Great 'ways To Cut Back' Hunt

Maz6

Vodafone pay as you talk are doing a deal at the moment where you get 10% extra credit if you top up more than £15.00 at one time.

Supersaver_3

This is a bit sneaky but has worked loads for me in the past. visit Blockbusters quite late on a weekend night when it has been busy. You can get films free next time if they have all been rented out. You just ask at the counter and it goes on your account. Next time you visit you can get the film free!!!! Works wonders.

Chris120A

Make friends with someone who works in a cinema, or get a part-time job there yourself - most cinema chains offer at least 2 free tickets per week for staff, a cheap night out and you can "treat" your mates to a night out too! I sometimes get sick of watching films, or there's nothing on that I want to watch, so I'll give one week's tickets to friends and/or family. It'll save you £12+ each visit!

If you use a product regularly (eg shampoo, deodorant, shower gel), and you see it on a BOGOF offer, buy LOADS. Unlike food it's not going to go out of date if you don't use it. Example - say I get through a can of deodorant a week, at £2.00 a can. Last month it was on BOGOF at Superdrug. I bought 8. This month it's back to regular price, so instead of paying £8 for this month's supply I'll be paying 4. Shop around and do this for any toiletries you can find, you'll save £30+ a month. Shampoos and conditioners are normally on BOGOF together. Buy the shampoo and get the conditioner free, or be double thrifty and buy two bottles of 2in1!

Walk to and from work as much as possible. If you have an MP3 player or a Walkman the time will fly by. As an added bonus, you get exercise too!

If you don't intend on spending any money, and you know you can get home safely, don't take your wallet with you!

When you go grocery shopping, find a cash machine that is near your house. Withdraw only the amount you need, then take your card back home and leave it there. THEN go shopping You can only spend the amount you have on you. If you really, REALLY need something important, you can always go back for it later.

If you have Excel, make a spreadsheet. Use formulae to automatically deduct tax, loan payments, work out interest etc. Set one up for a whole year, month by month. This helps you to forecast how much you can afford to spend each month and plan accordingly.

If you have to use a bus, try getting on it a stop later, and getting off a stop earlier. 70p between stops round here, so I save myself £1.40! All for an extra 10 minute walk. If more than one bus operator runs bus routes to your destination, check the difference between fares. The same journey (my house to my parents) can cost me 80p, £1.60 or £2.10 depending which bus company I travel on!

Subscribe to internet banking - you'll be able to see exactly when and where your money is going, instead of traipsing to the cash machine or waiting for a monthly statement.

If you have an expensive stereo, sell it (or if you're thinking of buying one, don't!) - use your PC to listen to streaming radio stations and play CDs. If you have a decent soundcard and speakers, the quality will be the same as your stereo. Also, if you have a DVD player with surround sound - play your CDs through your DVD player, and flog that stereo. When I first moved, I had no TV, DVD player, CD player, radio, video recorder etc., and I used my PC for all of these! If you don't mind watching movies on a PC monitor, you can buy PowerDVD off eBay for about a fiver. If you have a DVD-ROM drive, a TV card and an internet connection, you have a complete home entertainment system.

ads_2

Don't use Shampoo or conditioner.

I haven't used any for over 15 years, I just use warm water to wash my hair. It takes about 6 months for your hair to get used to not using the stuff. The first 3 months are the worst but after that it's plain sailing.

It saves money and also time spent in the shower.

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purplepixi

Here are a few of mine:

1. Pay all bills online. Most catalogues, credit cards etc, have websites with account access - register for it, and then pay online when your bill comes in, you'll save the cost of a stamp for each.

2. If you shop with Tesco's do it online. Register your Clubcard for evouchers and you can use them online too. Use your Clubcard in the store, and then shop online next month, go to favourites, and all the stuff you brought last month will be listed. Quick way to shop (also if it's not available online buy it in the shop use your clubcard and then it will be in the favourite section). Use discount vouchers found on the internet.

https://www.tescovouchercodes.blogspot.com

It also stops impulse buys - I've got my monthly shop from £120 to £60 per month for 3 people.

3. Be careful when withdrawing cash from cashmachines. Our local Cashpoint charges £1.60 per withdrawl - if you're only taking out £10 ago, your money will dissapear quickly. I wait until after 6pm and go to the local small town, after 6pm parking is free and most banks don't charge for withdrawls.

4. Here's one I found startling - the avarage household uses 12 - 20pt per day of electricity. Your tumble dryer uses upto 10pt per hour its running. So it will double your bill everytime its used (wondered why my bill was so high!!!) Now I put a clothes airer next to the radiator in the winter and I brought a washing line for the summer.

5. Re-use all envelopes and packaging. I use the envelopes the mail comes in for sending the bills back (you'd think they'd give you a free envelope), I just black pen out anything already one it.

I also sell books on Amazon - I save an boxes and jiffy bags, and use them to send out my books - has saved me a fortune. Also cut up big old boxes to make smaller ones - saves money and goes further.

Check out the local supermarket either very early or late and get their old boxes for packaging - they're only going to get rid of them anyway.

6. If you have a phone contract, and upgrade your phone each year - keep your old phone (you've probably not had it that long) and sell your new one on ebay. Sold my hubby's new phone for £150 - could pay for your years contract.

7. Get free dvd rentals - write a list of films you want to see. There are loads of dvd rentals sites online now, most with free trial periods - 2 weeks to a month. Simply sign up for the free trial, get your dvd's and then just before it runs out, cancel and sign up for a new one. Cross off your list as your go, so you don't forget what you've already had.

There was a few more there than I thought, hope they're useful

Best wishes

Laura

sans_2

If you have keys to desk drawers at work lock up before you leave. I was being frugal by buying chocates etc in bulk/ on BOGOF only to have it gradually stolen by the cleaner, so in effect the money I 'saved' hasn't been saved.

novice_money_saver_2

I've been told about a great website called mybookyourbook. I haven't started using it yet but the person who told me about it says it's fantastic.
Here's how it works (from website)

On joining you submit a list of ten paperbacks you own and are willing to share with others through mybookyourbook
You then gain immediate access to the catalogue of all the books contributed by the other members
Choose the book you want to read by clicking on the title in the catalogue
The owner of the requested book's e-mail address is then automatically provided for you to contact
You send a stamped self-addressed padded envelope to the book owner's address that they will provide
The current holder pops the book into the envelope and posts it back to you
In turn you will respond to e-mail requests from other members who want to read any of your books entered on the mybookyourbook catalogue
Six weeks later the transferred books are re-entered automatically into the catalogue under the name of the new holder ready to be circulated once again

[URL=http://]www.mybookyourbook.co.uk[/URL]

happy reading!

iturner2

Outlay= 20 l bucket (£10), some tube,

Running costs = concentrate £8 + 1 kg sugar makes 40 pints

bottle in old bottles - sterilised - require crwon caps
or even cheaper use PET (lemonade, beer bottles) they can take the pressure.

cost per pint 50p a pint on first run including cost of bucket

ready in 10-15 days (too late for xmas)

davesgirl_2

building wrote:

where did you buy your reusable nappies? any recommendations?

check with your local council - someoffer upto £30 cashback when you provide prof of buying resable nappies

MissMuppet

https://www.readitswapit.com - used them a few times, no problems!
https://www.mooncup.co.uk - wouldn't be without it!

:xmassign: