Can we have a 'best money saving tip' thread please?

[PlateSpinningAtAllTimes]

Myself and DH have decided that we really need to have a frugal couple of years to start properly saving some money. I think the MSE website is good but can be a little overwhelming- so much info! What are your best tips for curbing spending?

My tip: meal plan, cook in bulk, freeze individual portions. Lasagne and pasta bake seem to freeze well and are cheap to make.

Amber if you save pennies on a number of items every time you shop - then yes, it is worth it.

If you save hundreds of pounds by swapping phone providers, insurance companies etc - then you are mad not to do it.

You can live very comfortably and without looking like a miser by getting into good spending habits. I'd rather spend my money for special things, than waste it on over-priced convenience goods. It doesn't feel depressing at all - if feels smart.

Amber I think more people are doing this then you realise. Save the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves and all that...

If you go out in the evening, only take cash not your card. Means you don't overspend (and I always used to put a fiver or a tenner in a different pocket so I'd have emergency cash if needed).

Meal plan then make a shopping list and stick to it. Look in all your cupboards before going shopping.

Sometimes I find that I plan a meal but the veg isn't good in the shop so have to change the meal plan on the spot - knowing what I've got a home really helps to avoid buying extras.

Ambersocks no choice

Anyhoo, whilst I'm on a roll ... a tip from our dishwasher repair man. Your dishwasher will last longer if you buy wash-only tablets, then biy the salt and rinse aid separately. It sounds like a faff, but it really isn't and it works out miles cheaper

It astonishes me more that people don't do some of these (not all of them - some of them are quite a lot of effort).

At work we are constantly being hectored to watch costs. Yet the same people who do this are constantly throwing away things that I save for re-use. I am always being sent things which come wrapped in big, clean sheets of bubble wrap. I used to fold or roll them neatly and put them in the post room, near the new bubble wrap which had been bought for ££££££. It would be officiously thrown away, as messy. I can't bear this so I started HIGHLY ILLEGALLY storing it under a spare desk and certain people who know it is there will take it and use it. When things like this come to light, I get bollocked. WHY? I know our stationery costs are tiny compared to our other costs so I suppose it is not considered to count; I just can't bear the thought of all this oil-based stuff being used once, thrown into landfill, and my children roaming a barren lawless Mad Max style desert in 2050 because we couldn't be bothered to look after the planet.

Amber, I love living like this. I'm conscious of where my money goes & I'm saving up for stuff like a holiday next year. I don't mind own brand ketchup and squeezing the life out of a teabag if me and my dc get to save up for some really fun stuff.

It's about concentrating on what I really want the pennies to go on.

My grandad always used to say 'look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves', mm, and I used to sneer. Then my financial security fell away. I know the value of the pennies now.

Library books make terrific Christmas/birthday presents for your loved ones who live in the same house and can be relied on not to shove them under the bed and forget about them

Means you can choose something they may not choose for themselves, and in turn get something from an author you may not have considered before.

Amber we do it and we are earn decent salaries. But both DH and I come from poor families and it's ingrained in us.

Why buy drinks when out and about when it's a hell of a lot cheaper to bring a bottle from home?

And it's not just pennies. Our friends don't meal plan or compare prices in supermarkets. They laugh at us for avoiding brandnames and being "cheap". We regularly spend half what they spend in the supermarket, which over a year adds up to hundreds of pounds. They also regularly throw out food which they bought but never used and it goes off

Do this in lots of areas in your life and you have more money to plough into stuff that interests you. We save our money and put it towards important things (like a larger deposit on our flat meaning we pay less in interest and can therefore buy a larger flat).

Freecycle is amazing, we got lots of baby stuff on there and use it to de clutter.

re:bread, you can freeze it sliced (do that yourself if it's nice) and take out one slice at a time. Or making it is cheaper than buying nice bread - aldi do good bread flour.

Amber; 'literally pennies' obviously mean nothing to you, but saving a pound a week using money saving tricks means a lot to some families. That's £50 a year. That is all some people have to spend on Christmas each year.
The families I know who are that short of money don't wander around in a permanent state of depression.
You have obviously never been in such a situation; if you did, it did not teach you any humility.

I have been a skin flint for many years and totally agree with PostBellumBugsy. I would rather live like this and be able to direct the savings made to nice holidays, meals out, clothes and handbags!

Agree with all the above, I also do the following:

1. Avoid paying for parking wherever possible. Park a bit further out and walk or utilise car parks that offer a couple of hours free.
2. I keep an envelope with money off vouchers in my handbag. Before I do my weekly shop I go through this to make sure I don't forget to use any.
3. Always fill up at a Tesco petrol station. Easy way to build up your club card points.
4. Save all sample sized toiletries for when you travel. Saves paying a fortune for similar sized ones at the airport.
5. Keep a stash of old flannels for wiping the kids faces and hands at home. Saves lots on wet wipes.
6. Buy chewing gum multipacks at the pound shop to avoid paying over the odds at corner shops/petrol stations.
7. Buy cheap holiday toys/buckets/spades etc from poundland or similar. These type of things are often fortunes in resorts (bucket and spade set selling for £35 at our hotel in Dubai last year) and at that price you can leave them behind for other children to enjoy.

Hope that helps.

Insulate your property - saves a fortune!

We don't spend out on new cars, flashy holidays, unnecessary "stuff" - "needs" get bought "wants" are for birthdays....

We meal plan - and pay about £60 a week on food for 4, including snacks/drinks etc.

We look on price comparison websites every other month and move energy supplier, phone/broadband and insurance if needs be.

We bake and cook fresh food. Making our own biscuits means we eat less of them. Making lasagne, pizza or pies - tastes better than shop bought mush - and we make double and freeze.

