To think that a lot of cost saving suggestions are a false economy and actually aren’t that cost saving at all?

[GhostFromTheOtherSide]

So increasingly there are suggestions as to how to save energy.

Buy an electric throw/electric blanket/microwave/slow cooker/air friar.

And then people will tell you that these cost almost nothing to run.

Except they often cost £££ to buy, and if you settle for cheap you’re settling for a false economy.

Electric blankets/throws are notoriously unreliable and have a tendency to break.

Air friars are small so if you want to cook whole meals in them you need something like a double drawer ninja which costs a fortune.

So while you will be saving money on the energy, you’re actually going to be spending it on the measures to save on the energy.

Obviously if you already have these items then the cost has already gone.

But if you don’t then surely people should be thinking twice about whether to rush out and spend money they potentially don’t have on items which are going to cost them anyway?

I keep nearly falling for the buying thermals thing. Buying more clothes just to sit in the house when I wfh seems proactive but actually I have plenty of jumpers and even coats.

I find thermals brilliant, and worth every penny. They're fine fabric, so don't feel bulky, and really make a difference to how warm I feel. I'm also a huge fan of Heat Holders socks, they're the warmest thing I've ever had on my feet.

But I really feel the cold (underactive thyroid) so I've been finding better ways to keep warm for years. If energy prices stay this high till November next year, when my current fixed price ends, I think I shall go back to working in the office on the 3 days I work, and watch tv in bed of an evening, in thermal PJs and a hat.

Should have said YANBU, don't know where the N went!

I learnt my lesson on this after spending £3 on 6 cabbage plants, expecting to have a lifetime's supply of cabbages.
Not only do cabbages not work like that, but the bloody caterpillars ate half of them. A cabbage was about 40p in the supermarket at the time!

I agree. My favourites:

-buy all sorts of stuff for home to save energy- if you don't buy those, you'll just spend these monies on energy bill. No difference
-buy electric/hybrid to save on petrol- thanks, but I don't have enough cash. I need to get into debt to buy it, so in fact it's going to cost me as much as my petrol car

We have trees in the garden so eat a lot of our own fruit (pears, apples, plums, cherries). It doesnt really cost as we don't do a lot with the trees but at most it saves us a few quid. Its very very hard to save money growing fruit & veg unless you have hours and hours of spare time

I'm getting back into the habit of using my old Remoska rather than buying a Ninja.

Anyone else here have one?

Obviously you have to have a garden, but if you do what are the costs of setup? A few seeds and a few tools?

I've been growing vegetables for years, and I can genuinely say the cost is negligible.

I put a string of frozen cheapo sausages down my pant legs and then go running. Not only do I keep warm and save on cooking and heating but I have a tasty snack ready when I get home.

Curtains with thermal liners cost a fortune, so much so that I learned how to make them myself because it was the only way I could afford them.
Once made, they make a huge difference but not a quick cheap fix at all.
The fastest/cheapest way is to attached thermal linings to existing curtains, but also quite a skilled job.

Yes to a point but not to the excess you've said.

E.g. I've just bought an electric throw, on offer from amazon for thirty quid. There's a years warranty for it, so even if it breaks after a year I will definitely save the thirty quid in heating. Plus even if the electrical component evetually breaks it's still nice and thick so can still be used as a normal throw. Electric blankets are even cheaper -I got mine last year from aldi who are really good at doing returns if something breaks -again it's now been more than a year but even if it breaks soon (cross fingers it wont!) I definitely had my £16 out of it!

Obviously if you're buying a very expensive one you might not recoup the cost immediately- but honestly I barely put my heating on last year so for me they are definitely a huge saving.

Also depends on what you're already doing - e.g joining a gym at x amount a month isn't a money saving tip BUT if you are already tied into a years contract then suggesting yougtake advantage of it and shower there rather than at home, could save a lot!

Surely you can just not attach them? The suggestion on website posting for the Dunelm ones seems to be to hang them behind the current curtains rather than trying to attach the two together. I assume you could hang them without curtains in front as well - it wouldn’t look good but it would work.

With respect, you’re talking bollocks.

We have an air fryer and it has never seen a nugget or similar. The odd chip, granted, plenty of roasts-both meat and veg, many different chicken dishes (none of them with breadcrumbs), meatballs, sausages, bacon, fajitas, steak, fish, and now my mind’s gone blank!
I don’t buy any kind of frozen breaded or “beige” products, always cook from scratch, and other than for couple of pizzas, my oven hasn’t been on since I bought it.

