Ways To Save Money

[pl1]

Ah, so you're the one that bought that book 10000 Miracle Uses for Vinegar including tips such as how to win wars with vinegar and vinegar as a solution to third world poverty.

Re that gonerhea test, is that the one where you fill your snatch up/spray your bits with vinegar and if it burns like hell it means you've got it ?

Vinegar didn't get rid of the pasta stain from my shirt this week, so it's not the panacea you are making it out to be.

[Guest DisposableHeroes]

Vinegar didn't get rid of the pasta stain from my shirt this week, so it's not the panacea you are making it out to be.

It get's rid of tea staining from mugs though.

Arrhhh look what I've become.

Their were so many hopes. So many dreams....

Edited July 26, 2009 by DisposableHeroes

[cells]

Dont bother much on trying to save money on small things. Spending £1.60 on toothpaste instead of £1.50 a month isnt going to save you much in a year.

Big-er items you should try to save on and internet shopping can help a lot.

A pair of jeans could be £80 in store but only £25 online.

Insurance (can usually get much better deals online. Sometimes 75% off on things like life insurance)

Utilities.

Change car (lower insurance, lower VED, less fuel, etc)

Rent/mortgage (try to get the best deal)

My biggest advice would be to get a better paying job or a second part time job if possible. Going from £25k to £30k job isnt a huge jump but your disposable income will increase lots as your fixed costs are the same.

Or getting a second job you could do 50h a month and would get some £400pcm.

Edited July 27, 2009 by cells

[Victor_Broom]

My money saving tip is - cut dishwasher tablets in half , works just as well and makes them last longer.

Why are you using tablets at all?

Cheapo powder is best. You will be surprised at how much you save.

[6538]

Heres a few but I'm looking for others.

Own brand toilet role (only in white and sometimes your finger go's through it but who cares) saves a pound

Own brand whitening toothpaste ( Doesnt work but nor does the expensive stuff) saves 1.50

Own brand washing powder ( works well but boil undies (see above) ) saves 2 pound

Own brand cooking oil ( cant see the difference) saves a pound

Own brand stuffing ( Exactly the same) saves 50p

Own brand mayenaise ( Exactly the same ) saves 1.50

Total saving 7.50

Stay clear of

Own brand gravy granules (uses triple amount)

Own brand baked beans ( All water )

Own brand razors ( only good for legs (fair haired womens only) )

Own brand bacon peices ( All fat )

Own brand frozen veg ( All ice and seeds )

Disagree. I bought Morrisons own brand triple blade razor to try after getting p1ssed off with the never ending price increases of Gillette Mach 3 blades and have found it to be better than the over priced, over hyped rubbish Gillette sell.

[ccc]

My #1 money saving tip:

Don’t get wasted in Hamburg, go to a strip club, and hand over your fully loaded, just paid, PIN entered debit card for an African Pimp to buy his 'lady friend' a drink with.

That will save you a lot. A hell of a lot.

[Kurt Barlow]

Grow your own fruit and veg

No extra time needed if you just replace all the useless flowers and shrubs with food crops.

Some are even quite decorative - runner beans, corgettes, fruit blossom

[Johnny Storm]

Some of you jokers should be writing for Viz "Top Tips".

Amazing number of unfunny comments, but it helped me increase my ignore list.

[Quoth]

turn underpants inside out to get an extra day

You could work that to four days if you factor in the back to front permutations...

Q

[Austin Allegro]

I'd also recommend buying your razor blades from eBay in bulk. I bought a couple of hundred Gillette contour refills for a 1/4 of the price they cost at the supermarket.

You need to check the guys feedback though to make sure they are genuine (or such good counterfeits that nobody cares).

Edited to add: I also bought 100 duracell procell AA batteries that worked out half the price of buying from stores. I think the key to saving money is to think about what you use on a day to day basis, can it be bought in bulk, can you buy it on eBay?

I've been using the same Mach3 razor blade since January. You can basically keep them going indefinitely by stropping them on the palm of your hand (away from the direction of the blade, obviously.... ). I got the idea from a friend who's been using the same blade for two years. It's not as sharp as a new blade but if you go carefully it shaves just as well.

Shaving foam's a waste of money as well. I use Aqueous cream which is about £2 for six month's supply, or the old fashioned brush and soap.

[Jadoube]

Grow your own fruit and veg

No extra time needed if you just replace all the useless flowers and shrubs with food crops.

