Extreme penny pinching tips

[PennyPincher64]

Hello,

I need to reduce my outgoings and save as much as possible over the next 12 months or so I'm looking for every possible way to save money, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. I've looked at money saving expert and know about meal planning etc. and will be trying to buy second hand if we need anything but I'm really looking for the less obvious ways of making savings. Even if I won't be saving a massive amount I'd still be interested. Some of the less obvious ways I've come up with so far are unplugging all electrical appliances from the wall when not in use, shower with cold water and use the toilet before leaving work so I don't need it when I get home.

Also willing to hear about anything with a bit of an inital outlay that will save money longer term.

I've already started implementing some of the tips on here, obviously too early to tell how much I'm saving but I'm hoping to notice the effects over the next few months.

Some of the ideas have been tried and rejected - its too early in the year for cold showers but I have significantly reduced the temperature of my showers and I don't think watering down milk will work as I end up with massive quantities of milk that I just won't be able to drink before it goes off I don't think. Reusing the tea bag has been replaced with just not drinking tea at all and has the benefit of saving on boiling the kettle too.

I've had a massive sort out of the whole house and have listed some stuff for sale online but think I'll probably have more success selling it once restrictions are lifted. I've got loads to try and sell at a car boot sale but god only knows when those will be happening again.

I just love this thread! Some of them are extreme but really remind me of things my grandparents and all their generation would do automatically.

I am married to someone from a very ‘consumer’ culture and while we have good income it’s not going as far as I want or producing the lifestyle I want (comfortably secure with investments etc) fast enough and reading this I can see exactly how we’ve fallen into ‘we’ve earned it so we deserve it’ mentality.

I’ve joined some FIRE communities and am reading so much, as others said it’s more like having a fun new hobbies rather than just ‘consuming’ being a hobby.

In my garden the healthiest lushest plants right now are a chive plant, a thyme and an oregano, all bought as pots from supermarkets. With mint, don’t even buy the potted one, buy a 70p bag and stick a few sprigs in a glass of water on a windowsill... two or three weeks later they should be ready to plant on.

The other ‘mindset’ point is that this doesn’t have to be to about living miserably all over - you can do it to save for something luxe guilt free. I’m trying to put money aside at the moment because I know I need a new coat in the autumn... £20 a month lets me buy a really indulgent one by the time October comes, without shuddering at the price.

I think it's about looking twice as well and seeing if you can repurpose something before chucking it. A raggy old towel into face cloths or cleaning cloths, a yoghurt pot for seedlings. I save any small plastic bottles and freeze milk if I have too much. The plastic bags inside cereal boxes or for wrapping bread make dog poo bags.

And porridge rather than cereal, unless you crack sometimes

And remind yourself that 90% of takeaways are disappointing.

vegetarian meals
Walk rather than car or public transport
Use soap rather than shower gel
Wear jumper and warmer clothing rather than turn on heating
Porridge for breakfast
Drink water rather than anything else
Swap rather than buy - vegetables, eggs, chutney etc

Another little tip, chew your food slower and put your fork down between mouthfuls. It gives you stomach more time to communicate with your brain to let it know you're full so you end up eating less food.

Work From Home if you can - it saves money (transport, buying lunch, temptation of shops each day, because I am worth it coffees, office collections, work clothes) and it gives you time to do the things we pay others to do - cleaning, takeaways, ready meals, childminding.

wfh these last couple of months has saved me about £400 per month ( and I already did most of the things people have suggested up thread). Not going to the pub has saved even more.

@Graphista, if you heat a pan and there's a lid on it, the warmth of the pan and its contents will mean the food still cooks.
It stays warm for ages. I have a gas ring.

It works for things like pasta.

Definitely eat food slowly.

An egg is better than milk and cereal, as it is already in a portion. The portions of cereal you pour are usually bigger than you think.

Cakes are rarely as nice as you think they are going to be.

Take your own food with you. Take a bottle of tap water.

I change beds a bit at a time so airers are never overloaded, pillowcases one day, sheets another, duvet cover can be changed less often just turn the duvet over.

Jumpers and blankets I might put on the line for a bit of an airing rather than washing them.

Face cloths save money on cotton wool, cleansers and might save you needing a shower too.

@Puffinhead I'm not sure. They pay you directly to PayPal which I don't think shows yours DoB so they'd have no way of checking that I can think of. Most of the surveys ask for your age or for you to select an age range so the people doing the surveys mustn't be given that information. I don't think changing the date slightly on your registration would do any harm.

I have a thermos jug and make 2litres of (herbal) tea at a time. 3 tea bags makes 2 litres tea. It stays hot all day, I only boil kettle once for about 7 drinks, plus it keeps my fluid intake up.

Absolutely love threads like this!

Loads of good tips already, but I can confirm that shopping at Aldi or Lidl will save you loads if you're using one of the big supermarkets. I have spent a fortune in lockdown as I've changed to Tesco click and collect. This thread has inspired me not to shop next week but use up what we've got.

Another thing that really shocked me was cutting open tubes when you think they're empty. They are probably still about half full. I bought some expensive hand cream which I thought ran out, cut the tube open and there was so much left it was unbelievable. Environmentally good to use it up too.

I'm going to take the tips about cutting up old cloths instead of cotton wool. Will save me a fortune. I'm also going to try making my own oat milk, and using tins to plant up herbs.

Another tip is to freeze as much as you can - Jordan Paige on youtube has some excellent videos about this - search her name or Fun Cheap or Free (her blog). You can freeze much more than you think you can, but you need good freezer management. I need to get better at this

Money saving expert as people have said have some great forum threads. The biggest thing of all is to change your mindset and make it a challenge instead of feeling deprived.

It all mounts up! Good luck op.

@graphista where can I find the frugal foodies thread please? Thx

Thanks to whoever recommended the mr money Mustache blog! Really does help with a mindset change which I think is the key.

@chimichangaz

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3897787-Frugal-Foodies-thread-3-Favourite-leftover-dishes-avoiding-waste-menu-ideas-Plus-pets-and-other-chat

Here you go

We weigh everything out, I’m stunned at the number of people who don’t weigh out pasta for instance. Buy those giant bags of pasta.
Meal planning lunches as well as dinners. We’ve saved a fortune after years wasting money on lunches. Including buying big bags of crisps and weighing out portions. Big pots of yogurts and mixing with frozen berries.

Every few weeks assess your cupboards and plan food around that too.

Home-made baked beans - cheap & much healthier.

@graphista thank you

I've got a bit of a kindle habit. Does anyone know poo f eBooks from the library can be downloaded on to your Kindle?

Also I haven't bothered with the library for a few years. I'm going to get some DIY p, bike maintenance and gardening books out. I'm sure I could learn these skills.

As a pp said I've spent a fortune on supermarkets in lockdown, especially at the start when there were no value ranges in stock. I'm really annoyed about what I've spent and need to work off the cupboards for a while.

On the plus side I've been fregling and got rid of stuff I would have paid to have taken away and picked up a light fitting that I needed.

I swapped for environmental reasons but saved £ in doing so:

Swap to a double edge safety razor. I spent £10 on a razor and £4 on 100 blades. Should last me at least a year, much cheaper than £10 for 4 blades every 6 weeks or so that I used to buy and no plastic so double bonus!

Reusable San-pro.

Buy decent cleaning cloths (I have the thick yellow ones). Cut in half, use, wash and reuse (I used to use cheap sponges then chuck them).

Invest in some reusable cotton pads.

A tip I took from here - put any leftover veg in a tub (either in fridge or freezer) over the course of a week. Add anything on the turn once every week or so and turn it into soup.

The obvious ones which my friends never seemed to consider - dry washing on a line rather than a tumble drier.

Mend rather than replace if possible. Make rather than buy if you can (I've made draught excluders, door stop, cushions, dog bed, turned old clothes to rags etc).

Buy a roll or 2 of generic wrapping paper after Christmas when they are reduced (I pick up cards, gift tags, all sorts of bargains then). I have recyclable brown paper stamped with stars which Can be used for birthdays and Christmas and cheaper than buying sheets here and there.

If there's something you know you'll need, buy out of season. DH bought a great tent in November, reduced from £250 to £75. I bought wellies in April (down from £50 to £15) and a waterproof coat (£70 down to £30).
I buy a lot of Christmas stuff this way too.

I double my clubcard points to get free delivery, all year for Groceries.

I usually have a Wednesday delivery, as the midweek option is cheaper.

Commit to not buying any new clothes for a year. It’s an easily achievable challenge and you’d be surprised how much you save.

Do your own nails and dye your own hair

Poundland sells good skin care and makeup. The expensive stuff is a rip off.

@thighthighofthigh Most libraries let you borrow online via the Borrow box app.

Thank you Frantic.