Uncommon money saving tips

[Clarelita]

I'm wondering if anyone has any not so common money saving tips that you don't hear about that often. Things have always been tight for us and since COVID I must have read a hundred different articles and threads about saving money but it just seems to be the same tips that get brought out over and over again.

Here are a couple of mine:

I haven't had a haircut in years. When it gets too long I just cut it myself following videos on YouTube. And I always wear my hair up now so if it's a bit wonky no one will notice. Got some ideas for easy up Dos off YouTube too.

I turned down the boiler temperature and keep the showers as cold as I can tolerate to reduce the gas bill. My showers aren't cold but are warm rather than hot and I noticed a significant drop in gas consumption.

Someone is just trying to lighten things in an otherwise hard time.

Google Sheets has a free spreadsheet budgeting template. I use it every month.

Vinted for pretty much all mine and DC clothes, except underwear for instance, I have a second baby on the way and got their bits second hand too.
Buying a really good flask to make coffee at home and take with me, baking stuff and also taking that with me on walks instead of "needing" to pop to a coffee shop. In two weeks I spent £80 on coffee shop trips for me and DD so this has massively helped.
Lidl for all cupboard staples and veg, I don't love their meat so I'll get this in bulk from ocado (often good offers) and freeze it. Making enough dinner for leftover lunches.

If I need something I will always look on Vinted. Not just for clothes. I bought a brand new ice cream maker for £5 the other day.

Also using the oven or hob ramps the electricity costs up. I've found slow cookers or air fryers are far more cost effective.

Gather and freeze conkers when they have fallen from the trees and make fabric washing liquid. 10 conkers = 1 litre of fabric liquid. It'll clean all bar the really dirty clothes

You don’t even need to buy a newspaper just write it yourself.
include
One story about transwomen
One inflammatory remark by a celebrity
One bizarre royal family story
A piece about how we’re all going to die because climate change
And then a brief mention about Taiwan Chinese tensions

You can use this website to work out electricity costs per hour for appliances if you know your energy tariff. It gives you options if you're not sure.

www.sust-it.net/energy-calculator.php

Per hour my oven is 42p, small airfryer 18p, George Forman grill 15p and microwave 14p.

In terms of oven vs airfryer, cooking times are shorter but not by that much, maybe 5-10 minutes depending on what it is.

I reuse mail into notepads. Letters and envelopes are ripped into A6 size and stapled together to make jotters. I use them for messages, to do lists etc.

Put the ends of spring onions into a glass with water when you’re finished with them and they will regrow. Free food

Might not be as cost effective if , like me, you've got a water meter.

Not such much a 'money saving tip', more a way of boosting one's income in just four easy steps;

1. Become Prime Minister.
2. Plunge the UK to the brink of recession.
3. Resign as Prime Minister.
4. Be eligible to claim up to £115,000 per annum for 'for expenses associated with continuing public duties'.

Apparently it can all be achieved in less than two months!

I think I may have a crack at it myself, so I'd better go and knock out a manifesto - that shouldn't take long.

My biggest are deleting shopping apps from my phone and unsubscribing from marketing emails. If you don't see random new stuff, you aren't convincing yourself that you need it! Obviously when you do need something, you are then focussed on that specific item.

Also stop buying coffees when out. I'm a nightmare for taking dd to places like Costa and spending a small fortune each month of sandwiches she barely eats and overpriced bottles of cola and coffees.

@WoodBurningStov

Gather and freeze conkers when they have fallen from the trees and make fabric washing liquid. 10 conkers = 1 litre of fabric liquid. It'll clean all bar the really dirty clothes

How on earth do you do this ?

Look up Nancy Birtwhistle (TikTok and SM) she’s got loads of hints and tips for things like this. She’s got a Facebook and insta page.