Some are even quite decorative - runner beans, corgettes, fruit blossom

Not as big a saving, but try out a home delivery veg box - much cheaper than the equivalent in the supermarket, although withojut the satisfaction of growing your own. (Assumes cooking skills go beyond opening a tin.)

[ScaredEitherWay]

I use Original Source shower gel. It's pricey, but if you wait for a BOGOF you can get two at £1 each. Now the clever bit ... using a sponge I only need to use a squirt of it about the size of two peas. Fantastic, top quality brand ... one bottle lasts me a year.

So there's two ways to go: buy cheap shit and don't change your habits ... or ... buy NICE stuff cheap and really economise on the amount you use.

Same with shampoo - it doesn't take a lot of good stuff.

Don't just tip out a handful and splash stuff everywhere, be economical with the dispensing and make every drop count.

Edited July 27, 2009 by ScaredEitherWay

[winkie]

I use Original Source shower gel. It's pricey, but if you wait for a BOGOF you can get two at �1 each. Now the clever bit ... using a sponge I only need to use a squirt of it about the size of two peas. Fantastic, top quality brand ... one bottle lasts me a year.

So there's two ways to go: buy cheap shit and don't change your habits ... or ... buy NICE stuff cheap and really economise on the amount you use.

Same with shampoo - it doesn't take a lot of good stuff.

Don't just tip out a handful and splash stuff everywhere, be economical with the dispensing and make every drop count.

So less really can be more.

[InternationalRockSuperstar]

WHy dont you all sod off to MSE where this thread belongs..............

the mods don't have the capability to move unwanted threads over to MSE.....yet

[kzb]

Strangely enough I find Lidl quite expensive. It's also close to the top of the league (and I mean the expensive end) in the Mirror (?) shopping basket comparison.

Like others, it's hard to beat having a large freezer and some plastic storage tubs in a spare bedroom to take advantage of special offers, BOGOFFs, marked down damaged goods and the like.

Home and Bargain are selling sugar far cheaper than any supermarket, and are also good for many other things if you keep an eye on them.

It means you have to be willing to invest (where else do you get 100% return in a few weeks -you do with BOGOFF), so it's another area paradoxically that favours the rich.

[Rave]

Why not hop everywhere - your shoes will last twice as long.

Failing that scrabble around in other people's rubbish and start your own ideology to cover your necessity:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009...nvironment-food

When I had a low paying 9-5 job I did a lot of bin raiding. It was a fairly rare trip when I didn't come back with something edible or useful- I used to do the supermarket and a charity shop (you'd be amazed what they throw out).

One trip I got 23 cans of Stella, binned because the 24th can had burst and wetted the cardboard packaging, several other bottles of booze, dozens of packs/tins of short dated sweets, rice, soap, shower gel, shampoo- I basically filled the boot of my old Toyota MR2. Eggs you get all the time- I went last month for the first time in ages, and brought home 50 eggs that were past the 'display until' but short of the 'use by'- posh free range eggs too, and there were plenty I left behind because I couldn't carry any more on my bike. I made a dozen omelettes and froze them. Other times they throw away perfectly fresh eggs because one has broken and gunked the rest of the pack.

A few times I had so much stuff I had to give it away- my mum was always happy to get eggs, sweets etc. One time I got 12 battenberg cakes, all sealed and in date, I took them in to work for people to help themselves (tho TBH I didn;t admit to where I'd got them ).

Now I earn a lot more and work shifts I don't go nearly as often, but I still go for fun sometimes. Once you get over the fear of being caught (I've never been told to sod off by anyone), and the 'ick-factor' of rooting through bins, it becomes an exciting and rewarding hobby. Best of all is the really serendipitous finds. One time I was at work thinking I hadn't heard the first Rage Against The Machine album in ages. Literally that evening, the only item in the charity shop bin was that very album on CD. Another time, I went after the pub while my wife, brother and friends went back to mine for an after-hours session- I found a bottle of wine and three packs of organic bacon, bacon butties all round .

[Frank Hovis]

When I had a low paying 9-5 job I did a lot of bin raiding. It was a fairly rare trip when I didn't come back with something edible or useful- I used to do the supermarket and a charity shop (you'd be amazed what they throw out).

One trip I got 23 cans of Stella, binned because the 24th can had burst and wetted the cardboard packaging, several other bottles of booze, dozens of packs/tins of short dated sweets, rice, soap, shower gel, shampoo- I basically filled the boot of my old Toyota MR2. Eggs you get all the time- I went last month for the first time in ages, and brought home 50 eggs that were past the 'display until' but short of the 'use by'- posh free range eggs too, and there were plenty I left behind because I couldn't carry any more on my bike. I made a dozen omelettes and froze them. Other times they throw away perfectly fresh eggs because one has broken and gunked the rest of the pack.

A few times I had so much stuff I had to give it away- my mum was always happy to get eggs, sweets etc. One time I got 12 battenberg cakes, all sealed and in date, I took them in to work for people to help themselves (tho TBH I didn;t admit to where I'd got them ).

Now I earn a lot more and work shifts I don't go nearly as often, but I still go for fun sometimes. Once you get over the fear of being caught (I've never been told to sod off by anyone), and the 'ick-factor' of rooting through bins, it becomes an exciting and rewarding hobby. Best of all is the really serendipitous finds. One time I was at work thinking I hadn't heard the first Rage Against The Machine album in ages. Literally that evening, the only item in the charity shop bin was that very album on CD. Another time, I went after the pub while my wife, brother and friends went back to mine for an after-hours session- I found a bottle of wine and three packs of organic bacon, bacon butties all round .

What a fantastic post.

I salute you sir! Rave is the man for our times.

[Giordano Bruno]

Pre sliced cheese,do it yourself and you needn't have moved.

Streatham's alright anyway. Oh and most of us here are lowly renters. prisoners of our own device, maybe.

That's £1.4k p.a. I'm saving. Cheese, even pre-sliced, is not that expensive. I was only being tongue-in-cheek about being embarrassed about being a renter. Nothing wrong in the slightest in renting. In fact, I like it. Yeah. Streatham's OK. No English fish and chip shop in sight, so no steak and kidney pie and chips on the way home anymore. But for what I'm saving, it'a worth it. And there is a local cinema.

[winkie]

That's £1.4k p.a. I'm saving. Cheese, even pre-sliced, is not that expensive. I was only being tongue-in-cheek about being embarrassed about being a renter. Nothing wrong in the slightest in renting. In fact, I like it. Yeah. Streatham's OK. No English fish and chip shop in sight, so no steak and kidney pie and chips on the way home anymore. But for what I'm saving, it'a worth it. And there is a local cinema.

You can make your own homemade cheese from sour milk in a muslin bag that you can hang from the bath tap.

[d2thdr]

Ways to save money, eh?

Floss daily, you will never need a dentist. Honest.

[Gigantic Purple Slug]

When I had a low paying 9-5 job I did a lot of bin raiding. It was a fairly rare trip when I didn't come back with something edible or useful- I used to do the supermarket and a charity shop (you'd be amazed what they throw out).

One trip I got 23 cans of Stella, binned because the 24th can had burst and wetted the cardboard packaging, several other bottles of booze, dozens of packs/tins of short dated sweets, rice, soap, shower gel, shampoo- I basically filled the boot of my old Toyota MR2. Eggs you get all the time- I went last month for the first time in ages, and brought home 50 eggs that were past the 'display until' but short of the 'use by'- posh free range eggs too, and there were plenty I left behind because I couldn't carry any more on my bike. I made a dozen omelettes and froze them. Other times they throw away perfectly fresh eggs because one has broken and gunked the rest of the pack.

A few times I had so much stuff I had to give it away- my mum was always happy to get eggs, sweets etc. One time I got 12 battenberg cakes, all sealed and in date, I took them in to work for people to help themselves (tho TBH I didn;t admit to where I'd got them ).

Now I earn a lot more and work shifts I don't go nearly as often, but I still go for fun sometimes. Once you get over the fear of being caught (I've never been told to sod off by anyone), and the 'ick-factor' of rooting through bins, it becomes an exciting and rewarding hobby. Best of all is the really serendipitous finds. One time I was at work thinking I hadn't heard the first Rage Against The Machine album in ages. Literally that evening, the only item in the charity shop bin was that very album on CD. Another time, I went after the pub while my wife, brother and friends went back to mine for an after-hours session- I found a bottle of wine and three packs of organic bacon, bacon butties all round .

Good things can be found in skips, but you take yer chances.

Saw a bloke having a p*ss in a rubbish bin once on the way back from the local.

Or at least, I thought it was a p*ss. Did your Batenburg have any icing on it ?

