Your number 1 money-saving tip

[PupInAPram]

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

A lot of people are saying use an air fryer instead of an oven but isnt that only cheaper if both are electric, I think I read air fryers use half the electric of a oven, but gas is a quarter of the price of electricity per unit so still cheaper?

[quote VelvetChairGirl]**@VelvetChairGirl brokers are rarely truly independent they work on commission so will recommend the people they'll get most commission from have you ever double checked what they are advising you? Not just on comparison sites but the companies themselves? Often the price is cheaper going direct

I dont use them for cost I use them for convenience, your far more likely to get a decent payout with a broker, its not like trying to get blood out of a stone and they will bullshit extra stuff to cover the excess payments and they are fast.[/quote]
Oh and I mean the commission, I know I pay extra for that, but its worth it to know I will actually get recouped on losses without any question.

I get my chardonnay wine in Lidl - 2.99 and is really nice

Cut open tubes of cosmetics etc and use the layer that is stuck to the sides.
Water down the last inch of shampoo ,conditioner shower gels etc in the bottles to clean them out completely. Can get another week out of them.

Also dont get your hair done - do home kits and trims, don't get nails done or other fancy things like that, do it at home

@VelvetChairGirl

A lot of people are saying use an air fryer instead of an oven but isnt that only cheaper if both are electric, I think I read air fryers use half the electric of a oven, but gas is a quarter of the price of electricity per unit so still cheaper?

This is interesting. Nowadays I use a microwave and a halogen cooker. The oven gets used for a week or so at Christmas and that's it. I had assumed that my little halogen was quite low use for electricity.....

Cutting your own hair is surprisingly easy.

I did mine in April 2020 out of desperation and it turned out so well that I haven't been back to a hairdresser since.

There are two main methods - an under-chin ponytail cut and a unicorn ponytail cut, lots of YouTube videos for both.

I do both - an underchin cut first to take length off then a (careful and minimal!) unicorn cut to add layers and feathers. Always get DH to check the back and he's always astonished at how straight and even it is lol.

This is interesting. Nowadays I use a microwave and a halogen cooker. The oven gets used for a week or so at Christmas and that's it. I had assumed that my little halogen was quite low use for electricity.....

my Electric is now 28p and my Gas is now 7p per unit, I mainly use the gas hobs to cook, I have started making sure I put lids on the pans so I use the lowest heat.

I googled air fryers and all the comparisons I could find talking about cost only talk about other electric heating methods.

I am not that bothered about the gas, my gas bill is predicted to go up £120, my electric is predicted to go up £500.

Thanks to this thread I have done a meal plan and a fridge freezer pantry audit. The only thing I need to buy between now and Thursday are potatos.

We are having;

Sunday - mango chicken sizzlers with vegetable fried rice (freezer and pantry)
Monday - Swedish meatballs with mash peas and sweetcorn (freezer)
Tuesday - Greek lamb wraps with yoghurt and mint (leftover roast lamb in freezer)
Wed- Chicken pasta bake.

I am feeling very enthusiastic and inspired!

Lunches will feature heavily on soups as I recently bought alot of yellow split peas and red kidney beans.

@SpringLobelia

Thanks to this thread I have done a meal plan and a fridge freezer pantry audit. The only thing I need to buy between now and Thursday are potatos.

We are having;

Sunday - mango chicken sizzlers with vegetable fried rice (freezer and pantry)
Monday - Swedish meatballs with mash peas and sweetcorn (freezer)
Tuesday - Greek lamb wraps with yoghurt and mint (leftover roast lamb in freezer)
Wed- Chicken pasta bake.

I am feeling very enthusiastic and inspired!

Lunches will feature heavily on soups as I recently bought alot of yellow split peas and red kidney beans.

That all sounds delicious as well!

Cut out the dining out:
Coffee and a cake here - £5 each
Another coffee and a sandwich there - £10 each
Dinner in even a casual restaurant - £20 each
It mounts up enormously, especially when there is more than one of you.

We used to do it a lot before the pandemic; now I would skip the coffees and take a packed lunch or buy a £3.50 meal deal somewhere.

A meal out in a nice restaurant for a treat is a lovely thing sometimes, but all these sustenance stops really add up, especially when the food is mediocre you know you could cook as good or better at home. We spend £45 yesterday on a very ordinary brunch for three people; it wasn't as much of a treat as I was thinking it would be and was a good reminder of how much we saved during the pandemic.

@VelvetChairGirl I hadn't really thought about the difference between electricity and gas rises. My electricity direct debit has just doubled but I pay for the exact gas used each month as I submit a monthly meter read and am billed accordingly, so I wasn't really sure how much my gas would increase. I really need to do some research! My water and heating are both gas.

