Money saving ideas /Energy prices

[Smelly32]

Does anyone have any ideas about money saving they could share?

Maybe switch to a cheaper brand/shop when grocery shopping. Money saved could go towards the cost of energy bills.

Any others ?

If you have a slow cooker, use it as its really cheap to run.
Get a heated throw and use it instead of putting the heating on.
Wearable blankets for everyone.
Have a couple of days a week where you cook something really cheap for tea, like baked potatoes with cheese and beans.
And if you’re using the oven, make sure it’s full. If there’s space in it doing nothing, whack a cake in or a rice pudding.
Don’t waste ANYTHING. Once a week, roast all the veg going off in the bottom of the fridge and make into soup or pasta sauce,

And this is my major saving - have a week where you live on tins. Jack Monroe has some great recipes for cooking proper food with tins and they are dirt cheap.

@Nc123

If you have a slow cooker, use it as its really cheap to run. Get a heated throw and use it instead of putting the heating on. Wearable blankets for everyone. Have a couple of days a week where you cook something really cheap for tea, like baked potatoes with cheese and beans. And if you’re using the oven, make sure it’s full. If there’s space in it doing nothing, whack a cake in or a rice pudding. Don’t waste ANYTHING. Once a week, roast all the veg going off in the bottom of the fridge and make into soup or pasta sauce,

And this is my major saving - have a week where you live on tins. Jack Monroe has some great recipes for cooking proper food with tins and they are dirt cheap.

No point whacking a cake in if you aren't going to eat cake. Waste of food.

I’ve just tried Aldi at the weekend. Trying Lidl this weekend.
I wash my hair at night, towel dry it and brush it out in the morning if it’s too frizzy I wear it up.

I don’t shower every day, every other day and kids are every other days as well.

I sanity check their washing, they will literally wear a hoodie for an afternoon and out it in the wash. Unless it’s dirty or smells, I get it out again give it a shake and put back.

With the knobbly potatoes I cut the knobble bits off and make diced potatoes or homemade chips.

I only put a cup of water in the kettle. Turn off appliances, wash at 40 degrees and put on airers in the bathroom where it’s warmer.

I also removed the bath plug so it’s showers for everyone. 🙈

Also I use TopCashback for everything. I’ve made £7k in 4 years from it.

@ItsDisneyBitch try washing at 30

Punctures:
As someone’s already said - Kevlar tyres are a really good investment.
Keep your tyres pumped up so that they are rock hard - 100 psi for a road bike and 50-60 for a gravel/MTB/commuter.
Get a track pump to pump up at home - they aren’t expensive, are easier to use, and the gauge tells you your tyre pressure.
Don’t fix a puncture by the side of the road. Always take a spare inner tube and a pump and just change the tube. Lever it off, feel inside the tyre for any thorns, flints, glass etc, then put the new tube inside and replace the tyre. Pump up as hard as you can to get home and then pump again with the track pump to get the right psi.
Practice changing inner tubes at home! I rarely get punctures and they are usually pinch flats because I’ve been lazy and not pumped up at home - change them a couple of times to get better at it. Plus it gives new tyres a bit of flex to get on and off in a hurry.

Today 21:46 FloralsForSpring

@ItsDisneyBitch try washing at 30

Thanks! I have a dd with ASD who doesn’t handle periods very well. Do you think that would still work with the knickers?

@ItsDisneyBitch

Today 21:46 FloralsForSpring

@ItsDisneyBitch try washing at 30

Thanks! I have a dd with ASD who doesn’t handle periods very well. Do you think that would still work with the knickers?

Might do, worth a try.

Batch cook

Meal plan

Shop yellow stickers and utilise your freezer

Track your bills, is there anything you can cancel? Spotify, Apple Music, Netflix, tv package, phone contract and move to sim only, fix onto a mortgage deal with a lower interest, can you get a cheaper broadband deal? Etc.

Track your spending, we have a separate account for spending which we transfer money into every week.

Reduce the temperature on your thermostat and your boiler

Turn radiators off in rooms you're not using

Submit regular meter readings so your bill is accurate

Put water bottles in your toilet cistern to use less water if on a water meter

Keep water in a flask instead of keep boiling the kettle

I could go on all day

Oh last one.. always google promotion codes before ordering anything, even before booking mots etc

@FloralsForSpring it doesn’t have to be a cake - that’s just an example. It often is cake in my house to use up fruit that would otherwise go off, and to fill up my hungry boys! But feel free to sub whatever you fancy.

I've said this on a previous thread but we've switched from using the electric shower to filling a bucket and using a beaker/ plastic jug to pour the water in the bath. Takes a bit of getting used to if bathroom is cold but saves on loads of electric.

Ffs there are lots and lots of people for whom cycling is just not doable. I now have several health issues post-cancer etc and am over 50 but even when I was younger and a single parent trying to get to work for no money with a baby strapped to my bike it was difficult and stressful. I hated it and wished I had a car, every day. When you're actually skint and have no other options and it's snowing and you have twenty minutes to walk five miles with a flat tyre before the childminder charges you another thirty quid late fee which by the way is a day's wage after tax you would do anything to never have to look at another fucking bike again. This is not a solution. Agitating for better pay and working conditions so that employees can afford to support themselves and their families is. So there's my top tip: join a union and take to the streets. Fucking around with beans and kevlar pumps won't cut it.

Keep water in a flask instead of keep boiling the kettle

Why do you think that saves energy?

