Your number 1 money-saving tip

[PupInAPram]

What is your number 1 tip that saved you the most money on regular household spending?

It sounds very obvious but my main tip is to use what you’ve got. Not just re: food. Things like going through your drawers and cabinets and finding every half used shower gel, guest soap from a hotel and dodgy bubble bath gift set and methodically using it up day by day. I do this with toiletries every new year - I always end up finding a tube of toothpaste that I’d forgotten buying, somehow enough soap and shower gel to last 3-4 months, half used shampoo that wasn’t my favourite and so on. Using it up gets rid of clutter and stops you from buying more before it’s gone.

Food cupboards too. Today I’ve unexpectedly got my son for the day so my exH can go out. I didn’t have any bread in for sandwiches for his lunch as I don’t eat bread and wasn’t expecting him so instead of popping to the shop for bread (which turns into more than just bread every time) I had a root through and unearthed a Pot Noodle for him. Not the greatest nutritionally but it filled him up without the need to spend more money before I need to.

Yellow sticker and a freezer. I buy anything useful and sling it in the freezer without looking. Double yellow sticker is worth the trip.

When times are hard, we eat free for a fortnight.

I didn’t realise how much money I was wasting in coffees and charity shops until the lockdown. It was just one pound here, a couple there.

Saved almost £400 on the first month alone (though £100 must have been saved on petrol)

Tesco delivery. I meal plan for the week and only buy what I need. I’m not tempted by all the supermarket goodies. I can change the order up to 11pm the night before.
I bought a delivery pass and as the order comes from a massive Tesco that saves petrol.

I have massively cut back on coffees, lunches out. Instead we being a flask and a packed lunch and honestly it's much more fun. I then put the money that I would have spent into a holiday/rainy day pot. It really adds up!

Spend it. God will send it!

Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.

@coodawoodashooda

Don't go to the shops. Seriously. Wait until tomorrow and see if you really need it.

I've been ill with covid since 27th February. I ended March with more money left at the end of the month than I've ever had so I agree with you about not going to the shops. Having said that I'm not sure catching covid is worth it.

Also, I am in love with charity shops and selling clothes that no longer serve their purpose. You can really get some great bargains especially for children who grow out of clothes so quickly

Work efficiently.

Reduce snacking or don't snack at all in between meals.

Repair things if you can before running out to replace something.

Borrow items from friends / family rather than buying your own. Similarly lend items to friends and family.

Always take a reusable water bottle out with you and a cereal bar or dried fruit / nuts for when out and about to resist buying something.

Eat less meat. Use lentils or tinned potatoes to bulk out a bolognese or curry and freeze the extra, use a thumb of chorizo as flavouring rather than using the whole thing in one go. Things like homemade lentil soup take 20 minutes, cost pennies, and are delicious. It costs about 20p to make a delicious homemade pizza base - top with some passata, cheese, and whatever you like for less than the cost of a rubbish cheap supermarket one. Beans on toast is perfectly acceptable as a meal. Don’t have seconds - freeze or refrigerate for lunch.

@Mrsmadevans

Use the library , they have an app Libby you can view loads of mags on for nowt.

My library offers this too! And they have the BorrowBox app where you can rent audio books. It's fantastic and he already saved me a load of money.

For upmarket charity shop finds: small, expensive villages (e.g. Cotswolds) and their small, local charities (hospice shops are a good one to look for). The larger charity shop chains handle donations centrally so you can't rely on posh area = posh donations.

Budget for the year, not the month.
Don’t buy something unless you have the money in the bank already (except your mortgage and maybe a car)
The tiny little saves can’t compensate for wasting money on interest and fees.

If you use fresh lemons/limes in recipes, buy in bulk and pop them in the freezer...when needed thaw in the microwave and the juice is just as fresh as the day it was frozen...much better than the concentrates... no need it squeeze the juice before freezing and decant to another container...use the one mother nature provided. The same works for passionfruit.
Not only are all these PP tips about saving money...think about how much each one is helping the environment with reducing your carbon footprint win win

@SpringLobelia

Never go on Amazon or ebay when drunk.

( posted under another user name once how DH and I bought a baby grand piano once when shitfaced on pink champagne. neither of us play the piano. Nor do we have room for a piano).

You’ll save even more if you give up the drink

Don't buy the first round in the pub. Leave it until the 3rd or 4th and there will always be some that wont want a drink. Better still, leave early before its obvious that its your round.

Not something I do as a cost saving myself but I know some that do and there are always new people coming along with that technique.

Don't replace your car.

They depreciate like mad, bangernomics is much better for your wallet and the environment. Any extra you spend on maintenance will be dwarfed by what you save in depreciation.

My current car is 14 years old, the last one I did almost 200,000 miles in it before it was written off in an accident that wasn't my fault. I was planning to keep it until it had done quarter of a million miles 😁

@wheretonow123

Don't buy the first round in the pub. Leave it until the 3rd or 4th and there will always be some that wont want a drink. Better still, leave early before its obvious that its your round.

Not something I do as a cost saving myself but I know some that do and there are always new people coming along with that technique.

Make your motto in life:

First one out of the taxi
Last one into the bar

Not sure if this has been mentioned but I think it's important to tell people if you can't afford stuff. I have been in financial difficulty for a while and I felt a kind of shane with not being able to afford stuff. For example the collection at work for a leaving present or a birthday or the friends that want to go out. In the end I found my voice and said - sorry I can't afford that .... It was empowering. I was recently at a dentist and was getting the sell for whatever and I simply said, sorry can't afford that. Same with school when they are looking for £ for whatever

This is very important. There is no shame in being in financial difficulty. Plenty of people are and there are going to be more and more with the spiraling costs.
There are so many posts on here where people are worried sick about having to pay for an expensive spa day for someone's hen night or the costs of travel to a destination wedding. Trying to come up with excuses to wriggle out of said things. Or on a smaller scale - meals out with family or friends at expensive restaurants when the person doesn't have the money spare.
Speak up and say, I'm sorry I won't be able to come as I can't afford it. And keep saying that until it sinks in.

@SarahBellam

Eat less meat. Use lentils or tinned potatoes to bulk out a bolognese or curry and freeze the extra, use a thumb of chorizo as flavouring rather than using the whole thing in one go. Things like homemade lentil soup take 20 minutes, cost pennies, and are delicious. It costs about 20p to make a delicious homemade pizza base - top with some passata, cheese, and whatever you like for less than the cost of a rubbish cheap supermarket one. Beans on toast is perfectly acceptable as a meal. Don’t have seconds - freeze or refrigerate for lunch.

I think take away Pizzas or even supermarket ones ( unless heavily reduced) are an absolute rip off. I bought one at the coop the other day, it was reduced to £1 but otherwise normal price was £5. There was barely even any cheese on it. My dh makes his own pizzas bases at weekends for pennies.

When get paid

Some money automatically goes into pension
Pay bills & credit card
Move some money into savings account every month
Also, use things like cash back on purchases, vouchers, yellow stickers, charity shops, bulk buy, food waste apps, store cards or apps, banks with cash back

I try and cook several meals in the oven at once.

Takes a bit of planning, but allows for batch cooking and I enjoy the evenings where I didn’t have to stand in kitchen all evening cooking.

Have been putting scrunched bubble wrap in the freezer when the load level drops so it’s not cooling an empty space, not sure if this helps or not tbh.

Yesterday I cooked a ham joint for our dinner and roasted two butternut squash (which I then froze) to make soup another day.

Turned off heating in rooms we don’t use much, or turned to low, made a point of having the hot water on only for an hour in the morning. There’s only two of us and so far seems to be working ok.