You quarter the conkers, soak in 500ml of boiling water for at least 8hrs or overnight, strain and put that water in a container, add another 500ml of boiling water to the conkers and then whizz up with a blender and strain into the same container. Add some essential oils if you want it to smell nice and that’s your fabric liquid. Keep it in the fridge and add a bit to the drum when you put your clothes in there.

you’ll see it going all bubbly and soapy when you whizz it up.

If you have a jacket tank, you need the water hot. For a combi, the water isn't sitting around so it matters less.

I just bought a breadmaker on FB marketplace very cheaply - takes a few minutes and saves a lot per loaf cost - tastes a lot better and is not a UPF like horrid supermarket bread. Win/Win!

I tend to be housebound a lot of the time due to health issues, so cannot get out to shop around for groceries. I do it online, but set myself a weekly budget and if the total goes over it (always) I strim things out until it’s less than my budget figure.

Also, I genuinely made about £500 selling clothes and shoes I never wore on eBay. I used the Royal Mail collect postage option and factored that into the cost. It’s time consuming, but selling lots at low prices really adds up.

Our tap water tastes rubbish and we used to have bottled. I bought a filter jug which is saving £s every week and obvs a lot more environmentally friendly.

Replacing meat in recipes with beans (not baked - things like cannellini, pinto) is cheaper and I actually prefer it. Works well in bolognaise and cottage pie.

Well for unusual ones, get shampoo on prescription.

Amongst other ailments I have psoriasis so I get shampoo on prescription and due to not being able to work means they are free. Quite niche though.

I have my 'council tax saving trick' so I pay off my council tax in chunks and then I change the standing order for the same amount into a savings account.

So I'm paying out the same amount each month.

I have a reputation for giving good presents. When I see something I think, "X would like that" I buy it and wait until their birthday / other event.

This one will shock a few of you.

I don't celebrate Christmas. I don't decorate, buy anything extra, go to family. None of it.

I realise that is not an option for everyone.

BUY a newspaper? Nah, walk 3 miles every morning to your local station and pick up a free Metro.

Inviting friends and family over for meals home rather than eating out. Even meeting up for a coffee is so expensive nowadays. Eating at home is not just cheaper but also we spend more time together and it feels like a proper catch up. We're also more likely to do it as it's cheaper so each other more.

Use every reward scheme/cashback apps.
I get cashback through my bank when I buy my food shop on my credit card(paid off in full)
airtime rewards for using my debit card pays for my phone bill every month
I get a free coffee every week through octopus rewards
I got £1 off my co op shop this week through the app
I've had a free loaf of bread and a bag of sweets through the m&S app
There's loads more but can't remember them all!

overnight oats are the best budget breakfast. cheap filling and nutritious. Also, having one meal a day saves money, time, and saves on cleaning up.

This might sound crazy, but going to bed early! You can save on snacking and using heating and electricity by sticking to an earlier bedtime and is good for general health

Uber eats does 50% of veg on a Monday, so if you buy 3 or 4 items it pays for the transport and your into savings...
You can freeze milk, do ice cubes and use when making sauces .
Mix up your eggs , then freeze in cubes bag up when need use for cakes, you can't taste any difference.
Only shop with cash, leave your card in the boot, this way you can't over spend

I seriously hope you don't flush these down the toilet or anything you save you'll eventually be spending on your plumbing bill!!

@SisterAgatha I was going to mention the bath and soap ideas! We must have had similar childhoods...

Also, if you have a garden, use the bathwater to water it.

Make a pot of soup or spaghetti and water it down each time you all take a new serving, to make it last longer.

Bread's not as cheap as it was when i was little, but if you can get a cheap loaf, make meatballs with a tiny bit of mince, pad it out with loads of bread and flavour with onion and herbs.

Have a kids/adult clothes swap once a year. I had a friend with an older sister and her mum used to go through her wardrobe every summer and pull out the too small but still wearable clothes. Then the younger sister and I would go through the pile and take what we wanted.

@goingdownfighting , The only things that should be flushed down the toilet are pee, poo and paper. Biodegradeable wipes don't decompose in the sewage system.
Only flush poo, pee and paper | Water UK