Great Tips... one liners

EagerLearner

Thanks Stilearnin - sounds like a good technique!

I am going to introduce my brother and his wife to Stardrops as they spend lots of money on cleaning and frill stuff.

Are there any other hints and tops for O/S living? I am such a newbie on this subject I want to absorb as much as I can...

moanymoany

I have a friend who used to work in advertising. She says that when you buy a branded good all you get extra is the advertising. She only buys branded goods as a very last resort.

I recently bought a can of Heinz baked beans, they were better than Tesco's value - not four times better!

I don't go to town and look around the shops. It is hard not to be tempted by them. Charity shops are the places for kitchen equipment. I got a steamer and pan, brand new, for a couple of quid. Tins, dishes, everything you will need is there. A good clean or boil up and they are as good as new!

Bicarb of soda is cheap if you buy it one and a half kilos at a time from the chemist. I have had to order it but it costs less than a fiver. Bicarb is good as an exfoliator, mix half teaspoon with teaspoon of shampoo and get product free, shiny hair. Thousands of tips to use bicarb and white vinegar on the internet.

White vinegar is something I can't find in bulk - any ideas?

Tesco value washing up liquid is good, as is the cleaning liquid and cream cleaner.

Tesco paracetamon and other medicines cost pennies.

Cheese is great to grate (ha, ha) and freeze in portion sizes. Often bogofs. Strong cheese goes further.

1 pack of value oats makes mountains of porridge. I like mine with own brand golden syrup.

Buy bread from the reduced rack, freeze it and take it out of the freezer as you need it. It doesn't go mouldy!

Menuplans really work. A batch of mincy stuff can be used for pasta one day and cottage pie the next.

Add Tesco value red beans to meat dishes at the start of cooking. It means you can cut down on the meat.

Cheap flour from Lidl or value can make fab Yorkshire Pud. Put fried onions in the bottom of the tin or sausages or mince made into meatballs.

Tesco value pasta is so cheap - we're having it tonight.

Buy packs of bacon offcuts, freeze it and slice it with a sharp knife as you need it. Makes a fab base for lots of dishes.

Hi Crawley Girl - me too!:j

Mandymoo - Yorkies of the world unite!:T

moanymoany

Looking through the - extremely fab :j - contributions to this thread I remembered a slow cooker I have in the garage which has no instructions. Can anyone tell me how to use it. I buy the value stewing beef from Tesco's. It is delish but needs two to three hours cooking. Great with dumplings!

thriftlady_2

moanymoany wrote:

White vinegar is something I can't find in bulk - any ideas

Chinese supermarkets sell it in 5 litre containers

meowmeow_3

Sorry if I'm repeating any...

1. Get a handle on what you are currently spending your money on - keep an honest diary for a month or two. Decide where you can cut back, make savings etc. You've got to spend less than you earn. Set yourself a budget. Read all your bank statements each month. Be in control - know what you earn, what you spend, why etc. Examine your priorities - make sure you're not frittering money away on things that aren't important to you, reallocate that to things that are. Shift your mindset - living within your means, saving money, getting out of debt, are all an exciting challenge, not a misery. (But probably don't tell anyone about your new outlook - in my experience you may be seen as a nerd. How silly is that!?)
2. Meal plan, it's essential. Make a list of everything you need for your meals for the week, don't just buy whatever catches your eye. Set a weekly food/household budget, and try to average out to this over a month. Make a big meal one day and eat the rest for leftovers the next, or for lunch - never throw leftovers away if you can use them! If they're kept in the fridge, they will be good for a few days at least.
3. Research which foods are healthy but less expensive, and make use of them, trying new recipes. Eg dried lentils, tvp soy mince, carrots, tinned tomatoes, baked beans, tinned beans/legumes/chickpeas. Having meatless meals may save money - experiment with veggie protein sources instead of meat: beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, soy products etc. Eat 5 portions of fruit and veg per day - generally less expensive than other snacks, and healthier. Buy store brands. (Though we don't do this when there is, for example, a fairtrade version available, or where we really do prefer a particular brand.)
4. Learn to cook - save eating out and takeaways for special occassions and emergencies (it makes them more enjoyable that way too, I find). Make your own healthy lunch to take to work/school. Plan ahead - car trips, delays in airports etc - always bring some non-perishable snacks (eg low-fat ceral bars) and juice boxes and water with you to avoid overpriced restaurants/shops.
5. Have a few 'fall-back' meals that are easy to make from things you almost always have on hand, for those 'just got home, everyone's starving, but no one has any energy/time to cook, and anyway there's hardly anything in the fridge' moments. This will prevent frayed nerves and unhealthy/expensive takeaways. Eg chili (tvp soy mince or frozen veg mince + tinned crushed tomatoes + tin kidney beans + tin baked beans); spag bol (tvp soy mince or frozen veg mince + tomato sauce over spaghetti or other pasta); sausage pasta (frozen veg sausages, cooked and sliced up into tomato sauce, serve over pasta). Baked beans on toast is a great, quick, easy meal; as is a peanut butter sandwich (with jam or banana slices). Dahl is quite easy to make from dried red lentils, serve with rice or wholewheat pita bread. If you've got burgers/sausages/cutlets etc (we use veggie versions), oven chips and frozen veg in your freezer, you've got a meal.
6. Avoid impulse purchases, and unnecessary purchases. Everytime you decide you want to buy something, rather than buying it, write it down in a list. Give yourself a cooling-off period of a week or month. Later you can decide whether you do really need it, or not, or whether it can be put off.
7. Shop around for the best deal on phone, broadband, electricity (but I recommend a green one, such as Good Energy), insurance etc. And don't be complacent - every few months keep checking that you're still getting a good deal - your company may have reduced charges but left you on the higher tariff, it's happened to me. For other things (eg books), use https://www.kelkoo.co.uk to find the cheapest; for flights and holidays try expedia.co.uk or lastminute.co.uk.
8. Beware false economy - eg a friend who skipped the dentist for a few years ended up with a £1000 bill for dental work because his teeth had deteriorated in that time. Sometimes buying something of better quality is better value than buying a cheaper version that is worse quality (eg I bought a cheap skirt, but after a few washes it fell apart; better off to buy a better quality one).
9. Don't get caught up in thinking that you must be like everyone else, buy what they buy, own what they own, do what they do etc. You don't know where their money comes from, they may be going in debt to fund that new car or holiday. Xmas is especially bad for this, trying to keep up with everyone else, it's a race no one can win. Don't be afraid to say no to something because you can't afford it. Be yourself, define your priorities, needs, wants, limits, budgets, plans, goals etc. Live your own life, look after your own finances, because no one else will.
10. Save, save, save. Put your money somewhere safe. We put all of ours towards our mortgage in a One offset account. Whenever we get any money, it goes in there. If you get any extra money, plunck it where it is needed most - a high-interest debt, a savings account, your mortgage etc. It is wonderful to see money pile up (even slowly) in a savings account or to see the mortgage go down (even slowly). It's amazing how simple frugal living and saving, saving, saving has brought down our mortgage over the past 6 years, the drip-drip-drip approach really adds up over time. We take the 'slow and steady' approach.

thriftlady_2

meowmeow wrote:

9. Don't get caught up in thinking that you must be like everyone else, buy what they buy, own what they own, do what they do etc. You don't know where their money comes from, they may be going in debt to fund that new car or holiday. Xmas is especially bad for this, trying to keep up with everyone else, it's a race no one can win. Don't be afraid to say no to something because you can't afford it. Be yourself, define your priorities, needs, wants, limits, budgets, plans, goals etc. Live your own life, look after your own finances, because no one else will.

Well said :T

inkie

Whast is Stardrops, how much is it, and where do you buy it?

It is a wonderful cleaning agent - can be sued for almost everything including washing up - i.e. not need to buy a vast array of branded/expensive/chemical laden cleaners. You will find it in any supermarket/wilko's etc , is in a clear bottle but the liquid is orangey/yellow and it retails at around 60p. You will be converted once you've tried it!

Cazzdevil

I know this is just one suggestion but it proved very good for me so I thought I'd add it:

Take care of your leather shoes - get your old favourites soled and heeled regularly to make them last longer. I wear out shoes really quickly and I've found that a really comfy pair are worth taking care of and getting fixed - as my cobbler says: Shoes worth wearing are worth repairing.

newleaf

moanymoany wrote:

Looking through the - extremely fab :j - contributions to this thread I remembered a slow cooker I have in the garage which has no instructions. Can anyone tell me how to use it. I buy the value stewing beef from Tesco's. It is delish but needs two to three hours cooking. Great with dumplings!

Have a look here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=490232&postcount=9
Basic instructions are: 'Brown' your meat if you want to (not essential). Place in SC with peeled and chopped vegetables and cooking stock of your choice. Switch on SC. Go out to play for about 8 hours. Come home and eat delicious food.

thriftlady_2

inkie wrote:

will find it in any supermarket/wilko's etc !

Not the ones in Worcester :rolleyes: