Sneaky ways to save the pennies

karenlaura

Primrose i think my DH thought I was having a mad moment as he tactfully tried to tell me that the cooker was on the other side of the room. I feel much better today as my workmate has just told me that her dad knows someone who cooks sausages and roast potatoes in the bonnet of his car:rotfl:

what I haven't told my DH is that now I put porridge oats in his lasagne, chilli and spag bol and he just thinks I have changed the sauce mix:p and is saying how much nicer it is.
I have also been putting soda crystals in the soap powder and my washing seems so much softer.
Karen x

Sian_the_Green

I love making gifts for people for their birthdays or Christmas and if you are money poor or time rich it is a great way to save cash and be original. A real favourite is mini-scrapbook albums for my friends with funny pictures and friendship quotes in. If you make cards you can match colours too with their cards. I bought a cheap photo frame with a white mount for a Christening and decorated the mount with doodles, a Bible verse and the name of the child, the frame was only £2 but it looked more expensive after an hour of doodling.

Poundland is great for this sort of stuff too, black frame with 6 windows in for £1, print off some pics and write a little title for them all on the computer, whack in the spaces and there you go.

Sian_the_Green

I also keep pretty much every envelope ever and just stick labels over the top, especially jiffy bags. So much so that I had a little panic the other week when I didn't have an envelope to put a job application in...

There are always free postcards are often on racks at my local cinema, (the boomerang ones), some are pretty good

Keep up to date with local museums and galleries for exhibitions going on, am very envious of Londoners being able to go to the Tate Modern and the Natural History Museum, but Sheffield has some great places to visit for free too.

Give promises instead of presents. For example, for a wedding couple offer to walk their dog each day of their honeymoon or water their plants or set the places at the reception. For mother's day make a voucher booklet for washing up, foot rub, relaxing bath etc...

Cut out sections of birthday or Christmas cards to make into gift tags. Use brown paper or newspaper instead of wrapping paper.

When buying something expensive try working out how many hours you have to work for that much money, would you work for X hours for those jeans? If yes, buy them, if not, don't

Don't get a basket or trolley if you are "popping to the shops", if you can't carry it, you can't buy it.

Be cheeky, I have so many things that I have from other people binning perfectly good things and me saying "would you mind....". I have one of my friends trained so when she downsized her house I got pretty much everything she was getting rid of.

stilernin

I've got a combi boiler and have begun only 3/4 filling the bowl with hot water and turning the tap off. Then I turn it on just enough for a slow trickle of water, not fast enough to kick the boiler back in but just enough to let the hot water in the pipes to run out.

Waste not, want not

BigMummaF

I've been a bit slow with this one, but refused to draw out £20 just to buy milk earlier this week IYSWIM.

So while the offspring have been out, I've been adding water to the semi skimmed milk that is open in the fridge. It's been fine in our cuppas & they've even had cereal & not noticed but :shhh:....or they'll never trust me again:o

Skint_Catt

I've just learnt the shopping basket one! If I'm popping into our Morrisons down the road just for milk, then I do not pick up a basket - too easy to fill. I still see the offers but cant carry them all to the till so I don't pick them up. If I get home and still think something was a good offer I can go back the next day (again without a basket) just to pick that up!

tattycath

I keep powdered milk in stock and when we're running low I make some up and pour it into the empty milk carton-no one usually notices...
I also add porridge oats to meals containing minced beef and the other day I added split peas and they all thought it was really nice. I add extra pasta to carbonara to bulk it out.
We have 6 tea bags left at the moment and it's raining and I haven't got the car so I am trying to make 1 tea bag make 2 cups of tea (ok so it's a bit tight, might have to make coffee instead...)

Skint_Catt

I always used to use one teabag to make two cups - I don't like it very strong so its more than enough usually!

CoD_2

I also use one teabag for 2 cups of tea, make my husbands first then mine. have tried to then make a third cup sometimes but it doesn't quite work. perhaps it depends on the teabags used?

CoD_2

i always try and turn the range off before i've quite finished cooking, i guess because of it's design it stays hot for ages after, so i'm quite often found turning it off 20mins before whatever is cooking is done, then popping a sponge or two in to use up the residual heat. i guess will also be beneficial for drying fruit in the summer?