Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Cost of living

Stretching your budget? Share tips and advice to discuss budgeting and energy saving here. For the latest deals and discounts, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Little things you do because actually you are a bit tight

138 replies

nappyaddict · 02/04/2014 15:58

Just noticed this thread I just posted on is a zombie thread, so I am starting a new one because I thought it was a good thread.

Buy value wrapping paper

Walk instead of using the car or bus.

Walk or get the bus instead of getting a taxi if we want to have a drink out.

Reuse wee-free night pants.

Changed wet nappies every 6 hours (reusuable)

Only buy clothes out of necessity and only 2nd hand or discounted. Same for shoes and accessories.

Buy presents for the year in the sales.

Ignore use by dates and eat it anyway if it looks, smells and tastes ok.

On days out in the summer, will try to find a supermarket nearby where I can buy boxes of ice creams instead of buying them singularly or from the ice cream van.

I use a mobile hair dresser.

Occasionally get nails/tan done as a treat but again use a mobile lady (£15 for nails, £8 for tan if I go to her, £10 if she comes to me)

Take my own food and drink to the cinema. My favourite is hot dogs cooked just before we leave the house and wrapped up in foil and a plastic glass of wine Wink

Essential oils and water for air/fabric freshener. Also spray onto vacuum filters and dab neat essential oil on radiators.

Only put the washer on between 10pm and 8:30am because it's cheaper.

Reuse gift bags.

Ask for nice Neals Yard stuff for birthdays and Christmas as could never justify buying it myself.

Rehome people's shower gel/shampoo at the swimming pool when they have left it behind.

I buy big bottles of castile liquid soap and dilute for hand wash, shower gel, bath soak, washing up liquid.

I only wash my hair once a week. I use coconut oil (the stuff you cook with) the night before as a conditioning treatment and shampoo out the next day.

limit non-hair washing showers to 5 mins. brush my teeth in the shower.

I don't buy fancy face cleansers. I use the oil cleansing method. (google if you haven't heard of it)

I use 1 tablespoon of laundry liquid for all loads and wash colours and darks on a 30 minute fast wash. wear things more than once until they are dirty.

I always try and park for free or hunt out the cheapest car parks.

I take a quick packed lunch for us if we are going out for the day. try and go out after mealtimes and eat at home first.

hand wash, wax and valet the car.

keep a list of products I buy regularly on my phone, the cheapest price I have seen them and where. update the list if I see it cheaper elsewhere not on an offer.

refuse to buy a tumbledryer because of energy costs.

turn lights off and all plugs off at switch. I want to get one of those things that tell you how much electricity you are using.

have an indoor thermometer and only turn heating off if it goes below 17 degrees c.

don't have heating on a timer. turn heating on when we come in/go out.

don't buy fancy cleaning products. everything gets cleaned with white wine vinegar, bleach, bicarbonate of soda, lemon/lime, microfibre cloths.

dp has switched to smoking an e cigarette type thing and is trying to quit.

dp and ds both take packed lunches to school and drink the free water available from the dispensers there.

dp drives to train station and gets the train into work. a monthly train pass was cheaper than driving and he parks there for free.

meal plan and try to batch cook and freeze so using energy costs to cook only once. buy cheap joints to coo in slow cooker which is mores energy efficient too. get 2 or 3 types of meals out of a joint for example a roast, a soup and a curry. I also look in the reduced section and freeze things from there. I only have 3 drawers in my freezer so don't buy much from the freezer section, freeing up the space for meat and batch cooked things.

slow cook a gammon joint, a beef brisket, a lamb breast, a whole chicken and slice/freeze for sandwich meat.

buy big pots of natural yoghurt instead of individual pots.

buy spices, veg, flours, rice etc from world cuisine shops.

snacks are hard boiled eggs, cheese, salad, cold meats, homemade meatballs, leftovers, yoghurt, fruit, breadsticks/crackers/rice cakes. i buy mr kipling cakes for lunchboxes from heron foods when they are 65p for 6. I stock up on lindt dark choc when its on offer and I buy a pudding and ice cream once a week. I find fresh fruit goes off and gets wasted so buy a mixture of fresh and frozen fruit and the little pots of pineapple from aldi.

we have fakeaway (homemade) curry/chinese/kebab nights and fake gastro pub lunches as a treat. we buy more expensive better quality food and drink than what we would normally have for example brie and crusty bread, matured steak and asparagus, a posh pudding, a bottle of chateau neuf de pape, a cheese platter, liquer coffees and chocolates. we make an afternoon of it, take our time between courses chatting perhaps playing a game. we take perhaps 3 or 4 hours over lunch.

cut flowers out of the garden instead of buying them.

grow our own herbs.

I want to plant some fruit trees and have a veg patch but that's on my to do list.

got a phone contract with unlimited texts and unlimited minutes and cancel house phone contract.

I know people who have cancelled their tv license and watch tv via online catch up.

I would cancel virgin/sky tv and get a freeview+ box and netflix but dp won't.

