Your number 1 money-saving tip

[PupInAPram]

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

Draw out in cash how much you’ve budgeted for the weekly shop and only take that with you.

Don’t eat out as routine. A special anniversary, birthday etc sure, but not just because you can’t be bothered to cook or because it’s a Tuesday. Better for your health as well.

It's been said already, but packed lunches and a flask of coffee for work save loads over buying lunch and coffees.

Frozen veg is my number 1 for reducing food waste

True. We don’t buy any ready meals at all. What I do is always, always cook extra if I’m doing something that lends itself well to freezing.

So pasta sauce/stew/chilli/dal/curry/etc etc, I always cook at least double but usually 4 times as much as we need. They always have a good amount of veg as well so they’re as nutritionally balanced as possible. Then I portion out leftovers into takeaway containers and freeze. Means I only have to cook once for every 4 meals, and I always have a selection in the freezer. Doing some mash/rice/pasta/couscous bread/whatever, or throwing together a salad on the side is no hardship. You’ll save lots of money that way and you can still have your haircut.

A friend told me once that she has a rule of thinking about how many hours she would have to work to pay for an item of clothes, I do occasionally use this to stop myself buying something I do not really need. (Shoes and clothes mostly)

@PupInAPram

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

LTB.

My biggest financial drain ever was my ex. It's not cheaper combining a household when one person fritters away cash on crap and has expensive tastes.

Go it alone is definitely my number 1 tip!

Buy supermarket own brand everything, I find it’s generally just as nice and massively cheaper! Cereal for example- Tesco box for about 90p and over £3 for branded!! Madness. I also always use the ‘scan as you shop’ self serve scanner thing when shopping in the supermarket as you can keep a track of how much you’re spending as you go around and put things back if needed, rather than just finding out when it’s gone through the till and too late

Cook vegetarian at home as saves a fortune on the food bill.
Reduce use of gas and electric. Wear vests and jumpers indoors when needed.
Do exercise classes Pilates etc on you tube at home and cancel leisure centre memberships.
When doing housework incorporate stretching into it to create a workout experience lol.

Yes I’m also a big fan of frozen vegetables. Always have a wide selection available as I use it regularly and it’s a great way to still have veg when the fresh has run out and I want to avoid buying extra in the last few days to a week before the next big shop.

My top money saving tip would be to get rid of DH. He has absolutely no idea (choose to have no idea) of how to keep costs down and wastes spectacular amounts of money regardless of how much I try to drum it in.

@EdgeOfSeventeenAndThreeQuarter

I’m always a bit when people say put all the spare kettle water into a thermos. I tend to just fill as much as I need.

I’m a mn chicken aficionado and make lots of meals from it, stick the bones in the slow cooker and make broth etc.

Buy natural fibres which air out rather than needing washing.

Hot water bottles. Haven’t heated the bedrooms in years.

Fluffy bedding - like sleeping in the arms of a teddy.

Don’t buy a baby grand piano, even if it seems like a good idea at the time.

Throw another dog on the bed.

Love the idea of throwing another dog on the bed.

@DuckaLucka

Don’t eat out as routine. A special anniversary, birthday etc sure, but not just because you can’t be bothered to cook or because it’s a Tuesday. Better for your health as well.

Yes - and same for takeaways. We only ever have them on holiday.

@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).

Thank you for this contribution! We need a bit of light relief at the moment!

No 1 tip is to actually have strict budget of all incoming And outgoing first.
Saving pennies on something means nothing unless every penny you have coming in is assigned somewhere.
Could be to saving, holidays everything but unless it's all divided up it means nothing

@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'd say it was worth the expense and the hangover just to be able to tell that story.

My own tip: record everything you spend, and I do mean everything, every penny. It'll soon be obvious where you can most easily cut back, and it really is surprising how much small things can add up.

Work out all of your bills, put the money for those bills into a separate account that all your direct debits come out of.

Give yourself a spending allowance for food bread milk coffee.

And then at the beginning of the month not the end you put the difference into a savings account if you’re absolutely desperate you can get that money out of the savings account but you’re very unlikely to do so, so much better than just transferring whatever is left at the end of the month over to your savings.

Once everything essential is covered start to properly save up for treats, take away etc

@SkiingIsHeaven

Don't have kids. Saves a fortune.

Was just about to say the same !!! I have told me teenagers/ young adults this morning that if they don't stop leaving on lights/ TV etc then they are going to be individually invoiced for the cost. When they continue to put out heavy cotton hoodies daily for washing I am just going to refresh them with 5 mins in the tumble dryer and put them back in their rooms. I doubt they will know they have not been washed unless heavily stained.

@BurningTheToast

Never accept a renewal quote for car or house insurance. Always shop around.

When a contract for something like Sky or broadband comes to an end, look for a better deal. Threaten to leave, never let it just run on.

Don't upgrade your mobile phone as soon as you come to the end of your contract. Keep it another year or two and just buy a SIM. Doing that will save you hundreds over a year.

Meal plan but be flexible in terms of the delights of a yellow sticker surprise. Last week in M&S I bought a cauliflower cheese for 10p and a charcuterie platter for 50p. I also bought some organic mince for a couple of quid and made a big batch of bolognese.

New legislation means insurance companies have to match the offers they give new customers now for existing customers. My car insurance actually came down this year. I spend hours researching something I want to buy. By the time I’m done I’ve usually talked myself out of it. Make yourself a check list Do I want it Do I need it Will I use it How many hours will I have to work to afford it. The last one is usually the decider

I have Amazon Prime, so delivery is free. Instead of spending £2 on a birthday card and 95p on a stamp I go onto Amazon and find a bar of chocolate for £1 and wish the recipient happy Birthday on the gift message. More welcome than a card that they will probably throw out in a few weeks! I also message them etc.

I'm filling the kettle up with exactly what I need for a cup of tea.

I'm also experimenting with what I get away with washing just on the quick wash cycle. So far all the kids uniform ( not polos or shirts) have come up fine.

I'm not buying any clothes or footwear I'm going to wear things to rags this year. I have too many clothes anyway.

I dont go the high street any more as parking and petrol has gone up. Its £3.70 to park minimum in our nearest big town. I know the hight street is dieng but unless I'm fairly sure I need to buy something over £15 I rather not go. Plus its now cheaper to get things delivered. But cheaper to just steer clear of non food buying full stop.

Check the price per kg, ml etc. which is on the price labels in supermarkets. We normally assume that the larger size of the product will be cheaper but surprisingly that's not always the case when you check the small print.

Similarly, there is no point in buying the 'large' of a perishable even if it is cheaper by volume, if you are not going to use it in time.

Not sure if this is very well known/obvious but:

Turning off the water/immersion heater and boiling a kettle for washing up etc

If I need to I turn the water heater on for an hour and then switch back off.

Doing this a few years ago halved my electric bill!

My car insurance actually came down this year.

Yes - my husband's was about £150 cheaper than last year to our pleased astonishment.

@Babyroobs A young guy that we work with has just had to be pulled aside to be told that he actually smells because he’s quite clearly doing that with one of his jumpers, we actually recognise the bloody thing because it practically walks to the kitchen on its own but he does genuinely smell