Potting compost. Netting to keep away cabbage whites and pigeons. Some way of dealing with slugs. Seed trays and pots for things tgat aren’t sown directly in the soil. Fertiliser forthings in containers. Canes. It adds up

There was a thread a few weeks ago where people were discussing buying a second freezer to store the food they had batch cooked . Even if they could get this on free cycle or secondhand there is still the cost of running it.

This thread is predicated on the bleeding obvious. Of course not all money-saving measures suit everyone’s situation, and require thinking out.

MNers aren’t thick, they can work it out.

We were able to get our house insulated on one of those government schemes a few years ago. What's really sad is we only just made it - we were totally oblivious that it was an option until someone came round and talked us into dong the research. So I do think the government and the energy companies have let us all down with poor/inefficient communication. I mean, the water company decided I needed a meter - they didn't wait for me to agree, they just did it. Not sure why the energy companies couldn't have done the same frankly.

I do agree that tips that are more about behaviour change would be helpful. The water one currently going around but not leaving taps running while brushing teeth - I thought that one was completely well known now. If not, great that they're talking about it. Should be same for energy. I'm planning to lower the temperature of the water in our boiler a little (we tend to have it high for various reasons), will continue to maintain a very low temperature around the house generally, quick showers as much as possible. Washing on 30 not 40. Limited use of heated air dryers and tumble driers. yell at DH and DC more aggressively when they leave the front door open for ages every time they come in or out (I think this will cut my winter fuel bill by about 30% by itself) etc etc etc.

Like a PP I didn’t realise until recently when a colleague bought one how versatile air fryers were, l automatically thought you could only cook what you would’ve cooked in a deep fat fryer.

The best ideas will be the simple ones.
Slow cooker (and reheat the second portions the next day in the microwave).
Cook veg in the microwave
Get up the loft, look for the old blankets ready for the winter, the old big curtains to go across the front door
I’ve even got my old, tatty thermal pyjamas out (and washed them ready), they’ll go under my work clothes (I do wfh).
Getting my bike ‘serviced’ so if needed I’ll cycle to the office to keep warm there 😂😂
Got a cheap bike (£40) off of FB marketplace for DH, he’s taken it every day since last Tuesday (7 mile round trip), saving money already there.

Go to the office?: ours was closed over Covid to save money and we were all shifted over to homeworkers. The company won’t help out with fuel costs. It’s going to be a challenging winter. I’m thinking of going to the library for a couple of days a week. I suspect I won’t be alone. Else I’ll be working from the sofa under a duvet, or from bed.

I think I saw a news article today that libraries are expecting a huge influx of people using them to keep warm, particularly the elderly.

We aren't completely skint but are definitely feeling increased costs. I'm planning to keep my gym membership, but will force myself to go there to work at least once or twice a week so that I can leave the heating off all day on those days. At least it will feel like I can better justify the ridiculous membership cost (if I force myself not to spend on food while I'm there - I've taken packed lunch to work there before, so it is doable).

Yes, I was thinking about the elderly. Their need will be greater than mine, so I think I’ll scout it out. I don’t want to take a warm spot off anyone. It rankles that my company is making considerable savings from wfh employees but won’t help us out. And they are offering us a risible 2% pay increase.

This!

I think you just need to be more savvy and think about what makes sense.
so if I boil the kettle I add anything over, which isn’t much, to my flask, which I either pop back in the kettle or use as is. (but I’m not saving water to flush the loo).

where meals allow for an easy bulk cook option I do that. Eat one freeze one.

yesterday I made full use of all three layers on my steamer, rice on top, potatoes in the middle and the curry I cooked last week in an ice cream tub at the bottom.
the curry still needed a ping in the microwave but previously I’d would have used several saucepans, possibly the oven and the microwave.

we aren’t badly off but I’m worried about what it could be like so I’ve dug out my old ski wear for the winter months. The thing that bugs me is that the standing charges, So those that literally have everything turned off will still be paying lots for potentially nothing.

I've got thermal lined blackout curtains from m&s, they've been great in the heat this summer. I've just bought two more sets for my office and living room. They're £60 for a pair, floor length, on 1.5m width windows in my old terraced house, so should be a cheap enough investment for others who don't have a huge amount of glazing. Nice wooden curtain rails are about £175, but you can get much cheaper.