What have you done to save money which didn’t work out?

[SoBoredHelpMe]

Some of mine :

Buying hubbards tomato sauce instead of Heinz 🤮

Buying cheap plastic lunch boxes (lasted 2 days)

Bought crisps in bulk (just ate more)

bought a slow cooker (never used it)

@Orangesandlemons77 Ooh I use my air fryer a lot- great for beige food and crisping up a microwaved jacket potato etc

I’m really laughing being misbuttered.

and yeah this is about what didn’t work - not asking for tips. We’re not all the same.

I adore my heated clothes airer but totally appreciate why it won’t be good for others.

as for my own failed attempt - it’s to do with days out and vouchers.

i have blue light discount but what a faff trying to book Alton towers tickets that was.

I stopped ironing
I never use the tumbler
I bought a Ninja and use it
The bills are worse now than when my children were at home
Anything else is just pissing in the wind

What dishes are you cooking? Basic things like a homemade shepards pie, spag bol, sausage & mash. Pasta dishes and you can just use frozen veg.

Aldi PotNoodle. Mushy. 🤮

Recommended from here,I tried sainsburys gold decaffeinate coffee, oh my it tastes of nothing just weak, I will go back to kenco when on offer, otherwise I like the decaffeinate tea now,own brand Tesco.

How juvenile. Maybe you missed the spices that you can buy for a pound or less out there in the supermarkets. Never mind, continue as you are doing, matters not one jot to me.

Heated throw useless - I was so terrified of running it over and damaging the wires (wheeled office chair) I didn’t use it during the day while I was working and evenings, I’m happy to go to bed with the normal electric blanket on. As @deplorabelle says, also warmer with the duvet(s) over the top.

However, I love the air fryer. Having said that, I’m usually cooking for 1 so a small air fryer is much cheaper than a full oven. If I was cooking for a family, I think the size would drive me up the wall.

I have tried a few store brands that did not do it for me, such as crisps, tartar sauce, brown sauce, that type of thing. I tried M&S tomato sauce, which I only used once. I will just stick to my regular brands instead.

I have a ninja foodie which has loads of functions and a second airfryer. I rarely use my oven now. I find it to be quicker, the food is nicer and according to my smart meter I use 25% less electricity, so it’s cheaper too.

I've tried all the supermarket digestive biscuits but none come close to McVities, which are now £1.80 for a 360g packet and I've reverted to. I just think 'life's too short'.

Oh yes - another one: followed the MSE recommendations for cheap breakdown cover.

Which was great, right up until we had to use it - quoted a 5 hour wait, minimum. Thankfully was with someone who had AA membership, they turned up in 45 minutes.

I think it depends on where you are though, as there have been some terrible reports of delays, so the cheapest option might just be to pay for a tow when you need it - you'd probably get the quickest service too.

Agreed I wouldn't risk the heated throw on a wheeled office chair. I just use mine in the evening - I'd find it too cosy for work

A thing that's never worked for me is buying presents ahead of time in the sales or having a gift drawer/cupboard. I know people make it work but for me it's just a recipe for having a cupboard full of unassigned things that don't turn out to be quite right and having to make another trip out for an appropriate present.

I suspect cheap toilet roll is a false economy but can't be bothered to work it out for sure.

I tried being cold. That's gone out the window.

Yes, just more stuff to have hanging around..

I agree about the presents.
Plusbthey don't look 'fresh' when you give them as sometime the edges and stuff gets crumpled.

The present drawer thing never worked for me either as the person who I was giving the gift to never seemed to 'fit' anything I had in there!!! Just ended up with loads of stuff to go to the charity shops.

I worried about giving presents back to the same person who gave them to me.

Now something which probably would really help would be to just agree presents only for children at birthdays / Christmas. Not quite there yet though.

Writing your own cards is a faff and with stamps at £1 it is often no saving on those online card services.

Same here. DH has gone through every different brand of digestives and choc digestives and whilst he can eat them all, none taste anywhere near as nice as Mcvitties and he wasn't enjoying them. He was just eating them because he doesn't like tea without some biccies. He would actually enjoy them too. And at almost £2 a pack, he'd better bloody enjoy them to the fullest!

Lidl's fabric softener did nothing and smelt of nothing on the clothes afterwards.

Anything other than Fairy liquid requires so much to use, with Fairy we use so little and it's a softwater area, it lasts forever. We only just finished the "festive" smell version opened in December.

Very Cheap washing up liquid, bread & tinned tomatoes comes to mind. Washing up liquid was gone in half the usual time. The bread upset my stomach as it was full of crap and the tinned tomatoes were watery & flavourless.

Own brand emulsion paint - streaky and had to paint the room three times before I got a semi decent finish. Definitely not worth it from a time perspective.

The entire Hubbard range at Sainsbury’s. Absolutely foul! I'd rather pay more and have less of the decent stuff.

Shopping at Lidl - I always get distracted by the middle isle and end up buying loads of stuff I didn't even know that I needed!

Online shopping works best for me - I can get rid of all those impulse buys before checkout.

Turning off the heating in rooms we don't/rarely use - now we have a black mold issue.

My husband or myself trying to do any sort of DIY! That always ends up being an expensive mistake

I would say growing veg because over the years it’s been very variable, I prefer them because they are are not sprayed with stuff.