What are you adjusting to save yourself money?

[flyingdream]

I'm hoping we don't eat go out to eat as much as we do or order food in. It's just a really bad habit. But we can never stick with it it. Paying 8.50 for a pizza (12 inch from local takeaway) is a large amount and I'm ashamed it's taken recent price increases to make us think.

Also hoping we don't turn on the radiators as much as we do.

I have a shower once every 3 days now instead of every day.

I only have the heating on in one room (I have a 5 month old baby and a 4 year old that need to be comfortably warm).

I no longer use the disgustingly expensive storage heaters.

I bought a bicycle with a child's trailer to use instead of paying for busses.

I cancelled Prime and Amazon Music.

I cancelled my piano teaching app.

I make a coffee and bring it in a flask when I leave the house.

I will not get my broken and missing teeth fixed. Even the front one.

I don't get my hair cut. I wrap my hair in a cloth instead.

I started cutting my daughter's hair with the help of Youtube.

I sold my tumble dryer.

I will just forget getting carpet for my bedroom (;bloody council making tenants rip up their carpets)

I now buy chicken thighs instead of breast.

I only drink squash no more cola.

I’m not. Instead I’m concentrating on ways I can earn more rather than ways I can spend less. This was not my ethos until I read a great book by Rachel Rodger’s…. eye opening.

For those quitting the tumbler, Have a look at the Lakeland heated drier, pop a sheet over the top to dry stuff quicker too..

Join your local library. As well as physical books most local authorities give you access to news papers, magazines, children's comics, graphic novels, e-books, audiobooks, all for free. The more demand for these services, the longer they will be funded.

No coffee out, take aways, meals out, set heating to 15 during the day/night (so it is usually off all this time) turning it to 17 in the evening if we are cold. Not turning on lights during the day, don’t use tumble drier or dishwasher any more. Washing on cold cycle, only washing clothes when they are actually dirty. Got a ‘baby dam’ to make the volume of the bath half the amount for little ones baths, 3min showers, Boiling kettle once in morning and putting the boiled water in a big thermos to make cuppas during the rest of the day instead of constantly boiling the kettle every time I want a hot drink, turning everything off at the main plug rather than letting everything sit on standby, only turning the oven/hob on for evening meal (cereal/sandwiches for breakfast/lunch rather than hot meals), meal planning..... will come back if I think of any others, but the increase in gas/prices has really made us look at out usage and how we can cut back.

Getting a 10kwh battery fitted in garage. Charge it 7.5p on octopus go. It's a £5.5k spend but should pay for itself after a few years. Recommend looking into it

Ordered an ID3 too, hopefully arrive this year.

Feel like I'm being forced into electric car, but oh well. Should save money in the long term.

I've read someone is not bothering to get missing and broken teeth fixed to save money.
No eating out or takeaways ever at all (that's different if you never liked it anyway)
Showering only twice a week

I don't know what world this is but I don't think this is realistic or necessary.

Trying for takeaways/eating out, normally have a takeaway once a week, rarely eat out anyway, but trying to limit that to once a month, turned the heating down a degree and turned the amount of time the boiler heats hot water, turned the underfloor heating off. We are fortunate that there is a lot more that we could do before things get desperate, will see how this works for a bit.

Oh also, not using tumble drier or dishwasher and was going to join the gym again but not bothering and do a Joe wicks hitt workout from you tube instead.

@Laska2Meryls

I bought a Wonderbag for slow cooking things like chillis curries etc a few years ago and was originally intended for for use camping .. but I have found that I use it most at home.

They really work! I tend to start mine off the day before (mainly because I think casserole type things usually taste better the day after). You do have to start off on the cooker , but once meat if using is browned, and veggies added you just bring it up to temperature and , just put the pan in the bag and leave it .. Its amazing just how much heat they retain ..

I bought the large one, it does for everything I find..

www.wonderbagworld.com/wonderbag-shop-uk

(They also have a woman to woman scheme so you could if you wanted buy one for a little extra and they donate one to someone in need as well)

These really should be standard household ‘appliances’ because it really makes you think how to live frugally and therefore much more environmentally.

We should always have used items like these. Well we did with hay box cooking.

I’ve been meaning to purchase one for a while but needed to get a short handled casserole dish too so it’s be a bigger expense initially.

Have you cooked rice in it at all? I’ve seen the recipes and think it would make a fab rice cooker.

So how long are you prepared to live this sort of existence (can't really call it a life) for?

