Your number 1 money-saving tip

[PupInAPram]

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

I made some typos - so skin off for “normal” banana and skin on for mushy magic banana

Im a scratch cook and meal planner, but I fridge audit twice a week and adjust the schedule as needed. I try to limit different types of dairy (like single cream, creme fraiche, yogurt) bought per week so i dont end up with too many odds and ends with only a tablespoon or three used!

For new recipes I make half rather than risk having to throw out a lot of food if we don't like it for more than one or two meals. Opposite of that for classics like spag boll or chili that I can fill up the freezer for nights I dont want to cook - Ill make a batch and a half.

I also batch bake things like biscuits, brownies, and weekend morning treats like scones. Cheaper and better than buying out, easier to manage portions. Ive found that homemade bread is so much tastier and filling that you can get by with one slice compared to two for a sandwich. Muffins are a great way to use up yogurt, cheese, vegetables and herbs, or berries and fruits past prime.

We also have a house rule that you need to "shop the house" first before buying something. Toiletries, clothes languishing in the back of cupboards, food things, inevitably we probably either have the item or a close substitute.

I have veganuary and sandwiches for work
February - no purchses on the internet and no alcohol
March - no debit card - pay with cash ( now much harder but makes you spend less) sandwiches for work
April - only small easter eggs, heating off, bulk buy , cook nd freeze for 2 months, no fizzy drinks
May - no alcohol, only chicken
June - no internet and credit cards
start the cycle again.

1 coloured wash, hand wash whites -dry on radiators as much as possible
no dishwasher, re use cup through out the day - one glass and one mug per day
immediately take 30% of take home and put in savings account try to survive on the remainder

bulk buy shampoo , shower gel and decant into smaller bottles
walk everywhere except in dec-feb when snowing or absolutely pissing it down
use cashback web sites

save nectar points for Xmas
buy xmas pressies etc throughout the year and store

thick duvet, thick gleece, fingerless gloves and stand by the oven when I open the door in winter!

Mobile is on min contract possible

Chinese meal for one £11 - does 2 as a treat, if DP away then will last me 3 days.

Pizzas home made from dough up - much nicer and now garlic flatbread

Forage in the summer - apples, blackberries nuts etc, grow own herbs - steal the neighbours.

To quote my DCS - I am as tight as.....

@CanIHaveASnaaaaak

Have separate “savings” and “general use” bank account.

Put a monthly budget on yourself for the non-essentials.

When you make a purchase, any purchase. Round it up to a whole pound and immediately transfer the difference into the savings account. Or, that nice bar of chocolate = £1.45 - put 55p in the savings account.

You don’t really notice it out of your own budget, but it builds up and quite quickly too!

My bank account does this for me, as mentioned by PP. I'm with Lloyds.

@NoWordForFluffy

You can change banks you know!

Wear winter walking gear to keep warm at home - it’s what it’s designed for and you should get a few items discounted in the following places:

TK Maxx- hunt around for merino base layers among the sports or ski wear. Merino keeps you really warm without you feeling bulked out like you’re a resident of a Siberian gulag.

Go Outdoors and Cotswold Outdoor - ditto merino base layers but also look for lined winter walking trousers. These are just black or navy or khaki trousers but have a proper separate fleecy lining. They are more comfy for wearing in the house than jeans - mine are from Craghoppers.
Also look out for padded gilets filled with either down or artificial down called Pertek. I wear mine over a merino layer, or if it’s really cold merino, then hoodie, then gilet.
Bridgedale walking socks are a bit of an investment at about £17 a pair but last for years, are really comfy, don’t smell until you’ve worn them a couple of days, and I find that Bridgedales and Crocs keep my feet massively warmer than slippers.

[quote OnceuponaRainbow18]@NoWordForFluffy

You can change banks you know![/quote]
Yeah. Why would I want to?

