Your number 1 money-saving tip

[PupInAPram]

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

@RosesAndHellebores that surprises me I'm 50 this summer and home ec v much still a subject when I went school - and in different areas too

Interesting what you say about squeamishness I agree a mc thing as the wc had to get on with it and the uc were used to dealing with game etc

We (v much working class) are things like rabbit, hearts and other offal and roe growing up I'm veggie now but not squeamish and hearts and roe as well as kidneys are among the meat things I miss way more than bacon!

@Mitzi067

I've never thought of doing that with chickpeas, thank you.

Do what with chickpeas - missed that.

1. Eat one (meat/fish free) meal a day only. 2) Go to bed as early as possible to get warm. 3) Apart from going out to work or going out for a walk in the freezing cold, stay in. 4) Die.

Use washing powder rather than liquid, and about half the recommended amount-although I live in a soft water area, so I’m not sure how this would work with hard water.

I’ve just turned the heating down a degree and put a wash on at a 30 deg economy cycle, so we’ll see if anyone notices!

This thread’s got me thinking though, I’m away to have a new kitchen and was blindly going down the road of an induction hob, now I’m seriously rethinking about keeping a gas hob

@KJaggard1

Buy a 1kg gammon joint, boil it and use a mandolin to thinly slice and you have 1 kg of sliced ham for £3-4 which can be frozen in portions for sandwiches etc. much cheaper than buying ham

@KJaggard1 I buy a joint to cut down into gammon steaks, how easily and well does it cut thinly?

Never throw food away.
Make sure you cook the right portions of everything to serve up at mealtimes so there's no waste.
When boiling veg, use the minimum water necessary to save electric. Put the timer on so as not to overcook it.

Keep an eye on the use by dates on food.
A whole chicken is more economical than chicken pieces. Pick the carcass and freeze leftover meat. Ideal in stir fries and sandwiches

Learn to invest. Even if it's a small amount, the returns are often more than you save by smart shopping or household management.

Don’t have a car. Saved us a lot.

@Graphista - I remember my grannie making stuffed, braised hearts! I could no more order the now trendy ox cheek at a restaurant because I also remember it being stewed for hours, along with lambs tongues - for the dogs!

I stand corrected about domestic science - I did it in the lower thirds for a year (Yr 7 now) but only remember making: stewed apple, fruit salad, rock buns, a cake (I remember my rubbing in being praised), scrambled eggs and pancakes. That brings back some memories and I quite enjoyed it.

I remember my grannie making stuffed, braised hearts! I could no more order the now trendy ox cheek at a restaurant because I also remember it being stewed for hours, along with lambs tongues - for the dogs!

My parents swithered between vegetarian and then meat eating that was heavily centred around offal and the 'other bits': only it was ox or pig's liver (not lamb's liver), ox tongue, and hearts that had to be grated so that nobody could recognise them too well or had an inadvertent anatomy lesson when eating them. Pig trotters made an amazing stock as did bacon ribs.

Meal planning for me. I try and do the shopping myself because DH will just buy a load of random stuff.

@EmbarrassingHadrosaurus - lambs liver and bacon is delish, cheap and really quick. DH and I have it when we are sans dc (they won't eat it). Soften onion in a little oil and butter, add two/three rashers smoked bacon, then sliced lambs liver and sizzle, sprinkle in some plain flour and add some good quality lamb stock - needs a tiny drop of gravy browning. Fab with mash and spinach.

@Pigtailsandall

Learn to invest. Even if it's a small amount, the returns are often more than you save by smart shopping or household management.

Don’t the fees eat up small amounts? I’m crazy broke at the moment, but I want to start with small amounts in the autumn (I hope things will be a lot better for me by then)

Use thermos flask for making tea, the amount of pots of tea I used to make and then waste as they went cold but it can sit for hours now.

Checking fridge daily to make sure use by dates aren't missed and anything frozen can be before it goes off.
We've saved a small fortune from chopping up and freezing veg rather than throwing it out at the end of the week. Particularly recently when the veg doesn't seem to last long.
But frozen fruit and veg for the likes of green beans, spinach, berries etc where taste isn't affected.

I really must get better at meal planning and batch cooking though, saves time as well as money.

When low on data on phone, take a screen shot of whatever it is you’re reading, then read it when you scroll though your photos.

Buy full fat milk so you’ll use less to get same taste as semi-skimmed, and it’ll last longer.

Shop’s own brand soft drinks, ie coke.

Dog poo bags as rubbish bags- forcing you to minimize rubbish as well.

Buy reduced chicken for dog and family- pre into portions, freeze and use when needed.

Don't care what people think. We are happy in our cheaper but lovely home which will have the mortgage paid off before we're 60. Not having a mortgage gives you options as you never know what the future may hold. I don't see the point of buying an expensive home if you don't have to (obviously in certain areas any property is expensive).

Sorry the mortgage gone by 50 at the latest! No way we will still have it at 60 🤣

Don't take on or ''rescue'' animals you cannot afford a vet visit for. Pet food isn't cheap and adds considerably to the weekly shopping budget esp. as they get older.

Ditch the idea of getting a tattoo if you haven't got enough money for food this week and next.

Look at the amount of food waste you may produce.

Meal plan around specials and left overs.

Check annually you are on the right electricity/telephone/internet plan.

@jytdtysrht

Never buy makeup - people look fine as they are. As people, not Instagram works of perfection.

Never buy skincare (I don’t know anyone IRL who does all this skincare malarkey - tubs and tubes of shite that cost £££).

Hair care - another malarkey. I just have shampoo and condition occasionally. If it needs more than that, it’s too long. Don’t have straighteners, hairdryer or dye. Just leave it how it is.

Don’t shower every day. Totally unnecessary.

Don’t wash bedsheets every week. Totally unnecessary.

I couldn't do one of the things you are suggesting 😂😂 I would love to not wear makeup though.. I do have makeup free days now which saves on skincare! So completely get your point

Turn the WiFi off when you're not using it.

Don't eat meat (not everyone can do this, but it worked for me at uni!)

Supermarket brands for things

Don't drink

Create different budgets for your weakness. Food budget, bills budget, then if you know your weakness is take away, or wine, have a take away or wine budget and stick to it. Gradually cut down the weakness budgets.

Stick on the 'save the change' feature with your debit card.

Meditate, write on paper, or exercise when you're bored, to save money.

Stick the heating on overnight and you'll wake up so hot and stuffy the next day, you won't want it on for a good few days. Or go and stay with someone you know who is tighter than you are with the heating and has a cold house. You'll come home thinking your house is boiling.

Jesus can you imagine the state of them @HeArInGhandsgirl11

Oh also if your toddler eats one bite of a banana and then says she has had enough, you have about five to ten minutes to chop it into pieces, put it in a tuppaware (sans lid!) and stick it in the freezer. Later on she can have a banana ice lolly! İt made our bananas last so much longer! Same with half eaten apples and anything else which needs its skin to stay fresh. Just give them one piece at a time out of the freezer though, because they go gooey and slimey quite quickly!

@Pigtailsandall how do you invest small amounts? Would love to learn more.

Look at the reduced food sections especially asda/Wal-Mart for me, as they have better reductions, I get to eat for a bit in the style of the more wealthy, especially considering the original prices of the items and also When the essentials are at a reduced price,

Place marking but mine would be shopping to a meal plan and not buying if it's not on, or instead of something on the list