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

532 replies

Sizeofalentil · 26/05/2019 18:22

Basically, that Grin

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?

OP posts:
beanaseireann · 27/05/2019 17:52

I always check the price of fresh tomatoes by kg weight. You'd be surprised at the difference - variety, plum, cherry, different colours, home grown, huge big ones.
You'd be surprised at the difference in price.
Especially in M&S.

Mary54 · 27/05/2019 17:56

Grow as much veg as possible
Make own bread and yogurt
Ditto cakes and biscuits
Menu plan
Reuse pots, orange crates etc for seed trays
Make compost so don’t need to buy it
Grow veg plants from seed where possible
As much shopping as possible from Aldi or Lidl

GreenShadow · 27/05/2019 17:58

I flatten the loo roll to make it last longer but not running away with itself
I don't understand this.
Surely you just use the same number of sheets ?

Otherwise I seem to do most the things on here already.

BiBiBirdie · 27/05/2019 17:58

I use washable cloths for cleaning/ washing up. Can't abide those awful green scourers.
When the kids jeans get too short, I cut them off into shorts or peddle pushers. Neither of mine get good wear out of jeans otherwise.
I make my own cleaning solutions. This was necessity as bleach and similar really upset my skin. I use baking powder and lemon juice for stains on clothes or carpet. Baking powder and white vinegar is great for cleaning the cooker and sink. I use ketchup on brass. Far cheaper and more environmentally friendly than household cleaners.

HouseName · 27/05/2019 18:04

There's budgeting and avoiding waste, and then there's living like a church mouse and looking like a tramp.

this

Also where on earth do you keep all the bulk purchases and bloody torn up envelopes? Sounds horrible.

And btw if you buy your children's clothes a size too big so they last two years, they look awful the first year because they're a size too big and they look awful the second year because they're worn out.

e1y1 · 27/05/2019 18:09

No idea why the initial price and monthly charges are so much now

Actually (and most people will probably fall off their chair laughing at this), phones/phone plans are way cheaper now than at any point in the past, and the U.K. is one of the cheapest places in the world to own a mobile. Look at US/CAN prices especially its eye watering.

justforareply · 27/05/2019 18:09

Boysey45
They definitely share a supplier for bread with m and s (met a chap who worked in the bakery who do things like sundried tomato and olive bread - he said same mix, different shape)
Also seen Sainsbury's potatoes in 2.5kg bags turn up in a pile at Aldi/Lidl

Hefzi · 27/05/2019 18:12

I have zero storage space, otherwise I would still bulk buy loo roll.

My biggest thrift tip is no television watching - saves cost of TV licence, Netflix, Sky, Now TV, Virgin etc My local library is too far and not on public transport (and also opens only in working hours) but Kindle Unlimited is £7.99 a month. And because I'm not shelling out hundreds a year on viewing solutions, I can even go crazy and go and buy books or e-books if there's nothing I fancy on the shelves/in my library/on KU.

littlemeitslyn · 27/05/2019 18:16

Reasons Wish there was a snigger emoticon 😁

GnomeDePlume · 27/05/2019 18:18

@cricketmum84 I'm a home brewer as well. We realised that we were getting into a habit of having a couple of drinks at the pub most weekends.

Home brew by comparison is an absolute bargain. The kits have come on in leaps and bounds. Come autumn I will be making cider from our own apples and pears. Only additional cost is sanitiser. Everything else is re-used multiple times.

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 27/05/2019 18:22

Aldi. I am always surprised that people seem to look down on it.

Does anyone look down on Aldi anymore? Outside tabloid stories of course.

StroppyWoman · 27/05/2019 18:22

Buy dried pulses for the slow cooker. Make the weekly vat of hummus (DD wants it for her packed lunches since she's 'gone off' sandwiches) rather than buy it, ditto refied beans for chilli, dhal, etc.

Buy all spices, herbs and dried things at the asian supermarket rather than the big chains.

Batch cook and freeze meals every week, including homemade pizza sauce for the teens' pizza addictions.

Buy mostly frozen fish like coley for fishcakes, fish pie and curries. Not as attractive as cod/haddock but cheaper, sustainable and tasts great with herbs and spices.

Drasticaction · 27/05/2019 18:24

Car boots and charity are amazing for kids clothes!! No need to buy New 2 size's too big!

Have got amazing quality clothes from such places and as dirt cheap don't need too worry about it.

Does anyone know brand, I love gorgeous? Once lady was clearing out and I got 5 stunning dresses, amazing condition for 10 pounds!!
Most baby stuff came from markets, secondhand.

Free cycle even!!

Sainsbury's do lovely kid's clothes as do h and m . And often have 25% off or sales.

I also find its betters to set a budget too spend and simply stick to it. Set cash aside if necessary rather than spending and then cutting back. IE allocate funds each month.

Same here with old cars, self cut hair, bulk buy when something we always use on offer.

Asta19 · 27/05/2019 18:25

I do find it a bit interesting that so many people have all these thrifty tips yet it seems like a majority of MN users have cleaners! Ok maybe they aren’t posting in this thread! But to me things like that are where you can make big savings. I don’t go to hairdresser, get my nails done or anything like that. Don’t have a gym membership etc. I would rather eat well, than spend money on those other things. My outgoings are food £150 a month (but that is just for me) bills about £250, another £100 for alcohol, odd meal out, or a piece of clothing, whatever `I need/want that month. Other than rent, that’s all I spend. I save the rest of my money for big purchases/holidays etc.

