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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:
annielostit · 09/04/2014 11:22

Nappyaddict- don't feel you have to justify yourself to the comments,
You'll be in trouble next for allowing cbeebies.
The shoe thing is how your original post is worded, "2nd hand or discounted, same for shoes"
And if you oh wants to spend his money on stuff bugger everyone else.( I won't be popular now)
I do or have done lots on your list, I got yesterdays jeans on and the same jumper! Your family do what's best for you and if its causing harm you'd stop.xxxxxx

nappyaddict · 09/04/2014 12:37

Oh yes I didn't realise it was worded so people would think that - it's only the discounted part for shoes.

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 09/04/2014 12:48

There was a man on the news ages ago who was very "frugal" and reused tea bags etc but he'd put 3 or 4 kids through university and paid for everything for them so they had graduated with no debts.

I thought that was brilliant.

annielostit · 10/04/2014 08:01

My fil always told my ds he dried the teabags on the line and reused them. I think his tea confirmed this and he's got money in the bank. It might just work. We can add it to the frugal list.

Fluffycloudland77 · 10/04/2014 08:11
Grin
FiscalCliffRocksThisTown · 10/04/2014 08:39

I don't understand all thus watering down of juice, it doesn't taste nice.

We just have juice once a day, then water. What is wrong with water?

As to the cinema, why eat there at all?

Tv, why have sky? Netflix (£6 a month) and freeview and i player give you plenty to watch.

Always bring own picnics rather than eat at cafes, just because cafe food is rank ( margarine cake a few days old, factory produced sausage rolls and pasties, ancient reheated baked spuds, it is always do grim IMO)

nappyaddict · 10/04/2014 12:04

Fiscal I do agree with not needing to eat in the cinema at all. If it's just me and DP we only take a drink with us (sometimes a nice liquer coffee in a thermos mug) DS looks forward to the hot dogs and homemade popcorn in the cinema though, he thinks it's exciting cos it's different. A bit like how kids love going for a picnic. My DS used to just love going for a walk somewhere and having a bench picnic on the main road watching all the cars, lorries and buses going by.

I never ever buy juice. All juice (to my knowledge) is pasteurised and I believe that unpasteurised juice is nicer, fresher, more nutritious and tastes better. We don't make our own juice very often because fruit is expensive and you need a lot for a small amount of juice, but if we can buy a big box of fruit cheap then we do. City/town markets towards the end of the day are good for this.

OP posts:
nappyaddict · 10/04/2014 12:29

Actually I have just remembered Tesco Finest orange juice is no longer pasteurised.

OP posts:
Preciousbane · 10/04/2014 19:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Supermum222 · 14/04/2014 07:54

Hi,

So, how does Netflix work?
We have Sky and hardly ever have time to watch it. We have the basic package and pay for the children's channels. We are so fed up with the adverts on there though. It just feels like we are paying to sit and watch adverts.
DH and I usually watch BBC so we feel we don't need SKY.
We have the phone, Sky and broadband with them at the moment and pay around £52 a month (they keep adding a little more every couple of months ggrr). Can we get it cheaper? We don't make a lot of phone calls and we both have free calls with our mobile contracts anyway.
Those of you with Netflix...who do you have phone/internet with? Do I only need a freeview box?

Fluffycloudland77 · 14/04/2014 09:12

I watched netflix on the ipad but you can watch it on a ps3 as well.

They usually give you a free months trial, sometimes topcashback give cashback on the trials.

Romy75 · 14/04/2014 12:12

Fiscal Most fruit juices are very sweet so by nature I water them down, at home or elsewhere.

Precious when ordering an Indian or Chinese take away, we make our own rice. £2.50 per portion is expensive!

lechers · 14/04/2014 12:54

I keep multipack cans of drink in the bottom boot of my car (which I usually buy on offer), so whilst I'm waiting for my DDs to do a hobby etc, I can have a drink, and not have to pay £1.30 for a bottle of coke. The cans work out about 50p each.

Supermum222 · 14/04/2014 19:39

Great idea about the multipack cans :-)

JimmyCorkhill · 14/04/2014 22:23

We had a BT landline/internet connection and watched Netflix either on the laptop or through the PS3.

