Tell me ALL o fyou r best money saving tips. Every single one....

[ladytophamhatt]

On shopping, bills, household stuff, holidays.....

Best value/quality shopping listitems

you name it, I want the tips.

Thanks BTW

(and sorry about stupid typos in title)

Hi LTH

Have you tried the Moneysaving Expert website?

I would reccomend Lidl and Aldi for basics with regard to food.Nappies good too if you use disposables.

Meal planning - and only buy the things on your list.

Buy supermarket's own brands and - where possible - their value stuff. It's usually just as good (if not better) than their ordinary or premium versions, e.g. Sainsbury's multi pack of 12 snacks/crisps @ 49p!

If you're working, make your own lunch and take it to work.

Stop any 'trivial' spending - e.g. impulse sweets/chocolate or cups of coffee when you're out, don't buy that magazine, etc.

Pay everything by direct debit and switch to online billing - there is often a financial reward to either/both of these.

Investigate switching your energy suppliers - I think the site is uswitch.com.

That's all I can think of for now!

avoid tesco. i seem to spent alot more than usual in there atm.

Menu plan, and shop for what you need to make the meals only. Cut down on things like meat, fresh juices, processed foods to keep costs down

If you work take packed lunches. Don't buy expensive coffees and snacks when out, take a picnic

Use cash, not credit/debit cards.

Keep a spending diary for a month or two, and review to see where to cut down

Review energy suppliers

HTH

Shop online. Menu plan before you send off for shop.
Then withdraw £100 cash and put all but £15 in a drawer. This is for any 'top-up shops' (bread/milk/etc)See how long you can make the £100 last. (top tip, don't tell dh where it is - mine regularly dips into mine for the pub!)
Find a good mobile hairdresser - mine did me and 2 dds for £30 this morning, and she's great at it.
Look at monthly expenses - what can go? - mag subscriptions/gym/etc.
Use moneysavingexpert.com to see if you can get phone/internet/gas/leccy etc cheaper.

My very mean tip is to use nice notelets for friends birthday cards (unless its a 40th or something). As long as they look like cards (ie shiny card not paper). I also make some using some card making software. I did silly ones with a pic of them on too once. Also get your kids to makes cards for their freinds birthdays.

Lidl nappies are fab, also good for wipes, olive oil.

If you buy online (goods, insurance, car hire, electricty etc) go through quidco. I have made over £200.

If you do go to tesco, collect their clubcard vouchers to use for a day out. Its worth more than teh cash value

My top tip is do internet shopping. I always get swayed by deals instore or sweets/biscuits/cakes as I pass that aisle. I go online with my shopping list (which is vital) - and I spend less because I only buy what I need to and I can scroll through all the deals at the start and amend my list at that stage if need be. Plus, because I'm not lifting it all, I can buy bigger boxes/packets etc which costs less

Also, if you look around you can generally find discount codes which mean it's the same cost to get someone deliver your bulk bought stuff to your door as you hauling your ass to the shop.

For me, that's a no brainer.

Plus Martin Lewis on GMTV this morning rec'd a website that let you input your shopping trolley and it would tell you where it was cheapest. my supermarket.co.uk?

If you go to the hairdresser regularly (I'm usually recommended that it should be 6 weeks between appointments) then lengthen the interval between them. An extra 2 weeks shouldn't be too bad.

Look at what you've been spending on children's birthday cards and presents. Try and buy ahead so that you've always got a stash of cheaper cards/gifts to hand. It's amazing how many DVDs you can pick up for £3-4. Many supermarkets also do value cards which are much cheaper.

Spread the cost of Christmas by starting in the summer. Sounds dreadful, but by doing this I started the new year with no debt on my credit cards for the first time in years!

don't use fabric conditioner. You will get used to non soft clothes!

Also seemingly trivial stuff like turning the heating down 1-2 degrees C (erm, becoming less relevant as the weeks go by!) and also only boiling as much water in the kettle as you need - so don't fill it to the brim out of habit. Run washes at max 30-40 degrees, not 60+. Turn off lights when you don't need them, don't leave phone chargers in the sockets / TV on standby etc etc etc.

Thansk for all these ladies, I'm going to go through it all a apply as much as possible to our lives.

It could help in a lot of ways apart from to teh pursestrings

Sell what you can on ebay

Really look deep into cupboards and use up tins/toiletries whatever before buying any new stuff.

If you have a water meter get very mean with water, dont flush unless you need to, only run washing m/c when full etc

Turn washing m/c down to 30deg, and run on quick wash - makes a big difference to electricity bill

Sell what you can on ebay

Really look deep into cupboards and use up tins/toiletries whatever before buying any new stuff.

If you have a water meter get very mean with water, dont flush unless you need to, only run washing m/c when full etc

Turn washing m/c down to 30deg, and run on quick wash - makes a big difference to electricity bill

Buy some good kids cups, and get into the habit of always taking a drink for them with you. It saves me at least £1 every time we go somewhere. I also give DS1 watered down fruit juice for pre-school in a cup, which saves a couple of pounds a week. I pop it in the freezer at 6am for a few hours, so it's nice and cold for him.

Make double of all meals, and freeze a portion. Reduces the amount of time your cooker is used for, and also the costs. You can easily stretch a pack of mince to two meals if you add more veg, but you could also use it all for one meal if you weren't intending to make extra.

Are washable nappies an option? If you've got children that poo at predictable times, you could just use cloth at the other times, so then the nappies can just go in with your normal washing.

Wipe faces and hands with flannels, not babywipes.

Make your own cleaning products instead of buying the expensive ones.