OP posts:
upupupandaway · 04/04/2014 22:29

Very I agree. I changed my DC's nappy when it was wet. If I was truly hard up grandparents would help. My son had/has sensitive skin. A wet nappy for 6 hours? This thread is a joke . someone with far too much time on their hands is playing very silly games or else is a sandwich....

stuckindamiddle · 04/04/2014 23:07

marking place

comicsansisevil · 04/04/2014 23:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LizLemonOut · 05/04/2014 12:21

The op isn't even hard up, she doesn't change her child's nappy because she is "tight" (according to her) Hmm
Yes I leave my child in a nappy overnight but one 12 hour stretch is more than enough! Even if the child only did do one wee in that time, can you imagine wetting yourself, even just a little bit, and not changing your knickers for 6 hours?!

HollaAtMeBaby · 05/04/2014 19:57

I text people instead of calling them, even if I really need to speak to them. Blush

Blithereens · 05/04/2014 20:18

Trim my own hair

Buy lots of stuff in bulk when I visit family who have a Costco card

Buy an enormous box of value non-bio. Lasts for ages and ages and ages as I only use about a third of a scoop

Make my own bread, cereal bars and granola

Water down juice

Buy value squash

Buy value loo roll, then do the 'hotel-fold' and stack them nicely in the cupboard so they look posh if anyone opens it Grin

Only buy clothes second-hand or in the sale

Hand-make presents unless someone wants something specific

Trawl freebie boards

Make my own cleaning products with vinegar, borax, bicarb etc

Use iPlayer, Netflix instead of Sky

Always buy/exchange games and DVDs in CEX

Look for yellow-sticker food in the supermarket and fill freezer every so often

We are debt snowballing though. I don't know if I'll still do all this once we're in a better situation. I actually hate the hairdresser so learning to trim my own was brilliant!

Supermum222 · 06/04/2014 20:47

Hi,

I like the ice cream tip. We were out today and bought four 99's from the ice cream van. I was thinking at the time we should have gone to the Tesco Express or Aldi and bought a box of cornetto's or choc ices. I will have to remember that one for summer :-)

Supermum222 · 06/04/2014 20:50

We have Sky and I have been thinking about cancelling. We only have the basic free channels and kids channels. There are so many adverts! They have ridiculous adverts on the kids channels.
We have broadband/phone with SKY. If we go to freeview (we hardly watch TV anyway due to work and life) we would need to get someone else for the phone and broadband so if anyone can recommend anyone...

Preciousbane · 06/04/2014 22:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

nappyaddict · 07/04/2014 12:03

DP spends about £50 a month on the TV and his e cig thingy. They don't come out of the family account, that's what he chooses to spend his money on. I choose to spend mine on clothes for myself, meeting up with friends, occasional beauty treatments, hair cuts etc.

Our cinema sell hot dogs so people can't really moan about the smell. They are nice and warm honestly. I prefer them because I use nice sausages rather than chemical, 3 day old food that the cinema sell. This is a DM article but would you want to eat that? I got the tip for the home cooked hot dogs from here

I also got the tip for changing nappies less often on here. I was told a nappy is only too wet if it has leaked. If you get the right nappy for your child they last the same as disposables. Lots of people on this thread and this thread said they did nappy changes 3 or 4 times a day. Wake up, morning nap, afternoon nap, bedtime. Or wake up, lunchtime, bed time. His nappies had a booster, stay dry liner so the wet was never next to his skin, he never had nappy rash and he never showed signs of discomfort. Like I said I think he used to hold onto his wee for a few hours then do one bigger wee, rather than lots of frequent smaller wees

Isn't it odd how other posters have said they do these things on other threads and it was a non-issue, but then on this thread it's the crime of the century!

I understand not everyone will enjoy being like this, but I don't mind it.

OP posts:
dizzydo · 07/04/2014 12:15

nappyaddict I think you have been a saint on this thread in the way you have politely responded to other posters harsh criticism of you.

OP is sharing what money saving tips work for her - why do some of you feel it is acceptable to make such nasty judgmental comments? Of course there will be some on the list you would not do personally but you are not duty bound to follow all or any of them.

annielostit · 07/04/2014 12:26

Dizzydo- well said, all in life people are to eager with critesisum. We all run our lives differently.

mynamesnotwendy · 07/04/2014 12:30

Re-using night time nappies is like leaving your child in the same knickers for two days.

NotCitrus · 07/04/2014 12:33

My dcs used mainly washable nappies and by age 1 often only needed a change after 6 hours or so - before that it was more often. A lot more often in the first few months - my daughter was prone to rash until she was about 6 months.

I just wash my face rather than do skincare regimes.

I grew up only buying meat from the reduced section and freezing it so still do, mainly out of habit but why pay more to stock the freexer?

ssd · 07/04/2014 12:41

op, I appreciate saving money is always good, we sure dont have much spare, but jeezus its gonna be a long life living like that

MmeMorrible · 07/04/2014 13:37

My SIL chooses to live this this with no reason to as they have no mortgage, both working and big savings nest egg courtesy of her DHs inheritance.

