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

bluebag

I refill the kettle after boiling so the water comes to room temperature before boiling next time, it then takes less energy to heat. Not a great saving all at once but adds up over time.

Mrs_P_Pincher

mellywoo wrote: »

My Mum told me that when she was little her dad had one in the war , reusable kept in a tin.

That would be a tin of French chalk, whatever that is.

Mrs P P

troubrs

I collect the red rubber bands the postmen drop & use them to keep the greaseproof lids on my puddings as they cook! I unpick those things you often get in soap gift boxes - are they called loofas or something similar? I tie the ends & make them into crabbing nets & nets to store foraged nuts. I save all the cartons fruit etc comes in from the supermarket & use thm for picking tomatoes etc from my allotment & blackberries etc from the hedgerows. All bread crusts & sale bread gets breadcrumbed & frozen for home made chicken/fish nuggets. Often make curries, or have occasional takeaway, & every leftover morsel gets frozen for a free 'lucky dip' meal once in a while. Always save remaining roast meat from Sundays & freeze until I have enough to fry up & make into a Rosti.

Living_proof

BobbinAlong wrote: »

I use the vegetable bags from the supermarket for taking sandwiches to work - and re-use them for days on end!

I do exactly the same thing. Just like baby clothes, plastic bags will go on forever if you treat them well. I remember in the early '60s my mother used to wash out plastic bags and hang them on the line. Even the tin foil was washed and re-used. I can remember cringing at the time, the same as when my knee length socks were dried over the oven and always smelled of fried bacon. Eugh!

I'll stick to re-using plastic bags though. It's as though we have been through a couple of decades of 'must consume more, more, more' and the reality is that we must consume less, much less, and forever.

juliamarsh

7roland8 wrote: »

I get lots of prepaid envelopes but if reusing I'd use a stamp.

Isn't it threft if the firm is paying for postage for your private use?

Maybe I wasn't clear - I wasn't talking about prepaid envelopes, just the preaddressed ones that arrive with your credit card bills - I always put a stamp on them.

NicNocs

madmoneysavingmum wrote: »

DD2 (now aged 4) checks every coin operated ride we pass in the shopping centre/supermarket for coins in the coin return section. (She only found out that they can move when you put a coin in a few weeks ago when she saw one moving, but regards this as a waste of money.) She now also checks any other machines with coin return places as we pass - whilst I am moritified most times she now has more than £20 in her moneybox. I guess moneysaving is in her blood.:j

MMSM

My DD6 just loves going through all the open lockers in the swimming pool changing rooms after her swimming lessons, and frequently finds 50p that some poor previous person has forgotton to pick up!

chanie

Stuff I do:
Reuse tin foil
Cut the toothpaste/shampoo container in half to get the last remanents out.
When DS was bottle fed, I would boil the kettle and pour hot water in a thermos flask to save on re-heating it
Leave the oven door open after cookng to heat the kitchen
Charge my mobile at work (yes, I am allowed to do this)
I packed up most of DS baby clothes for storage/charity shop but some of the tattier ones I have kept for cleaning rags
WHen changing DS nappies, I either wipe him down with a reusable muslin cloth (which come with my skincare regime) or I wash him in the basin to save on wipes
I use one bucket of water and dettol to clean most of the house - firstly I do the kitchen surfaces and white goods, then the kitchen floor and finally the bathroom floor.

nellykim

This seems obvious, but whenever I need to get in touch with any business's or utility suppliers, marketers, shops, etc etc. I always try to find them online and then click down to the 'Contact Us'...Its cheaper than phoning or sending a letter, ( although I dont think they like it as you have to try and get past the FAQ's and ' set answers' before you can actually get to ask or communicate what you want) but you'll get there in the end if you persevere !

likklemisskiss

little_acorn wrote: »

With you on the chicken thing and would love your recipe for moisturiser!

Deffo with you on this one! Hawthorn pretty please can you post how you make it? x

kochi1

eleanor73 wrote: »

Do I take sugar in my tea? No. But I do when I'm in a restaurant/cafe etc. Now I have a bag of sachets of sugar etc in my cupboard for when sugar loving friends come round. I'm so bad at sachet stashing that if I go somewhere with my family they all give me their unused sachets and my handbag ends up full of ketchup and mayo. My boyfriend despairs until we run out and I find a sachet for him and he can have ketchup on his chips after all! I do loads of embarrassing stuff to save pennies!

I do this - dont usually take sugar but will in tea which I have occasionally. My mum think's I'm cheap but still grabs them when we go for coffee. Have even grabbed them on holiday - found one from the Hard Rock Cafe Beijing the other day