It will only save energy if you don't use all the water in a kettle when you boil it.

If you use most of the water in a kettle when you boil it, it's not going to save you much energy at all - especially if you don't use all the water you have put in a thermos.

I completely agree that joining a union and taking to the streets are good moves.
However I think you do cycling an injustice.
You are talking about cycling in the most challenging circs (with a baby, in winter)- of course that's not great- but you might have been in a car that broke down, or needed an expensive repair. In other countries cycling to work, including with a baby, is completely normal. Plus the incidental benefits - aside from money saving- should not be overlooked, physical and mental health plus of course not frying the planet.
Get out on the streets and demand better cycling infrastructure I say.

I've brought a heated blanket for the evenings

[quote Nc123]@FloralsForSpring it doesn’t have to be a cake - that’s just an example. It often is cake in my house to use up fruit that would otherwise go off, and to fill up my hungry boys! But feel free to sub whatever you fancy.[/quote]
Ahh I see. Good idea I'll try to think of something

@slightlypeckish

we are a two car household but now that we both WFH we are seriously thinking of getting rid of one car. Just slightly concerned that is the day work will announce a return to the office!

We are a 2 car household too. When my DHs contract finishes, he’s swapping his car for an electric bike. He only really uses his car for work commute, 4 miles each way, so 2 cars is a bit of a luxury.

@Sh05

I've said this on a previous thread but we've switched from using the electric shower to filling a bucket and using a beaker/ plastic jug to pour the water in the bath. Takes a bit of getting used to if bathroom is cold but saves on loads of electric.

Some things are just not worth the saving! How do you heat the water? Being cold, wet and miserable is grim!

@Hisea

Batch cook

Meal plan

Shop yellow stickers and utilise your freezer

Track your bills, is there anything you can cancel? Spotify, Apple Music, Netflix, tv package, phone contract and move to sim only, fix onto a mortgage deal with a lower interest, can you get a cheaper broadband deal? Etc.

Track your spending, we have a separate account for spending which we transfer money into every week.

Reduce the temperature on your thermostat and your boiler

Turn radiators off in rooms you're not using

Submit regular meter readings so your bill is accurate

Put water bottles in your toilet cistern to use less water if on a water meter

Keep water in a flask instead of keep boiling the kettle

I could go on all day

Oh last one.. always google promotion codes before ordering anything, even before booking mots etc

No, turning off radiators in rooms you don’t use is false economy. All the happens is the warm air gets drawn towards the cold spots in your home. You’re better off having the thermostats on low in unused rooms and bedrooms, and turning all thermostats down a degree or two.

Also, keeping water in a flask doesn’t work. If you need 2 litres of boiled water a day for 8 brews, don’t boil it all in 1 go and put in a flask - it doesn’t stay hot enough! Just put 1 cup full of water in your kettle at a time. It will use the same energy as it takes to boil the whole lot in 1 go.

Soontobe60 - glad you said that about turning radiators off, it is false economy. I’ve seen it on here a few times.

Also, keeping water in a flask doesn’t work. If you need 2 litres of boiled water a day for 8 brews, don’t boil it all in 1 go and put in a flask - it doesn’t stay hot enough! Just put 1 cup full of water in your kettle at a time. It will use the same energy as it takes to boil the whole lot in 1 go

This

I think some people just don't always get how energy works.

As soon as it starts to go dark I shut blinds and curtains to help trap the warmth inside.
If it’s a lovely sunny morning I get the blinds/curtains open early to get the free warmth into the house.
Another thing I’ve done is put a bucket in my shower, we put the shower head in it when we turn the shower on, while it heats up. Then use that water for a flush or to water plants.
I’ve also got a big bowl in the kitchen for putting water that I’d throw away in, like water out of the dogs bowl and if I rinse a glass.

If you are earning £7k from cash back sites over 4 years surely you must be buying a lot of stuff in the first place? I used to feel embarrassed about my lack of IT skills but the fact that I find it so impossibly difficult and complicated to order things on line is a now a bonus ... I just don't buy stuff . Use charity shops .. I found a brand new Weird Fish dress for £5 yesterday.

I think having my shopping delivered saves me money. It saves time and car use, and I’m not tempted to put extras in my trolley.

If you're a smaller family, cook all your veggies in one saucepans rather than three. If you really need it, this time of the year just have the heating on for an hour in the morning (at most) to take the chill off. Shorter showers, less bath water. Only use tumble dryers when absolutely necessary, spring and summer it's easy to do washing on better days and put outside. Avoid hair dryers, only put in kettle what you need.

I find it helps to set a budget for shopping, and count up my products roughly as I'm doing along. If I know I'm likely to go over my budget, I quickly assess what I can change for something similar, ie a £1.50 cake can be swapped for a 50p packet of biscuits, either will give you a sweet treat with coffee, a quiche on offer will often be less than a few individual pies. Also, look for shop brands and anything you know you'll use, buy extra when on offer. Think about what food you're buying and make sure you can use it up before it goes off.

Only tiny savings, but old clothes that can't be recycled can be cut up for cleaning clothes. Cut the end of tubes of toothpaste, similar - you'll get another couple of uses out of them.

Walks, parks are all free. Take a snack or a sandwich and fruit/crisps for all of you, make it a bit more of a day out and cheaper than buying food. Buy icecreams from supermarket as cheaper and have them when you get back if you have DC you'd normally treat.