To ask what small cheeky things you do to save money?

[monroeagogo]

DH routinely reuses stamps. His excitement when an envelope arrives and the stamp isn't marked is a wonder to behold.

Franking is the enemy.

What cheeky things do you do to save the pennies?

@monroeagogo

DH routinely reuses stamps. His excitement when an envelope arrives and the stamp isn't marked is a wonder to behold.

Franking is the enemy.

What cheeky things do you do to save the pennies?

You do realise that all stamps are marked when delivered. Royal Mail uses a UV ink which is invisible to the eye on every stamp. When you reuse that stamp the sorting machines see the ink and seperate the mail out. They are then sent to the fraud department that every sorting office has and the recipient of the piece of mail will have to pay additional postage - people try to 'wash' stamps too to remove the UV marking - that doesn't work either. This mail is sorted and dealt with by hand so takes much longer. Most companies that are asked to pay additional postage won't and the mail will be opened and returned. So basically if you reuse a stamp everyone who you send mail to knows you are a thief who doesn't pay for their postage and whose mail always arrives very late. What a great reputation to have

I sometimes put birthday cards under my shopping bags so I don’t have to pay for them

That is literally stealing birthday cards. I am surprised by the amount of people stealing things!

@CarolinaStabril

I sometimes put birthday cards under my shopping bags so I don’t have to pay for them

So, theft.

There's definitely room for a good money saving thread.
However, some people seem to save money by stealing.

I know some people who do the self service checkout where they weigh expensive things like avocados and then type in a cheap item like carrots, I haven’t tried this yet though

@CarolinaStabril

I sometimes put birthday cards under my shopping bags so I don’t have to pay for them

Also known as shoplifting.

@WanderleyWagon

I don't agree that this thread is depressing and skinflinty. Apart from the actual theft stuff which I completely disagree with, there are some nifty tips for avoiding waste that I'm definitely going to try:

• cut dishwasher tablets in two - never thought of this!
• use old textiles as cleaning cloths - just started trying this and it works really well
• buy Christmas loo paper/kitchen paper/napkins heavily discounted
• collect spare paper napkins from cafés etc.

Probably my 'cheekiest' savers/anti-waste measures are:

If I'm out for coffee or a meal with friends I'll bring home any unused sachets of salt, pepper, sugar, ketchup etc. including half-packets of sugar. I hate seeing them thrown out. When I see people throwing them in the bin I have been known to pick them out again.

If I've forgotten a bag to take to the supermarket I'll go and get one from the recycling dropoff for used plastic bags. free, and means a bag gets re-used again (probably several times) before it gets recycled.

I'll pick book packaging, gift bags etc. out of other people's recycling boxes on the street to re-use. If I see leftover bubble wrap at the supermarket or in skips/recycling boxes I'll pick it out, dry it and when I have a big bag of it I'll put it on Freecycle.

I think the idea of buying from charity shops and reselling on Ebay for a markup is just good business - benefits the charity shops and keeps products in commercial circulation for longer. The circular economy in action.

Skip raiding is a crime.

*Washing face masks in the bath while you bathe? Asking cafes for hot water to save boiling the kettle?

Sorry but I’ve been poor (properly properly poor) and there’s no way that saves enough money to be worth the degradation of doing it.*

not about money its about not having to bother hand washing, if I dont chuck them in the bath they go in the bathroom sink with some hand wash.

@Sparklingbrook

Are they *@VelvetChairGirl*? Mine went in the washing machine with the delicates cycle including bras. I’ve never hand washed a bra in my life (or bathed with one) and the wires have always been just fine. No roughing up but I put them in a net with compartments.

mine are they say so on them, no idea about yours

@CarolinaStabril

I sometimes put birthday cards under my shopping bags so I don’t have to pay for them

You're admitting to being a shoplifter

25 years ago when my children were babies and there was no cheap primak or supermarket baby clothes as they outgrew their sleep suits and baby grows I would cut the feet off and get a few more months wear out of them. I would unwind knitted jumpers and re use the wool to knit larger jumpers and cardigans. Couldn’t afford wipes so used flannels which were cut up old towels. The cot sheets were cut down bedsheets which had worn through at the bottom . For Everyone I knew at the time with young children money was pretty tight so no one turned their nose up at a bag of hand me downs or a secondhand cot or pram. Where as now you often see people turning their nose up at these items and even on here mother moan about being given free hand me downs like someone is committing a crime against them.

