Which thrifty thing do you do that you're surprised that no one else does?

[Sizeofalentil]

Basically, that

I'm always surprised when people don't bulk buy things (toilet paper, store cupboard staples etc) or only buy name brands. How much tastier can a posh tinned tomato really be?

Dh is mortified when I reuse bath water to water the plants or make my own cleaning cloths from old pants. But he does love a charity shop bargain (most of his coats are from there).

What are your favourite thrifty tips or what thrifty things are you surprised that other people don't do?

Shop around for insurances and broadband deals and change annually. Cash back websites often great deals on this . We’ve moved from bt to sky and back again a few times now .
Move your current account .
Share lifts with other parents to things like cubs / brownies .
Buy the best furniture you can afford. Some antique furniture is cheaper and better quality than new because it may not be as fashionable. Soft furnishings etc rarely need changing if you choose wisely the first time .

I still eat out, but one thing I have done is to try and make it a worthwhile and good value treat.

In the past I would sometimes end up grabbing something fairly expensive and not particularly nice, because of disorganisation or hanger. You know when you end up spending a few quid on lunch because you didn't sort anything out at home and you only have 5 minutes, and it's a mediocre wrap that ends up making you feel a bit sick afterwards anyway? And you think with that £4 I could've had a really posh salad with smoked salmon or naice cheese and the best tomatoes, or a steak sandwich or whatever, if I'd done it at home. That is what I want to avoid. Either by making food in advance, or thinking yes I am going to treat myself to a nice lunch today and I will go to x place and spend £6 on a meal I will really enjoy, not leg it to the supermarket with 5 minutes to spare and end up buying a salad I didn't really want because it was all that was left.

We buy spuds in half hundred weight bags and store them in the utility room . At this time of year when they’re not as good we share a bag with my in-laws while waiting for the new seasons .
I am in NI though where a dinner isn’t a dinner without spuds !

I preview new books by downloading the sample chapter on kindle, then order the book from the library if I want to read further. I know writers don't earn very much and would like to support them more, but can't justify spending £18.99 on a novel.

Also home brew - seems to be a bit of a dying art now! My DH took it up as a hobby about a year ago. He makes a lovely fruit cider, Mexican style lager and wine. He also makes batches for family too. Wine works out as about £1 a bottle!

Re: the haircutting thing.

I cut my own hair because a) I'm too impatient to wait to go to the hairdresser, b) because in the past I've spent up to £100 to have a haircut and it's worse than my cutting and c) most importantly- I have long wavy hair which I tie into a pony tail just above my forehead and cut straight across. This layers the back and then I feather cut the front separately. Because my hair is wavy any slight defects in my cutting abilities don't show and anyway my hair spends most of its life in a ponytail.

I think you can only DIY the haircutting if you have long hair and don't care too badly if it's not perfect. If you have short hair or your image is more important to you than mine is to me then DIY haircuts aren't for you. It's all a question of priorities, and mine don't include expensive haircuts.

I really want to try the homebrew too

Have just tried my own furniture polish having found some tips online - olive oil, white vinegar and some lemon essential oil.

It's worked beautifully - the oils nourish the wood and the lemon smells nice, the vinegar degreases and stops the mix from drying sticky. Will definitely do it again as it saves buying aerosols or more plastic bottles and also I'll only make as much as I need when I use it.

In answer to the pp who've asked what App I use, it's a free one called Spending Tracker.

I have the hairdresser come to the house.

I flatten the loo roll to make it last longer but not running away with itself

I buy the children clothes one size too big so that they will last for two years.

My builder was horrified to discover I wanted to reuse my bathroom suite when I had an extension built.

Most of my household objects apart from beds/bedding and kitchen are second hand.

Shop at Aldi. I am always surprised that people seem to look down on it. I can afford to shop at Waitrose but why would I when I can get the same quality at Aldi and spend the saved money on me

Darn things

Eat leftovers

Eat quite plainly

Shop second hand

Invested in a klean kanteen and take home brewed coffee with me when I go out. Wouldn't go as far to take it into a cafe and drink it there but I've saved loads when I used to always grab a take away coffee at uni, before work or whilst shopping.

(Obviously other people do this but most of my friends don't)

I use cooked veg water to feed plants but soapy bath water doesn’t do them much good. Reusing food - don’t fancy making a meal out of carrot peelings, apple cores, egg shells and chicken bones lol! My friend makes crisps out of potato skins and my nan used to boil chicken bones to make a jelly substance to feed the birds.

In response to the OPs query about tomatoes, I was surprised to find a huge difference. I thought a tinned tomato is a tinned tomato and switched to Sainsbury’s ‘basic’ range - the tins were just filled with thin orange water. I usually strain the juice out and use the flesh for pizza sauce and add the juice to soup or something. The basic tomatoes left nothing in the sieve!

By shopping Aldi i have halved my shopping bill. Whilst in Aldi I check prices on Asda and Morrison’s websites and sometimes a few products are on offer and a few pence cheaper

I use a credit card but always pay it off every month and never pay interest.I also get cash back by using it

Lidl here but same thing really. We can do a weekly shop for 4 people for around £70. It would be £120+ in Morrisons or Tesco. And it's quite rare that there's something I can't get that I need apart from some of the more poncy things on my list like tinned lentils or tofu lol!

I almost never buy new clothes because you can get cheap second-hand ones so easily.

Does Lidl buy its produce from the same places as Aldi? I think Lidl's food is slightly better than Aldis but I don't know if this is just my misconception. Does anyone know?

Have a food /household items budget and STICK TO IT !!

Bobboybrewster I wash j cloths, reuse them until they disintegrate then put them on the compost.

Old fashion soap bars instead of bottle liquid Lasts so much longer
Solid shampoo lasts 2 months for the whole family
Cloth Nappies
Reusable wipes
Reusable cloth sanitary pads
Menstrual cup
Washable clothes
Flannels (no wipes)
Meal plan
Reusable bottles
Gum tree for house hold things
Bulk buy toilet rolls a month at a time (wish I had space for more)
Fruit and veg from local market.

Old fashion soap bars instead of bottle liquid Lasts so much longer

Yeah, that one actually is quite surprising! How much the general public have been duped into thinking they need liquid soaps and shower gels. God what a rip off.