To ask for your most ingenious money saving tips

[Toothiehurtie]

my Best one is…

a visit to the card factory for cheap cards and gift bags and then picking up presents from car boot sales or charity shops. I have got some brilliant kids party presents for 50p so with the card and a cheap gift bag I have brought the cost of a present in for a pound before.

looking for any tips at all, obviously you can buy porridge oats in bulk cheaper than buying expensive kids cereal etc but anything clever or that people might not have thought of before.

don’t know how bad the fuel crisis will be but considering charging battery packs to charge phones at work and taking a thermos of boiled water home 😂

I don’t have river stones but do have a huge stock pot of water that I heat on my small wood stove. As the fire goes out, the hot water can keep the house warm for hours afterwards. Added bonus it can help with baths, washing up etc in power cuts.

I use body wash for my hands so have two bottles and decant each new one into the other and fill with water. My hands come away just as clean.

Regarding solar, Australian household solar inventory is the highest in the world. However, sending power from home to grid is not the same as sending power from grid to home, especially on aging networks. And the sell off of power entities to private investment doesn’t help as they don’t want to spend enormous amounts of money on trying things out. However, in WA, the electricity is still government owned, is made of a number of discrete stand alone systems and is able to try things top-down, so to speak. www.westernpower.com.au/our-energy-evolution/projects-and-trials/. Because of all this, the world is watching to see the results of various trials. In 10 years time, energy management worldwide will likely be quite different from what we have known previously. www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-02/tesla-battery-expanded-as-sa-energy-minister-lauds-benefits/12622382 (Apologies for being longwinded).

Driving a little slower. 67mph instead of 70mph makes a noticeable difference. Poo at work daily. (Saves water and toilet roll.) Use Topcashback. Fewer children and pets.

A tealight gives off the equivalent of 33 watts or 100 BTUs.

Not many people know that. 🤣

In an emergency you can make an impromptu little radiator using a few tealights, a cooling rack and a roasting tin on the top. (OBVIOUSLY keep well away from kids, animals and the frail, place on a fireproof surface etc).

I intend to experiment and make a posher, safer version of this using some tins with lids and holes drilled in the side.

I tend to disagree. Washing powder coagulates in impossible to reach places when it is put in the dispenser drawer, I add about half the recommended amount of own brand liquid into the drum instead.

I think pods are the worst.

HintofVintagePink. I like the sound of "Giveaway groups". Could you please tell me how they work? Thanks!

People saying shower at the gym - surely if you’re needing to penny pinch then ditching the gym altogether will save you far more than grabbing your shower there!

Personally I can’t start my day without jumping in the shower at home.

I’ve done this for years, if there’s even a bit left in when I recycle the old container I feel defeated!

If you cook with mince, as well as stretching it out with vegetables you can use pearl barley.

It bulks up rather than dissolving like some veggies do, and if you cook your bolognese/chilli/savoury mince long and slow it takes on the colour and flavour.

Those saying they use Airtime Rewards. Is it safe? Don't you have to give your bank details and link it to the app?

If you know anyone with a bluelight card ask them if they'd mind sharing their login. For example I bought flea stuff for the dog with a 20% discount from a site I'd never even heard of recently using a discount code.

Topcashback for everything bought online, I have made £340 this year, and I don't buy a lot of large purchases. That's just for house and car insurance and little bits and bats from ebay. If anyone needs a referral pm me (I think I make about £3, just to be transparent)!

I reuse water from the washing up bowl or when draining veg/pasta etc to water plants.

Cut open toothpaste-add water to conditioner.

If you can, get involved with house clearances. If you know any local landlords for example, or see anyone saying they're clearing a house for whatever reason, they'll probably appreciate the help. I have got food, clothes, TVs this way-if It's an item you don't want that will sell, take it!

A tip from my childhood-smother yourself in vaseline, it keeps you warm!

I work nights from home and stick a quick workout video on youtube to warm up sometimes-obviously a bonus is you get a bit fitter/trimmer this way , may also be a fun thing to do with children in the evenings.

I didn't know turning things off at plugs was so effective, definitely going to try that one.

Charity shops for things you probably wouldn't think of. Lampshades, photo frames, glasses and crockery.

Another presents tip if your family are on board, reuse fancy bags! Some of the ones our family have have been doing the rounds for years.

I would also like to know the websites a PP was meaning for free samples. There used to be loads of those around but I struggle to find them now.

I have one of those 5 litre water dispensers (labelled non potable) I use to save odd cleanish water like the stuff from the condenser drawer in my tumble dryer (if I'm using it), or from hot water bottles when I empty them.