Get a cash back debit card. I always use my debit card rather than cash & I earned £58 just for using it last year! Thats with Halifax, obviously there are conditions, no fees, but I have to have at least £1000 credited to my account each month.

Use Freecycle.org - I got a free Toddler Bed on there when I posted a wanted add in my area! I also give loads away on there too which makes me feel good

Really look at the type of food you eat. I realised I was buying very expensive meal options & now try to use potatoes, pasta & cheaper cuts of meat where possible. I bulk out with many vegetables, which is also healthy.

Buy Baby/Toddler clothes & toys etc at NCT Nearly New Sales. They are sooo much cheaper than ebay & usually really good quality.

Use any 5p off per litre vouchers you might get from supermarkets (tagged on the end of receipts) & buy their fuel. Only use the car for essential journeys & car share where possible. Compare insurance each year with confused.com or similar.

Register for every reward card out there & use them. Nectar, Boots, Tesco etc. Be savvy & make sure you know everywhere you can collect points, especially Nectar.

I'm registered with Pampers & regularly get £2 off vouchers through the post, which I use. Use every voucher you get that applies to good you would buy anyway. Look in the back of Sainsburys magazine etc.

Ensure you are getting any Tax Credits you are entitled to & use any childcare vouchers you might have access to if needed.

On family days out make sure you have scoured local paper & internet for any money saving offers like one child free with every paying adult type thing. Remember under 2's normally go free

I LOVE money saving.

Oh, and for on the move snacks for Toddlers give carrot sticks in tupperware - over time I bet that saves ££ on rice cakes!!!

If you want chcolate treats get sainsburys basic choclate (33p for big bar) & own brand cornflakes & make chocolate cornflake cakes - it makes the treat go further & who doesn't like chocolate cornflakes? They last days in the fridge & make excellent packed lunch treats too.

In addition to all of above:
Make gifts fro friends etc; I hated having to give home made stuff at first, but my friends seem to love the home-made cream truffles, iced biscuits, herbs in painted pots whcih I was forced to give recently due to dire needs..
Another friend has paid me to bake her child's birthday cake for her!

Have a clothes swap party - invite friends of simialr sizes to you, tell them to being a bottle of wine and get yourself some 'new' clothes.

buy generic, store's own brand multi surface cleaner rather than different ones for kitchen, bathroom etc. All does the same job.

Find mobile hairdresser. Mine charges £10 for a killer cut (she works part time in a proper posh salon)
Next monnth I am having full head highlights for £30 (and yes, I have sen her work on others, so I am pretty confident I will not end up looking terrible

Less trips in the car, plan to do as many things in the same route at once as possible so you won't need to take the car back in the same direction again later in the week.

childcare voucher schemes -- check if your employer has one.

research your shopping costs and shop accordingly -- fresh from local grocers (if that is cheaper), dry goods from ALDI or LIDL, etc.. (Aldi is brilliant, BTW, as mentioned earlier; less keen on Lidl).

take the kids to soft play/swimming etc when the cost is reduced

only by 3 for 2 or BOGOF if you will actually use the item (shocking how much stuff gets thrown away).

Use your Boots card, save the rewards for Xmas or other presents.

Bulk buy kids' Birthday presents when you see good deals (e.g. I recently bought 4 of the same game half price from ELC, saved on shipping that way too and had the presents ready for individual b-day parties) and also from The Book People (bulk buy or individual books are great value as well).

Get a slow cooker (cheap)-- you can cook cheaper cuts of meat, freeze half of it for another meal, and it is also a time saver (might not be so good on the leccy tho).

Buy everything you can 2nd hand.

Conversely, you should invest well in your appliances; not the most expenxive, but mid-range. better to spend £250 on a washer that lasts 10 years than £150 every five years.

Clothes: buy darker colours, few prints, and conservative styles (you can accessorise boldly if you want to stay fashionable). INvest in quality pieces that will last (e.g. wool trousers or cardis) for the same reason as above. get things in the sale that you genuinely think you will wear next season. Develop your own sense of style so you are not swayed by the latest 'must have' trend.

DOn't buy magazines. ever. not only do they quickly add up, but you will be lured into thinking that you need these things in order to feel good. you do not. (OK, one or 2 treats maybe. )

Keep a jar for loose change and save it for something special.

have a direct debit of £10 a month into a savings account, just for rainy days.

Always aim to save at least 10% of your income for your retirement. (we are really crap at this one but it is important)

Hope that helps. We are really feeling the pinch at the moment!

Everyones said my tips.

We've saved loads since xmas by:

Swapping sainsburys for Lidl.
Swapping Boots for Superdrug (or Lidl).
Swapping No7 for Avon (or Lidl).
Meal planning.
Buy annual pass for 1 all weather kids place and avoid others.
Not buying mags/comics except occasionally.
Not going into town.
Not taking the kids to shops where there are toys (unless planning to buy one).
Growing hair and going to supercuts 2xyr.
Switching enery supplier.
Plan what clothes you need and don't buy ant more.

Basically down shift everything.

Oh, yes, get some good quality sharp scissors and do minor trims and the kids' hair at home; reduces the need for frequent cuts.

If you have a good eye for vintage trinkets or books or whatever, you can pick up bits and pieces at car boot sales or charity shops to sell on eBay or Amazon. Let the money sit in your Paypal account ready for Christmas presents.

Vegetable soup is the skint person's best friend. You can make a giant pot for about two pounds, and it will do about a dozen meals.

Join your local Freecycle group.

I forgot, chicken thighs taste just as good as chicken breast fillets but are about half the price.

Put the pets on super-budget food. It's probably all the same stuff as the branded food anyway, and if they're not bringing money into the household they don't get to nibble on tuna sashimi and Kobe beef.