Sneaky ways to save the pennies

BigMummaF

Unfortunately I fall into the 'no other alternative' camp Having said that, with the help of this thread & the site in general, we are able to eat well & keep the bills paid..even if it means there's nowt left over for 'treats'. We've come to appreciate a bar of chocolate or bottle of pop as something special once more, like it was when I was a child. So enforced poverty can sometimes still hold a silver lining...particularly for things like watching a sun set from your own back garden. Who needs a tropical beach for that

Damita

What an amazing thread, have been reading it for the last couple of days, only on page 17 but I thought I would jump ahead and say thank you for all the ideas

Rainbowchild

We save the pennies on food shopping, making meals from scratch, using left overs etc as it was how I was brought up but also because we can save for "treats" such as meals out and we love travelling. By making little changes in our day to day spending habbits we are also managing to save for "projects" on our house like a new bathroom. I also know there are areas we could cut back in (I love takeout food) if the needed.

LittleVoice

Aril wrote: »

When growing nasturiums...the flowers are edible in salads and the seeds are capers I believe.
Aril

Capers are not seeds but buds.

Really capers are the buds of a perennial (eg see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capers) but perhaps the name could be extended to include the buds of other plants.

clutterydrawer

LittleVoice wrote: »

Capers are not seeds but buds.

Really capers are the buds of a perennial (eg see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capers) but perhaps the name could be extended to include the buds of other plants.

I mentions on that link that unripe nasturtium seeds can be substituted for capers due to similar flavour and texture when pickled - does anyone know how to go about pickling them?

Valli

carriebradshaw wrote: »

it's not recommended but I can't remember why I just don't do it cos the thought of it makes me feel icky,perhaps it's the worry of pet worms and that toxicaris wotsit? that can cause blindness or other diseases maybe,I'm not totally sure

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0903/compost_heap.asp




ETA:


When pet waste is disposed of improperly,not only water quality suffers – your healthmay be at risk, too. Pets, children who play outside, and adults who garden are most at risk for infection from some of the bacteria and parasites found in pet waste. Flies may also spread diseases from animal waste.
Diseases or parasites that can be transmittedfrom pet waste to humans include:
Campylobacteriosis – A bacterial infection carried by dogs and cats that frequently
causes diarrhea in humans.
Cryptosporidium – A protozoan parasite carried by dogs, cats, mice, calves and
many other mammals. Common symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps,
nausea and dehydration. May be fatal to people with depressed immune systems.
Toxocariasis – Roundworms usually transmittedfrom dogs to humans, often
without noticeable symptoms, but may cause vision loss, a rash, fever, or cough.
Toxoplasmosis – A protozoan parasite carried by cats that can cause birth
defects such as mental retardation and blindness if a woman becomes infected
during pregnancy; also a problem for people with depressed immune systems.
Symptoms include headache, muscle aches, lymph node enlargement.

ah - should have said that I compost sawdust hay etc from my VEGETARIAN pets (rabbits and gerbils) - the cat's stuff is properly bagged and binned

clutterydrawer

I always put rabbit waste on my home compost heap....however the council (Leeds) claim they won';t accept it in their green waste bins.

Remeber though that these are the people who also say windfall fruit can go in the green waste bins, but not fruit from your kitchen. :rolleyes:

smileyt_2

Two things I've done:

Shaved my head. Admittedly this originally was my way of coping with alopecia but it has saved me a fortune in shampoo and hairdresser's fees, styling products etc. Plus I never have any more bad hair days, I can just get out of bed in the morning and go. I'm a 39 year old woman, by the way. I have a hairtrimmer and every 10-14 days I give myself a number two. I realise this may be a little extreme for most women on here, however :rotfl:

The other thing I've done is buy a microfibre floor set from Clas Ohlsen. It cost about £16 but there is a duster thing and a mop. It's brilliant because you can clean the floor with just cold water, rinse the mop head in the sink and it really works. I would definitely recommend it - no more detergent and hot water for my floors!

I've just become unemployed (I have to put in a claim for JSA tomorrow) but I'm not worried because I know there are always plenty of tips and resources on here - so thanks, everyone.

russetred

ex husband was previously an irn bru fiend so he'd save them up as his irn bru emergency fund, when times were really tight he'd return vast quantities of bottles and stock up on more irn bru and/or time it to conincide with sales of irn bru[/QUOTE]

We used to call this deposit money a glass cheque when I was a kid.I remember clearing out a kitchen in a bedsit place many years ago and finding over 100 bottles,well despite the funny looks and the difficulties in getting the bottles back my glass cheque paid for my night out that weekend!:beer:

maz1964

many thanks smileyt

and good luck for a job search, but at least understanding ways to help yourself in money sense will help im sure too, but i do really hope you get a new job very soon

take care maz:beer: