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Original poster

What's the most extreme example of effort to save a few pennies you have heard of?

620 replies

wineoclockthanks · 26/04/2017 15:32

Lighthearted!!

Mine is someone who buys shirts/t-shirts and asks for the hangers, then returns the clothes minus the hangers.

I did mention that Wilkos sell 10 wire hangers for £1.75 but she was adamant it was worth it.

Please can I stress this is lighthearted, I am also on a tight budget and count my pennies so not judging at all.

OP posts:
cheapskatemum · 27/04/2017 19:23

"My friend used to womble at tescos, Its when you collect receipts from the trolleys and car park that have unclaimed points on, On her next visit she would get them added to her clubcard claiming she had left her card at home on her last shop" = great idea. The guy who collects the trolleys at my local Tesco goes to the same church as me though, so I don't think I'll have the guts to do it. I got a double points coupon this week though and will make sure I use it.

I think the things I do to live up to my user name have all been mentioned:washing & re using sandwich & freezer bags, using empty plastic bags as dog poop bags (bagel ones are the ideal shape, I've found, for small dogs' poop) When I cut the end off my tube of moisturiser to get the last bit out, I reseal the top with one of those clip it pegs for resealing food packets. I wash & re use J cloths & cut up old cotton clothes for rags. I boil up everyone's chicken bones & the carcass for stock. You have to boil it for 90 mins minimum, long enough to kill germs! The tights idea is great if you have to wear them for work every day. You could experiment with where to cut the laddered leg off for the comfiest fit. I find suspenders uncomfortable and the fastening shows as a lump under tight fitting skirts, so prefer tights.

I started buying stuff that doesn't go off in bulk when it's on offer: any detergents, loo roll etc, after working out that this is what Costco does to keep things cheaper.

cheapskatemum · 27/04/2017 19:25

Agreed, LisaMed1 you need plenty of storage space!

Gwenhwyfar · 27/04/2017 19:31

"It does annoy me in the UK that we use "good" water for toilets. It must be possible to devise a system where the grey water from washing machines, dishwashers and showers/baths is diverted for use in sewage systems. It really is a horrendous waste of water."

I agree. I've tried flushing with used bath water, but it tends to just create a mess when I'm transferring with the bucket.

OpalTears · 27/04/2017 19:33

MIL cleaning cocktail sticks!

SherbrookeFosterer · 27/04/2017 19:38

Whenever I buy melons of any kind I slowly fry the seeds until they crisp up with a splosh of olive oil and salt.

I sprinkle them on my salad to save on bought packets of seeds from Holland & Barrett.

Gklak · 27/04/2017 19:45

I used to pinch loo roll at a very bad time in my life too! It saved a bit. Feel guilty now.

MrGrumpy01 · 27/04/2017 19:46

Lisa I don't have quite the number of rolls as you but I have a fair few. I got some Christmas wrap from card factory when it was 6 for £1 after Christmas. In the new year I walked past and it was 12 for £1. I had to really resist, but it is mainly because at some point I know I want to move and it is more stuff to have to take.
A few years ago I was parked behind a shop when the bin lorry was emptying the bins (we had to wait as we were blocked in) the shop was throwing out rolls of paper and he handed some of the bags to us. We gave loads away and are still using it. Most of it now is generic Happy Birthday but we had rolls of branded character paper as well. Scandalous that it was being binned in the first place.

punicorn · 27/04/2017 19:48

I knew a family who used newspaper to wrap xmas and birthday presents. I also know someone who washes and reuses cling film and isn't at all fussy what it has been used for previously.

I once read an article by a journalist who regularly interviewed rich people and they said that one over-riding thing about the very rich is their ability to watch the pennies. So true-SIL shops in M&S Food all the time and has major financial problems, colleague shops in Aldi, Lidl, Poundland etc and can afford a flash car and shiny new house. Go figure...

expatinscotland · 27/04/2017 19:51

'I knew a family who used newspaper to wrap xmas and birthday presents.'

I've done that when caught short and it can look really lovely with the right ribbons and accessories.

KitKat1985 · 27/04/2017 19:53

I'm a member of a group on Facebook that helps people reduce their supermarket bill. Once woman recently posted that she got home and mistakenly found that she had been charged 5p for a carrier bag that she didn't use (as she had taken her own). So she walked all the way back to the shop to claim a 5p refund.

Cuppatea85 · 27/04/2017 19:57

I do this Grin just good sense lol

Cuppatea85 · 27/04/2017 19:59

This is in response to revising matches not asking for a refund for bags lol

bertsdinner · 27/04/2017 20:03

Some of these are good ideas, I tried filling up a 4 pint milk container tonight, when running the hot tap to wash up, inspired by a prev poster. It started getting hot just I filled the container up and I used water I would normally just tip down the sink to water one of my outdoor pots.
Great idea, I'm going to do it every time I wash up.

NetballHoop · 27/04/2017 20:04

My DM used to BluTack the doors closed on an old advent calendar (from the days when they only had pictures - No chocolate).

That one calendar did for a family of 6 for at least 10 years.

Gwenhwyfar · 27/04/2017 20:07

"hey said that one over-riding thing about the very rich is their ability to watch the pennies. So true"

No, it completely varies imo. Some rich people are stingy, but many aren't.

MrGrumpy01 · 27/04/2017 20:13

netball we used to use the same advent calendar every year. I don't think our doors were blu tacked though.

Goingtobeawesome · 27/04/2017 20:15

misspilly why needless to say you didn't leave a tip? Your uncle being a prat didn't mean the waiting staff hadn't done a good job.

user1488492837 · 27/04/2017 20:23

The saving water when running the tap is excellent. Will be trying that one in future.....

I do know of a family who only flush the toilet when is brown, anything else they let it stay until unbearable.

Goingtobeawesome · 27/04/2017 20:23

MycatsaPirate - but doesn't your dh use a knife to cut it up in the kitchen anyway ? Or does he use yours?

SemiNormal · 27/04/2017 20:24

This is my favourite thread ever! Bookmarking and taking notes. Nowt wrong with watching the pennies.

gemma19846 · 27/04/2017 20:27

I once worked with a lady who used the same tea bag for every brew at every break all week and would wrap it back up in tinfoil to reuse

Peregrane · 27/04/2017 20:29

"He 'saves' used plastic zip Lock bags.
Not the horrible dirty ones, as he'd be ex mr Dowser , the ones that might have had t bags in."

That is surely good practice! There is much too much plastic polluting the Earth and it's a real risk to wildlife.

I guess a lot of miserly practices also happen to be environmentally friendly... so the line that I would draw is at the amount of effort/hardship involved. Reusing ziplock bags = good. Wasting hours of other people's time to save pennies = bad. Etc...

AdoraBell · 27/04/2017 20:30

Oh yes, the reduced Christmas gift wrap, and reusing still presentable gift bags Grin seems more obvious to me as opposed to penny pinching. I'm clearly in denial Grin

There are some things I won't order unless reduced . I figure is Sainsbury can afford to reduce my favourite tinned tomatoes every 3 months, or so, them I don't need to buy them at full price. And I get groceries delivered so 4 packs of 4 cans isn't exactly an inconvenience Grin

Looks like I am a cheapskate after all.

Mmest75 · 27/04/2017 20:31

Great thread x

NamedyChangedy · 27/04/2017 20:35

Gosh I thought I was frugal, but some of these examples are pretty extreme!
I always get the last bit of shower gel / toothpaste etc out - when my DSis came to stay she couldn't believe I went through the effort.

One does wonder about opportunity cost though - taking half an hour out of your day to save 5p means that you value your time at 10p per hour, weeell below minimum wage. I'm self-employed so I have a good idea of how much my time is worth - I couldn't really justify that!