A few things I’m doing to save money

Rosa_Damascena

Cliff_W said:

We found that we were leaving the hot water tank on and heating a tank full of water back up to max temperature every night.  But we were only having showers/baths every few days.  Now we plan when we are having showers and only turn the tank on the night before.  Actually there is enough on the tank for two showers the next day and two short ones that are quite hot enough the next day.  It's now on maybe 1 day out of every 5.  I reckon this would save us about £250 per year at current prices.

Good energy saving tip, but I find the thought of not having even a v quick shower daily pretty repulsive. It doesn't need to be long and luxurious, but daily washing is not something I am prepared to skip. I'd also rather not know if the person sitting next to me on a train does.

ZsaZsa

RobM99 said:

ZsaZsa said:

For context, I’ve got a plug in monitor to measure how much energy an appliance uses, a couple of weeks ago I checked the cost of boiling 2cups in my electric kettle, and at my current svr it costs just shy of 2p 😊

Ooh you profligate little devil!

 Shh, don’t tell anyone 😂😂😂

joedenise

Rosa_Damascena said:

Cliff_W said:

We found that we were leaving the hot water tank on and heating a tank full of water back up to max temperature every night.  But we were only having showers/baths every few days.  Now we plan when we are having showers and only turn the tank on the night before.  Actually there is enough on the tank for two showers the next day and two short ones that are quite hot enough the next day.  It's now on maybe 1 day out of every 5.  I reckon this would save us about £250 per year at current prices.

Good energy saving tip, but I find the thought of not having even a v quick shower daily pretty repulsive. It doesn't need to be long and luxurious, but daily washing is not something I am prepared to skip. I'd also rather not know if the person sitting next to me on a train does.

I'm sure that @Cliff_W washes in between the showers!  We also only shower a couple of times a week but we strip wash at the sink on the days in between.  We certainly aren't dirty.

YoungBlueEyes

I shower twice a week, I’m perfectly clean. My skin is v sensitive, and would shed in a fit of pique if I dared to washed it any more often! 

Brambling

My shower is electric so I have a very quick in and out on the days I don't wash my hair, according to my smart meter that's  a lot cheaper than putting my hot water on every day.  On that note I put my hot water on tonight for an hour for the first time in a couple of weeks and I'm not convinced it was right as even allowing for October rises it was too big a jump, if it was right I shall be glad I brought my thermals 

YorksLass

We probably all know to reduce the amount of soap powder in the washing machine dispenser drawer rather than use the manufacturer's recommended amount and still get clean laundry.  Lately, I've started applying that principle to cooking/baking.

As an example, I use my bread maker once, sometimes twice a week and have always followed the recipe given in the machine's manual.  A little experimenting has shown I can use less oil, salt, dried milk powder and yeast and still have a decent loaf.  OK, it's only pennies each time, but those pennies add up and stretch out stocks.

Save butter wrappers in a storage box in the fridge and use to grease baking trays, cake tins etc.

If you make fruit crumbles, make up a large quantity of crumble mix and store in a bag in the freezer, then you can use just the amount you need.   Much cheaper than buying ready-made.

The contents of cheap packs of cooking bacon (cost approx 83p for 500g) can be pot luck but even if it's all bits they can be portioned, frozen and used in place of expensive packs of lardons (cost approx £2.65 for 250g).  Use for quiches, celery & bacon soup, add to pasta sauces, fry till crisp and sprinkle over salads.  Any fat (and there usually is some) can be rendered down and used for fried eggs, roast potatoes etc.

Weigh up the cost of home-made vs bought.  Example: A 4-pack of 125g pots of fruit & jelly costs around £2.20.  You can make the same amount using a tablet of jelly and a tin of fruit (basics) costing around £1.14.  If you make trifles, then stale cake/scones (if they last that long  ) or crumbled ginger nuts/digestives make a good substitute for trifle sponges.  Top with thick yogurt instead of cream (cheaper and better for the waistline).

Those last bits of brown sauce or ketchup that refuse to come out of the bottle can be diluted with water and added to gravy, casseroles, pasta sauce etc.

With the current cost of living, anything that saves us money can only be a good thing.

calleyw

AlieRaq said:

We're lucky to live 25mins walk away from a few supermarkets so we take our backpacks and go 2-3 times per week. Exercise + money saving but ofc it won't work for everyone

Well I must be lazy (I do have a dog I walk twice a day)as I am not walking the nearly 2 miles in town to go shopping 2-3 times a week, and I prefer to go in the evenings when its less crowded so not doing that in the dark.  I do have tesco express 5 min walk from my house but its really expensive. 

I don't get where you get the time from.  It would mean a couple of hours for me.  And If I did it alone I would have to go nearly everyday. As I couldn't bulk buy stuff be it tins or freezer stuff.

Plus at least every other week I take disabled person shopping.  They can't hardly walk let alone 1.5mile from there house in to town.

But I really don't get it how it saves that much money. Does not save time. My partner works shifts so my free time when he is off is very precious to me.  And I really don't think he would be too happy walk 2 miles in town to go shopping.  And then any frozens I get would have thawed by the time I walked back.

As I said each to there own.  And not something I will be doing any time soon.  Good luck with it

 

Makingabobor2

We are quite clearly all different in how much time we have spare to go shopping and if we can walk or not etc etc. Some of us are retired (I am) and some of us have busy lives with work or children. Some of us are more active than others.  I love the idea of walking to the shops if I have the time and the weather is kind. I have "wombled" a shopping trolley which comes in very handy. But my nearest decent size supermarket is over 3 miles away, but I am working up to the idea of walking there sometimes, in the mean time I do walk to the local shops, and the local market to stock up with fruit & veg.  If I have to use the car to get a big shop then I am trying to only go once every 3 or weeks if I can. Also I have worked out that some online deliveries are cheaper than driving to the shops. 

Coffeekup

Toonie said:

We've also taken advantage of any free streaming services or free trials. The other thing we do is cancel Netflix in the Spring and Summer and then resubscribe in Autumn at the lowest level (£6.99) as this saves up some good entertainment when the weather isn't so good. I do the same with other suscription services, so I only sign up for a month at a time when there are several shows we want to watch.

I do exactly the same the last 2-3 years, except I turn it on late November for 2 month's, with Netflix being the go to one.

I'm waiting for a good free offer from paramount this cold season, so I may not have to get Netflix this year.

otb666

I do find watching telly at moment is quite annoying as they seem to be giving out some strange advise. I have found all the expertise and advise for years here on MSE. The social tariffs for water gas electric broadband  are good but not applicable if you are not on benefits. I agree with @Rosa_Damascena and think its a good idea to be a normal weight so covid cannot get a hold of you this winter. Also remember the electric companies do the below and helps when debt does build up and you are unable to pay 

• The Energy Fund is a debt support fund created by the energy provider to help its customers reduce their arrears on gas and electricity bills. It also finances the replacement of faulty household white goods, such as washing machines, cookers and fridge-freezers. You can even get help to fund a boiler replacement.