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?

[SlimGin]

I do a lot of what PPs have said. I buy most of DD's things second hand (clothes, toys, books, general baby things like carrier, cot... I got our cot for £10!). Toys and books are particularly good deals at charity shops as they're often as good as new and 1/4 the price.
I sew up DP's work trousers and other easy fixes.
I also, if it's not awful weather, park just outside of town and walk in to avoid parking charges.

[Crazycat16]

Tinned tomatoes, you're absolutely wrong about! I'll scrimp on anything but cheap tinned tomatoes. The difference in taste is huge!!

I saw James Martin saying to buy cheap tinned toms and just put a spoon of sugar in when cooking to get the same taste as expensive ones.
I do have a toilet roll mountain and buy massive soap powders. I buy fabric conditioner when it’s on offer and do stock up on other items when they are on offer so I don’t have to buy them full price for a while.
A dry trim rather than a wash cut and blow dry not only saves time but does save money too, although the real reason I have a dry trim is because with arthritis in my neck I can’t have it washed at the sink or sit too long in the chair. The money saving is just a bonus.

[Thesearmsofmine]

Chop and blanch any leftover veg to freeze instead of leaving it to go bad in the fridge.

[BarbaraofSevillle]

Phones these days are very powerful mini computers. The first phones simply do not compare.

I agree that a lot of phones are very very expensive, but what you can get for £100-200 is really quite amazing and can make life so much easier in lots of ways, and even if you change them every year or two, which is unnecessary, the monthly cost for the phone works out at less than £10 a month.

And monthly charges are peanuts really, there's no need to pay more than £10 a month and for that you can get more unlimited texts, more minutes than most people would ever need and quite a decent amount of data. So less than £20 a month all in on average for more or less unlimited communications and information, I don't think that's expensive.

[BooksAreMyOnlyFriends]

I can't understand why anyone would fly any other class than economy. It's the same plane, same safety standards, same flight crew, same view, same turbulence, same destination. Often it's hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds cheaper to fly economy. A bit more legroom and boarding the plane earlier doesn't seem worth the massive price difference.

However, it's people who pay for the more expensive seats that keep the prices lower in economy. So please carry on.

[MrsJamin]

Turn the oven off 15 mins before you take the food. It keeps hot for a long time if you don't open the door. Obvs doesn't work with something like cake baking but for a stew or something its silly to turn it off only when you take the food out. Also use the oven back to back with baking and cooking so you're not wasting the heat.

[SnugglySnerd]

Drying washing on the line. I know a lot of people do this but I'm surprised many don't. My neighbours on either side don't even have washing lines, they rumble dry everything and several colleagues say that they do too.

[LarryGreysonsDoor]

I never meal plan but equally I never throw any food away.

[BarbaraofSevillle]

Related to that MrsJ. Ignore the instruction at the beginning of the recipe to preheat the oven. Unless it's something with hardly any prep, you don't need to be turning the oven on at the beginning of a cake making session for example, but maybe just before you start to put the eggs or even the flour in.

Ovens heat up much more quickly than they used to, but recipes still have 'turn on the oven' as the first instruction, when for most people and most recipes, it's probably 10-20 minutes too early.

[DuggeesWoggle]

Use old toothbrushes to clean around taps and other small gaps.

Cut old laddered tights into rings to make elastic bands - they are good as hair ties as they don't pull your hair although you do have to wrap them round a good few times. I also save all the elastic bands from bunches of spring onions and everything else.

[Kazzyhoward]

I used to wear white tights for work (nursing). If I laddered on leg, I'd wait till I had another laddered pair, then cut off each laddered leg and wear two pairs, each for one leg. Saved a fortune when you wear them every day!

As to bulk buying, it saves an absolute fortune, not just "pennies". I bulk buy loads of stuff, especially loo rolls where you can save a pound or two very easily when buying a pack of 9 rather than two packs of 4 when there's an offer. Same with cans of fizzy drinks, crisps, baked beans, etc- often half price if you buy in bulk.

And yes, to shopping around - I go to B&M Bargains, Home Bargains and Wilko for toiletries, medicines, toothpastes, etc - you get the same brands far cheaper than supermarkets, so I stock up of whatever each has on offer.

I'd estimate I save £10-£20 per week easily by shopping around and bulk buying, and that's on the main brands, not buying cheaper own label stuff.

And a big yes to meal planning and having a list. We have virtually zero food waste - maybe an inch or two of milk, the odd slice of bread, the odd bit of veg or salad - certainly no more than a pound per week, probably 25p or so, and I kick myself at that for not planning better!

[StopItandGoToBed]

Yy BarbaraofSevillle

I think most fan oven don't even really need preheating - certainly I never do it.

[RussianSpamBot]

We save loads more than pennies by bulk buying the things we don't get at non bulk buying supermarkets, but it's a completely valid point that you have to have the space.

[BentBaastard]

Adding red lentils to bolognaise or chilli to bulk it out.

It actually doubles your meal

[Jaxhog]

I drink tap water (albeit filtered) and have not bought a biro for years and years. I collect them when I go to a business conference. And no to credit. If I can't afford it now I don't buy it.

