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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

803 replies

monroeagogo · 05/03/2022 19:17

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
SparklingLime · 07/03/2022 01:25

@Cheeseandlobster

OP I know this thread was meant in a good way but it seems to have attracted some judgey arseholes who think it is super funny to make snidey comments at those less well off then themselves (aside from the roll stealer post). Some people on here need to take a long hard look at themselves
The OP is the stealer of rolls! Not sure about good intentions.
Downunderduchess · 07/03/2022 02:24

I stop ordering Ubereats about 5 weeks ago, I know I’ve saved heaps of money in doing so. I wfh so I was getting it A LOT. At the end of the week I give some of the money to one of the animal rescues I follow on Instagram. I’m still saving money & I am happy that I can now give a bit extra to the charities.

If I go to the supermarket I take a carrier bag with me, if by chance I forget, then I just BUY one.

Thrifty is good but stinginess not so much. As for the people scanning items incorrectly on purpose, that’s theft. Imagine your embarrassment explaining that to family/friends when you eventually get caught.

When I ate eggs I would save the water used for boiling them to top up the birdbath (when it cooled of course).

Errorschach · 07/03/2022 05:07

@Sgtmajormummy

I got a “tracked and signed” card from the UK. Sent mid November, arrived here (Italy) in February. Shock

Surely if a thing’s being tracked it’s in their interest to get it to the destination ASAP.
Seems like neither country’s postal service gives a hoot!

I used to send a lot of things to Italy from the UK, and asked about the various tracking and recorded deliveries. They told me that they only operate internally. Not outside the UK. And the same for other country's postal services.
UsernameInTheTown · 07/03/2022 05:30

With OP's logic and morals she could save a fortune in rent, heating, water and other utilities and food bills by going to prison? I believe you get free gym access too. Winner.

ErinAoife · 07/03/2022 05:37

Used to buy cheap tea bags and put them in a brand box at home as ex husband could only drink this brand. He never noticed the difference and saves around 2 pounds each time, he was going to a fair amount of tea.

shivawn · 07/03/2022 05:50

If we're getting a takeaway I'll sometimes order a kids meal for myself, it's a good portion and about €10 cheaper than an adult version. I would never ever do that when we're dining there (which we normally do) but I get away with it when it's a takeaway order.

shivawn · 07/03/2022 05:53

Oh and I use my old student email to get cheaper Prime and YouTube Premium although I'm qualified for years. Asos student discounts too.

CowsAreNotGreen · 07/03/2022 06:10

@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?

That's not "cheeky" it's theft.
CowsAreNotGreen · 07/03/2022 06:11

Stick red lentils in whenever I cook mince to make it go further. DH hasn't noticed yet and I make a looot of lasagne.

janj2301 · 07/03/2022 07:27

When I worked retail any shop lifters caught in store WERE taken back to the CCTV office so they could be shown the film, hand over the goods and the guard could write up their details to ban them and he'd list the items almost lost so he'd get credit for saving the store money

ClaryFairchild · 07/03/2022 07:57

My university used to charge 50p more for a large tea than a small tea, and only 10p for a large cup of hot water. I never have milk in my tea, so I used to buy a small tea and a large cup of hot water and use the tea bag in the hot water and would end up with 2 cups of tea.

Ivyonafence · 07/03/2022 08:08

@Anay51

I think you are all so lucky with these extravagancies like having enough water to wash your face masks in the bath, I wish I had a bath, my husband does not even have a face, never mind the mask to go with it, I am thinking of LTB

I wake up 3 hours before I go to bed so I can take the 5-year-old teabags off the drying line, which we share with the next-door neighbours.

We have found a great way of saving money on food we do this thing in the afternoon maybe you can all do it, we wait for old man at number 27 to go play his bingo and we go into his house and empty what is in his kitchen bin and we make it into a soup for the whole road, we have made one last 15 decades.

I just hope one day we can have enough money to put the light on as at the moment we angle a sheet of tin foil against the street lamp so we can read the book we were given 10 years ago as a gift, we also like listening to next doors TV

Peace to you all.

Hilarious! 👏
LemonDrizzles · 07/03/2022 08:09

Whilst doing healthy eating research, discovered how low portion of meat weight is. Now when meat is purchased, roughly divide meat by this measurement. Now meat lasts twice as long!

Porfre · 07/03/2022 08:42

Sometimes if I order from amazon.

It is sometimes cheaper if you subscribe and save.

I'll subscribe to get the cheaper price, then cancel the subscription a few days later once the item I wanted has been delivered.

Lilifer · 07/03/2022 08:55

"monroeagogo
I've also been known to add extra rolls or cakes at the self checkout scale. Quite often, actually."

Lilifer · 07/03/2022 08:56

monroeagogo
I've also been known to add extra rolls or cakes at the self checkout scale. Quite often, actually.

