Great 'ways To Cut Back' Hunt

rubyrooster

Jacster wrote:

Check for cheapest local petrol/diesel here

http://www.overdrive.co.uk/fuel_table.htm

Also http://www.petrolprices.com/
You have to register but they've never spammed me.

rubyrooster

Look at the 'homemade' bread in supermarkets, and ask them to run it through the slicer. You normally get a much nicer loaf for half the price of the bagged loaves that have been sitting there for days, and if they slice it, it stops you cutting 'doorsteps' and can freeze it too

rubyrooster

By long life milk in 6 packs - they're much cheaper than fresh milk and keep longer. Long life milk is much better than it used to be, and if you thoroughly chill it before use it tastes absolutely fine.

Rubyclare

I'm a newbie, so here's a few of my money-saving ideas...

I used to constantly throw away mouldy bread because I never used it quick enough (I live on my own), so I now split the loaf into three when I buy it and freeze two packets, getting them out when needed.

I'm also a total child and won't eat crusts, so I whizz them into breadcrumbs and use to top pasta bakes as you need only a tiny bit of cheese mixed in so it's low fat and much cheaper. i also ration my cheese as it's expensive, cut the big blocks into four, freeze and get a new one out each week until it's time for my monthly shop again, it makes you more frugal with how much you use.

If you've been overzealous about buying veg to get your five a day and it's about to grow furry stuff on it, catch it before it does and make soup. Just chop roughly, add water and stock cube, boil til cooked, blitz in a food processor, add a tub of creme fraiche, low fat, put into portion sized sandwich bags when cool and freeze. Take out of the freezer the night before and with a couple of slices of bread it makes a good packed lunch in a plastic container (as long as you have a microwave at work or it's pretty gross cold!).

Some house type tips:

When i was painting my flat, I wanted three different paint colours (chocolate brown, cream and a cappucino-ey colour) but could only afford two, so mixed the chocolate and the cream until they were the cappucino colour, worked a treat. I splashed out on one of those special stirr-y sticks from B&Q (about £1.50) although my Dad swears you can mix it fine with an old screwdriver (which he seems to have done with most of his! you need to wipe it pretty quick if you ever want to use it again). i even made artwork with three cheap canvases and the three shades of paint. It's amazing what you can do with a sandwich bag full of paint, with a pin !!!!! in it, whizz it round in circles (and a washed out ketchup bottle for thicker squirty lines), honestly, I've had lots of compliments even thought it sounds nuts!

When I was a student I couldn't find a desk that was the right size for my tiny room that was anywhere near my budget, so i made one with wood cut to size at a friendly wood merchant's and that glue, no more nails, it cost £15 in total (and a few stern looks from my Dad who thought it would never stay stuck together just with glue). It lasted right throughout my degree and it's now my coffee table, I just cut the legs off half way and repainted it...i even splashed out £5 on some gold leaf for a big circle on the top to make it look extra posh. It's the sturdiest piece of furniture I own and doubled up as a step ladder when I was painting the walls.

My 'fireplace' is made up of three plain wooden CD racks (£3 each) from Wilkinson (one of my favourite bargain shops) so it has lots of storage for nick nacks, I put these gorgeous stone tiles on the top that I had got for less than £3 because there was only five of them and it's ace.

Other ideas:

Car boot sales...although avoid people who try and buy perfectly good stuff and haggle down to 5p, I speak from experience! Orthere's the online versions like http://www.ibootsale.co.uk/main/login.php

I've just discovered how to make felt at a local free class so I've already told my friend who lives on a farm to start collecting bits of wool fluff from off the barbed wire fences. I think I'm getting a bit carried away... Free classes are available at the Conservation Centre in Liverpool: http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/conservation/

If you do a night course, check when you register if you can get an NUS card and get student discounts, even if it's part time and then use it for everything. I got about half the course fee back in discounts over a year and learnt a new skill too!

The free DVD trials are good, people have mentioned before, try thecomparison sites like: http://www.cheapdvdrentals.co.uk/index.php?&ref=Free%20Dvd%20Trial

I did two weeks with Love Film and when i cancelled it they gave me another month free, I've worked out you can easily get more than a year's worth.

