Money saving/time saving tips and ideas - feel free to add yours!!

[blondie14]

With the credit crunch and many of us having to cut back on spending some what, i thought it would be a good idea to have a thread where everyone can put their tips into. Anything from products, ideas to recipes etc would be helpful. Have included time saving in title as i know i for one, must do some things the long way round and would love to cut time spent doing the things i hate!

Please feel free to add your tips/suggestions!

compare on mysupermarket.com before you do your weekly shop online

go to your local farmers market if you have one - it forces you to buy in season!

look on your local freecycle group

try some traditional cleaning rememdies - vinegar mixture as glass cleaner etc

and use your leftovers! there's nothing wrong with it yet it seems to be a taboo in this country

hth

shop at Lidl.

Bake your own bread, cakes and biscuits and pasta.

Eat vegetarian food about 3 or 4 times a week

Make enough food to last another meal. We had butternut squash soup for lunch and will have it for dinner again tomorrow.

check out supermarket reduced items - take home and freeze!

pay in cash, keeping a mental note as you go round of how much you are spending.

dont spend a fortune on drinks and snacks when out with the kids, take them with you. Ok so more to carry (or bung under the pushchair) but its so wasteful.

cheap days out - beaches, parks, country walks, strawberry picking, local farms etc

I personally dont find farm shops to be cost effective, but quality is devine!

I use www.wepromiseto.co.uk/r/10884 these people to earn cashback. Got £72 just for switching energy supplier, £16 for signing up to a free trial of lovefilm etc. All adds up and in 4 days, I now have £129 cashback.

Car boot sales are fab, kids get a good walk, and I get to spy a bargain. Got 2 school summer dresses that barely looked worn for 50p each on sunday, books (my biggest expense!) for 50p each, Dr Brown bottles for DS barely used 50p each

We also get supermarket saving stamps for christmas, to help with the cost of food over the xmas period. a couple of pounds each time we go in really adds up.

Write a shopping list and stick to it.
If you don't need it don't buy it.
Don't buy things just because they're a bargain.

How do you make your own pasta without a machine?

our local farmers market (not farm shops - agree they are not that cost effective) is fantastic. I can get fruit and veg for the week for about 30% of the supermarket price and it goes direct to the growers.

slow cooking is great too - cheap cuts require slow cooking so a saving there - and you can make extra to freeze for those nights you don't really fancy cooking and might get a take-away instead

I am bulk buying things that are on offer if it's stuff I use and it will keep. Tesco had an offer on nice tinned tomatoes and I have stacks in my cupboard now! I've also got loads of sprite as it's BOGOF at the moment. I only do this with stuff I would buy anyway.

you cannot make your own pasta without a machine!

When writing your shopping list (a must to save money) plan your weeks meals.

I write on my list everything I need for that weeks meals, most I may already have.

This stops me popping into shops for something I need for dinner and spending extra on impulse buys. You can also plan cheaper meals or plan left overs. We always have a whole roast chicken on sunday and have curry/pasta/salad with the leftovers on monday or tuesdays. So even if you preffer free range and spen £6 on a free range chicken you're feeding the family for £3 a day! If you aren't fussed about free range then even cheaper

Also when you plan what you really need for dinners/lunches etc you can decide if you have enough money left over for treats or not.

I did wonder, Collision, but a friend said it would be a use once, never again buy.