Oh yes, a pp is right about phones being cheaper here. My friend in the states is on quite a basic plan and it costs him nearly £100 a month! I had to send him a screenshot showing my £10 per month payg contract as he just couldn’t believe it was possible to be that cheap!

Tooner · 27/05/2019 18:27

@dontupsettheneighbours this made me laugh because I am exactly the same and my family and friends think I am crazy for it.
Shopping at Lidl and Aldi has saved us a fortune. Occasionally I will go to Tesco or Asda and I always seem to spend more and get less. It's so less tempting in Aldi and I can whizz around the shop buying my usual items. I pretty much know the price of everything and have a little game with myself adding up as I put items on the conveyor belt to get a rough idea of the final price, haha, I sound such a saddo.
It's not really time consuming doing all these moneysaving things when it comes automatically to you.

BlueJava · 27/05/2019 18:32

Bulk buy toilet rolls, shampoo, all cleaning products, washing powder etc. when they are on offer and I always try and ebay anything I need to get rid of that I can re-sell. I will also re-use tea bags and re-fill the coffee pot with water thereby re-using ground coffee. I always take a reusable mug to work with homemade coffee so I don't buy it. 4 days out of 5 I take a packed lunch.

ThistleDownHair · 27/05/2019 18:33

Before going on day trips with the kids I check apps like wowcher etc for deals. I quite often get offers such as "adults free with kids entry" or "50% off entry price". I just have to be careful that I can use them on my preferred dates/times.

I also have a family Historic Scotland pass. It costs £7 per month (for 1st year) then 6 months free. We regularly visit castles / events at historic Scotland sites so we really do get our monies worth!

SunshineCake · 27/05/2019 18:35

I spend a lot on raspberries for the kids so next week I'm buying a raspberry plant. Years ago I managed to produce one raspberry. I left it on the plant to show the kids.

A bird ate it

Teacher22 · 27/05/2019 18:37

I buy all non perishables at sale prices and keep them in the garage. Ditto nice coffee and Champagne.
I stack offers like Martin Lewis advises. Once got £60 of high end coffee and groceries for £6 from Waitrose by combining three offers and vouchers.
Cut open tubes to get the last little bit.
Send bulk bought cheap but classy cards with cash for presents so no wrapping costs. (60 British Museum cards for £10 in their Christmas sale.)
Combine expensive sale items with cheapo jeans and launder/ iron them perfectly for a more expensive effect.
Plan meals round yellow sticker bargains. Buy yellow stickered items and freeze them.
Don’t eat out. Make own cakes. Take picnics.
Clean own car in 10 minutes flat with a caravan brush and no chamoising. Looks like a car washed car. Saves a tenner.
Get jewellery from Goldsmiths on Tesco’s Clubcard points. Save for a year for them.
DH and I do not do Christmas pressies for each other but go to the sales afterwards if we need anything.
Crowd fund really good pressies for the family so no one gets expensive tat they do not want.
Never use a voucher or an offer if I do not need the product.
And so on. Live a Rolls Royce life on a Trabant budget.

SachaStark · 27/05/2019 18:51

Use washable micro fibre cleaning cloths. They just get dumped in with the towel wash, so no extra money being used on washing.

We run a dehumidifier, which sounds expensive, but because we live in a rainy area by the seaside (lots of houses prone to damp round here), actually saves us money in the long run, as it keeps the house in good nick.

Bulk buy anything we use regularly when it’s on offer. We are lucky enough to have a utility room where we can store stuff, plus a chest freezer for bulk bought food. Our house is tiny though! We’re just lucky to have this one little room.

Buy meat from the discount section and freeze it down.

We are religious meal planners! I don’t understand people who don’t do this- how do you know what vegetables to buy at the supermarket?!

I enter a veg box raffle at work for 50p every week, and there’s so few of us who enter, that I win a lot! Big box of veg every few weeks in exchange for a couple of quid.

Mend clothes instead of chucking them out because there’s a hole in it.

Only go to the cinema on days when you can combine the local cinema membership card with Meerkat movies as well! Tickets come out at £2.50 each.

Reusable sandwich wraps and washable ziploc bags for lunches. Plus, better for the environment!

Try to NEVER attend social events which have a costume theme. Seriously, the amount of money my mates waste on fancy dress is actually ridiculous. My hen do theme was “I don’t know, wear what you want.”

My parents taught me to NEVER take anything on finance unless it was a mortgage. Everyone I work with laughs at me because I’ve had the same car since I was 17. Why? I paid for my car ONCE, you pay for yours every single month in the hundreds!

Don’t have a mobile phone.

Use a mobile hairdresser- much better value than salons, same skills being used.

Do all our own cleaning and DIY. If I need to learn how to do something new, I ask my dad to show me how! I very much grew up in a household where you didn’t pay somebody else to do something you could do yourself.

Lovely13 · 27/05/2019 18:52

Bars of soap instead of liquid soap from a plastic bottle. Cheaper and better for planet! Am investigating shampoo soap bars.

LipstickHandbagCoffee · 27/05/2019 18:54

Buy out of season.bought a cashmere scarf on sale £145 to £29 cause its summer

Asta19 · 27/05/2019 18:54

@SunshineCake

Sorry that has made me chuckle Grin

clarehhh · 27/05/2019 18:56

Add sliver of soap to new bar. Add water to get out. Last of liquid soap..Make soup and homemade bread most days.For soup use dregs from fridge.

HotChocolateLover · 27/05/2019 18:56

Always look first at the reduced food aisle. Don’t get too hung up on ‘must have this’ so if it’s in the reduced aisle we’ll have that instead.

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