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.

Don’t even bother buying the newspaper, ask the local shop for the leftovers at the end of the day.

Leaving water in the bath or shower for the sake of warmth is very likely to lead to trouble with mould. Absolutely not worth it.

Library for books , you don't have to be limited to the ones in your local library, you can reserve ones in other libraries in the same catchment and get it delivered to your local one for a small reservation fee. Also use World of Books - they have brand new, like new and then a bit worn, Excellent service and they come quickly.

Ha ha, you jest however that first one I think is the premise of many rolling news channels.

• keep the skin on mashed potato, you get more food for your money

Don't people do this anyway as the skin is very nutritious?

Someone already mentioned Too Good To Go, but we have been using it a lot recently. We have a Wenzel's Bakery near us that does hot and cold food bags. A cold bag for £5 on Sunday will usually do me for lunches for a week, and when I went away for a couple of days recently I didn't buy any food while away. Places like Aldi and Morrisons do grocery bags. It's an amazing thing.

Not if your house is ventilated

I buy those face mask things that are fabric that you put over your skin and are supposed to leave for 15 minutes (the ones that say they 'contain xxx amount of serum' or whatever).

I use the face mask, then put it back in the packet, seal the packet with a clothes peg. There is enough 'serum' (or whatever) in that face mask to reuse over and over, as long as you don't let it dry out. I use it as a moisturiser wipe. I can get at least a week's use out of each mask that way (they are about £4 a pop, so need to get my money's worth!)

😂

I downloaded onto my phone, one of those apps that rewards you for playing games. I made £40 in Amazon vouchers easily over about 3 weeks of just playing for a few minutes a day (no spending required). It's not really an ongoing thing as the points get harder to earn as it goes on. But it's still free money!

I stopped dying my hair and let it go grey! This was mainly as I just didn't want the hassle any more but it has saved me a fortune. And my hair is actually in much better condition now.

What is the name of the app please

😂😂😂
I'm laughing so much at this!

You’ve taken me back to my 1970s childhood!

Bread - if going so lightly stale, put in microwave for a few seconds to warm up. Seems to ‘refresh’ it (and then use straight away).

Buy the best fruit and veggies you can afford. Sometimes buying cheap is a false economy because they’re tasteless and you end up not eating them. Applies especially to apples, tomatoes and carrots.

@hobocock said "I'm in an EU country which is big on glass/plastic bottles with a deposit. I regularly go to the couple of locations in the village where teenagers drink and pick up the empty bottles to take back to the shop. You get 27 cents a bottle."
We used to be able to do this in the UK when I was a child. IIRC it was 3d for each pop bottle (eg. Corona), so 10 bottles would earn as much as my week's pocket money. Living in a seaside town there would be lots of them left on the beach because people couldn't be bothered to carry them home.

I seem to regularly get money off vouches if I shop online at a supermarket. I am signed up to all the supermarkets. Morrisons at the moment keep sending me £12 off if you spend £70. So might be worth signing up and seeing if you get any?

I don't think either are unusual really but while waiting for water to come through hot i fill up jugs and put it in the watering cans to water our plants, i was surprised it fills nearly a whole watering can, that's actually quite a lot of water wasted just running it down the sink! Any clothes that have been grown out of and are not good enough to sell or donate are turned into rags, i have a tub full under the sink and they are great for mopping up spills and cleaning the sides down.

I've stopped using dishwasher salts and rinse aid. Nothing has happened... it's been at least a year.

Alternatively just clean with a bowl of soapy water.

I never buy cleaning cloths. Old sheets that are beyond repair, or holy nightwear is cut up and used as cloths.

I asked my nan once for her best saving tip her response was dont have children dear if you do keep in to a minimum of 2. 😆

Distilled vinegar for rinse aid. I'm wary of breaking my machines by doing homemade stuff but this seems fine.

Use cash only in shops and supermarkets. Take £x out once a week and make it last for the week, it is amazing what you leave on the shelf when you only have cash on you. Empty whatever cash you have left into a pot for treats, holidays or Christmas, that few £s soon adds up. Utilise all those travel cups and sandwich boxes that live in the kitchen cupboard. A takeaway coffee and a meal deal every day adds up to a family holiday every year.
The biggest tip i ever read was stop living like the millionaire you are not.

I agree that small purchases regularly make an enormous dent in the budget.

which flash cleaner do you use @thelengthspeoplegoto ?

Any cheap bleach will do.

I use 75% water, 20% bleach, 5% Zoflora.