Great 'ways To Cut Back' Hunt

cheesedoffwithdebt · 15 December 2012 at 11:09AM

ok- ladies- skincare...

Boots do a great range which is found tucked away on the bottom shelf away from the more pricey products- its the cucumber range and was recommended to me by a make up artist she said the product suits most skins. Everything is less than £2- so cleanser, toner, moisturiser and a face mask will come in at less than a tenner-I've been using it for the past few years-its nice and light, the face mask is great, and lasts for months-I will get some more in the new year and it will be the first time I've had to renew my supplies for about 8 months.

Night time serum- tried the Lift and Luminate, then tried Avon's equivalent- then found Aldi's serum at about £4 I think- have been using that since the summer, again- more or less the same as products which cost 5 times as much-lasts for longer than they do so the relative cost is probably actually much cheaper still...

I am still looking for an eye cream thats good value- I will check in Aldi but if anyone knows one please post!

givememoney · 15 December 2012 at 4:18PM

cheesedoffwithdebt wrote: »

ok- ladies- skincare...

Boots do a great range which is found tucked away on the bottom shelf away from the more pricey products- its the cucumber range and was recommended to me by a make up artist she said the product suits most skins.

I second this, the smell is very nice. I use the eye makeup remover and the moisturiser. What I like about the moisturiser is, it is not sloppy it has a firmness and it also rubs in well without leaving a greasy residue.

Although not expensive I suppose, I like to use it on my feet after a shower and the container isn't very big so it doesn't last very long. I would like them to make a bigger size.

missladyannie · 15 December 2012 at 5:47PM

Yep I also love that cheap little range in boots, I buy the ones with the blue lids and a tub of moisturiser lasts me the best part of a year!

AmeliaDebtFreelia · 19 December 2012 at 9:11PM

moanymoany wrote: »

I keep a packet of Tesco value dried skimmed milk in the cupboard, it's great for when I run out, don't have to go out until the next shop.

Use Google to find frugal recipes to use as the base for meal plans. Look for meal plans on the OS board.

Soak and cook a 500gram pack of dried beans at a time and then freeze when cold. Allow 100grams per person. This is the basis for many meals and it counts as one portion of fruit and veg a day.

Read the OS moneysavers for ideas on frugal cleaning products. This includes laundry as well as general cleaning.

Make your own bread, wholemeal bread doesn't have to be kneaded it can be mixed and put straight into the tin - what could be easier? Dove organic wholemeal flour is 55p for one and a half kilos. It makes 3 large delish loaves.

Read the 'Tightwad Gazette' for inspiration.

Is this Tightwad Gazette real?! I searched the name on here but came up with nothing?

rubytuesday · 19 December 2012 at 10:22PM

Yes it is - I got it out of the library but it really wasn't my cup of tea - most people love it though.

The author is Amy Dacyczyn.

AmeliaDebtFreelia · 19 December 2012 at 10:40PM

If you have a spare room, make it into a laundry room for the bad weather months:
I bought 2 retractable washing lines from Wilkos @ £5.89 each and put them up in my box room. They each have 5 lines to hang from so take over 2 loads of washing. I hang clothes on their hangers to avoid ironing and it's quicker than pegging. Underwear I hang on those multi peg plastic things which I bought from Poundland.
Clothes usually take 2 days to dry fully but it saves me a fortune on tumble drying! Also the lines retract back into themselves if you need the room for something else and are not an eyesore on the wall.

Buy brisket or shin of beef from the butcher and make a stew in a slow cooker - the meat literally falls apart and is actually more flavoursome than expensive cuts. Got my slow cooker from Asda - bargain at £15

Homemade soup is super cheap & super easy! Carrots, Swede, Onions, black pepper and a couple of stock cubes = £1 for around 8 portions! To bulk it up for a more robust soup add a tin of Aldi tuna for 59p. Filling nourishing meal for about 72p

Get a toothpaste tube squeezer to get out every last bit - I got 3 for £1 on Ebay. Stops my teenager wasting half a tube!

When using toiletries just try using the smallest amount possible to cover what you're washing ie hair or face. I now use less than a small pea size of facewash everyday and a normal size tube has lasted me 4 months so far and there's LOADS left. I used to get through 1 every month.

Buy Aldi stuff!! Particularly frozen breaded/battered chunky cod/haddock fillets £2.49 rather than over £4.00 for Birds Eye and taste just as good i promise!
Aldi Almat laundry detergent is award winning, cheap and smells lovely!
Aldi bread is cheap and tasty and they also sell the branded bread which is cheaper than the supermarkets.

Open up several bank accounts for easy money management. I have 4:
1)Food & spends
2)Bills (all by dd)
3)Car service/MOT/Vets
4)Christmas/Birthdays/Savings

Buy EVERYTHING you can on a tesco credit card or asda cashback credit card. Everytime you use it, pay that amount back onto it as soon as you get home so it's always paid off but you get points/cashback for using it each time.

Go to Odeon cinemas on a Tuesday...it's £5. Take your own microwave popcorn with you too so you don't feel deprived!

Shop on approvedfood - LOADS of bargains to be had! You get free postage the 1st time and then I only use it when they send me a free postage offer or a £5 off deal otherwise the postage is £5.95 which bumps your price up. I usually save around £60 off the rrp of the items I buy!