Sneaky ways to save the pennies

ceebeeby

I've been on this site for 4 years and only just found this thread . I think its about to change my life.

I'm only up to page 2 and I've already got a long list of tips written down!

THANK YOU MSE :money::money::money:

jbreckmckye

- Combine leftover mash and green veg with a beaten fresh egg. Form into patties, serve as bubble and squeak with leftover roast meat.
- Augment curries with lentils, extra onion (no-one ever notices), and use value natural yoghurt or dessicated coconut instead of fresh coconut milk / cream (MUCH cheaper).
- Add mushrooms to thai green curries.
- Add chickpeas to curries; butter beans (lima beans) to stews; baked beans to Bolognese sauces.
- Fill people up, when roasting meats, with extra Yorkshires (people LOVE them, yet they're so cheap!), stuffing, roast veg, so you have enough leftovers to make another meal (or two).
- Buy proper oyster / soy sauce from the specialist section of a supermarket (large pint bottles), likewise with rice wine and rice vinegar. Use these instead of expensive bottled sauces (oyster sauce works well with most things, especially beef). It's only about a pound per bottle, but this will normally work out at least three times as cheap as buying the usual.
- Always augment meatballs with breadcrumbs - it's not only cheaper, it also gives them a far more pleasant, lighter texture.
- Cold leftover rice, leftover roast chicken, some frozen peas and a couple of eggs can easily be knocked up into a special fried rice. Just make sure the rice is cold and has been left 'open' in the fridge overnight to prevent mushiness.
- Stick celery in everything!
- Go to the discounter aisle first, pick from there, *then* build meals around these items.

Aril

Now peppers are becoming quite pricey I pop the stalk out of the top slice so that I can use all that bit of the pepper aswell.
Aril

Primrose

Can't remember whether I've already mentioned this (this post is huge now and has been going for ages) but I've discovered a much more economical way of cooking a caserole than putting it in our electric oven. Have invested in one of those metal Aris diffuser cooking mats(from Lakeland) You just put the mat over your electric ring or gas hob and put your Le Creuset or other heatproof caserole dish on it, turning the heat down to the lowest simmer setting. It uses a fraction of the heat you would use in the oven. Liquid doesn't evaporate like it does in the oven and because the bottom of the pan isn't in direct contact with the heat, there's less risk of food burning and sticking on the bottom of the pan.

ceebeeby

Yay - I got to page 9 last night!

This morning we now have:

Watered down milk

Squished loo rolls (which elicited all sorts of questions at the breakfast table) - one of the kids helpfully went round unsquishing them thinking it had been a dodgy batch - until I told them it was deliberate!!

I sent DD to the shop to buy soap powder as we were desperate. If I'd gone, I'd have found other things to buy!!!

I've watered down the fabric conditioner.

I filled an empty hand soap dispenser with some of the toiletries left over in the bathroom from last xmas!

I made DH get the empty washing up liquid bottle out of the bin this morning (chucked away last night), and have washed it, ready for refilling from a discount brand / large dispenser (another DD said - don't tell me, you're gonna make washing up liquid now!!!)

I don't have any essential oils, however, I decided to clean out my under sink cupboard, and found an old refil for a plug-in. The plug-in part has long since gone. I might open that and add that to some water and ramekins for the all the bathroom window-sills!

DH finished off a gift bottle of whisky last night (ha-ha, there was only one measure left - it's been open for 4 years!!!) and went to throw the bottle away until he said, I suppose you want to do something with this too - I said yes, but now I don't know what to do with it! It's very pretty shaped, but has a cork lid rather than a screw top. Any ideas??

Have made 7 batches of mince pies this morning, and didn't waste a single drop of pastry or mince-meat.

Yay - I think I've made a good start!

beautiful_ravens

^Thats awesome ceebeeby - when will you start using vinegar instead of fabric conditioner?! hehe

ceebeeby

shetitasatic wrote: »

My DH and I both have birthdays in December, so it can get ridiculously expensive. Several years ago we decided to stop giving each other Christmas cards and 'recycle' ones we'd previously given! We found 2 big really nice ones and each year we write the date and a new message - we've been using the same ones since 1991!! Each year when we pack up the christmas decs the cards go in the Christmas tree box , ready to come out next year. They are like family heirlooms and we wonder how long we can keep it going!
We have now started to do this with our birthday , anniversary and Valentine cards.
I keep all our cards as I now make all my own from recycled materials (old cards, packaging, wrapping paper etc)

Oooh, we do this too .... but you've been going longer than us - ours started in 1997! Brilliant fun! We do the same for the kids too!

savingmore

been reading this thread for a couple of weeks so decided to post.....
yes we do that thing with the cards, started it last year, we have a pink one for the females and a blue one for the boys and just send it around the whole family, it has become the favourtie card and it is a long term competition to see who can make it last the longest time, expect it will end up as a family heirloom sometime!

ellie14

Not sure where to post this thought it might help someone in the party season..
D/D came home from ball and her pink satin shoes had black marks on them ,I took the crust from white bread and rubbed them and the shoes came up like new,they can be worn again,and they were quite bad.

Ladyhawk

NewLeaf wrote: »

kind of disgusting but using a mooncup instead of tampons and towels saves money and is green

(sorry if anyone finds this offensive)

I've just bought myself a mooncup... I haven't used it yet though. Will do next month.