We don't grow veg, but we do grow herbs and fruit - Rhubarb (I know it is technically a vegetable), gooseberries, blueberries, apples, plums - don't take much space in the border/pots, but give loads of fruit for jam, pies and eating.

Plan trips to town - if you know you are going to a particular shop look for vouchers online first.

I agree with summer, I want to buy organic fruit and veg and dairy etc for health reasons, so I need to stick to a budget to be able to do this and the things I don't buy organic I buy as cheap as possible!
For example, Waitrose own brand Shreddies are just as good as 'proper' Shreddies
I also don't buy Branded cereal unless it is half price.

Forgot to add - lots of really good feedback on mse re. successful value products. I have just started using Tesco Value dishwasher tablets and they are easily as good as Finish.

Kids parties : Don't shell out for expensive cakes from the supermarket. Make a Victoria sponge, even from a packet mix will not be more than a £ or two. Cover with shops own brand chocolate spread and decorate with whatever sweets are on special in Poundland . Jelly snakes/Maltesers etc.

Play traditional party games like pass the parcel, with a sweet hidden in each layer.

If you are making mince for spag Bol/ shepherds pie etc use your normal quantities then stir in a tin of own brand baked beans, and a tin of own brand tomatoes then put a portion of the mince in the freezer. Lunch for another day for pennies.

My random tips are:
Swap your bank account to one that pays you. Do an online check to see if it works for you. Eg, halifax reward or Santander 123.

Save on postage by giving Christmas gifts early. I'm well known for this and my friends won't be surprised that I will be leaving her boys Xmas presents when we see them later this month.

Tesco rewards for days out.

Swap things with friends if you can. I often give friends clothes and she makes me cakes for my children's birthdays.

Blackberry picking later in the year is a cheap activity for children. They can then be made into jams / pies and gin

I was wiped out financially after my divorce and had to watch every penny. I got rid of every 'luxury' I had taken for granted:

Daily newspaper 70p+ per day = £5 a week = £20 a month = TV licence

Water meter cut my bills from £40 a month to £12.

Packed lunches saved me £3 a day = £21 a week = my council tax

I even worked looked at the way I drove - drive slowly, brake slowly in advance and use the gears saved me £20 a month in petrol.

Home hair dye = £5 rather than £50 plus at a salon.

My car insurance shot up by £120 for no reason - shopped around got a cheaper quote and spoke to my insurance company. They matched it on the spot - no further admin to do and saved £30.

Wear clothes more often without washing. I don't smoke or work in a smelly environment and I shower every day and use deodorant. A tee shirt can go for two or three wearings before washing. Knickers and socks can't though!

Never buy dry clean only clothes.

A £4.99 tomato plant will give you dozens of tomatoes throughout the summer.

Take extra care of your teeth - floss and brush every day to avoid dental care costs.

Look up the website for Four Ingredients or Less or something like that for cheap and easy meals using errrmmmm four ingredients or less.

Going shopping with a friend to take advantage of the two for one offers so you do not end up with an overload of shampoo/rice etc.

Look up recipes for sauces rather than buying ready made. Some sauces are sold for £2 and you can make them for 30p.

Also check out fruit trees when you are out and about. The year before last I had 25kg of plums from my trees and in the end I was begging people to take a few!

Go out more!

But downsize your expectations. We always go out for breakfast or tea and cake as dinners out are so expensive.

Obviously tea and cake at £6 is really expensive but you get the same 'I'm out having a meal' experience. Same with the pub - go out for a beer, there's no better way to spend £2. Dh and I take cards with us.

One of the worst things for your mental health is to stay in 'cos you can't afford it' so go out as much as possible. Take picnics, get cheap train tickets or cost in a car journey.

Ebay for work clothes if you like good stuff - I like really expensive silk jersey dresses and I always have a watch on for Jaeger/LKBennett dresses in my size - paying about £24 (new) for a dress that would cost £160. Ditto posh handbags and Falke tights - all much cheaper on ebay.

Good quality shoes are stupidly cheap on ebay - I've just bought a pair of Chie Mihara £295 shoes for £18. Russell and Bromley are particularly cheap.

The Tourist Information office always has the cheapest deals for rail fares. Book in advance.

Example a 'cheap fare' from Virgin = £54

TI = £18

Use cash

Work out how much you bills are each month by working out the yearly amount and then divide by 12 - put this money in a different bank account and pay your monthly bills from this account by SS and DD every month.

What is left over

work out how much you need for petrol and food and pocket money for each adult.

Put the remander in a savings account on pay day each month.

Now draw out the cash each week to pay for everything

You see the cash vanish and if it vanishes to quickly you will be more careful next week.

Another shamefully tight one..

When you order a 'pot of tea for one' in a cafe, more often than not this will be plenty for 2 of you so ask for an extra cup. OH is very embarassed by this one!

Oooohh.. I love the soda crystals in the washing powder tip!!! Never heard of this. Thank you Must get Stardrops too. In the pound shop, I buy the non branded sterilising fluid for cleaning and I love it. I can't believe you can use Stardrops for windscreen wash! Brilliant.
I very basic one I do is keep a list on the fridge and know exactly what I have to buy and only grocery shop once a week.
I have stopped buying magazines since I found mumsnet... big saving.. I used to spend over ten pound a week on them.... what was I thinking?
I also buy cheap shower gel and decant into pretty ceramic dispensers. My husband is worse than me.. he pulls off the stumps off brocolli before weighing them .. now I don't go that far.
I like frozen peppers and berries.. works out cheaper.

A bar of soap lasts for weeks and costs about 30p. Shower gels cost pounds and last a few days. A bar of saop

One I haven't seen on here is to refill soap dispensers with no frills bubble bath, a whole litre of this is cheaper than one small bottle of liquid "soap" but its all basically the same stuff, better for environment too :)