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Your number 1 money-saving tip

938 replies

PupInAPram · 02/04/2022 11:06

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

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CharSiu · 03/04/2022 18:34

This is bad for trades but consider your DIY and repair skills. Especially as YouTube is so full of information. I have one rule we aren’t going on the roof it’s not worth the risk. DH is amazing at DIY and I’m certainly ok. We fitted our kitchen sink together. He is currently replacing some bathroom tiles. I remember doing the concrete base for the shed and DH and DS built a huge patio in lockdown.

Crazyquilter · 03/04/2022 18:37

An Instant Pot Duo is a slow cooker, steamer, pressure cooker, and air fryer/oven combined - about £130 on Amazon.

Autumnwater · 03/04/2022 18:44

Not sure if it’s money saving as such but I have the chip app and it slowly builds your savings. I think I have saved about £5k so far over a few years with it. If you just leave it ticking over you’ll be surprised at how it builds up

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Hutchy16 · 03/04/2022 18:48

@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).

Weirdly I find myself buying adult toys when drunk 🙈
barneymcgroo · 03/04/2022 18:48

@WhiteJellycat I think so - I've checked mine too, and it also says quick wash uses fewer kWh.

anon666 · 03/04/2022 18:53

I've become meticulous about online returns. I slipped up a couple of times and learnt my lesson.

Now no matter how busy I am I always send online purchases back if they don't fit etc.

MoonSpoonSoon · 03/04/2022 18:54

I don't pay for broadband or landline. I just hotspot off my phone which costs about £10 per month for 100GB. It's good enough for all my work including daily zoom meetings, plus all your free minutes etc.

user1498572889 · 03/04/2022 18:59

@GeneLovesJezebel
Yes this is true. The economy program on any appliance is the cheapest.

maddiemookins16mum · 03/04/2022 19:04

@Kimkimminy

A few years back I stopped being a supermarket snob and now do 99% of my grocery shop in Lidl/Aldi. Have literally saved thousands. Also, less choice, so easier to avoid impulse buys.

After a shockingly high gas/electric bill in January (£178 vs what I used to pay -£65), I aimed to not have the heating on. I wear lots of layers and invested in an electric blanket for emergencies! Also only put the hot water on for 1 hour per day, so just enough for showers. Feb bill was ‘just’ £75. I live on my own, and know this wouldn’t be possible if I still had kids at home.

If you have space, try and grow your own salad and veg. I only started doing this myself last year (surprisingly easy, even for this novice!), and rarely had to buy anything fresh at the supermarket. Excess stuff can generally be blanched and frozen, or made into meals….

Get a slow cooker - make your own eg soups, stews etc and batch freeze.

I’ve just ditched Sky and the TV licence, as there’s more than enough for me on Netflix (much cheaper) or YouTube (free).

Me too with Aldi. Went today and my weekly shop was £58.00 - that included cat food, cleaning stuff, shampoo, deo, all food, washing powder etc - I spent 30 mins doing a ‘pretend shop’ at ASDA and it would have cost £73.
Lillyhatesjaz · 03/04/2022 19:07

When I go out to a cafe with friends I get tea rather than coffee as tea is 2.oo and the fancy coffee is 3.20 which makes a big difference when I do this most weeks.

WillSmithsRightHook · 03/04/2022 19:09

@Slumcat

Vinted app - all of my clothes and kids clothes are from Vinted it’s saved me a fortune and all good brands
I do this too! Also I batch cook in slow cooker, try only to use air fryer, microwave and electric griddle, rarely use the oven.
Useyourfork · 03/04/2022 19:11

When I was a student I always had soda and lime from the bar all night. 40p a pint 20p half ☺️ (Showing my age)

Kimkimminy · 03/04/2022 19:12

Me too! Every single one of my molars had a filling in it by the time I was about 14 - and then at every subsequent visit the dentist would tell me I needed one of those fillings replaced. I ditched the NHS dentist after an unpleasant encounter with a rude receptionist about 25 years ago and have never looked back - apart from a couple of cosmetic things which I had asked for, I’ve had no further treatment in all that time.

So in my case, going private has definitely saved me money over the years - not to mention unnecessary damage to my teeth, and a LOT of stress!

Silverclocks · 03/04/2022 19:18

My dad used to say "you can only spend it once" . It might "only" be £1, £5, £20 but once it's gone it's gone. Do you want it that much?

He also used to associate purchases with how many hours you need to work for it. So if you're on £15 an hour , you've worked approx 5 hours (once tax accounted for) for those £60 shoes. Was it worth it?

DonaPatrizia · 03/04/2022 19:21

Don’t drink. Saves a packet.
Pay off your mortgage early if you can just a little overpayment each month adds up.
Don’t buy Starbucks.
Live close to your work if you can to reduce commuting costs.
If you’ve managed the former then don’t WFH if you can help it. If you go in to an office the utilities are free (well they are to you) all day. There’s also always free food at my work. Don’t have loads of kids! They are very expensive.
Don’t overheat your house.

perenniallymessy · 03/04/2022 19:22

We look at all the expenses we pay yearly (Christmas, holiday, birthdays, Tv license, car tax, house and car insurance), work out the monthly cost and pop that in savings each month straight after pay day- for most things like that it's cheaper to pay yearly than monthly and it makes it easier to budget.

We also add things like new school uniforms each year, a delivery of logs, repair/replacement of white goods, boiler service etc. Means that we don't have any surprise expenditure and our normal savings and fun money don't go on boring stuff.

Be less heavy footed when you drive, saves lots of fuel. And don't drive when you can walk, all those little 1-2 mile trips add up to lots of fuel. Plus you'll be fitter and I find walking much less stressful than being stuck in traffic.

Learn to cook and have lots of cheap and easy meals in your repertoire so you aren't tempted to go for takeaways/ready meals.

Take your own snacks and drinks when you go for a day out and learn to say no to requests for ice creams etc! A friend and I decide in advance if we're feeling frugal or generous that week when we take the DC out so we can agree to pack a picnic and refuse to buy snacks vs getting a meal out together. Means neither side feel they are missing out.

Likewise, give the DC pocket money, then when they ask for games, V Bucks, snacks etc then tell them to use their money. They ask less and learn to budget. My DS can now work out how to get the most crisps and sweets for his money Grin

I know lots have said it, but use the eco setting on your washing machine and reduce the temperature. I've been washing clothes on 20c and my washing is coming out just as clean- a full load at 20c uses about 300w in my machine, washed on the regular wash 40c the other day and it was 900w. The 40-60c eco wash (towels and bedding) uses up to about 500w. Eco washes use less water so there is less to heat. To make up for that they soak for longer, heat more slowly and agitate the washing more (turning the drum uses minimal energy, most of the energy is used to heat water), hence they take a lot longer. Also use the eco wash on your dishwasher.

Line dry where possible but if not dry in a room with ventilation or use a dehumidifier to prevent damp. Damp air is harder to heat dk will increase heating bills! We are very lucky to have a utility room with an extractor fan that runs continuously at a cost of about £4 a year. Also has a humidistat that kicks in if it senses high humidity.

Reduce how much you wash- sniff test and air clothes between wears. With our bedding, I wash the pillow cases a couple of times a week when I have another wash on, the sheet is washed after a week but I air the duvet and only change the cover on that once a fortnight. You could have a sheet between you and the duvet and get away with changing it even less but our cats sleep on our beds and often leave mucky paw prints. Just means a bit less washing and less work. All our sweaty sports kits mean we still do loads of washing though! But according to the app on my washing machine I still spent less than £3 worth of electricity using my washing machine in March.

Silverclocks · 03/04/2022 19:23

Every time an appliance breaks down, have a look on You Tube first, before replacing or calling someone out. Some things are irrepairable, but DS2 fixed our washing machine for £8 worth of parts from Amazon, when I was ready to buy a new one. I repaired our toilet flush for £12, a plumber would have been £80 call out before he started.

And you get a wonderful sense of satisfaction too Grin

Strangeways19 · 03/04/2022 19:25

Loads of energy saving tips I'd just add - leave the oven door open after cooking in it as the heat is wasted if not. And if you've space in the freezer fill it with bags filled with old bags (plastic ie empty bread bags) as this saves energy
Group car journeys too - plan ahead

user1487194234 · 03/04/2022 19:25

If at all possible earn more
If not what I do is multiple it up in my head
So eg cost of a take out coffee
Say £3
1 a day £1095
X 25 years of my mortgage £27375

RosesAndHellebores · 03/04/2022 19:26

@Graphista, I'm nearly 62 and didn't do home economics at school. I did learn to cook after I left school though. I always saw family cooking - anything from grannie boiling a pig's head in the old copper for brawn and mother making chicken Kiev in the 70s and having to use 4 chickens in the days before chicken breasts were available separately! (There was no waste - the remnants were all used later).

What really surprised me in the 80s were the number of young women of my age who didn't grow up in households with much privilege but who responded with disgust at the thought of having to unwrap or cut raw meat. Quite the reverse to those who were more privileged who had no issue at all plucking a pheasant or tweezering out some of the shot or cooking dinner for 6 with a £10 budget and braising oxtail followed by lemon meringue pie! Always found that a bit of an anomaly.

MadMadMadamMim · 03/04/2022 19:28

@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).

That's rather fabulous!

I once mistakenly bought a wedding dress for £18 off Ebay. It was beautiful and going for about £12 and I thought That's ridiculous. I'll boost it a bit for them - and put £20 on. I was really startled to get an email 4 days later that said, You have won...Couldn't think what it was and was a bit shame faced when it arrived.

I thought about wearing it on first dates...

EmbarrassingHadrosaurus · 03/04/2022 19:32

I once mistakenly bought a wedding dress for £18 off Ebay…
I thought about wearing it on first dates..

Even better: turn up in your normal clothes with a suit bag. If the date isn't going that well, excuse yourself to the Ladies and return in the dress? Have people standing by to take a photo of the date's expression?

tbh, later in a relationship, it might still be worth doing it to see if someone picks up on the Miss Havisham reference or bursts out laughing…

JudgeJ · 03/04/2022 19:35

Don’t have heating on unless it is genuinely cold and wear jumpers and blankets. People seem to sit about in t shirts with the heating on 26 degrees, I can’t see that being affordable for many now.

This drove me mad when I was still teaching, no coats or uniform sweat shirts in Winter then wanting the windows closed and the heating on full blast. Parents had the audacity to complain if their little cherubs weren't sweltering hot in my room. They were ignored, of course!

nyorks1503 · 03/04/2022 19:37

Went to lidl this morning and picked up one of the £1.50 fruit and veg boxes. Such a brilliant idea. I have already planned meals to use it all up. It contained: large punnet of strawbs; 2 punnets of grapes, net of clementines; 2 bananas; 2 leeks; massive potato; 3 peppers; iceberg lettuce and 2 punnets of mushrooms going to try and pick one up each week. Not only is this another thing to help with money saving it will get the cooking creative juices flowing!

Lovemusic33 · 03/04/2022 19:42

Don’t vote for the Conservatives 😬

Put more clothes on instead of putting the heating on.

Just heat one room.

Meal plan

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