AIBU to ask for bargains/money saving tips?

[user0512]

As with most people around the country, bills have gone up, and more and more people are struggling to make ends meet.

What bargains/money saving tips have you got?

For example, have you been swapping your branded products for good dupes? Such as Fairy liquid for another brand? Any apps or websites?

Thank you :)! X

Anyone?

We shop in Lidl, I walk everywhere and rarely use the car, kids clothes mainly come from eBay bundles, fruit and veg from a company called "odd box", washing all gets hung outside and plan around the weather, and use my slow cooker often instead of putting on the oven.

Topcashback if you shop online. Pm me if you want a referral code

Not sure if this is something you would use but just read an article in the chronicle from Martin Lewis about 2 apps one called Olio which offers free food from the likes of Tesco and people give away household items and another called too good to go, this offers food that shops like Gregg's, Costa ect haven't sold so sell bags food for like £2 ect x

Check out the credit crunch board, in the money section. There have been some good threads there with lots of ideas.

I bought an air fryer and haven't used my massive range cooker since. I was already on a tight budget so buy food at Aldi and other bits from Home Bargains. Went back to using washing powder which is much cheaper and better results. Only line dry. All darks on a cold wash. Am really strict with lights and we haven't had the heating on for a very long time. I bought Primark Oodie hoodies for us both to keep warm. I don't honestly know where else I can cut back. However, it has made me mindful of waste and recycling and repurposing. So that's a good thing!

Hair dye; I've always dyed my own hair with box dye to keep costs down.

I like it very bright red which needs re doing every 2-3 weeks to keep it vibrant and the roots red. I was using a whole box every time and there was always loads left over that I had to throw away.

I've bought myself a brush and hair dye mixing bowl with measurements inside to mix up just what I'll use and I now get 3 applications from 1 box.

That and trimming my own fringe saves me a good little bit.

I'm intrigued by your opinion of using washing powder. I always find that washing powder leaves a residue in the clothes/doesn't quite wash well.

Am I doing something wrong?

Which one do you use? Do you put it in the drum? Do the clothes feel 'clean' after?

Thanks,
X

Shopmium is worth looking at. You click on the shop you're shopping in (Tesco, sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose) and it comes up with a handful of offers. Click on the offer you want and it gives you money off. You pay full price and then scan the bar code and take a picture of your receipt and they put the money back in your account really quickly. Sometimes it lets you try products for free. You then just leave a quick review. It's quicker and easier than it sounds and in the last month or so I've received £7 back. Message if you'd like a referral code

I wouldn’t swap your fairy liquid. I used to use 2 bottles of Asda liquid a week now I only use one bottle of fairy liquid and it’s much better . Works out cheaper and often on sale .

I have also earned £100's by using cashback sites such as top cashback and Quidco. I recently got £40 back for doing my home insurance via quidco. It can take a few months to recieve it but if you use it for everything you buy online you always have money coming back to you.

Shoppix is another good one. Just take a picture of your receipt, fill in a short survey and it gives you points that you can convert into vouchers for Amazon, PayPal etc.

Airtime rewards - save your main cash card and every time you buy something with it at a participating retailer, you get cashback and when you have £10 or more you can redeem it as credit against your phone bill. Message if you want a code 😊

I get a lot of stuff from my local eco refill shop. While some cleaning/toiletry stuff might seem expensive, you often need far less of it so it works out better value.

Generally trying to not waste food so making batches of soup with leftover veg and that sort of thing. Also having cheap, easy 'meals' like beans on toast a bit more often.

@user0512 Hi, yes I went back to using Daz as it's safe on whites and colours. It performs better as I live in a very hard water area. I always found liquids left an awful residue but my washing now smells lovely. Daz just has a nice clean scent that is made better by line drying. It's also cheap as chips. A huge box costs me around £7.50 and will do 50 washes.

Washing powder is far better for your clothes, machine and purse. This week Lidl have a 100 wash box of Surf for £8.99, you will get 200 washes out of it and your washing will be clean and fresh.

It kind of depends on your starting point.
On lots of these threads, people can list things they do and others think - doesn't everyone do that anyway ?

I presume things like wearing a jumper or two rather than putting the heating on, to be normal, but there are often people on MN threads who think it shocking anyone can live without the heating on, and on at a much higher temperature than I would use.
Same with always eating up leftovers..... eating 'snacky meals' sometimes rather than a new full dinner every evening to be normal.

A personal trainer.