⬆️⬆️confused at this. Surely if you add the rolls at the scale then you'll be charged for them, because the print off ticket will clock their weight - surely to steal the rolls you'd have to TAKE THEM OFF the scale not add them??🤔

658Doyouknowwheremysparkis · 07/03/2022 10:11

DMIL used to go to France on coach holidays with her pals, she’d come back with bottles and bottles of spirits which she then gave to her niece who ran a B&B in Blackpool and would sell the spirits in the bar…. Did mention to DMIL this was illegal but she responded with wide eyed incredulity at this piece of information.. She was a complete treasure… but honestly, when she informed us she was off on one of her jaunts I would make pirate noises and refer to smuggling…. Please no po-faced comments DMIL is now smuggling spirits in the sky … I think this was incredibly cheeky way of ‘saving’ money though…. And if anyone was in a Blackpool B&B a few years ago with cheap prices on the spirits, my DMIL is probably the reason why!

TheOccupier · 07/03/2022 10:36

@Anay51

I think you are all so lucky with these extravagancies like having enough water to wash your face masks in the bath, I wish I had a bath, my husband does not even have a face, never mind the mask to go with it, I am thinking of LTB

I wake up 3 hours before I go to bed so I can take the 5-year-old teabags off the drying line, which we share with the next-door neighbours.

We have found a great way of saving money on food we do this thing in the afternoon maybe you can all do it, we wait for old man at number 27 to go play his bingo and we go into his house and empty what is in his kitchen bin and we make it into a soup for the whole road, we have made one last 15 decades.

I just hope one day we can have enough money to put the light on as at the moment we angle a sheet of tin foil against the street lamp so we can read the book we were given 10 years ago as a gift, we also like listening to next doors TV

Peace to you all.

Brilliant Grin Grin Grin
TheOccupier · 07/03/2022 10:42

@EmbarrassingHadrosaurus

The most effective cheeky thing I do to save money is to ask for discounts on all medium and large purchases. I ask nicely and if they say no I don't push it, but it works often enough to be worth the momentary awkwardness!

What rates as a medium purchase, please? I mostly end up not buying something if it's too much for me. I have no haggle skills at all and don't know how people judge these things.

@EmbarrassingHadrosaurus something like a pair of shoes. Bought a pair of Dune shoes in a department store and it turned out the last pair in my size was also the display pair so I asked for (and got) a discount. I do it with smaller items too though if there's an obvious reason like damaged packaging.
EmbarrassingHadrosaurus · 07/03/2022 10:44

Bought a pair of Dune shoes in a department store and it turned out the last pair in my size was also the display pair so I asked for (and got) a discount. I do it with smaller items too though if there's an obvious reason like damaged packaging.

Thank you, @TheOccupier

SpanishPapers · 07/03/2022 10:45

Suspect that this has already been mentioned but never let your insurance auto-renew- always shop around. Takes 5 minutes on a comparison site and you can save hundreds. Ditto for breakdown cover etc. If you want to stay with the same supplier, just call them and politely say you've found a better price elsewhere and can they match it? It has never not worked for me.

I'd usually say the same for energy but I think that's a bit more complicated at the moment.

EveningOverRooftops · 07/03/2022 10:47

@TheOccupier I did the same a while ago in Tesco they had a shelf of leaking dish soap. The whole case was damaged (6 bottles iirc) . I said I’d take the lot off their hands for a discount.

Got a 1/3 off the whole case and the bits that were damaged were the pump tops. You don’t need a pump top to dispense the soap. And I already had a working pump too anyway.

Was enough dish soap for the year at least. I’ve only just finished the lot off.

So it can apply to small purchases too.

TheOccupier · 07/03/2022 11:16

Agreed @EveningOverRooftops - definitely worth a try with anything if you see an opportunity!

I am also the cheeky person that looks out for the staff member with the yellow sticker gun and asks them nicely to check whether I can get a reduction on something I'm buying, if it has today's date but hasn't yet been reduced.

Sparklingbrook · 07/03/2022 11:55

@TheOccupier

Agreed *@EveningOverRooftops* - definitely worth a try with anything if you see an opportunity!

I am also the cheeky person that looks out for the staff member with the yellow sticker gun and asks them nicely to check whether I can get a reduction on something I'm buying, if it has today's date but hasn't yet been reduced.

You have to be careful with that. From what I can gather the staff member could get into trouble for reducing stuff on demand. I believe it’s because you could be a friend or relative they are doing a ‘favour’ for.
VelvetChairGirl · 07/03/2022 12:03

@SpanishPapers

Suspect that this has already been mentioned but never let your insurance auto-renew- always shop around. Takes 5 minutes on a comparison site and you can save hundreds. Ditto for breakdown cover etc. If you want to stay with the same supplier, just call them and politely say you've found a better price elsewhere and can they match it? It has never not worked for me.

I'd usually say the same for energy but I think that's a bit more complicated at the moment.

If your letting it auto renew then you are paying it monthly?

Pay upfront for the year ahead its cheaper (at least with contents insurance) and go thru a broker not the companies directly, if you need to claim you will do better that way, the insurance companies want to be tight arses. the brokers want to maintain happy customers, they will pay out no questions and make up stuff to cover the excess.