@Nemorth

“ Clothes dry within 24 hours.”

Mine take a lot longer than 24 hours to dry on an airier - 2-3 days.

I've given up trying. I'm no good at cutting things back, and the things I do get as a "treat" are things I genuinely enjoy. If the time comes where I need to stop, then I'm sure I will, but I'm not bothered about saving on top of my already savings. The cost of living will just increase, and unless wages do we'll all be up shits creek without a paddle anyway. May as get some enjoyment from my costa everyday until that happens.

@CallmeBadJanet

Join your local library. As well as physical books most local authorities give you access to news papers, magazines, children's comics, graphic novels, e-books, audiobooks, all for free. The more demand for these services, the longer they will be funded.

All our local libraries have closed sadly. The main one in town has gone from being open seven days a week, from 7am until 8pm Monday to Saturday and 10am-5pm on a Sunday to being open Mon/Wed/Sat from 11am-3pm. It's only about ten years old and cost millions to build. Now it just sits there empty for most of the time.

If you have a Kindle/tablet/smartphone, try joining Netgalley. You request advance copies of forthcoming books (decent, bestselling authors - I've reviewed Caitlin Moran, Margaret Atwood, Philippa Gregory among hundreds of others) and you leave a short review on Amazon/Waterstones etc in return. I've been doing it for years and have read thousands of pounds worth of books for free.

@Rick83 - what is the battery you mentioned, and what do you use it for?

@000oooh

So how long are you prepared to live this sort of existence (can't really call it a life) for?

Indefinitely, I guess. We don't have a choice really, do we.

Virgin media have increased my monthly bill to £67 for a low bundle, I did manage to get a reduced offer but only for 18 months. I then realised a) I don't watch most of the channels b) I very rarely watch live TV, I always record programmes. So I've cancelled the whole lot and moved to Talk Talk for broadband only. So saving £40 per month + £14 TV licence per month. I can watch what TV I want on catchup and Netflix

@000oooh

I've read someone is not bothering to get missing and broken teeth fixed to save money. No eating out or takeaways ever at all (that's different if you never liked it anyway) Showering only twice a week

I don't know what world this is but I don't think this is realistic or necessary.

Of course it's necessary for some people.

I can't afford to get my teeth fixed. I go to my local dental hospital for checkups, scale & polishes and fillings - the dental students do them for free, but that service is ending this year. I need bridges which aren't covered by the students, and an NHS dentist costs around £300 for the treatment I need. I can't afford that so I have to be gappy.

This is some people's reality, whether you think it's realistic or not.

Heating off whilst the kids are at school

Lowering my tv package

Going to a sim only contract later in the year at upgrade time

Bring more mindful when spending, like taking a drink and snack about with me feather than spending £20 for me and the kids if we get peckish. I’m hoping that looking after the pennies will help with the pounds x

EveningOverRooftops

Yes, it works on the the same principle as a Haybox just a lot less messy!... I haven't tried rice in it, but I suppose the way to do that would be to have a larger one for main meals and a smaller for rice.. ( I just do mine on the gas hob until its just al dente, then drain , cover and let it steam).. but there are recipes on that website

If you have a crock pot with a variable temperature control and can get that up to temp ( it need to be simmering well to start) and put it in -obviously switched off and with the plug pulled out of the socket- or even just the inner crock if it comes out .. I have done that with my old Morphy Richards intellichef which fits in the large wonderbag..

I just use the intellichef to do the initial browning and simmer ..
I have just eaten a turkey and veg 'chilli' , that I made this morning in my bag. It was still hot enough to eat straight out of the pot .
but today I used a wide stainless steel pan with dual handles ..

@NorthFaceofthelaundrypile

It's a essentially a big battery you can put in the garage/loft. You set it to charge during economy 7 12:30 - 4.30 am. Your home then uses that power during the day.

Buying everything from Aldi now

Signed up for Tesco clubcard plus. It's a monthly subscription but you get 10% off on top of the clubcard deals so we tend to save 20+ a shop.

I've turned our heating down from 20°c to 18°c (it's set to 16°c when we're not home/husband is sleeping), trying my best to avoid the dryer too, just using when I have no other option.
And trying to overpay debts, even just by a small amount because I'm terrified interest rates could spiral like they did in the 90s.
We already don't go out and have takeaways very infrequently- less than one a month.

The worst thing is the British Gas profits went up 44% to some obscene amount of millions. They are taking the mick!