@Fivemoreminutes1

When I’m going out shopping or with the fam on a day trip, I take an empty thermos mug with a pre-measured amount of instant coffee. When I need that caffeine hit, I just ask a nearby cafe to fill it with hot water, which they normally do obligingly. I also take a tea bag and do the same later on in the day.

Are you not embarrassed? You should be.

A young, single lady purchased the house opposite my DParents. The house needed a lot or work. she dated a Sparky, then a kitchen fitter, then a…you get my drift. my DM used to say “I’m sure it’s all just a happy coincidence” with one eyebrow arched!

*Have you really not seen or heard any of the news about this over the last however many years? It's a government initiative - they may not set the actual price that is charged (above a minimum), but I believe supermarkets are monitored as to how many they use/sell and are publicly shamed on this if they use a lot more than their competitors.

You may as well ask why tobacco or petrol cost you so much more than they actually cost to produce and trade - like it or not, those are the government's laws for everybody. The alternative is outright banning them and taking the choice off people to only use what they need.*

I literally couldn't care less. I don't pay for them and I'm not going to start paying for them

We’ve told a child to say they are younger, when attending events, that charge more for children slightly older.

Oh yes my mum reused wrapping paper as some was quite beautiful. I reuse the bows. I have been known to take an extra pack of sweetener to keep in my bag should I go to a cafe that doesn't have any, I guess that is stealing though.
I used to reuse the plastic shopping bags for scooping poop when walking my dog, lining the bathroom and bedroom waste baskets. Can't do that anymore! Now I have to buy special bags for the purpose.
I do go to Tesco for petrol to get the points which I buy air miles with - I've been able to upgrade us to premium economy a few times - that's not cheeky I guess.

@OssieShowman

We’ve told a child to say they are younger, when attending events, that charge more for children slightly older.

Oh yes, have done that one.

I'm curious, those that don't pay for the plastic bags they should be paying for - do they make any effort to reuse them? Or just sling them in the bin and grab more the next time?

I have a cupboard full of bags but if I've forgotten to take one with me or if I didn't know I'll be going shopping then I just won't pay for a new one

I used to work in a coffee shop where we did single pots of teas. Every weekend we’d get at least 5 couples who ask for an extra tea bag because they “liked their tea strong” and then would ask for an extra pot of boiling water.

When we pointed out we’d have to charge them for two pots of tea they’d go mad because boiling water should be free. Some genuinely thought we were out of order.

I have a crappy hoover that has a dust bucket, no bags, I buy nappy bags because they are the cheapest small bags, fit them over the end of the dust bucket thing and tip it up and then tie the end of and chuck it.

I also use them to take snacks to my son after school as they are really just very small scented carrier bags, keep one in my pocket for picking up dirty stuff off the ground, my son loves cars so he collects hubcap logos and bonnet logos, you find them in the gutter sometimes so I pick them up in nappy bags.

When we stay in a hotel take the left over coffee/tea/sugar home out the room.

Sauce sachets with takeaway or when out for food and dont use (my kids hate sauce) we keep as good for days out for chips in the park/on the beach or for a weekend away and no need for full bottles

Tolietries from hotel rooms we keep and use at home or for holidays where not supplied.

When away I always let the kids take a piece of fruit or pastry from breakfast (that we have paid for) to eat as a snack later (usually 5mins after we have left where they were not hungry). They usually only eat a piece of toast or one sausage at breakfast.

If we go out for food and its something like pizza more than one slice left we box it up to take home I wouldn't throw it away at home so why would I out.

I only drink water (or processco) so when out we only drink water with meals other than one of the kids who has squash.

I cut open my tubes of toothpaste when it’s nearly empty and more can’t be squeezed out. I have at least two days worth once it’s been cut in half!

I often get faces because I call it the public baths and say 'bathing suit' instead if 'swimming costume'.

Oh and I take hotel/airport lounge toiletries (providing they can mini bottles - not full size bottles).