[quote PupInAPram]@VelvetChairGirl I hadn't really thought about the difference between electricity and gas rises. My electricity direct debit has just doubled but I pay for the exact gas used each month as I submit a monthly meter read and am billed accordingly, so I wasn't really sure how much my gas would increase. I really need to do some research! My water and heating are both gas.[/quote]
didnt your supplier email you with the new rates?

I tried checking in general earlier and with uswitch and all are saying sorry cant show you that we're too busy, so I had to go thru my emails to find the email I got, I dont know how mine compares to others and I cant find out at the mo.

@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).

I think it might have been worth it for the story.

Epic.

Assuming you aren’t meal skipping skint op, then I think its knocking the expensive habits you don’t really appreciate - takeaway coffees, takeaways, random new clothes you don’t need etc

Keep a diary for 3 weeks and see where it’s going

Op as you are catering for one these are the tips I've picked up from those in your situation assuming mainly supermarket shopping. A freezer helps.

Cook three portions of a stew/ casserole: one for today, second for tomorrow, third for the future and goes in the freezer.
Buy your favourite ready meal when it's on a special offer. More expensive ranges/ supermarkets can be better for this as they aren't offering a year round cheap price. My frugal Mil swears by Waitrose for their specials on ready meals.
If a light appetite meat-eater, you can still get a bargain family tray of a cheap cut like pork ribs. Cook half for a couple of meals this week, freeze half.
Best cook ahead vegetables ime are potatoes (especially new,) roasted vegetables and tomato based sauce. You'll have something in the fridge to combine with a couple of other bits to make a meal.

Veg for one can be a hassle with portion size: a cauliflower can freeze really well, as will sliced mushrooms, sliced onion. I don't like frozen broccoli and only freeze carrots if chopped up in a mix of veg.

I heard on the radio on a driving/car programme that the best way to cut costs is to only fill tank to half full, & regularly check tyre pressure, (to do with carrying extra weight & inefficient drag on the tyres.)
Can save 20% they said.

Wow, just read the whole thread. Lots of suggestions. Most of them I was already doing but I noticed a few people mention defrosting stuff in the microwave.
If you think about what you will need the next day before you go to bed you can take the frozen items out of the freezer and put in a dish in the fridge. By morning it will be defrosted so no need to use the microwave PLUS the fridge will need less electricity overnight as the frozen food defrosting keeps the temperature down.

One I've started doing recently: when boiling the kettle for tea for me and DH, get the cups ready while it's boiling, rather than just putting the kettle on and wandering off. The number of times I used to re-boil it was frankly embarrassing 😳

Empty your car boot of unnecessary stuff and remove bike racks if unused. You'll pay in fuel to cart this stuff about with you.

@Esspee

Wow, just read the whole thread. Lots of suggestions. Most of them I was already doing but I noticed a few people mention defrosting stuff in the microwave. If you think about what you will need the next day before you go to bed you can take the frozen items out of the freezer and put in a dish in the fridge. By morning it will be defrosted so no need to use the microwave PLUS the fridge will need less electricity overnight as the frozen food defrosting keeps the temperature down.

If your fridge is like ours, it takes a few days to defrost in there! We tend to defrost on the side to make sure it is actually defrosted at the point we need it.

@Mix56

I heard on the radio on a driving/car programme that the best way to cut costs is to only fill tank to half full, & regularly check tyre pressure, (to do with carrying extra weight & inefficient drag on the tyres.) Can save 20% they said.

Wow! Who knew. I can definitely implement this one.

Use these to get the most out of the toothpaste and other tubes: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08H27S39Y/?psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&coliid=I66V5B3NKXZ9Y&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&colid=1JTBS3OCC3A35

Or save £4.99 and grab the scissors and just cut the tube .....

Thanks @VelvetChairGirl I'll do that. I haven't noticed one, but have been so busy at work lately I could have missed it. I didn't get an email for the electric DD change. The new amount popped up when I logged in to enter a reading.

Turn microwave and stove off at the wall when not in use - the clocks use electricity

Vege meals at least twice a week.

Every item I need to buy I look to see if I can get it second hand first.

If you don’t like porridge try overnight oats for breakfast - soak oats in milk overnight and top with fruit or yoghurt in the morning. Soaking it in juice is nice too - I make my own pizza and use the pineapple juice for my morning oats.

Learn to make a basic vege and lentil soup that you can make using any vege scraps and leftovers.

Meet friends for walks to catch up and chat rather than a coffee.

Sniff test on clothes. Spot clean too - if there is just a small mark and it smells all right just use laundry soap to clean the mark off.