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?

When I was a teenager I used to scan a krispy kreme doughnut as a standard 20p jam doughnut. Don't do it anymore though, too scared of being caught😂

I don’t want to be melodramatic but if my life comes down to shuffling into a cafe and asking them for hot water on a day out to save money on boiling my kettle I’ll know that I’ve hit rock bottom.

Agreed. It’s one thing to refuse to bug takeout coffees because they are expensive, but to save on a cups worth of boiling water now and again…that just feels a bit depressing (and I bet my life the people who do this are well off, it’s about meanness)

The vinegar thing doesn't leave any stink

@VelvetChairGirl

I reuse tea bags, you can get 2 cups out of one bag.

checking the ticket machines, phone booths etc for spare change.

I wash the face masks in the bath with me once a week.

my door mat is free newspapers, change em every week or two.

You get in the bath… and wash the face masks you wear on your mouth in the bath… while you’re also washing your bum and feet and armpits???? Surely not. How much money are you saving that it’s worth it?

I've not heard the coppers in the vase water trick for flowers but my aunt swears by a small dash of bleach in the bottom of her flower vase with water. She says it kills any bacteria that makes the flowers die and to be fair hers last ages

@Cluelessbeetroot I can confirm it's real! I have two friends who always ask for a mug of boiling water in cafes (free when muggins here has paid for a cuppa). They then magic a teabag or coffee sachet from their pocket! I have to say I admire them for it.

rubbish its going to leave stink, fabric conditioner and soap leave a smell and they get rinsed off too.

Depending on the size of the load, it's 4-8floz in the rinse water. If you're concerned about this, there's a fair amount of information beyond the link that I gave upthread.

You get in the bath… and wash the face masks you wear on your mouth in the bath… while you’re also washing your bum and feet and armpits???? Surely not. How much money are you saving that it’s worth it?

saves on hand washing, just leave em to soak then rinse them off with the shower, dont worry my arse is clean.

When I worked in the office FT, I used to charge my phone everyday so I never had to do it at home. That’s probably the cheekiest. I didn’t feel bad though, the amount of unpaid overtime I used to do each week…

@monroeagogo

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

I'm like a big time thief.

I read that this is very common. Like pretending you're buying onions instead of avocados.

It is theft, pure and simple. And don't kid yourself that you'll keep getting away with it.

@silverbubbles

I save plastic bags that my deliveries come in and reuse for stuff I am posting. I unwrap presents carefully and save the paper, ribbons and gift bags to reuse. I make gift tags out of old christmas cards.

Surely reusing gift bags isn't cheeky? Isn't that what they are for? I still wrap presents for Small kids but for everyone else I use gift bags as I think that reduces waste. I don't write On the label so that they can be reused.

I wash the face masks in the bath with me once a week.

I would definitely rather smell of vinegar than wear a facemask that I'd 'washed' in my own arsewater.

@rattlemehearties

Franking is often invisible. Anyway really soon they are adding QR codes to stamps to ensure they can't be reused.

Anyway, since when did stealing or fraudulent activity = "cheeky"

Yet benefit fraud is fine on another post

MN genuinely bewilders me.

I needed to buy socks recently and thought I'd have a look while I was shopping in a Tesco Extra. I found a couple of packs with Christmas designs on. They weren't expensive, but I was sure that when scanned they would be a reduced price given we're now in March. I paid at a self checkout, and they scanned at 4p per pack!!!

I often go to bed about an hour before my DH, so I turn the heating off when I go. He thought I was doing it absent-mindedly for ages.

EmbarrassingHadrosaurus that made me laugh!

@TAKESNOSHITSHIRLEY

i water down washing up liquid and fabric conditioner. they are so thick to start with so i make 1 in to 2

i use a eco egg for laundry but with the above i keep a empty container and pour half from he new one then add boiling water and shake, ive been doing this for years and it doesn't make a difference

for both babies(in 2004.2010) i used washable nappies and made my own baby wipes, they were washable cloths that got thrown in with the nappies.
i only use solid shampoos, conditioners and bubble bars and organic natural soap on my face and a solid moisturizer bar.

they last so much longer and there is no plastic to get rid of.

if i had periods(severe PCOS)i would be using reusable washable pads

i do reuse candle wax in to melts.
when they cant be burnt no longer and there is loads left on the side or bottom i dig it out to put in my electric melt.

i always cook from fresh and homemade so no takeaways containers to throw away.
I dont drink coffee, tea or alcohol either ,so no throwaway cups ,teabags or those little pods
no alcohol cans or bottles but i kind of counter act that as i do like coke or pepsi in a can

can soups(we only eat tomato) i make go further by adding a tin of milk so it makes up to 2 or 3 cans.no ones ever complained

None of that is cheeky, that's just modern day sensible house holding.

@CharacterForming

Ridiculously frugal but not cheeky: I have a large biscuit tin in my kitchen into which I put any unused serviettes from takeaways and I use them instead of kitchen roll

Actually cheeky: ASD DC refuses to eat chips at school on Friday because they're unsalted which means they actually go hungry, so I snaffle a couple of sachets of salt each time I'm in a takeaway and secrete them in blazer pocket.

Don't they have a salt cellar in school?

Not cheeky but I never buy cleaning products any more. Vinegar, baking soda and Castile soap do everything.

This isn't really to save money, more to reduce chemicals and plastic waste but it is very cheap.

@Cakecakecheese

I was in Asda and scanned my bananas at the self service till. The till took a photo of the bananas and an assistant had to come over and verify I'd actually bought bananas. 'Is that in case I'd scanned it as bananas but really it was a PlayStation or something?' 'Yep, you'd be surprised at how many people try that sort of thing'.

Happened to me at asda with some garlic!

@Susu49

I don't know about 'cheeky' tricks but a big one for me is not saving my card details to Amazon.

I found I was spending a small fortune monthly as there was such a disassociation between clicking the buy button and spending money.

I use my library much more and also have far less stuff.

Good for you! I'm desperately trying to accumulate less but it's a constant battle with my mum who keeps giving me more! I've told her I'm trying to cut down, explained how I want what I own to be meaningful, how I'm so disorganised I need to be really minimal in what I own, how stressful I find excess clutter, but she pays no heed! Anyway, that's another thread...

OP, you're just a common thief. Nasty.

@VelvetChairGirl

You get in the bath… and wash the face masks you wear on your mouth in the bath… while you’re also washing your bum and feet and armpits???? Surely not. How much money are you saving that it’s worth it?

saves on hand washing, just leave em to soak then rinse them off with the shower, dont worry my arse is clean.

Christ why don’t you just get in the bath fully clothed and wash all your clothes that way?There’s absolutely no way washing your face masks in the bath with you is worth the pennies it might save.

@CurryLover56

I always pick up a load of black pepper sachets in McDonald’s. We were at the services once & DH came back with about 70 of them!

I would really struggle to fancy somebody who did this.

Bra Bacardi at festivals - I go to one were you can't take more than a limits amount of booze into the campsite - the bar is expensive and limited - I roll a bottle or two of cava in the tent and I was introduced to water bags with Bacardi (or other drinks) in down your bra - they don;t search there!

But I don't actually rob stuff