Sneaky ways to save the pennies

chrisbethany

Hi - only managed to trawl through to page 14 of this fantastic thread but couldn't wait to write so, apologies if you've read these somewhere before -

1. I put essential oil (lavender is lovely) on a piece of cotton wool in my vacuum cleaner above the filter, and the resulting smell round the house is great - especially if you have pets.

2. To overcome DDs putting piles of once-worn clothing in basket (their idea of tidying their rooms!) I 'persuaded' them to do their own ironing - amazing how the washing piles shrank! :rotfl:

Chris

chrisbethany

Hi - I also add a handful of porridge oats to quiche fillings - makes them more substantial but doesn't spoil flavour. A very tasty one is with pastry made with wholemeal flour, and a filling including cheddar and 5 spring onions - yummy!:drool:

Fozz

Something I have started doing is waiting until we have actually run out of something before buying more ie fruit, yogurt, cereal etc. Before I would see we were running low and buy more only to find that the cereal at the bottom of the pack or the lonely banana in the fruit bowl got left in favour of the new stuff!
It sometimes means an empty fruit bowl or no cereal etc for a day or so, but does save a few pennies over the week!

Murrell

I just found myself thinking of this thread, when I was buying just one onion in the supermarket. I stood there and peeled off most of the outer skin, before going to pay for it, don't know if i saved any money but you never know. I guess if i'd of wanted more than one I would of.
Also when buying pre bagged fruit or veg i weigh them and buy the heaviest.

Love this thread!!

sarahs999

Aril wrote: »

A tip I read in a book this morning is that you dry chillis on a radiator and then crumble them to make your own chilli flakes. The author also reckoned that you could put the rind of parmesan in a soup whilst cooking for flavouring and then whip it out before serving it up. Can't comment on how good these are as haven't tried them.
Aril

I've done this with rinds for years - it's an old Nigella tip. Very good in minestrone. You can freeze the rind - I have about a million in my freezer door!

Primrose

sarahs999 -one day you are going to make a FABULOUS Cheese Soup and the world will beat a path to your door for it ! My rinds seem to lurk awhile and then get tossed. Must smack my hand as I'm always making Minestrone soup too.

chunkytfg

Managed page 3 before i became overwhelmed with the desire to tell my own sneaky way.

This has probably been mentioned in the 66 pages i didnt read but here goes-

To all you small furry pet owners(guinea pigs, rabbits etc) buying hay and shavings from places like tesco's or even the bigger places like [EMAIL="pets@home"]pets@home[/EMAIL] will cost you a fortune. Find your nearest freindly place with horses and find out where they get hay/ shavings from. A bale of hay should set you back around £3-4 for good quality or £1-1.50 for a bale with a damp end which is about 3 foot long and around 18'' square. Shavings should set you back at the moment around £8 a bale approx the same size as a hay bale.

For the equivalent amount of hay from tesco's i would say you would be looking at around 10-15 packets at £1.75 a go around the same for shavings aswell!!

FairyElephant_2

Catfood savings:

I've posted before that my li'l old lady puss is often the only one in the house who gets 'branded' food!
Recently I was lucky enough to get some coupons for a posh brand, which was also on offer in ASDA, so worked out the same price as I pay for cheaper brands on offer (2 x 12 packs pouches for £5 is my guide-price, and with the reductions & coupons that is what these came to - would normally be over £4 each pack!!!!!). She LOVES this stuff but the pouches are smaller than the normal or shops-own brand so don't fill her up as much.
She's not very keen on dry foods, but has them from time to time (good for her teeth!), so I have been mixing a little dry food in with the 'posh' food and so far it is working - she is eating it all and it seems to be keeping her satisfied! I'm mixing more & more each time......

wizk1

If like me, you're a bugg3r for the odd glass or five of wine, I tend to stock up on various bottles that are on special at the major supermarkets, rather than purchasing at full price when needed. Most deals tend to be half price bottles, or 3 for £10, and so on and so forth.

This then works out to be about £3 a bottle.

Also, if you're quick... Nectar are offering a deal with Laithwaites where you can join the Nectar wine club for an introductory cost of £46.98 (£39.99 + £6.99 postage). For your payment, you will receive 15 decent bottles of wine (Red, white or mixed). This works out to be about £3.13 a bottle.

PLEASE REMEMBER, to cancel the subscription as you will be charged the usual rate thereafter for subsequent wine cases. (Usually once every 3 months).

And finally... Drink responsibly

MrMicawber_2

Are you tempted to knock it back more quickly though? I'd be a bit concerned that I would be - lack of self control etc, and end up spending more. I suppose I could ask my OH to put it under lock and key and only bring out a new bottle at intervals.