Small money saving habits...petty even

[Buddy80]

Hi,

I was just thinking of some of the small habits i've gotten into from habit and though i'd share...

I know some of them have probably been mentioned before

Always break a dishwasher tab in half
Water down fabric conditioner to get 2 bottles instead of 1
Freeze unwanted bananas for cakes
Chop up apple cores for the birds
Save pumkin seeds for planting
Save envelopes for seeds from old calendars
Use old envelopes for shopping lists if not reused
This one is stingy [embarrassed]...intead of buying a calendar, I just print off monthly from on-line planner. It gets amended anyhow and easier just to put on pinboard
Save old flyers to make paper chains.
Add handful of porridge oats to make crumble go further

[VerySmallSqueak]

I have given up expensive cleaning/antibac sprays.

A bottle of value cream cleaner in the bathroom with a sponge is every bit as good.

I use the library loads - books are so expensive to buy and you can order most things in.They also run free courses.

[Buddy80]

Very agree about the library. Also, check if you are entitled to which type of library card (I didn't know about this either). I can get a Carers Card (as my son is registered disabled). This means that I don't get charged late fees and can order in items free of charge.

Free courses. Childrens Centres also run free courses (sometimes with freebies

[Allofaflumble]

Marshmallow Get yourself a microwave rice steamer. They are dead cheap and the rice comes out wonderfully. You rinse your rice as you normally would in the basket thingy. Then boil a kettle and cover the rice an inch above the level with boiling water. Add some cloves and salt or whatever you like and after 10 minutes exactly you have perfect basmati. I usually drain it and then put it in for another minute to dry off.

I don't like american long grain so don't know how well that would come out.

[KnickersOnOnesHead]

Marking my place, excellent ideas!

[Mum2Fergus]

Ive been making much better use of the freezer of late...as well as reduced stuff from shop, meal leftovers...got some carrots for 10p today, grated along with couple potatoes and half an onion then some coriander and blitz. Dinner with crusty rolls for DP and I tonight, last if it frozen and will do a lunch for me through the week.

[cozietoesie]

A very small thing - but I always make extra rice if I'm cooking it anyway. If you plan your meals, you can work that extra in with curries (takeaways and shop bought curries are always too sloppy for me and a bit of extra rice in the fridge extends them nicely.) Heated up rice (I reckon it to last at least two days in the fridge if re-heated properly) also extends eg a cupasoup nicely to make a reasonable lunch or snack if you're at home. (I also mix cold rice with some mayo, garlic puree and eg cucumber or tomatoes for a quick snack. Yummy.)

Rice can go a little funny if you freeze it - but one thing it's good for is fried rice. The freezing acts to separate the grains so it becomes ideal for that.

[BettyBum]

On a cold day, leave the oven door open after cooking to let all that heat into the house.

[ByTheWay1]

I like nice cheese, so buy loads of it when it is a BOGOF, grate it (in the magimix - I'm lazy as well as tight) and freeze it in plastic takeaway boxes. Easy to use straight from the freezer then.

Our fridge was working fine, but all the plastic bits - salad drawers/door bottle holders etc were perishing/shattering so I found an online supplier of internal bits for fridges and replaced them for £20.

Freeze candles before you use them - last longer and don't splutter.

Do oven cooking in batches - e.g. stew + lasagne + meatballs then eat one, fridge one, freeze one.

[hophophippidtyhop]

you can make baked beans taste better by adding a knob of butter and some smoked paprika.

[MrsSalvoMontalbano]

agree that frozen grated cheese is your best friend!

[anothercuppaplease]

Oh yes those points from Tesco. It's worth looking into opening a bank account with whichever shop you go to. We go tesco, we have a tesco bank account, get extra points for that too, we save all our points throughout the year and last year we paid for christmas presents, christmas meal AND 36 bottles of wine delivered for free!

We don't use dishwasher tablets, we use the old fashion powder and rince. It works and costs a lot less

But the best money saving tip is to pay your credit card in full every month or don't use a credit card at all. It's amazing how much people pay in interest at the end of each month.

[SHRIIIEEEKPoolingBearBlood]

Good thread just getting on it.

But please don't reheat rice!

[cerealqueen]

If you put bagged salad leaves in a tupperware lined with kitchen paper, it will last twice as long
Limp bendy carrots will crispen up if you put them in a bowl of water in the fridge for half an hour
An over ripe banana in the freezer turns into a nice frozen treat

I got all these from a bbc programme on last week!

[cozietoesie]

I did say 'properly' SHRIIIEEEK.

[anothercuppaplease]

I thought so too about the rice. I have done a food hygene course and they said that
Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive.

If the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores can grow into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea.

The longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that the bacteria or toxins could make the rice unsafe to eat.

Tips on serving rice safely
?Ideally, serve rice as soon as it has been cooked.
?If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour).
?Keep rice in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating.
?When you reheat any rice, always check that the dish is steaming hot all the way through.
?Do not reheat rice more than once.

[cozietoesie]

Exactly so, another. But safety guidance applies to most types of food. You have to assume that people will do things more or less properly - such as handling raw meats or using dairy food.

I've personally found that rice is quite fine for up to two days in the fridge but then I bring it down to fridge temperatures real fast. I'm happy to concede on the 'one day' limit. (There's always the dog!)

[Fluffycloudland77]

If you rinse the rice under the cold tap it will be cooled down quickly and then you can store it.

[loubielou31]

I did this earlier and thought I should tell you all. When cooking stuff on the hob; pasta, rice, veg, that sort of thing, turn the heat off before they've finished cooking and stick a lid on. They'll continue to cook and you'll save a bit of energy.

[Mum2Fergus]

My Mum shared something with me which admittedly Ive still to try, but maybe one if you will know. She was a working Mum and before she left house she would put eg potatoes on with boiled water from kettle then in high until rolling boil. Turned off and lid on just before leaving and the veg would cook away while she was as work. Swears was all cooked by time she got home and just needed a quick reheat! Sound promising?!

[milkysmum]

We have always reheated rice and no one has been ill yet!!!!

[MerseyMama]

Marking place

[MoomieAndFreddie]

(sadly nothing to contribute as am shit with money)

[ethelb]

oh I hate the misunderstanding about rice. Reheating doesn't destroy the toxin, so you don't need to bother checking it is heated through or 'piping hot' as it makes no difference.

[Curtsey]

Make a budget every week and try to stick to it when you're doing your food shop. This doesn't always work for me, sometimes we go over budget, sometimes we're under budget, but I think it all evens out.

Figure out how much you spend on meat during your weekly shop. Then save that amount and only buy meat every second week. If you start doing this now you'll end up with a nice little amount for Christmas. And even if you have a housefull of carnivores they won't notice so long as you batch cook for the freezer when you do have meat.

Christmas food hampers make lovely gifts for e.g. the neighbour who looks after your kids, teachers, the elderly - anyone to whom you want to say thank you. Use any old box or basket and line it with old wrapping paper. Decorate with some (free) holly/ivy from the garden or wood. Start stockpiling nice things now to put in the hampers - Aldi is brilliant for this esp. stuff like shortbread and dark chocolate. If you see a good bottle of wine on special offer that can go in too. At the last minute you can add things like satsumas, chestnuts, pate.

[sieglinde]

Cut open tubes of anything - toothpaste - handcream - with scissors and scrape out remnant.

get free bones from butcher and use for stock, frozen in individual cups

Freeze berries from summer and use all winter