It's horrible, they scrimp and save every penny with mad schemes like the OPs and it's their sole topic of conversation. But the thing that really gets my goat is when they accept freebies from 'friends' who genuinely are on the breadline and wrangle minimal rates e.g. from the local garage and builder because of how hard up they are. We don't see them much anymore.

justwondering72 · 07/04/2014 14:00

I think the op is getting a really hard time. She's not telling anyone how to live their lives, just sharing some of her own tips and ideas.

And re. Washable nappies, by the time DS was a year old we were down to maybe 2-3 changes a day max and one for night. If its not leaking, doesn't smell and there is no rash and baby is happy, why change it more often?

nappyaddict · 07/04/2014 14:57

Re-using night time nappies is like leaving your child in the same knickers for two days.

Actually 1 day. As night time is 10-12 hours. Multiply that by 2 and you get 20-24 hours. I wear my knickers for that long. I put them on in the morning and then I change them the next morning. That's what my Mum did with me, so it's what I continued to do once I became responsible for dressing myself.

OP posts:
OooOooTheMonkey · 08/04/2014 11:10

Nappy I do think you are getting a hard time by some and saving money is a good thing but you then say that DH has money to spend on whatever he likes and you have your money to get your hair done, beauty treatments and the like. That doesn't seem that fair to me! I personally would prefer to ensure that my DD has the best I can provide her even if I have to go without myself.

Hot dogs in the cinema however is a great idea!

You wear your knickers for 24 hours? That is a bit skanky love. Mine come off and go on the floor in the wash basket when I go to bed at night... Wink

Fluffycloudland77 · 08/04/2014 15:14

I have relatives who only wash their hair once a week because they have a weekly "set" at the hairdressers.

I use charity sacks as bin bags. I don't have anything to give them & if I didn't use them they'd just go in the bin.

KL07 · 08/04/2014 17:41

OooOoo - I do the same as Nappy re knickers. I wear PJ bottoms to bed and I don't want to have to change them every night iyswim?

KikiShack · 08/04/2014 19:51

OooOoo you quote: you then say that DH has money to spend on whatever he likes and you have your money to get your hair done, beauty treatments and the like. That doesn't seem that fair to me! I personally would prefer to ensure that my DD has the best I can provide her even if I have to go without myself

Surely there's a limit? I don't think it's healthy for a child to see that the adults are going without to give them everything. 1) that's not the way the world works, all people are entitled to have nice thing, and that could give the child an inflated sense of importance which won't serve them well when they're older and 2) maybe the child doesn't need all those 'best things'?!

I was brought up so that we all pulled together and if money was tight everyone missed out on extras, if there was some spare money floating around then everyone benefitted. OF COURSE my parents prioritised important things for me, like new good fitting shoes, healthy food etc, but I think it's wrong that parents should live at one level of going without just so their little darlings can be dripping in the latest x, y, z. That kind of disparity within a family is harmful IMO.

I've had a quick flick back through the OP's initial list and I can't see a single thing which I'd class as her children going without the best - I'd be interested in which things you think fall in that category?

BelleateSebastian · 08/04/2014 20:38

I think op is getting unfairly criticised too, I think some of them are daft/not my cup of tea (wine and hot dog!! lol, op you're bonkers) but ffs the way we waste money is scandalous, I'm going to try and be a little more frugal too and I would leave a dc in a nappy for 6hrs, they routinely were in one for 12hrs at night

OooOooTheMonkey · 08/04/2014 21:51

Kiki - leaving baby in nappy for 6 hours. And of course I mean ensuring my DD has proper shoes etc - the important stuff I wouldn't want her to be spoiled but I would go without (sky TV!) so she could have what she needs. I hope that makes sense.

KL07 - I have to admit that I do change my PJ's every day or at least only wear them twice. Not very frugal at all. Drives DP mad, he has a pair on for a week!

nappyaddict · 09/04/2014 09:47

I'm not sure why people think I don't buy my DS proper fitting shoes? The shoes my son currently owns are Clarks, Kickers, Doc Martens and Hush Puppies. Buying good quality shoes and clothes that are going to last is one thing we do spend more money on.

I'm also not sure why people think my DS goes without so we can have what we want? He has ample clothes, toys etc. He benefits from having the Virgin TV because he is Disney obsessed. DP actually used that as one of the reasons for keeping it, even though I was happy to just buy some DVDs or make him get used to watching Cbeebies! He spends most days doing something out of the house in the school holidays (although we do try to keep costs down by doing free/cheap stuff), he goes to a weekly zumba kids class, swimming lesson and he used to do rugby but he's stopped that now cos he didn't really like it. He's autistic and before he was old enough for the council run disability swimming lessons, we paid £12 a week for private swimming lessons at our gym. DS and I used to have a gym membership which meant he could go to as many of their supervised kids activities as he wanted (football, tennis, street dance, cheerleading, karate, aqua play in the swimming pool) but we cancelled it because DP uses the car for work and as DS doesn't get home from school til 4.30 and with going on buses we were getting back to late for dinner and bed on a school night. When he was younger we did things like baby signing, baby massage, baby sensory, forest school, toddler yoga, music group, messy play group, toddler groups, storytime. Some of these were free activities at the library or children's centre and others I paid for. I liked us to be out everyday so I filled as many days with free activities and then paid for activities on the other days.

OP posts: