money saving tips

snuffy

Fmess wrote: »

If you have a dishwasher, break the tablets in half as it only needs half to clean everyday pots (use a full one if anything is baked on).

Don't use fabric softener, except with towels.

Ask for toiletries for Christmas/birthdays then you don't have to buy them throughout the year.

Shop at Aldi and get the £5 off a £40 shop voucher in the paper each month (think its in the Daily Star, usually on the last Thursday of the month).

I don't agree with using fabric softener / conditioner for towels. It can actually make them less absorbent.

LittleMissGiggles123

One I read on here & never would have thought of myself - when you think you're at the last of your toothpaste, run the tube under hot water for a few seconds & you'll get an extra few cleans out of it.


I definitely agree with the checking unit prices on things. Even things that are 'on offer'. I was buying Coca Cola once & the large box of 30 was on offer but it still worked out cheaper per can to buy a few boxes of 12 instead.


Definitely sign up for free samples & product trials if you can be bothered to answer a few surveys. In the last few months I've had 3 full size sachets of BBQ marinades, a 6 pack of crisps from a supermarket, a full size bottle of shower gel, a box of porridge & have just had 6 sachets of Heinz cup soups sent to me.


Batch cooking is the most common suggestion. We also find for our household that buying things in bulk helps. We buy our meat from Costco & freeze a lot of it. Make sure you freeze it in portion sizes though, much easier then when you want to just defrost enough for 2 or 3 meals.


There are others I use but I can't remember them at the moment! If any pop in to my head I'll come back

monz

Bring packed lunches to work, it always shocks me as so easy to spend £5 on lunch if you forget. Even if I forget I stop at lidl and buy bread for 79p and thats toast lunch for me for that week !x

JasX

JasX wrote: »

*unsure if genuinely stupid or just trolling*

Danzo100 wrote: »

Did you not see somebody do just that during one of the worlds biggest cheapskate programmes ? Unbelievable

Actually no (hardly watch TV these days!)

Crazy idea,

1-There is additional packaging needed to make it watertight and risk of food wastage if it leaks
2-A whole host of issues around temperature the food will reach, duration of cycle, variables in different machines temperature control during the cycle, amount of insulation you've added to the food to keep it watertight that will keep the heat out of it
3-you can't check it easily during cooking
4-potential for a lot of food wastage if this goes wrong OR food poisoning when it goes wrong (unless you are going to check everything with an internal thermometer)

Plus I tend to load my dishwasher with dirty dishes so efficiently these days there is little room for uncooked food

This just strikes me as an all round bad idea......

JasX

Anyway continuing my general grumpiness did anyone see the new 'money saving' / thrift section in the London metro earlier in the week?

Apparently MSE the London metro way comprises exclusively 'how to get vouchers and discounts for things you don't actually need in the first place' rather than anything sensible, useful or practical.

/rant

katielouisej

Use coupons! Follow a few 'extreme couponing' facebook pages.
I brought a £30 printer, and have been through 2 cartons of ink but honestly, i've saved over £400+ in 2 months

onlygoingforward

And if you have to buy it check if you can get cash back via quidco/topcashback. Now you can save it up in quidco and draw it out when you want i have been leaving mine to build up for xmas will have about £100 for a food shop.

LittleMissGiggles123

Also if you do go shopping for things you actually need, make sure you use your reward cards (clubcard, boots advantage card etc). I always remember to use mine when I have to get anything, even if I'm only spending a few pounds. It all adds up eventually & for my Christmas shopping now I have around £60 on my clubcard, £63 on my Nectar card & £32 on my Boots Advantage card. That's all from buying stuff I needed in the first place & making sure I use any promotional points when I buy the stuff I need.


Don't spend just to rack up the points though! And also don't shop in Mr T or S*insburys just to get the points. If your shopping will be cheaper in one of the other supermarkets go to that one instead.


On that note too, do your shopping online, or at least a virtual shopping list online via mysupermarket.com. You can put things in your shopping list to see which supermarket is the cheapest. You can still go to the store yourself if the delivery is expensive, but at least you know the store you're going to is the cheapest.

Million_Percent

PinkPoppies wrote: »

My tip is- before you go food shopping in the first place have a good hard look at your cupboards and freezer! It's amazing the delicious concoctions that can come about if you get a bit creative!

I have a variant on this which is, whatever day you think you need to go shopping, put it off for one day and just make do with whatever you have in the cupboards/freezer. This way you make sure you use up everything rather than just going food shopping because you don't fancy what's there.

If you do this a couple of times a month, that's 24 days a year where you are forcing yourself to use up things like that packet of Supernoodles that's been in the back of the cupboard forever and that old tin of vegetable soup that you just never feel like having for lunch.

[Deleted User]

shop with your eyes not your stomach...is that bargain really a bargain?