Great 'ways To Cut Back' Hunt

berkybean

Hi all

- Slow cookers are great ways of cooking stuff. My friend used to work in a butchers and got really cheap cuts of meat. When combined with cheap veg from the market, she got a couple of cheap and tasty dinners for next to nothing. Also you can time it so that your dinner is ready for when you get home from work (use a plug in timer).

- Use the library. You can borrow CD's too! If you must buy books, then try charity shops.

- If you're going somewhere nearby, walk instead of taking the car.

- Do you use your gym? Check that you're getting the best value - you have to go 2 or 3 times a week to make it worthwhile. Walking / Jogging is free.

- Get a pushbike and use it instead of your car. You'll be saving money on fuel and you're getting fit at the same time

- Take a flask on long car journeys. Motorway Service Stations are extortionate.

- Nights out are expensive, have friends over for dinner instead.

- Try checking freecycle first for stuff you need. If you need to get rid of stuff, then also try freecycle.

- Check the postage on items on eBay. Stuff isn't always cheaper on eBay with postage.

- Check you're with the cheapest electricity and gas suppliers. We have saved £200 a year by switching suppliers.

givememoney

Someone mentioned making wine. My husband goes out in the summer and picks around 26lbs of blackberries and makes delicious blackberry wine. Not sure of the number of bottles this adds up to but I should think at least a bottle a week for the year.

A chap I know used to go and take his kids to school and noticed the children threw coins at each other. He used to pick these up, put them in a jar then he and his wife would go for a meal out when they had saved enough.

Shoe Zone is a good cheap shop for buying shoes.

Never use rinse aid in the dishwasher it isn't necessary.

A post on here someone said they spend £2 per week on deodrant. I always buy a roll on deodrant - mum unperfumed and it lasts best part of a month if not more.

Change over from tubes of toothpast to the pump action ones. A revelation, no more mess and they last a lot longer.

If you fancy a trip to Windsor, park in the leisure centre car park and walk along the river bank, nice views into Windsor proper and save pounds on the parking fees.

If you have children in the house squash the toilet roll before putting it on the holder, it will automatically tear off small strips instead of long sheets.

I buy Morrisons better buy plain chocolate. It is very cheap and has more cocoa in it than Bournville which is twice the price.

Curley

My tip (sorry if it's already mentioned):

NEVER go shopping on an empty stomach.

I've recently moved into my first home and went shopping on an empty stomach, and because I was hungy, I could of eaten anything in sight. Instead, I just putting everything and anything in the trolly and there is no way am I going to eat all this stuff before the use by dates

chalky_75

Hi. Have just joined forum cos it is pouring outside and I was really inspired after Christmas by this thread.
So for the last week with OH's agreement I have only been shopping out of my own store cupboards and freezer ( fresh milk and fruit excepted) So this is how its gone.

1. Made massive amount of soup from thr turkey carcasse and froze it in sensible portion sizes. That was a real success and there is loads left in the freezer.

2. Made nut roast from the nuts we didn't eat all over Christmas ( kids helped do the shelling and enjoyed it )

3. Made lentil pate from dried lentils and other store cupboard ingredients. I served this with red onion marmalade which really helped it become a tasty meal.

4. Just made chickpea pie. Really tasty pie topped with cornflakes mixed with grated cheese and popped in the oven to crisp. The 2 tins of chickpeas I had in the cupboard made enough for 2 pies so 1 is in the freezer without the topping for another time.

5. Prawn and pea risotto. A really delicious meal using up the 2 fot 1 frozen prawns I bought before Christmas plus frozen peas and a little mint sauce.

6. Red kidney bean casserole. This was a real success using onions, tinned red kidney beans, a carrot and onions and some other store cupboard ingredients.

7.Tagliatelle or spaghetti with tomato sauce with olives. Really easy sauce using tinned tomatoes and the olives that we didnt finish at Christmas.

