Sneaky money saving tips

[Bonbon27]

What do you do to sneaky save a few pennies. When you are struggling to make ends meet these tips can really help. A few ideas use a thermos flask when you boil the kettle so you don't have to keep turning the kettle on, turn heating down and wear layers, shop at Aldi or lidl, buy reduced food, walk instead of using car, wash your own car instead of using car wash, do things that don't cost much or very little eg walking, bike ride, take kids to park, bake a cake, have cheapest tariffs for energy and mobiles. Take drinks and snacks out.
What ideas do others have? Xxxxx

Some good tips here. I would also add something I discovered by chance : use distilled white vinegar instead of expensive rinse aid in your dishwasher. Costs pennies and works just as well. And no, your dishes won't smell like chips!!

Freeze slices of lemon and lime that would otherwise languish in the fridge. Perfect for popping into a G&T!
Chop and freeze chillies, grate and freeze root ginger, then they are already available when you need them.
Chop and freeze slices of overripe banana, bung in blender with a few frozen berries, a bit of fruit juice and maybe a dollop of yoghurt to make smoothies.
Freeze surplus grated cheese to chuck into recipes.

Ooh, great thread. To be honest, I have realised that I love to spend and get a rush of adrenaline from it so trying really hard to cut down…

1. Meal plan and batch cook where can.
2. Switch to cheaper supermarket, at least for some shops.
3. Cancelled all non-essential direct debits eg for magazines. Also rang one company and they reduced subscription to 50%. Worth a quick phone call.
4. Ask mobile phone company if they can reduce bill. Got a few pounds off each month.
5. Always look for a discount code before buying something online. Worth a quick look.
6. Heating down by 1 - 2 degrees.
7. Cancelled cleaner…
8. Buy clothes from eBay or Vinted etc…
9. Buy hand soap refill bags, much more economical.

Looking for more tips.

When you know you are putting the oven on, make up a cake mix and Chuck any going off veg in a roasting tin, then cook them at the same time. Blitz the roast veg for soup or pasta sauce.

When you are boiling something, keep the lid on and turn down the heat. Taking the lid off wastes energy.

Homemade multipurpose cleaner - washing up liquid, teaspoon of citric acid. I use this for daily/weekly wipe down of bathrooms and kitchens. Now and again, use a stronger shop bought one for deeper clean.

R2G
I signed up to this but is there no way of finding out what each survey is about before starting it?

Learn to forage, it was a hobby with the children during lockdown. We have only just finished the rest of our blackberries off!
We’ve also found a plum tree in a park opposite us. There are so many things that are edible that I never realised, organic and healthy too!

If you like herbs, rosemary is one of the best herbs to grow in the UK as it can stand the winters. I’ve been picking it and placing it on the radiator on some foil to dry it over 24 hours. I then blitz the leaves in a smoothie maker - dried rosemary.

Using the USB port on the train to charge my phone
I often leave my purse behind when I go out on my lunch break so that I'm not tempted to buy anything else.

apples, windfalls,
these are great to collect and puree

I plug my phone into the car on every journey, no matter how small, and I hardly ever plug it in the house now.

If you are able to, get a bread machine. Flour has a much longer self life than shop bought bread. Brilliant for making pizza dough.
I remember my dad used to make a massive pot of stew and freeze it in portions when we were little.

Do less top up shops, use soapnuts ( made into liquid) for most washes, along with stain remover and eco bleach.
Bio d liquid for heavier soiled items, bleach ( eco) and stain remover when needed

Bulghur wheat can be prepared by adding boiling water on it and leaving it for 30 mins and will pad out stews and sauces

Turn the hob off a few minutes early when cooking things like rice and pasta and the food will continue to cook if you don't drain it.

Buy things like bulghur wheat and lentils and spices from £1 shop or ethnic shop, they are usually considerably cheaper than the main supermarkets

Use slightly less of things like loo paper, washing powder, instant coffee etc The recommended amount is usually more than enough
Stick to the same brands - if you normally use really cheap washing up liquid you will probably use the same amount if you swap to more expensive brand. I like the cleaning and laundry stuff and bog roll from Lidl.

Use fewer products - a lot of things are multtipurpose. If you don't need it don't buy it

Spend less time in the shower. I switch the shower off when I'm shampooing and lathering, then switch it back on to rinse

Switch off lights when you leave a room

i have just been told that slug pellets are banned so ive been told that the good old Rosemary bush sprinkled round the base of the plant is good for deterring slugs and smails

also salt is mega cheap andi sprinkle it around on concrete also for slugs and snails and low cost and easy to buy

@siblingrevelryagain - I just buy the curry sauce from the Indian restaurant and maybe 2 veg dishes, I then add my own prawns/chicken/rice/nan, if I have any left over it all freezes well.

When using the oven if it needs to be on for (let’s say) 30 mins, I’ll turn it off after about 23 minutes. After all, the oven doesn’t go from 180 degrees to 0 instantly, might as well make use of the residual heat. I spent a small amount buying pump bottles to put my shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. The initial outlay has more than paid off as my products last a lot longer. I still do the old trick of cutting open the container to get out the last bits. As I work from home in a desk job, I wear tops at least 3 times to cut down on washing. I’m now only drying on the washing line unless I’m forced to use the tumble drier due to a long period of rain.

Beans on Toast night once a week - some with grated cheese and some with cheap eggs fried.

Salads to reduce cooking.

Tuna and sweetcorn with baked potato and salad leaves, or use tinned mackerel or sardines to switch it up.

Boneless/skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast - much sweeter and tastier

if I buy rice I cook the whole bag same with potatoes which I will make into mash then I bag it up and freeze in whatever portion sizes I will need. saves on gas as I'm only cooking it once and I just reheat in the microwave

@Thirstquenching

R2G I signed up to this but is there no way of finding out what each survey is about before starting it?

No, it can be annoying if you get screened out, but I just see it more as I do them while I'm watching TV and then stop after the hour, usually make around 3 to 5 pounds a day x