card.

loocyloo

using my breadmaker and having milk delivered. milk costs a bit more, but i save so much by not going to tesco every couple of days and buying much more than milk !!!

jenniewb

My computer is the most expensive thing I own yet reaps the best rewards. Its a basic desktop bought from the sleezy Dell (yes it has its problems!!) but has saved me a fortune in discounts, offers and sales advice (what not to buy or waste my money on!) Its also saved my health just by giving me a whole window of support when every other service around me is closed, my life improved a great deal when I spent all my savings on buying a computer!-Add to that Internet connection, the two are very closely linked I think. Freecycle anyone?! Saved me a small fortune am so grateful to the many fantastic people who make those offers possible as I otherwise would not own a TV or various other things.

Other then that....

Clubcard Plus card. Not strictly a purchase but requires a direct debit to run.

A stainless steel water bottle. Seems like madness that I used to spend £1 on a bottle of water each time I went to the gym- I paid over the odds for a stainless steel water bottle (holds 1 L and has a pretty picture on the front). Means that I now use it instead of purchasing £20-£25+ a month on water! This means I save £250+ a year! (now if I can just cut out the weekly coffees...) As a direct result I now don't have to go without food when it comes to the end of the month!

A hot water bottle. Lifesaver, after this winter I now own 2. I am scared stiff of my heating bill at the moment but know it could be so much worse!

My MP3 player. This has saved me a fortune as I no longer buy CDs, thanks to (legal) free downloads and Amazon I have been able to maintain my music addiction without losing too much.