Spill the beans ... what's the most embarrassing MoneySaving thing you do?

[Deleted User]

comping_cat wrote: »

You spend £700 A MONTH on food for 3 people :eek: Are you eating caviar and truffles everyday?

I spend about £180 for 3 of us, and we eat really well, including lots of fresh fruit (which is the most expensive part of my shopping) and although i try and buy as many yellowed stickered items as i can, sometimes they just arnt there. If this happens, i see what meat is on special offer and work our meals around that.

No. But we pretty much buy and eat what we want. Some months it does get a bit out of hand and we do waste things sometimes when they go out of date and we've forgotten about them.

[Deleted User]

jdp1970 wrote: »

My shopping bill comes to £170-£180 a month too, for 3 of us.
I do the same as you.
Plus I use half the amount of meat in a dish (ie mince beef) and add oats to bulk it up. Healthy, less fattening and cheaper too!

Thats well cheap to be fair. Couldnt see how I could ever get anywhere near that.

[Deleted User]

jdp1970 wrote: »

What?! your shopping bill is higher than all my outgoings put together (incl fuel, food, insurances, bills. phone, broadband!!)

Yeh. It is a bit steep sometimes....

Unfortunately, my total outgoings probably exceed £2K. :-(

Devonian_Rodders

lilian1977 wrote: »

Inadvertant moneysaving that I'm watching right now - my 9 month old son is surrounded by toys and yet is playing with a 30p coaster from Ikea. And has been for days. Think Ebay is calling for the toys!

Nothing new about children more interested in oddments rather than expensive toys.

I recall my mother telling me that during WW2 toys of any sort were scarce and/or expensive. Having obtained a couple for christmas, she was dismayed that I had more pleasure out of a few clothes pegs in a shoe box.

Maybe something to do with being overwhelmed !!

[Deleted User]

Hmmm. Read some of these tips and I cant help noticing that SOME are a bit dodgy in terms of cleanliness, lawfullness etc or take advantage of someone/some company somewhere.

For instance,

Nicking the hotel soap - not really in the spirit is it even if it is legal?
Stealing sauce sachets, salt etc - same here
Re-using car park tickets - its your fault if you get caught because you know its wrong
Minesweeping drinks - Puh-lease!
Going through skips - Eww!
Washing machine at 30C only - surely it doesn't get everything clean? If it did why do they make washing machines with higher temps?
Not flushing the toilet - Are you really that desperate to save the water?

Also, I wonder how many people do some of these things just for the sake of saving money? Surely the cost saving versus the hassle is not worth it sometimes?

MartinWickham

jdp1970 wrote: »

I did read a tip for washing out your dishwasher..instead of buying the expensive cleaners..use white vinegar!

I also do almost all of my cleaning with vinegar and washing-up liquid. They are both brilliant and there is little in the house which requires anything else.

However, it is worth remembering that acid reacts quite badly with aluminium and you will corrode aluminium parts on the inside of washing machines, dishwashers etc., in longer-lived machines this can be bad enough to destroy the machine. I don't use commercial acid cleaners like Calgon for the same reason, though very moderate or occasional use where the acid is neutralised by the calcium deposits probably isn't a problem.

Acid also attacks chrome, so rinse off well afterwards.

Sianlis

meurigjones wrote: »

I rip my tissues in half (before use!), or split the layers, and then fold in two. A box then last twice as long!

I have done this for years and all my friends think I'm mad, very glad to know someone else does this too!

ultramagnetic_commuter

[quote=[Deleted User];47817437]Hmmm. Read some of these tips and I cant help noticing that SOME are a bit dodgy in terms of cleanliness, lawfullness etc or take advantage of someone/some company somewhere.

For instance,

Nicking the hotel soap - not really in the spirit is it even if it is legal?
Stealing sauce sachets, salt etc - same here
Re-using car park tickets - its your fault if you get caught because you know its wrong
Minesweeping drinks - Puh-lease!
Going through skips - Eww!
Washing machine at 30C only - surely it doesn't get everything clean? If it did why do they make washing machines with higher temps?
Not flushing the toilet - Are you really that desperate to save the water?

Also, I wonder how many people do some of these things just for the sake of saving money? Surely the cost saving versus the hassle is not worth it sometimes?[/QUOTE]

I'm with you on this. I can't believe all of these miserly tips which save pennies at the expense of a quality of life. Not flushing the toliet? Timing yourself in the shower??!!

And putting clothes to dry on radiators will probably cost you more as they block the heat and make the heating kick in more often...

carrie_grace

2louise8 wrote: »

I always watch telly in the dark, saves on electric and after all you sit in the dark at the cinema so whats the difference!

Apparently there is a difference - in the cinema you are seeing reflected light so it's weaker... I think the direct light from the telly can be damaging if it's not "diluted" by ambient lighting.

mishmogs

jdp1970 wrote: »

1. I re-use sandwich bags- if they're clean.
2. I make my own compost.
3. I remove buttons from clothing and use the material to make things (ideal for patchwork etc). My sewing machine has earnt itself ten-fold.
4. Boil a whole kettle to make your cuppa and put rest of the water in a flask to use for the rest of the day.
5. I re-use my hoover bags (bit messy emptying the darn things, but saves me a fortune)
6. I dont flush the loo every time - as some people on here have mentioned!
7. I unwrap pressies carefully and save the paper.
8. I pick up petals from the garden and use them for homemade pot pourri
9. I use old cooking oil to paint my fences.
10. I scour skips to see what I can take home!
11. I tear cotton wool in half and use sparingly.
12. I save all the sachets (sugar, salt, pepper etc) and keep them in a tin, i take them away when i go camping.
13. (this one sounds awful) but I only change my bedding once a month! Saves time and money!
14. I scrape out the leftover lipstick at the bottom of the stick, that you cant get to and mix all the leftover lipsticks together,to make a new lipstick!! Gives me another 6 months supply of lipstick!
15. I buy full cream milk and water it down - its like having semi-skimmed milk!

I do a lot of these already except I wash my bedding fortnightly.

Yesterday, I cut my own hair, my last visit to the 'hairdresser' who was absolutely rubbish, I was so disgruntled I decided to do it myself. Haven't done this for years but it has turned out fine.

Use carrier bags os bin bags, why wouldnt you?
club errands together so cut down on amount of time out in the cold.
when I go out, take sarnies, flask and water.
when I need the loo when out and about and no supermarket about? use the pub (try and not get way laid by a pint tho!).
only light the room you are in.
small draught round a pvc window? use crunched up cling film to fill the gap.
dont forget to draught proof the loft hatch and if you can, put insulation on top of the hatch door.
sell any unwanted items on your local town facebook. have some success with this and its free compared to the cost of ebay.
need an excellerator for your compost? use OH (male) urine. it does work.
use water butts.
if you have less people in your house than the number of bedrooms, get a water meter. I pay £12 per month for water and sewerage.
garden for your type of garden. eg my back is very hot so its mediterranean type, side cool and slightly damp - woodland style and front is all comers so some veggies but mainly planted for wildlfe.