Great 'ways To Cut Back' Hunt

riddlesticks

Hey all, Dont know if these have been mentioned (not had a chance to read them all!).

Budget, budget, budget - and stick to it! I know its boring but its amazing how much money you just waste if you dont keep track of it. Because we do this we save money every month and do not have to put anything on credit cards anymore.

Dont just accept an increase on any of your bills. We have just been quoted for a renewal of or house insurance. It worked out as £10 extra every month - as if Im gonna pay that. I shopped around and found cheaper insurance and then rang the company I am with. They matched the cheapest quote I received and I am now paying £1.50 less/month than what I paid last year (every little helps). We also reduced our internet, phone and telly package from £70 to £25 just by ringing them and advising them we couldnt afford it anymore and wanted to go to a cheaper supplier. We lost a lot of channels but TBH we dont miss them.

Shop around for everything esp at Christmas. I know its a pain but if you go to the main shops you can sometimes pay double for certain things. If you shop at Home and Bargains or B+M bargains you tend to find really good things for cheap. Also research online. I have bought two DS games for my daughters Christmas pressies and paid £35 for the two games. If I bought them from Tesco online it would have cost me £50.

Check what food you have in before you go shopping. How many of us go and buy the same things every week only to find we already have two or three of things at home. Its just a waste.

xxAM

fairynuff27

These may have been mentioned - I got to page 25 then skipped to the end - phew!

This may sound silly, but if you're moving into a flat try to choose one slightly higher if possible (assumuing the roof is in good condition and has been insulated). We have three floors beneath us including a shop that is open and therefore heated all day. In the winter we do not need to use heating at all. If we use the oven we leave it open while it is cooling to add a bit of extra heat - but it's a nice bonus and not a necessity. Honestly, it has saved us a fortune.

Sign up on emailing lists for local posh bars, restaurants and clothes shops. Tomorrow night I am going out with my sister in law. We have the autumn/winter season preview at Reiss on the high street from 6-7pm - free bubbly, canapes, make-up/beauty samples and, tomorrow, free aveda spa mini treatments (last time we each got a Mac makeover). You don't have to buy - we certainly won't be! Then straight after we have a 6 month celebration for a bar/restaurant in the city - free bar from 7-8pm for those on the mailing list. We'll be heading home straight after, but it's a free way to have an extravagant night out AND an early school night!

misskb

I'm not sure if these have been mentioned yet, but I haven't seen it as I've been scanning the posts:

1. MEDICINES - Obvious, but don't buy brand name medicines! Ask your pharmacist, and there are often cheaper non-branded versions of most medicines (particularly things like anti-histamines, which are notoriously expensive!)

2. BREAKFAST - They say its the most important meal of the day... well I'm sure they're right when it comes to saving a few pounds - Fill up with something like porridge for breakfast (added bonus of feeling warm in the winter!) and you'll be fuller (is that a word!?), and thus: a. won't snack on things mid-morning; and b. won't need such a big lunch!

$"£!$&^*"$!&*(

Jacster wrote: »

Check for cheapest local petrol/diesel here

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

This page is no longer available, instead try this link: http://online.arval.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.page_show_1&id=6463

Edit: Just noticed the original post goes back to 2005, informative anyway.

helsmadhouse

Feef wrote: »

My first post! If you have a top up mobile phone why not get a boots or tesco club card too? If you top up at boots you will get 4 points(worth 4p) per £1 worth of top up or 1 point (worth 1P) per £1 worth of top up at Tesco. I mean its extra on top and if you already shop at these stores then its wee bits towards the whole total.

Also if a Tesco clubcard holder, join their clubs, ie healty club or food club. You tend to find they send you loads of vouchers for stuff you would normally buy anyway.

xXx

My first post, so bear with me if am rubbish!!:rolleyes:
Beware when using Tesco Mobile - they only give you points if you top up via sites/store. I lost six months of points 'cause i was topping up via my mobile (totally logical to do this me thought!!) There is nowhere in there blurb that mentions this and have had no response from tesco via 'phone/email ~(How rude!!!:mad: )
Keep up with the good work, am spending so much time on forums, I am spending less time shopping!!:j

$"£!$&^*"$!&*(

helsmadhouse wrote: »

Beware when using Tesco Mobile - they only give you points if you top up via sites/store. I lost six months of points 'cause i was topping up via my mobile (totally logical to do this me thought!!) There is nowhere in there blurb that mentions this and have had no response from tesco via 'phone/email ~(How rude!!!:mad: )

You might want to have a look at this page re Clubcard points:

http://www.tesco.com/mobilenetwork/mytescomobile/?page=clubcard

Anne_Elize

JonSimmonds wrote: »

Dont know if this has been mentioned before but ALWAYS take a packed lunch to work.

In addition to a packed lunch every day, take a healthy snack for mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon so you stay healthy and don't waste money in the local shop.

hitback

Use the web to search for cheapest petrol stations in your area!! There are a few out there, and saves you the fuel driving round to find one without paying over the odds!!!

DdraigGoch

If you have a solid fuel/wood fired stove, remember to always keep a full saucepan of water on it - not to make sure the place is "humidified", just to ensure you always have hot water for coffee and washing up.

To rescue over-cooked yoghurt, strain it overnight in a sieve lined with paper towel, if you use it be careful not to leave some on it!, or a very clean Jcloth - rinsed out in the aforementioned very hot/boiling water and wrung dry.

When the drained yoghurt has formed into a solid-ish lump, shape into rectangle on a piece of cling film, sprinkle with dried herbs and roll up into a log shape.

Voila - "free" fancy cheese. It also freezes very well for some reason.

Mellika

Hi all, this is my first post, just wanted to share a little tip with you.

If you need/want to wash your hair twice, use the cheapest shampoo you can find for the first wash.

This is a trick my mum learned when she worked at a hairdresser's. The first wash gets rid of grease and general everyday dirt, so anything will do the job. Then you can use just a tiny amount of whatever "special" shampoo you want, because your hair is clean it will spread more easily and you'll still get all the benefits (i.e. straighter hair, anti-frizz, etc)