To start a Prepping for Poor People thread?

[TooBigForMyBoots]

I'm poor (household income well below £20k). With the energy price rises, CoL crisis and possible power cuts ahead I'm wondering what tips other people in my position have to give to prepare us for the winter ahead.

As this is a thread for poor people, recommended purchases should be £7.50 or less. This is not the thread for recommending Agas, sheepskin boots, 70quid blankets or moving house.

Feel free to move this to Prepping or CoL @MNHQ if you think it's better there.

[HTruffle]

I see so many posts / threads about how to save money - and as you say OP, invariably people immediately set off talking about what to buy to ‘save’ money! What people often need to think about is what you already have that will do the trick.

Some recent ones from me:

ran out of hand wash - found a large bottle of baby bath in cupboard, topped up all soap dispensers.

ran out of bathroom cleaner - used fairy liquid diluted - bathroom perfectly clean

£1.50 Lidl fruit & veg box - even if only for soups

put dressing gown on over clothes at home

add lentils to pasta meals etc, cottage pies - healthy and make it go much further

chop & freeze any veg rather than throw it out, again, make soup

Use one tea bag to make tea for two people
if one prefers it weaker

cut dishwasher tabs in half, use eco setting as Costs half and eco soaks dishes for longer so come out cleaner

see if there is a company shop near you.

[FallSky]

I had to pop out after starting dinner today. My spuds had been on about 10 mins and were simmering nicely. I had to turn the hob off but left the lid on and when I got back 30 mins later they were cooked. Probs saved a good 15 mins of gas!

[TooBigForMyBoots]

Some brilliant ideas here. Thank you all.

The advice on curtains is great. I dug out 2 pairs and my mum said she has some poles in her shed as well as 50 decades of curtains in boxes in her attic, I'm hoping my old muppets ones make an appearance. Thanks for the advice on hanging them without drilling walls.🙏

Anybody with experience of stuffing things up your chimney? I have a not-blocked-up open fire.

[TooBigForMyBoots]

Absolutely agree @HTruffle, using and re-imagining what we already have is most helpful. Free is best.

@Stravaig, it's clique.😆

[TrickyD]

A pop corn maker is a good present as they are quite cheap

What a ridiculous suggestion to add to a ‘thrift’ thread.

You can make popcorn in 5 minutes without an overpriced pointless gadget.
Put a generous tablespoon of oil in a saucepan, add popcorn kernels in a single layer, put on the lid and turn the heat to medium and listen to the popping until it slows down then take the lid off.

Butter, salt or a spiced mixture of these will be a perfect addition.,

[girlfriend44]

We have just started to wash the breakfast stuff at lunchtime.

[jeffbezoz]

Watching. And yes my username is ironic.

[DrMadelineMaxwell]

If using brown rice, which I find takes a LOT longer to cook than white rice, cover with water from the boiled kettle and leave to stand for at least 5 mins to cut down on cooking time. Works with pasta too.

I'm def a fan of using the oven for more than one dinner. So big roast dinner but I cook 2 smaller cuts of meat that take less time than one large one. And a huge tray of mixed roasted veg. Leaves plenty of leftovers for dinner then next day.
And if I stick in a shelf full of potatoes to bake, they will last for a good few days and don't take long to heat through in the microwave.

Really love a hot pudding that can be cooked at the same time the oven is already in use. Esp ones that use up leftovers, or cheap ingredients like rice pudding (see soaking advice above!)

[DrMadelineMaxwell]

£7.99 buys 3 bayonet LED warm white bulbs that last for a lot longer than standard bulbs as well as costing less to run. We just replaced other bulbs as and when they went but could have replaced all at once to cut down on cost.

Already have an air frier rather than using the oven for smaller amounts of food.
And a heated airer and a heated throw (aldi specials). And we use hang washing outside as long as it's dry rather than using the tumble drier.

[Blocked]

@HTruffle

I see so many posts / threads about how to save money - and as you say OP, invariably people immediately set off talking about what to buy to ‘save’ money! What people often need to think about is what you already have that will do the trick.

Some recent ones from me:

ran out of hand wash - found a large bottle of baby bath in cupboard, topped up all soap dispensers.

ran out of bathroom cleaner - used fairy liquid diluted - bathroom perfectly clean

£1.50 Lidl fruit & veg box - even if only for soups

put dressing gown on over clothes at home

add lentils to pasta meals etc, cottage pies - healthy and make it go much further

chop & freeze any veg rather than throw it out, again, make soup

Use one tea bag to make tea for two people
if one prefers it weaker

cut dishwasher tabs in half, use eco setting as Costs half and eco soaks dishes for longer so come out cleaner

see if there is a company shop near you.

Yeah fairy liquid is a perfectly good cleaner for all worktops, sinks etc and preferable to toxic sprays imo

[BeanStew22]

@TooBigForMyBoots

Some brilliant ideas here. Thank you all.

The advice on curtains is great. I dug out 2 pairs and my mum said she has some poles in her shed as well as 50 decades of curtains in boxes in her attic, I'm hoping my old muppets ones make an appearance. Thanks for the advice on hanging them without drilling walls.🙏

Anybody with experience of stuffing things up your chimney? I have a not-blocked-up open fire.

Hi @TooBigForMyBoots : re chimney, blocking off makes a MASSIVE difference

I bought a ‘chimney balloon’ for the open fire in my last flat (was £10-15) and sealing out those droughts made my room much much warmer

Previous people did a DIY with carrier bags full of old newspapers which was ok, I also stuck some old pillows up there which again was ok. The balloon works better because it adjusts to fit the shape better so was worth it in my opinion, pillows next best option (maybe inside a bin bag or similar)

MAKE SURE NO ONE LEAVES IT THERE AND LIGHTS A FIRE - so best to dangle something decorative from your ‘blocker’ so people realise :)

[ToGanymedeAndTitan]

@TrickyD What a ridiculous suggestion to add to a ‘thrift’ thread.

You can make popcorn in 5 minutes without an overpriced pointless gadget.

Bit harsh, no need to be a knob about it.
Although I agree, I used to have a popcorn maker but find it works just as well in a pan with a lid held (securely!) on.
Keep shaking the pan so they don't stick to the bottom though

[ToGanymedeAndTitan]

Who even eats cress?
I do, it's lovely in a cheese sandwich

[ToGanymedeAndTitan]

@Redsquirrel5 .I also make my own food hampers for my boys. I buy tins and jars, bags of pasta etc of their favourites when on special offer then decorate a cardboard box and add a few homemade biscuits, Chutney, Christmas Cake so they have something after Christmas Day ( they come here) and into January. That is their main gift if they don’t have a major request
I love this, one of my favourite presents is always the homemade food hamper off my Mum and Dad at Christmas and I'm in my 40s 😁
It's usually a cardboard box wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper and over the top too so you can't see in and peek 😁
With all our favourite food in like pistachio nuts, peanut butter, as well as every day stuff like bags of pasta or rice, and a couple of bags of chocolate coins for the kids.
Something for everyone so we're all dying for Christmas Day to roll around so we can stop poking and guessing and can see what's in there 😁

[AutumnCrow]

@Momo8

Boil the kettle ten minutes before you fancy a cup of tea or coffee. When you actually come to make the drink, your kettle will take less time to boil, thus saving energy.

Top Tip

[Brokendaughter]

@Mamathulu

Saw this the other day on Twitter, and thought it was pretty useful. I was also going to say door curtains, but we don't even have window curtains on some of our windows as when DH tried to put them up, the wall crumbled. Does anyone know if command hooks would help with that?

Fix a batten (a continuous strip of wood) to the wall at the height you want your curtain rail.

You can glue (with fast grab stuff like No More Nails) as well as screw it.
Do use
Batten should be at least a couple of mm wider than the brackets your rail will go on.
Once the glue has cured, you can fill in the screw holes & personally, I'd paint the batten the same colour as the walls before you put the curtain rail up, as they blend in best if you do.

You can then fix the curtain rail brackets onto the batten.