I haven’t had time to read the whole thread but in case it hasn’t already been mentioned … when boiling/steaming veg, turn the heat completely off three quarters through your normal cooking time, or less … leave the lid on, and they will continue to cook using the residual heat in the pan. I find when steaming potatoes, cut in quarters to make mash for 4 people, I can turn the heat off half way through the time I would normally allow for. Also works for rice and pasta.

Reminds me, don’t automatically ‘update’ my phone to a new one. At the end of a contract I swap to a SIM contract until said mobile wears out. iPhones don’t seem to have a very long shelf life, and I had to purchase a new battery though.

@Nnique

For me personally it’s quite simple - just don’t spend!! I’m terrible for frittering away my disposable income (always have what feels like a million things on my wish list) so I’m trying to fix that now by only making considered purchases that I actually need or really, really want. It’s a work in progress but I’ve made some improvement and it’ll get easier as I make it a habit.

So for example I have wanted a coordinated picnic set-up for a couple of years now and that’s what I’m getting this month as an early birthday present (because April/May tends to have the best weather and we want to go out a lot while it’s nice). Next month I might try not to buy anything at all, but if I see a brilliant bargain in terms of cost/quality I might get another summer jacket because that’s something I do actually need. I also need a flat-ish pair of dressy shoes for summer as I’ve decided not to wear heels anymore. I’d love a new pair of trainers in lighter colours to wear in the summer but I might decide against those and just make do with the olive green ones I have, even though they’re not all that comfortable - buying a pair of gel insoles will fix that for a lot less money!

I buy a lot of my clothes pre-loved now. I maintain a small capsule wardrobe and don’t buy clothing/accessories for special occasions anymore unless I actually have an event to attend. DH no longer buys any branded clothing (not just a cost-based decision, he loathes the preaching, moralising and lecturing they think they can do whilst taking our money and won’t pay them a single penny any longer).

In terms of household spends we no longer have a tumble dryer. We will be getting a pressure cooker soon and a slow cooker as well. I might invest in an air fryer combination oven if I can determine that it will save us money on electricity - we mostly cook just for the two of us. If anyone knows definitively that it is substantially cost effective (based on actual usage at home compared to a standard electric fan oven) then please do let me know! TIA

We hardly ever have takeaways (mostly because the standard is abysmal in our town), maybe once or twice a year. That saves a lot of money. We also don’t routinely get substandard coffee/tea/cakes in coffee shops. I haven’t been to one in a couple of years now because of lockdown and I likely won’t this year until my daughters visit. We eat out maybe quarterly, if that. Probably more like 2, maybe 3 times a year.

We do one big grocery shop per month. Buy meat/eggs once a month from farm shop. We have veg delivered weekly. We bake our own bread for the most part. I only pop in to supermarket a couple of times a month to top up on sliced bread for toast (which is frozen as we only use a slice here and there) as well as things like milk & fresh herbs or specific veg. That way we spend less by not picking up lots of extra bits several times a week.

I don’t throw away any food. Every scrap is used, leftovers are used over a few days or frozen and made into meals later on. If I get a bit distracted for a week or two and end up with some veg or lettuce that’s past its best it all gets thrown into a soup and it’s always delicious. Very comforting and a quick and easy lunch/dinner.

We’ve switched off our TV and various boxes in the sitting room, because we hardly ever use them and they don’t need to be on standby. Same for PC/printer.

We’ve got a monthly budget that we save into a pot for nieces/nephews’ birthdays (there are a lot of them!) and we stick to it - It’s enough for a good present or a nice sum for a child’s saving pot if they’re saving for something they want, but we don’t go overboard.

How do you do your soups? I'd love to be able to do this!

@UniversalAunt

‘ Absolutely no heating from 1April-1October’

I grew up with this.
It is just a few days at each end of the no heating season that were chillier, & told by parents to put more clothes on or run about!
They went round switching off everything electrical not being used.
The immersion heater went on for one hour before bath time.
Very energy conscious & frugal.