I have a separate (very cheap old) kettle I use to boil that water to use in hot water bottles.

It means I use quite a few less litres of water each month from the tap, so don't have to pay either the water charges or the extortionate sewage charges for those litres.
My area has the highest water rates in the country, so every litre counts.

If I needed more hot water bottles than I had water to use (you lose a bit over time), I top it up from the water butt, which also saves me massive amounts of water over the year.

If I'm feeling really frugal, I'll fill a bucket from the water butt & bring it up to flush the toilet too.

Going veggie most of the time saves a lot of money- and is better for the planet.
Dried beans and pulses are really economical. Try replacing a Friday night curry with homemade dhal.

Also cycling/walking rather than driving whenever you can.

• selling things you don't need on vinted/eBay/Facebook marketplace. I tend to use the latter as you don't need to faff around with postage etc.

I don’t think you need to use washing machine tabs every wash - I put clothes that need a freshen up but are not that dirty in for 15mins without cleaning products.

What kind of job is this?!!!

Pub manager, care taker, gardener? I am sure It's something far more obscure though!

Before you buy anything electronic go on eBay and see if there's a refurbished version. Usually much cheaper and can often come with 1 year guarantees

When I use spring onions I leave that last cm above the roots and then plant this bottom bit in a small pot in the window sill. I do the same with old ones from from the fridge. They will regrow and you can use them again.

You can apparently do this 4 times (I'm only up to 2 x as a new discovery!)

If you have a wood burning stove that you’re using, pop a stove top kettle on the top. I’ve seen people recommending cooking on them but I haven’t tried it yet!

I live in a part of Scotland which was badly effected by the storms last winter we only had the wood burner at points.
Yes you can cook on the wood burner but only with fully metal pans and most things take a long time. (Jacket potatoes wrapped in lots of foil in the grate work though)

It's not too bad if you have it on anyway and lots of time on your hands not great for everyday

Reading other people’s tips.

Recently I have been charity volunteering and sometimes ‘work ‘ on a Saturday. I have discovered that our local well known chain of butchers mark down a lot of things at 3pm which is just as I finish. It is near where I work so I go every time. On Saturday I spent £24 and got a large piece of pork which I cut in two £10, coiled sausage x4 £4, spare ribs £1, chicken breast £1 & £2 Greek sauce, mince £2:50 and a bottle of soy sauce full price. We had the spare ribs and the £1piece of flattened chicken breast for tea with noodles and some left over peppers.The pork is still in date and we are having half tonight and the rest is in the freezer. We eat fish twice a week, meat twice a week and veggie twice a week. One day is pot luck so varies and might be leftovers.
I batch cook mince and beef casserole as I can bulk buy larger trays for less especially if also marked down. We have an Everhot( bit like an AGA) so the oven is on all the time so we make use of slow cooking cheaper cuts like brisket.

Free fruit- yesterday I was given a carrier bag of apples and a large bowl of plums. We picked brambles a few days ago and had more free apples so a crumble was free apart from the top( flour, butter, coconut, almonds and porridge oats) and lasted us three meals. We swop our blackcurrants.

We have a greenhouse now and grow tomatoes, courgettes, strawberries, herbs. Garden- peas, beans, broad beans, mange tout & potatoes. Three water butts.

Three hens. Getting two eggs a day.

We collect wind fall wood for our stove. Neighbours took down three outhouse roofs and replaced beams. Gave us the wood. Couple of days of ferrying wheelbarrows of wood = several weeks of warmth in winter.

We don’t usually put our central heating( multi fuel stove) on until Oct half term.

I have some clothing I have had for years. Smartly dressed ladies at church were comparing charity shop purchases they were wearing😁.

Dunelm- have put craft leftover bins near the door. Fabric offcuts, wool and haberdashery. I got some fabric yesterday and some wool last week for our charity. Making Christmas decorations and knitting hats for children.

That was this months savings.

Pinterest has some great cleaning tips, salad dressings etc

If you're on certain benefits with three or more children you can get a discount on your water.
I'm on a water meter and after I applied (with proof of universal credit) my monthly charge went from £60+ to a fixed monthly rate of £28.

This is yorkshire water, but I'm sure others must offer this too.

I've been using top cash back for years. I usually take the vouchers rather than cash.

My ;council tax saver' I overpay my council tax each year, and then swap the SO to a savings account so the same amount goes out each month.

A do the regrow spring onions too, I just use water. I saw a recipe using swede greens so currently there is a swede top growing some greens for me.

(whispers) I don't use fabric conditioner at all

@sashh what benefit do you find taking the vouchers gives you?