I take the brand of crisps/drink they sell at softplay in with us so my DD can eat and drink cheaply and it looks like we stuck to their rules about not bringing in food.

Preciousbane · 14/04/2014 22:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

coffeetofunction · 14/04/2014 22:57

We only visit cinema when it's £1.25 each

We go shopping when the supermarkets reduce the food...

Only put £12 a week fuel in the car, if it runs out-WALK!!...

Buy clothes & shoes in sale...

Grow own veg in our free alotment...

No mobile contracts...

No sky/virgin ect free view all the way...

Carboot things we no longer need...

Except freebies...

Save anything & everything that can be used for arts & crafts/school homework/projects...

Re use present bags/Jiffy bags/tissue paper/wrapping paper

Don't iron unless nessecery...

Leave Ivan open once finished cooking to warm kitchen...

Share bath water (smaller than average bath)

Freeze everything that can be frozen before it goes off inc the bottom of jars curry/white sauce/ect

unlucky83 · 14/04/2014 23:58

I cut my own hair - haven't been to a hairdresser for me in 15 yrs! (Hate having my hair cut though - do take DDs cos DD1 was born with lots of hair and has thick mad curls - she had her first hairdresser cut at 18 months...I did it once cos I couldn't get an appointment before a holiday and I cringe at the photos - too short and went all crystal tips and alastair )

I buy clothes in the sale and only what I need - would buy from charity shops but find (like places like poundland) you come out with more clutter you don't need...

We do picnics and walks a lot and take a picnic when traveling to visit my parents - don't buy stuff on train/motorway services.
I take a flask of coffee - have done for years- hate paying a lot for rubbish takeaway coffee and hate the waste of the cup...

We always take a bottle of diluted squash out with us (reuse an empty big bottle) ...cos I don't want to spend £1 on a bottle of water/pop for dcs and I hate all the plastic bottle/packaging waste...(DCs complain about water out of plastic bottles but will drink squash)

I will reuse/recycle things and that often works out cheaper...

And somethings are for the environment -
And I change into 'scruffs' clothes to wear around the house - some days I only wear outdoor clothes for max 40 mins a day (school run) so sometimes they only get changed every week - my scruffs probably every 4-5 days depending what I've been up to. So minimum washing for me every week - do change my underwear every day though...
I read some threads on here about washing bedding every day, towels after one use and it horrifies me - what a waste of water, powder, electricity and time!

I stopped washing my hair with shampoo when I was pregnant with DD2 - the natural oils thing - it took a couple of (gross) months before it started being ok ...and needed frequent rinses with water - washed with shampoo in post birth shower and never managed to work up the will to go back (can't face those first two months).
I shower every 2-3 days (depending on what I've been up to) to save water - do have a wash in the sink though . And washing your hair (and skin) less does mean neither dries out as much - you need less conditioner (don't use it) and body lotion type things...and I use a bar of soap not shower gel.

nappyaddict · 16/04/2014 07:49

we also do a lot of walks. when it starts to warm up we take a picnic, otherwise we just take drinks and flasks.

giff gaff do a good sim where if you buy a £12 goodybag you get unlimited texts and data plus 250 mins. I used to have that but switched to a £15 per month contract to get a new phone. it meant the new phone only cost £72 over 2 years so quite good really.

unlucky what areas do you wash on non-shower days. I usually have a shower every 1-2 days but feel Blush about admitting its not always every day.

OP posts:
unlucky83 · 16/04/2014 08:33

Face, pits, bits and feet...in that order, with a flannel (rinse under tap into basin). Then feet into sink. Grin
Got from my mum - who (70s) can remember as a child before they had an indoor bathroom - shared water in a tin bath in front of fire.
And I remember seeing my grandmother have a 'proper wash' in the kitchen sink...a habit which would horrify lots of people here I'm sure ...
Their house was a two up, two down with a lean to kitchen - they had one of the bedrooms split into two for DM and her DB but when they had the bathroom fitted they lost a bedroom so my DM and her DB had to share a bedroom as older teens for a few years...and they didn't consider themselves poor or hard done by ...something to think about.
I think it depends on what you do - if you don't do manual work/heavy exercise/smelly commute you don't need to ... when I worked as a chef I did shower daily...sometimes twice daily...
I think water meters are a good idea - we aren't particularly short of water in the UK generally but it is the amount of energy taken to make that water clean enough for us to drink we should be thinking about and not waste...

nappyaddict · 20/04/2014 16:41

I'm a waitress and I don't know how the chefs do it in the summer wearing hot chef whites and in a hot kitchen. how on earth do yo get your feet in the sink though?

OP posts:
Bagpussss · 06/05/2014 20:54

nappyaddict you mentioned NOWTV, I cancelled Sky Go at £15 per month and bought a NOWTV box for £9.99. I pay £4.99 per month for an entertainment pass, this gives me 10 channels, Sky 1, Sky Living, Sky Atlantic, MTV, Disney Channel and others. Sky Movies is £8.99 if wanted, and Sky Sports £9.99. This might be a option for you depending on what Sky package you have :)

jan2014 · 07/05/2014 14:52

things i do without a problem:

no dishwasher. use fairy liquid - any cheaper brands are false economy. a big bottle lasted me almost a year. when your dd squeezes it all down the sink, or when you have nearly run out, fill it up with water and shake. it will last another month.

don't eat out. bring snacks and drinks everywhere you go - have a bag of snacks in the car for emergencies, bottles of water in the car.

after the heat is on, that is when to have the shower/ bath (the oil heats up the water so i need the immersion on for half as much time)

don't bath dd every day - she really doesn't need it. a few times a weeks is fine.

track all my purchases, then at the end of the month see how much i am spending on each commodity - then compare each month. for example the last 2 months i have spent way too much on petrol and toiletries, i can easily see that, so i know that is what to work on cutting down.

if you are given a whole load of showergels etc at christmas you don't like or aren't going to use, either regift them, or decant them into handwash bottles and use them as handwash.

spread the cost of gifts throughout the year (all the birthdays/christmas) and have a list of who is getting what. then all year round, add to the list anytime there is a sale.

bulk buy essentials when on offer

these are things i am trying to do but i find difficult:

cut down on petrol - i want to walk more locally, and invite people to mine instead of running around everywhere, i also want to stop driving as fast because my driving is eating up my petrol

extra groceries - the extras i get throughout the week after ive done my main shop. these are usually not things i need but things i just fancy.

toiletries - i do not need anymore make up, face stuff, hair stuff, or anything for that matter, for a very very long time. i just need to keep the heck out of superdrug.

internet shopping - when i am tired and stressed i find myself lurking on mumsnet and making mumsnet inspired buys...need to put a stop to this!

midnightmoomoo · 07/05/2014 21:01

We ditched sky three years ago and have made do with freesat, but in order to watch the new 24 this weekend DH bought Now tv from Argos, £25 for four months of x amount of channels, then it's a fiver a month to keep I think. Totally worth it to watch the return of Jack Bauer!!!

Have a look at clubcard tv, you just need your tesco clubcard to register free, then you can watch it, it's a bit like Netflix.

Ememem84 · 11/05/2014 08:38

I've become more frugal this year. Am finally credit card debt free. And want to keep it that way. So am more careful how and when I spend.

We batch cook a lot, so always have a freezer full of meals.

Eat less meat, but when we buy it we can treat ourselves to really nice stuff

I have trained my hair to only need washing three times a week

Have started using all the spare toiletries I found lurking in the cupboard.

We rarely go out for dinner, only for special occasions.

Cut tops off moisturisers etc so I can scrape the rest out

Freeze things which might be going out of date

We food shop once a month and use everything.

Fil has an allotment so we regularly help him out planting etc and in return get tonnes of free delicious veg.

We have sky with sports and movies and on demand. But watch a lot of tv. So get our money's worth.

I get more than money's worth out of my gym membership. £42 a month and I go 4 times a week before work plus 2weekend classes.

Take own lunch to work. Never buy coffee on way in. Keep a jar of the good stuff on my desk.