This spreads the weight of the rail & curtains out over the entire area of the batten & should stop it pulling out of the wall.

Make sure you don't put the screws into the batten in the same spots as you want to put up the brackets.

[Redsquirrel5]

@ToGanymedeAndTitan

Thanks re popcorn.

Glad you enjoy your hamper I like the idea or covering it. I do the box then use recycled clear plastic for the front. Another time I bought a second hand basket and filled that so it became part of the present.I bought 3 rectangular baskets from a show stand and now they pass them back in November if they aren’t using them. I add a bow or a floral decoration. Holly is free.

We eat cress. Love egg and cress sandwiches and sprinkled over salad leaves.

@TrickyD
Christmas is on its way. Great gift from grandparents, aunts etc as a family present and the one I have is selling at £11.99,not extortionate. I used the pan method previous to getting one but the thing is the kids can make it themselves without the chance of burning themselves. Mine is about 30 years old.
Are you always so rude? I offered lots of other ideas.

[Westfacing]

Full length fleecy dressing gown - I was given one years ago and never got around to wearing it. What a difference it makes wearing this in the evening when sitting around - when using a blanket/throw you feel cold when you get up and move!

So dig around in drawers and wardrobe to see what you've already have.

[Trinkethearth]

In the past people slept in box-beds or four poster beds to keep out the cold at night. Using this idea you can make a makeshift version by hanging old curtains or blankets around your bed. It does not have to look good. You could add a few battery fairy lights to for a nice warm glow.

Learn to repair clothing instead of buying new. Eg dying faded trousers will save buying new ones. I sew and darn clothes and make them last years. There are plenty of youtube tutorials.

Utilise skills and swap favours with friends or neighbours. Rather than paying someone for the work. Can you bake or cut hair? Encourage your family and friend to do handmade gifts (knit a scarf, sew a cushion, bake) or vouchers for favours. Some of my favourite gifts have been handmade.

The biggest money saver will be to get rid of cocklodgers and get lazy entitled adult children to step up. Everyone needs to contribute to the family. They should be aware of the family budget. If they are not working they are helping run the household in whatever capacity they can.

[jennyofthenorth]

RUGS!!! visit an opp shop and get rugs. Tack them up over your windows if their drafty. works great. Also try those foil emergency blankets over your windows, they will help trap the heat.

[daisychain01]

@JustAWeirdoWithNoName

Eh? Surely you're using more electricity because you're boiling the kettle twice instead of once?

I honestly think that kettle suggestion had to be a sarcastic "joke". Nobody is that thick, surely?

[verdantverdure]

I love this thread and have read and absorbed every word.

My own top tip is this weekend when it was our turn to have the children's friends round we did something active outside to generate heat then came home to a 13p spaghetti hoops on buttered toast tea and watched a film under sofa blankets all cosy. I've been really worried that cutting back will have to include not hosting the children a friends as willnilly as usual so I'm really pleased we could do it for next to nothing and everybody was happy.

[verdantverdure]

P.S Would anybody like to recommend particular solar lights? I love the idea of leaving them on a sunny windowsill all day and then having them as a nightlight in the bathroom to light the way (the wee!)

[Nonimai]

We have started to use solar string lights inside, to give a low level of light to rooms.
Save bubble wrap and use to insulate windows.
Dont use the oven. Use microwave, hob and slow cooker instead.
Wash by hand and just use washer to rinse and spin. I bought a cheap plunger and drilled holes in the rubber part and use to wash the clothes.
Eat simpler meals. Egg on toast, soup, jacket potato. Forget fruit and salads, go for max nutrition per pound spent. Really concentrate on no food waste.
Good post about rice pudding. Just heat the rice and milk (alternative milks work and you don’t need sugar)to boiling point. Put a lid on and turn the hob off. It will probably cook by itself.

[StuntNun]

I started switching the TV, DVD player etc. off at the wall plug at night hoping to save a few pennies over time. However since I've started doing that, I've realised that quite often it's switched off all night and all the next day and only put on again in the evening. So it's probably saving more money than I initially thought it would.