Great 'Isn't it obvious?' MoneySaving Hunt revisited 6 May 2011 at 5:17PM edited 10 May 2011 at 8:19PM in Old Style MoneySaving 210 replies 68.8K views

BobbinAlong

We used to use brown sauce instead of Brasso to get our Girl Guide badges shiny. In fact we tried various things but brown sauce was the best, with plenty of elbow grease of course.

And do you really need those magazines you buy? Over the last few years I've given up the supermarket magazine, telly magazines (use the internet), the knitting magazine and even Burda with all the sewing patterns as I've kept nearly twenty years worth. It's surprising how it adds up.

Otherwise most of my savings have already been listed -cook 2 freeze 1, share a tea bag, don't shop when hungry etc.

edinburgher

What I mean is always consider the flipside. EG You decide to bake a cake to save money. But to do this you might need to walk to the shops (making you more thirsty/hungry so you buy a snack) , buy the ingredients, spend an hour making it (requiring more washing up/hot water) and 2 hours baking in the oven (requiring a lot of gas/electricity).

Stupid little things maybe but if baking the cake isn't saving you more than these costs it's better just to buy one - even though instinct tells you it's more intially!

I think you're talking about opportunity costs there to a certain extent. It can be very hard to price these things exactly, but people normally have a fairly decent idea of whether or not they're actually making a saving...

And do you really need those magazines you buy? Over the last few years I've given up the supermarket magazine, telly magazines (use the internet), the knitting magazine and even Burda with all the sewing patterns as I've kept nearly twenty years worth. It's surprising how it adds up.

I'd go further and say try to avoid recurring costs in general. It's incredible how quickly a weekly paper, magazine or computer game subscription etc. can mount up.

goodgirl80

Get appliances on clearance because sometimes they just have cosmetic marks on them but will be much cheaper than completely perfect ones. You have to check though - depending on what you find acceptable

Patr100

Read the newspapers online.
Guardian, Independent , Telegraph, Daily Mail and others all have free online versions.

Also your local library online may have free access to the paid for online versions such as the Times.

Don't buy Radio Times etc use free online listings or the RT's own site.

Grumpy_Ben

Always try and ask for stuff on Freecycle. Often the stuff you need will be something that people don't use any more and they will be happy for you to take it off their hands!

hamsmith

Quote:
Originally Posted by hamsmith

i pop the caps in the dishwasher. i do the same with the kids.

soba wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek:

It saves on water, shampoo, conditioner, soap and because of the drying cycle also saves on towels. a bit of peace to read a magazine too. lol

hamsmith

song_of_calliope wrote: »

Regarding washing and reusing plastic bottles - it's controversial whether reusing plastic bottles is potentially hazardous to your health - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuse_of_water_bottles The evidence is slight but personally I err on the side of caution and don't do it - I use a thermos for when I'm out and about instead.

i see what you are saying. but a thermos surely is open to the same risks. reusable kids straws, toddler cups and spouts, measuring jugs. we don't sterilise anything really do we. probably scare-mongering by the bottled water companies. just like the potato seed companies say not to use the ones from the fridge and vodafone started the chain texts that were bad luck to not pass on.

i would concider the risks low.

comping_cat

shazzprozz wrote: »

dont buy stuff in poundland just because its cheap...think do you need it or are you buying because its cheap...false economy.

The other day our Poundland had a small box of Sugar Puffs for £1 - a bigger box was available in Morrisons for £1.05 (some of the packs of biscuits were 57/67p in Morrisons too) just because most things in Poundland are a bargain, doesnt mean everything is!

lutzi1

A lot of my methods are already listed - taking a drink when you go out, breaking d/w tabs in half, freezing bargains and batch cooking, line drying washing are all goodies.

Always get quotes on your insurance when it comes up for renewal, follow the MSE guide. This can save a fortune and you can often get cashback too. Ah yes, cashback - for the doubting Thomases, I've had over £1,500 back from quidco over the last couple of years, and only ever had a couple of things not pay out. Strongly recommended.

Compare travel and holiday costs -hotels etc can vary wildly between different sites. Sites such as trivago.co.uk, kayak and travelsupermarket are all useful comparison sites as is tripadvisor. This can save hundreds.

If you can't afford your usual expensive holiday this summer, try going self catering and just going out for some meals. This can save a lot of money, and your accommodation is usually a lot bigger and nicer than just a standard hotel room.

Little_Miss_Moneysaver_2

Talk to people - you can't go to every shop and spot EVERY deal online yourself! So.... share your efforts with friends - we all tell each other when there is a promo on at a particular supermarket,remind each other that tesco has a deal on rewards or lidl has my work mates fav alcoholic ginger beer on offer lol.

This also applies to dvd's - we swop them around the office, i do re-watch dvds but i don't mind if my friends watch them then give me them back. Cheaper than going to blockbuster! Along the same lines,we trade magazines so we don't all buy the same copy of the weekly now,closer,looks,heat magazines.

Sign up to loyalty schemes, tesco,coop,sainsburys,boots etc. I joined all the tesco clubs and receive lots of vouchers for money off/extra points on things i use. I give vouchers i won't use i.e £10 off an £80 spend to friends or my mum as i never spend that much in one shop and they give me ones they rec after their full shop and can't be used in time.

Cashback sites are the best one - i have had over £500 since i opened my quidco and some of the money was for doing free trials/doing quotes on comparison sites then i got cashback for the actual house insurance as well as cashback for doing my research beforehand

Before you buy any big item,washer,dryer,sofa, etc do your RESEARCH and remember it might look more expensive on one website but have a look for codes which will make some sites cheaper than others in the end. I saved over £70 on my new tv just by spending 20mins online looking at all the retailers.

I agree with the take your own lunch to work,i take mine 4 out of 5 days and have a 'treat' of buying my lunch on one day a week i can't be bothered to make it up or don't have much in the house.

Stock up when products you use are on promo - 3 for 2,half price,BYGOF etc. I buy my supermarket shopping online and in-store but before i go in store i nip online and look at the offers online - you can see them all there before you go at once rather than having to rely on spotting them as you go round the store.

Buy a bodyshop bath lilly when on sale - sooo much better than all the others and you use less shower gel. Even my other half has one since i told him to stop nicking mine

P.s pick up the free magazines in asda,tesco,boots etc - they are ok for a quick read and usually have some vouchers in there too. Keep all vouchers in a compartment in your purse with your loyalty cards - save the 'ohhhh [email protected]$t!!!' moment when you realise you've left them all on the kitchen worktop at home.

Being kind pays off,i give my old monthly magazines to my hairdressers for the other customers to read - some are on subscription from tesco rewards and some are presents from birthdays. In turn they rewarded me with free beauty treatments to say thank you

Hopefully sharing my tips today will help me as i will get to read all your fab ideas too! Happy Money Saving