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.

Half milk and half water in cereal

Oh and water down orange juice, washing up liquid and anything else liquid in a. Bottle

Lots of good ideas here!

Freeze half the loaf of bread if you won’t get through it all before it goes off.
Home workouts and running as cheap/free alternatives to gym membership.
Libraries have so many great free activities for kids (and obviously the free books!)
Lots of museums/smaller attractions have a buy 1 ticket, get 1 year of visits offer. I take them very literally and will visit 10+ times a year with DC (so each visit costs around £2 a go), especially good on rainy days with a toddler when playgrounds aren’t as appealing!

Also saving money is sometimes a folly. Spending money on good quality, long lasting or multitasking items makes good sense too.

Also invest in yourself. Eat as well as you can afford, look after your health. Get any kind of training offered to you and actively seek routes for promotion.

Set aside some time to make sure your finances are bang on. Chase better interest rates for savings and credit. Plan your long term finances.

Also if you can find like minded people to share or do things for each other you can save a fortune. Carpool, childcare, doing hair or nails for each other etc.

Learn how to do things yourself as well. Nails, blow dries, basic DIY, decorating.

Well it made me laugh!

Can I just ask what type of vinegar and where do you buy it from?

White spirit vinegar. I buy it from the wholesaler (under £4 per 5litres)
Bicarbonate of soda in 50kg bags I get from eBay

I use these because I am allergic to most cleaning chemicals

😂😂😂

dont get a soup maker. use a saucepan and a metal sieve or splash out on a cheapo stick blender.

To your first point, I give you the Vimes "boots" theory of economics.

"The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. ... But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet"

Who provides the holy nightwear ? Do you have a Vicar in the family?,

Go out and do lots of free things or things that cost only a little bit of money.
It's still important to have fun even if you do have to be frugal.
Easier to do in the summer.

@Theoldbird I'm genuinely glad to read that.

Re: using conkers for clothes washing, was this something you read? Just wondered if people used this method before soap powder, gels and liquids took over. I read people used ferns and water to wash clothes in Tudor times.

@Bluesandwhites Look up Nancy Birtwhistle it’s her conker recipe I use. She’s written a few books with things like this in there. All sorts of foraging tips and none chemical cleaning products

😂

Buy Christmas cards online in Spring
Don't buy birthday cards, make them
Walk or cycle instead of driving
Take lunch to work.
Eggs can be boiled and kept in asealed container in the fridge, shelled or not, for up to 7 days. I take one to work in a salad every day and never feel hungry.
Decant yoghurt into tupperware instead of buying yoghurts. Add frozen raspberries and they defrost throughout the morning.
Don't eat meat.
Eat a big lunch, no need for much in the evening.
Don't eat out.
Don't drink alcohol!
Run. It is free exercise.
Don't pay for a phone. When your contract runs out get a SIM only deal, they are so cheap.
Buy second hand cars and pay for maintenence, it is much cheaper than paying per month.
Use a library.
Pay all bills annually rather than per month.
Shop around for insurance.
Stay in touch with friends. Staying with people costs a lot less than paying for accommodation.
Use cashback websites.

I suppose you could grow and use soapwort. I've never tried it myself though I've got it growing in the garden. (It's a very easy plant, nice in a flowerbed - spreads and has pretty pink flowers)

University training clinics can provide cheap and accessible services. One university local to me offers £10 podiatry appointments and another offers free eye tests as part of ophthalmology training. I know there are also some dental schools that offer free treatment but I'm not letting a student near me with sharp implements and a drill.😀

https://www.dentalschoolscouncil.ac.uk/dental-treatment-by-undergraduate-students/
Dental schools. Some take self referrals.

Rather than water down juice (which to my mind tastes bleh), alternate between fruit juice and a glass of water, especially if you keep the water in the fridge so it's refreshingly chilled

Olio is a great site lots of free bread ( generally), maybe fruit and veg at times.

Donated blood earlier, free snacks so bring home a few too.

Freecycle site were you can advertise unwanted items and pick up stuff too.

Get to know people with fruit trees who have excess and some wild growing trees/bushes, damson trees ( mini plums) blackberries around too.

The old bartering system is good trade some home baking for something else.

A great read, thanks everyone .

I knew someone who wanted to keep having butter but use less (was a weight loss thing) so when making sandwiches just buttered one slice of the bread: half the amount of butter used and no discernable loss of tastiness

(perhaps 'flavour' would be a better word than 'tastiness!)

Interesting thread. I grew up poor and have retained many frugal habits even though have been comfortably off as an adult.
I've never in my life bought a takeaway coffee but would take a flask to work.
Lots of mentions of bar soap but I discovered bar shampoo a few years ago and it lasts forever. A bar lasts me literally over a year.
Nancy Birtwhistle is worth a follow. She's my age and from the same part of the country. She is passionate about making things cheaply and naturally with basic ingredients. Her books are worth a read.