Sneaky ways to save the pennies

xCharismax

Hi all,

I'm new to MSE and found this thread first. Has taken me 4 days (on and off) to get through all these wonderful posts.

My partner and I decided last week that we need to cut back on our supermarket spending and since reading through the posts I have been converted to saving lots of money. Including changing to value brands as i'm now reading packaging and realizing most value brands are better for you (less E numbers to). Tried UHT skimmed milk for the first time yesterday and love it. Far better than the normal semi-skimmed i've been using. Will also be doing my first online shop tonight so I can resist grabbing everything I see in the supermarket lol.

I'd just like to say a big thank you for all your tips and they are really helping people like me who are starting out at money saving. I hope I can contribute when I learn new money saving tricks

Charisma x

winniepooh

xCharismax wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm new to MSE and found this thread first. Has taken me 4 days (on and off) to get through all these wonderful posts.

My partner and I decided last week that we need to cut back on our supermarket spending and since reading through the posts I have been converted to saving lots of money. Including changing to value brands as i'm now reading packaging and realizing most value brands are better for you (less E numbers to). Tried UHT skimmed milk for the first time yesterday and love it. Far better than the normal semi-skimmed i've been using. Will also be doing my first online shop tonight so I can resist grabbing everything I see in the supermarket lol.

I'd just like to say a big thank you for all your tips and they are really helping people like me who are starting out at money saving. I hope I can contribute when I learn new money saving tricks

Charisma x

I just want to say the same really, i'm new aswell.

Everyone has been very welcoming and the advice is fantastic. Thanks everyone.:D

OrkneyStar

NewFoundGlory wrote: »

Another pet tip kind of...I also talk extra napkins, sugar, sauces etc from cafes etc...anyway I always make sure I take some little pots of cream and I give those to my kitties as treats - they love them!

Does this not just increase the price in the long run for everyone else ? Maybe its just me but I don't agree with this I do take MY leftovers away if we eat out though.

OrkneyStar

Frugalista wrote: »

Hi, yet another newbie! Have picked up some fantastic tips from this thread - keep posting folks...

My tip is when I go to Azda/Tesco cafe (we take my elderly MIL out shopping at the weekends and she doesn't do many to the gallon these days ) I always grab an extra handful of napkins. Back home - have cut the bottom off a 2 lt milk container, leaving it about 3" tall - napkins fit in there perfectly. Use them to wipe up spills/ wipe butter knife before putting in jam, etc. Saves loads on kitchen towel.

How is this different from stealing exactly ? Don't mean to offend you but I just don't understand what makes people think this is ok :rolleyes:

Uniscots97

Send off for as many freebies as you can. It saves loads on shampoo, conditioner and the like. Also I have been travelling a lot with my job and I'll take the small bottles of shampoo, conditioner and soap with me (if I haven't used them) and they get put into a basket in the bathroom to work our way through. If you yourself don't travel with your job ask a friend or relative who does for these bottles etc. I also hang onto the airline socks I'm given on every long haul flight as they're lovely and soft and great under boots.

LameWolf

sb44 wrote: »

We have a 10 month old puppy who gets a small treat if she comes in from the garden when called.

She is getting better and does come in now, at first she would do about 5 laps of the garden before I could get her in!

Didn't think Lhasa Apsos were that quick.



Anyway, as a treat she is given a small piece of one of those meaty strips from Tesco, 28p for two.

That isn't a bad price but I have just managed to save myself 56p a week (not a lot but it all adds up).

I tried her with a bran flake (don't laugh) and she absolutely loves them.

Now she gets a bran flake instead of a bit of chew.

What a tight mummy!

There's nowt wrong with that. The important thing is that the pup sees it as a treat, so she'll do what she's asked in order to get a bran flake!
Lhasa Apsos are lovely - a former neighbour of mine had two, and they were delightful little dogs.

got-it-spend-it

OrkneyStar wrote: »

Does this not just increase the price in the long run for everyone else ? Maybe its just me but I don't agree with this I do take MY leftovers away if we eat out though.

I personally do this too! I drink my coffee black but pocket the little cream you get with your coffee to use for OH at home. Likewise I don't always eat the little biscuit you get given with coffee, so take this for OH as well. I don't think it's any different from using it there and then....I don't take sugar either but take the two little brown sugar sachets you get with coffee as I like brown sugar on my weetabix (value, of course) and this saves me buying it.

Every little helps......

GISI x

kal25

got-it-spend-it wrote: »

I personally do this too! I drink my coffee black but pocket the little cream you get with your coffee to use for OH at home. Likewise I don't always eat the little biscuit you get given with coffee, so take this for OH as well. I don't think it's any different from using it there and then....I don't take sugar either but take the two little brown sugar sachets you get with coffee as I like brown sugar on my weetabix (value, of course) and this saves me buying it.

Every little helps......

GISI x

I don't think orkneystar was commenting on taking what u don't use gotitspendit but rather taking extra to what u have.

OrkneyStar

kal25 wrote: »

I don't think orkneystar was commenting on taking what u don't use gotitspendit but rather taking extra to what u have.

Yes I have no problem taking what you have paid for, so the little biccie they give with the coffee would be fine, as would be any leftover sandwich/cake etc (eg my LO only eats 2 bits of his sandwich- I take the rest for later as they would only throw it anyway and have paid for it). I don't agree with taking 'extra', like more than 3 or 4 little milks (unless you really use them there and then and like milky drinks), or loads of sugars/sauce sachets/bundle of napkins etc. I do think this is effectively stealing. Hope this makes more sense now, and yes Kal25 you understood me correctly
:wave:

NewFoundGlory_2

OrkneyStar wrote: »

I don't agree with taking 'extra', like more than 3 or 4 little milks (unless you really use them there and then and like milky drinks), or loads of sugars/sauce sachets/bundle of napkins etc. I do think this is effectively stealing.
:wave:

Well, I don't think it is stealing, I take my coffee black also so I take two creams home (one for each of my kitties) and I don't mean I go up to the sauce/sugar/milk couter with an open bag frantically stuffing things in! Just, if when everyone on my table has finished and they have a few sauces/napkins/sugars left unused i pack them up! Otherwise, when you put your tray back or empty it into the bin, they'll just get thrown away so I think its better for me to take them home and use them then throw them away !

Sorry it might have been my use of the word 'extra' when really I should have said 'left over', however, i personally don't think that there is anything wrong with someone taking some from the cafe that they weren't going to use whilst they are there, some people have 8 sugars in their coffee, some people have none so if they take it home for their OH or guest use, i think thats fine.