And out of interest What are YOU like now as an adult and how do you look back on that time? I think it must be so tricky if you are a child that really feels the cold but to have absolutely no way over the heating situation.

I am an adult and feel the cold much more than most. Always have done. It would have been torturous for me for my parents to be like this

I am interested in how much you feel you need as a family once bills have been paid but food and anything not essential hasn’t been paid for? We are a family of six with three teens - they appear to eat for ten!

Things that we use regularly, I'll buy loads of when they're on offer, eg the Method cleaning products are often a third off, so I'll stock up. There are loads of things actually and I make it a point to buy enough of them that I never have to pay full price.

I think that's quite subjective, @Flipflopssndsocks. My kids are 8 and 7, so what I need is likely far less than you!

Use up the last of everything before opening new.

Get a job that allows you to get Starbucks AND save.

Nowordforfluffy yes - I can imagine. We have been joking that our top tip is to send the teens to friends’ houses. We can make that joke as much more likely to get extras here😂.

Work as best you can. Stand tall. Fuck the tories.

@ThankGodImAnAtheist

I haven’t had time to read the whole thread but in case it hasn’t already been mentioned … when boiling/steaming veg, turn the heat completely off three quarters through your normal cooking time, or less … leave the lid on, and they will continue to cook using the residual heat in the pan. I find when steaming potatoes, cut in quarters to make mash for 4 people, I can turn the heat off half way through the time I would normally allow for. Also works for rice and pasta.

I do the same with the oven, turn it off 10 minutes before the end of cooking - but do not open the door !

Oh, and get rid of that useless man.

@KatherineJaneway

Not mine but one I see a lot, stop buying expensive coffee. Just use a bloody mug of instant. Saves you £ a day.

Not to mention those that complained they had no money but bought breakfast and a coffee from Pret every day 🙄

An old woman question but when did this thing about buying breakfast and/or coffee on the way to work start, I don't recall anyone doing it when I was working. The first person to arrive had the responsibility for putting the kettle on and we generally ate before leaving home though I do recall one colleague I regularly saw eating toast at the traffic lights or even having a quick shave.

Buy an eco egg and use it for washing - we’ve been using the same refill for over 1.5 years. Saved so much on detergent. No one smells.

When you get an insurance renewal quote - first do compare the market to see what a competitor at their level would quote, then call them and say you had not budgeted for quite so much and can it be reduced please. I was quoted £330, told them that their competitor (named) had offered £270 and i wanted to stay with them but I hadn’t budgeted for more than £300. they immediately offered me £275, which I happily paid.

Line dry. Find somewhere inside to put a collapsible line for winter too (or heated airer).

If you see something you want, take a photo and wait two weeks. You’ll forget you even have the photo. Works with stuff the kids want too.

For everything you buy - buy it with the intent to keep it for at least 15 years. You quickly stop following fashion and go for things that you like but are also durable.

Never buy clothing new. And wear what you have to rags (fixing it where necessary).

Plan meals and shop only to the list. If it’s not on the list, it has to wait a week until next time.

I already don't over-consume, and I currently have a skin health issue to solve, which is tedious, disfiguring and very uncomfortable. I am not allergic to anything NHS dermatology tests for. My skin care shelf could be a small branch of Boots and amazon drop me creams every time I read of something new and better. Water seems to be a huge problem for my skin. I have showered daily since I was a nipper, and suddenly twice weekly is too frequent. Don't suggest cooler showers please; I have tried that. And it isn't helping

I used some carrots recently that had been lurking in the salad box for some reason, they were dated November and were fine.

Oh I agree with JudgeJ.

I have a tin of azeera at work - my young colleagues buy coffee for £2.20 a cup. I also have local custom that if colleagues want to have breakfast at work, I expect them to be ready for work by 9am. Not arrive at 9.05, have a wee, apply lippy, make coffee, eat croissant, have a chat and start at 9.30. Actually they can start at 9.30 but I don't expect to see them head for their coat at 4.55.