[Guest absolutezero]

Good things can be found in skips, but you take yer chances.

Saw a bloke having a p*ss in a rubbish bin once on the way back from the local.

Or at least, I thought it was a p*ss. Did your Batenburg have any icing on it ?

Salty Battenburg.

Is it just me who noticed a user called "Icing on the cake" was reading that post.....?

[Rave]

Good things can be found in skips, but you take yer chances.

Saw a bloke having a p*ss in a rubbish bin once on the way back from the local.

Or at least, I thought it was a p*ss. Did your Batenburg have any icing on it ?

What, he'd gone round the back of a supermarket and climbed up on the side of the 5ft high bin to have a piss in it?

Yes, you sometimes come across manky stuff in bins, and I once managed to stand on a used condom that some skanky pair had left behind the charity shop bin, but in general the rewards greatly outweigh the risks. I might have a stroll down later tonight TBH, see what I can find.

If anyone's interested in giving it a go, I really recommend starting with charity shops. There's almost never anything manky in there, and I've found loads of cool stuff. Crockery, pans (including a couple of perfect condition Tefal ones and several Prestige pressure cookers), interesting pint glasses branded with beer you can't get any more, LPs, tapes, the odd CD, clothes/shoes (some of it decent like a Per Una skirt and Next coat which my wife still wears now), sports kit like racquets etc., some electrical kit like the retro Pioneer amplifier which now powers the hi-fi in the dining room, toasters/ toasted sandwich makers etc. etc.

And most of all books- some days I'd get a car boot full. I used to make a bit of cash selling books I'd found on Amazon, some of them went for good money, especially textbooks. And I once did a boot sale selling only stuff I'd got from bins, and sold £25 worth of stuff. Admittedly it cost us £12 for the pitch, but it was cool giving stuff that would otherwise end up in landfill a new home. We sold it all off dirt cheap as it had cost us nothing at all.

Edited July 27, 2009 by Rave

[Guest DisposableHeroes]

What, he'd gone round the back of a supermarket and climbed up on the side of the 5ft high bin to have a piss in it?

Yes, you sometimes come across manky stuff in bins, and I once managed to stand on a used condom that some skanky pair had left behind the charity shop bin, but in general the rewards greatly outweigh the risks. I might have a stroll down later tonight TBH, see what I can find.

If anyone's interested in giving it a go, I really recommend starting with charity shops. There's almost never anything manky in there, and I've found loads of cool stuff. Crockery, pans (including a couple of perfect condition Tefal ones and several Prestige pressure cookers), interesting pint glasses branded with beer you can't get any more, LPs, tapes, the odd CD, clothes/shoes (some of it decent like a Per Una skirt and Next coat which my wife still wears now), sports kit like racquets etc., some electrical kit like the retro Pioneer amplifier which now powers the hi-fi in the dining room, toasters/ toasted sandwich makers etc. etc.

And most of all books- some days I'd get a car boot full. I used to make a bit of cash selling books I'd found on Amazon, some of them went for good money, especially textbooks. And I once did a boot sale selling only stuff I'd got from bins, and sold £25 worth of stuff. Admittedly it cost us £12 for the pitch, but it was cool giving stuff that would otherwise end up in landfill a new home. We sold it all off dirt cheap as it had cost us nothing at all.

Good idea with the books. You can also download a lot of the classics for free to read as ebooks. Old greyscale pda's make very good ebook readers, using mobipocket reader.

[Mrs Bear]

And most of all books- some days I'd get a car boot full. I used to make a bit of cash selling books I'd found on Amazon, some of them went for good money, especially textbooks.

Some out-of-print books go for amazing money. I work p/t in the little local library, where a woman asked yesterday whether her husband could buy a certain book if we ever withdraw and sell it. (As we do now and then with the old/tatty/out of date, to make room for new stock.)

Book in question was a pretty ancient 'Field Guide to Caterpillars of British Butterflies and Moths.' Not that much demand, you might think.

Since we don't 'reserve' books for people who might want them when we eventually withdraw them, I recommended her to have a look on abebooks, which lists millions of 2nd hand books from various shops.

After she'd left I checked the site myself for this particular book, so I could let her know if it was available. Several copies were listed - starting from £85!

Anyone left with a load of ancient books (eg) when clearing a relative's house might do well to check the likes of abe before leaving them to the house-clearance people.