It's worth bearing in mind that many people don't have time to grow their own veg, make their own bread etc. Quite a lot of people are very time poor.

[Hellywelly10]

Always fly with hand luggage only. Cook from scratch (most of the time). Stopped recreational shopping which saved a ton of cash. Buy train/ plane/ coach tickets way in advance.

[Bollockwort]

I'm not particularly thrifty, but am surprised that most of my friends don't do the following:

• drink tap water
• use reusable cloths for cleaning (I use e-cloths)
• buy cars outright (putting a car on finance is a waste of money, it's better to just buy a banger)
• sim only contracts (until phone dies, but then try and inherit another cheap phone as a replacement/buy 2nd hand outright)
• no TV, and no live broadcasting (TV licensing is a waste of money)
• don't use heating unless 2 jumpers and under-trouser leggings can't do the job
• no cinema unless it's 2 for 1, and even then it's a treat
• hardly ever throw/give away my clothing - I'll wear clothes until they're beyond threadbare

I do, however, spend a ridiculous amount of money on food (and booze!) because I'm a picky eater. I also spend far too much money on my pets!

Swings and roundabouts

[Jaxhog]

And we have a weekly menu. It saves hugely on food waste (and thus cost) and takes very little time to do.

[Ragwort]

I do think a lot of brand names taste better than the cheaper ones, not all of course, but many.

I never understand why people spend so much at hairdressers, beauticians etc. Seems a complete waste of money to me, I get my hair cut twice a year at a college training salon. Can paint my own nails quite easily.

All my clothes come from charity shops, a matter of principle now .

I rarely spend money on ‘entertainment’, if I want a nice meal I will cook it myself, if I meet friends we either do something like go for a walk or meet for a coffee at each other’s houses, if I want to see a film I will wait until I can hire it from the library (although our local cinema is only £4 a ticket). I prefer to drink at home (cheaper & can choose exactly what I like).

I don’t meal plan as I find it is too ‘rigid’ but I don’t throw food out & can easily throw together a meal from leftovers & store cupboard ingredients. I do have a tumble dryer but hardly ever use it.

But I will admit to spending a lot of money on decent ground coffee and pension investment .

[BuzzShitbagBobbly]

Loads of pp things.

I also don't use kitchen roll at all. I have a stack of cut up t-shirt and towelling rags. I wash and re-use/bin according to how grotty.

And as for pp who said "I don’t understand why people don’t meal plan, or go food shopping without making a list first. No wonder so much food gets wasted."

I don't meal plan but I also manage not to waste food, unless you count cat food scraps and half an inch of cucumber this week.

[ifyouneedmenow]

I never use the tumble dryer except in emergencies.
Hardly ever buy branded food drink except Diet Coke . I used to buy branded soap powder and coffee for years before I bought Lidl .
Always shop at Lidl / Aldi keep a eye out for offers and bulk buy like rose wine £2.99 at Lidl this weekend.
At Asda call in the evening buy meat with yellow sticker to freeze and the bread is reduced I bought a bag of rolls that I froze last week for 17p lasted me the week for lunches .
Use offers for meals out cinema meetcat movies/ meals also my bank offers discounts for the cinema and we get cash back on direct debits so we use it for the cinema .
I love a bargain I've been a lot more thrifty this year selling stuff on eBay and only buying clothes that I need rather than want . It pays off but I'm not tight I'll happily get a round in with friends or split the bill as it's a treat and not a regular thing . If I'm careful most of the time when we do have a splurge you can afford to .

[fairweathercyclist]

Agree with having an older car and driving it into the ground. Ditto buying a cheaper mobile phone.

But always using Netflix instead of going to the cinema seems quite sad (assuming you can afford it). You need a bit of fun in your life, too. I am not a cinema goer but it's far more of an event to go than watch something on the TV at home. I go maybe once every 2-3 years, DS and DH go together about 3 times a year.

I don't meal plan but I don't waste food, either. I find ways of using it up. And we generally eat everything anyway, it's more that food is horrible eg you buy apples and find they are mushy (so DH made a crumble with them this weekend).

[LipstickHandbagCoffee]

Use a lip brush get all lipstick out when bullet finished
Turn product bottles upside down get contents to drain down
Regularly go to make up and perfume counters get product samples,
always ask for a product sample at hairdresser. I’ve taken little tubs for decants
Cook from scratch
Go shop when I know its yellow labelling time,shamelessly follow the staff
Insulated flask for coffee when out & about. Rarely pay for a coffee
Buy make up,perfume,handbags on eBay
2nd hand Books from charity shop or amazon
Swop books with friends

[Bollockwort]

I cut my hair the majority of the time, or just don't get it cut at all (have max 1-2 haircuts a year). Most hairdressers disappoint me anyway, so I'd rather do it myself and save the money! That saves me about £150 a year, I'm guessing.

[BelindasGleeTeam]

Add grated veg & lentils to Bolognese, chilli etc.
When you get home make freezer bags of veg by chopping, steaming and freezing. No waste.
Buy the biggest washing powder boxes. Best value.
Line dry as much as you can.
Freesat not sky.
Shop in Lidl or Aldi

MEAL PLAN. I reduced our shopping bill loads once I actually worked out what I was cooking daily.