It sounds like I am a vegetarian but I'm not it is just so money saving recipes I have found which atually taste delicious are ones using tinned pulses and veg.

I have so far avoided the dreaded supermarket where even if I go in with a list I am still tempted by some very special offer. So since Jan 1st I have only spent £12 and that has been on fresh milk and fruit and veg. I have got the bread maker and yogurt maker out of the cupboard and they are in full swing.
So so far so good. I am determined to claw back some of the money I spent on the credit card on food shopping before Christmas.

If anyone wants any of the recipes just give me an email I would be only too pleased to send them on

sissy_2

ChicJo wrote:

Please can someone tell me what stardrops are?

Star drops are easily available at your local supermarket. Normally beside the other expensive cleaners. This is a great all rounder. I use it on everything! Do n't do furniture polish anymore! Stardrops does it all. You can also buy it with added bleach. Next time your at the supermarket ask where you can find it. Normally retails for about 60p for a 600ml bottle. It lasts for ages. Go on get cleaning!! :rotfl:

sissy_2

sandralovescats wrote:

A Brilliant Way of Saving Money at Christmas!

I heard about this whilst I was in the USA last year.

The lady I was talking to had a large family - some 14 of them in total. Somewhere around September they all get together and put their names into a hat. Each family member takes a name at random.
Then you buy ONE present for that person, at a prearranged amount of money - say, £40, or whatever.

I only have a very small family and circle of close friends, but I did think that this was a brilliant idea!

My family went even one better! At Christmas time we do n't buy presents, instead we make a collective donation to our local hospice in Dublin where my Mum passed away 4 Years ago. Its the best present I could ever have. This year I took it one step further. I work in a company that has over 100 staff. Everyone likes to write out cards. (what a pain). So this year I suggested that instead of writing out 99 cards I was going to make a £5.00 donation to our local hospice as my one big Christmas card. So I stuck up a piece of paper and asked people to add their name if interested. I saved money because I did nt have to spend a fortune on about 4 boxes of cards, saved countless numbers of trees. But most importantly we raised £260 for our local Hospice!!

Robin-o'-the-Hood

Re the haircut thing....if you're a bloke and you're not vain get a home clipper and get partner to do it...or do it yourself in front of the mirror (speaking from experience here...) If you normally have a short haircut anyway its really not hard.

KellyB

Longer ones:

Don't buy Plasma TVs - Go for LED flatscreen instead - they use less energy than both plasma and cathode. And do your research on which model is most energy efficient before purchase.

"Freecycle™ is open to all who want to "recycle" that special something rather than throw it away. Whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano or an old door, feel free to post it. Or maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself!"

http://www.freecycle.org/display.php?region=United%20Kingdom

Carrier bags:
Plastic carrier bags take generations to break down in landfill. Re-use bags instead. Tesco now do a "Green Clubcard" points thingy where whenever you re-use a bag...it can be from any store...you get points.

Draw your curtains! Close them when it gets dark and consider curtain lining to further reduce heat loss through windows - or get a second pair of curtains from a charity shop to act as lining material. Avoid putting curtains in front of a radiator - they will block the heat and funnel it straight out of the windows.


Shorter ones!

Don't dump your old computer when you want to upgrade - donate it instead!

Unplug your phone charger when not in use.

Instead of chucking out clothes, have a Clothes Swap Party. Invite your mates round and have some fun!

Turn the room thermostat down by 1 degree centigrade. This can save up to £30 a year

Switch to energy-saving lightbulbs.

givememoney

KellyB wrote:

Longer ones:

Unplug your phone charger when not in use.

Very important this, I know someone who had a house fire due to the phone charging being left on with no phone attached.

NatterJack_Toad

What about downloading all your music and movies online from a torrent site, free of charge?

A night in (saving money) with a movie (free) and you can get movies that aren't even out in the UK yet. And if you're really into it, buy a link cable connecting your PC to your TV and watch them on a better screen. Though I am happy with a PC screen as its OK!