Sneaky ways to save the pennies

bundly

Berni888 wrote: »

Thanks to Mirry for posting about reusing unfranked stamps and also to those who gave their views opposing it.

They should also realise how much the PO is ripping us off. For example I have just started using a courier service for parcels and am staggered, yes, totally staggered at how much the RM/PO/Parcelforce has been (over)charging me all these years.

Examples: 2.5kg parcel to Holland -- £30.99 with PO and £15 via Parcel2Ship.

10kg parcel inland, £12.61 at the PO and only £7.50 using Parcel2Ship.

My goodness, I have overpaid literally hundreds of pounds for parcels over the years.

AND the courier collects, saving me a trip to the PO and half an hour in the queue.

b4be

my OH calls ladies monthly "things" man hole covers :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

sorry couldnt resist :rolleyes:

rosemary54

bundly wrote: »

£50 a year is only £4 during each monthly cycle. Perhaps the lady has a heavier flow than yourself?

The Mooncup is a brilliant idea.

The best moneysaving tip re periods is to have an early menopause! (Mine stopped at age 43!)

I had it "all taken away"(as Les Dawson used to say!) at 35 after son no. 3 ...have never looked back:j:j:jsaved a fortune and a lot of bother,always thought it unfair that sanitary items were not vat exempt even when we had a woman PM!

clutterydrawer

bundly wrote: »

They should also realise how much the PO is ripping us off. For example I have just started using a courier service for parcels and am staggered, yes, totally staggered at how much the RM/PO/Parcelforce has been (over)charging me all these years.

Examples: 2.5kg parcel to Holland -- £30.99 with PO and £15 via Parcel2Ship.

10kg parcel inland, £12.61 at the PO and only £7.50 using Parcel2Ship.

My goodness, I have overpaid literally hundreds of pounds for parcels over the years.

AND the courier collects, saving me a trip to the PO and half an hour in the queue.

RM is legally obliged to deliver to EVERY address in the country for a fixed price, including remote parts of scotland, tiny villages, etc etc. This is incredibly expensive to do and thus pushes up the prices of other services. and it's not just the obscure destinations that aren't cost effective, either - the only mail that makes a significant profit is bulk mail from businesses. Every time you send a card to your gran on a 34p stamp, you are being subsidised by other, more profitable mail, because domestic letters make no little to no profit.

Couriers are under no such obligation, they just pick the work that is most profitable, which is why they can undercut RM by so much. They also tend to have a much less convenient way of operating - when I get a parcel via Royal Mail I can pick it up from the post office on my road, when I get things via DHL it usually gets returned because I have no way of getting to the depot on the other side of the city.

bundly

clutterydrawer wrote: »

RM is legally obliged to deliver to EVERY address in the country for a fixed price, including remote parts of scotland, tiny villages, etc etc. This is incredibly expensive to do and thus pushes up the prices of other services.

Thanks for that reminder.

But when we are in the moneysaving mindset, we are thinking ONLY of ourselves and we don't tend to think "Oh I'll pay double for XXX because the person I am paying provides a good public service", do we?

I mean, when we buy white vinegar instead of Mr Muscle at a supermarket, we don't shed a tear for the checkout operators who might be put out of work as a result of the reduced profits made by Tesco, do we?

bundly

Another moneysaving tip from me (sorry mine are all about hotels!)

When on holiday etc I ALWAYS take a tupperware box with me to breakfast, and fill that up with food. Also wrap a couple of rolls in big napkins. (Do this v discreetly and have everything in a biggish handbag!) That then provides my/our lunch, saving ££££ on cafe lunches. Each evning wash out the tupperware box ready for the next morning.

The other way we save £££ while away is to go to Tesco Metro or Sainsbury Local as they are open late, and buy picnic style dinners. As OH only gets a couple of rolls and a small pack of ham, maybe a bag of crisps and a Mars, his dinner costs about £1.50; and as I get maybe a salad in a plastic bowl, a pot of prawn cocktail or maybe hot chicken thighs mine comes to a bit more, up to £5. We take this back and eat while watching TV in our Travelodge (I always book a family room cos then you get a sofa). If we went to a restaurant instead, we'd spend at least a tenner each, double that in London.

By saving hundreds of pounds this way we have been able to have more breaks away in London.

joesaunt

Hooray, I reached then end!! It has taken me three days.

I managed to get some Stardrops on Boxing day!! Couldn't find them Christmas Eve so have been cleaning everything I can with them.

Off into town in bit to get some more pump dispensers and a water spray :T

allydowd

bundly wrote: »

The Mooncup is a brilliant idea.

Here here! My mooncup has lasted three years so far. Cost me £18.99 originally. That's 52p per month. Can't say fairer than that. And I've never had any problems with it.

rosemary54

we booked into our fav hotel in Jan for a night when we take no.2 son back to uni and when I tried to book online I saw that the rate for DB&B was £145 whilst B&B was £80 but the allowance for dinner was £50 for 2 so to book the full DB&B waould mean we were paying £65 for dinner .....I emailed to ask why and was told the site was confusing(mmmmm it was not me that was confused!) and that I could have DB&B for £110 so only paying £30 for £50 worth of dinner :):)..........................I know this sounds an expensive hotel but it is our treat a couple of times a year and money saving is all about saving on some items to splurge on others in my book so tips on take aways for example are wasted on me as could never justify paying for a meal I eat at home!!!!
just wanted to point out it pays to read the small print as it would be easy just to either book a room at the higher price or decide it was too expensive and go elsewhere.

For no.3 son who is at uni near a Holiday Inn we use the points OH gets when he stays at HI for work to get free nights.....if you book at an express rather than a holiday inn you get free breakfast,on a trip where we used a HI we asked at the reception and were given half price vouchers for breakfast so got two huge breakfasts for £13 and did not need lunch :):)

sandy2_2

Our ´treat´ when staying at Gatwick Travelodge overnight before connecting flights for holidays is buying and eating some pork pies with a salad bowl from M&S Gatwick (lunch), then pre-booking evening meal at Travelodge for 6pounds each (glasses of wine in Travelodge are expensive so bring our own from Spain) Also using the local bus to get from Gatwick to Travelodge (about 4pounds I think) instead of taxi (11pounds)
Sandy