The same's true of free trial prints from digital cameras, try these sites:

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This one gives 30 free every order:
http://www.vistaprint.co.uk/vp/ns/photos/home.aspx?=mkphoto+printing&GP=7%2F29%2F2006+7%3A31%3A15+AM

http://www.truprint.co.uk/registration/t_=1797

http://www.extrafilm.co.uk/extrafilm/gb_en/Partnerships/Partnerships.asp?c=google&gclid=CNbU3ZXstoYCFSExQgodoWz4Ww

http://www.snapfish.co.uk/regcampaign/t_=4856

http://www.mypixmania.com/uk/uk/inscription/

http://www.photobox.co.uk/phc60E7C481/index.html

http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/Register.jsp?sourceid=668080869103

http://int.pixum.com/?sid=r4wz5d0c30a125eb858fb9dba0201951&n_sess=1

(with the one above, it might default to german, so go to the bottom of the page and click on English, you also get 15 free prints for every friend you recommend)

http://www.shutterfly.com/

http://www.extrafilm.co.uk/extrafilm/GB_en/

This site is a comparison of lots of American sites:
http://www.geekbooks.com/photo_prints_1000.htm

https://www.dotphoto.com/Join.asp

Allegedly, you can get 50 prints free on this site, but need the code:
97ED38CV
http://www.winkflash.co.uk/default.asp

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In Merseyside if you buy certain annual bus passes you get a massive two months absolutely free. And I've worked out that I even save money on the ten months too, compared to paying cash every time I get on the bus (saving more than £100 in a year!), visit http://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/

There's the obvious that people have already said about ebay and amazon, I've sold 56 items in the last 3 months and when I did buy a new book (I couldn't help myself), I refused to break the spine because I was thinking of the resale price, my friends laughed a lot.

Orange Wednesdays are great (text film to 241 if you have an orange phone to get two cinema tickets for the price of one which, as it's cheap day at my local cinema on Wednesdays anyway, means you each pay £1.75, bargain!)

Mobile phones, I used to work in a shop selling them, always (politely) threaten to leave the network, act totally unconcerned about keeping your phone number and then be cheeky and ask for their best deal. Ring the network directly and you'll always save money if they think they're going to lose you. obviously this only works if you've been a well-behaved cutomer!

Hope I haven't duplicated too many, sorry for going on, hope it's helpful! :j

CFC

Make your own wine and beer. Start with a kit and buy your demi johns second hand. It can become an intriguing hobby once you get into it with fruit wine etc, it takes very little time, and it always produces cheap, cheap wine. Then you can invite friends around and not worry about providing slurps - you have a cellarful and it cost very little.

ironed_out

Write a shoping list and stick to it.

Only take enough cash with you to cover it, so your not tempted to buy extras.

Use soapnuts instead of washing powder....and use essential oil for fragrance instead of using fabric softener.

Sarahsaver

'undo' your shopping list - write it then go through it a bit later and work out what's REALLY needed. I slipped up and bought bread today when I already had some flour in the cupboard!

JollyNolly

Sarahsaver wrote:

'undo' your shopping list - write it then go through it a bit later and work out what's REALLY needed. I slipped up and bought bread today when I already had some flour in the cupboard!

Do you find that baking your own bread is cheaper than buying?

sarahmurphy564

Swap your old unwanted books at readitswapit.com. This is a free uk based web site. List the books you no longer want and swap with any other registered reader. There are loads of books from all different categories. I have swapped three books now for the price of second class postage and have encountered no probs at all. Hope this helps. Have a night in with a book instead of going out!

laughing_cow

I used to spend a fortune on bottled water because I don't like the taste of London tap water. I bought a filter jug instead, and even with the cost of the filter cartridges it works out a lot cheaper. I fill a small bottle when I'm going out so that I don't have to buy any when I'm on the tube etc. I also use the filtered water to fill my kettle which means it doesn't get clogged up with limescale, saving on kettle descaler.