Household Money Saving Tips

[Dum-Dum]

So following a discussion with another member on Facebook the other night and us both being utterly skint we ended up sharing money saving tips I reckon we can get a few more ideas here.



Always pick up the Tesco magazine, it has money off coupons in it and its worth a read while your having a shit.

Hunt down the back of the sofa for change (especially if its a second hand one)

Go to a butchers or farm shop for your meat, its a similar price to the supermarket but as its not so full of fat and water it goes further so you can use less.

Lift the center console of your 306, there is always change in there, had almost £3 out of my current one.

Always keep your supermarket vouchers for stuff like fuel even if you wont use them, I gave my last 5p off a liter one to a colleague from work and got a 50p of your next shop one back off him, win win situation.

Alot of the cheap supermarket foods aren't bad, Tesco value rice pudding tastes the same as ambrosia and has less calories and the Creamfields milk is exactly the same but nearly a third cheaper and often has a longer shelf life.

Get to know the time your local supermarket starts reducing food and go in just afterwards for the best choice. Tesco and the BP/M&S stores are both 4pm but if your a real blagger go in just before midnight just as they are about to take it off the shelf and ask if they'll do a stupid cheap price to save it going to waste

Oh and its ALWAYS worth going through the reduced shelves and digging right to the back as there is some immense bargains to be had sometimes.

[THE_Liam]

A few of mine, as a Yorkshireman I feel qualified to advise on being a tight twat. Cracking idea Chris

- run on veg oil
- replace Sky with Netflix £30 a month versus £3.99 a month
- take packed lunches/jars of coffee to work
- don't buy pet food from a supermarket, buy it from a pet food wholesaler. 15kg of complete dog food for £10.25
- if you pay to park near work, have a drive around. 10 minutes extra walk a day saves me £3.50 a day, and its exercise
- join a discount warehouse like Costco, not just for SVO (£14.99 for 20 litres), I get 12 cans of Monster for £7 and I got a 42 inch Sharp smart HD TV for £350

What Chris says about butchers and farm shops is right, the meat is about the same price but FAR better and doesn't shrink as much, I get 2lb of mince, 1lb of steak, 2lb of chicken breast and a few other bits and pieces like sausages and burgers for £25...

[ozonehostile]

Good point about the 306 center console. Found £2.64 haha

[Piggy]

Put a thick jumper on and get a blanket for the cold nights...save putting heating up higher
Have showers not baths and use shower n jug to fill sink for a shave
Bulk buy. Me and mrs do one big shop a month then spend a tenner a week on the stuff that goes off. (We have saved about £50 a month this way)
Use places like ebay for certain products...be surprised!
Walk or cycle...a lot.
Turn all things off standby at night, at plugs etc.
Mobile chargers still use electric even when ya mobile aint plugged in!

[306carter]

Stick a brick in the toilet system.

Under seat rails in the car.

Magnet on side of electric meter. (Don't do this you will be fined)

[Piggy]

You can just adjust the float in the toilet!

[THE_Liam]

Magnet on side of electric meter. (Don't do this you will be fined)

MASSIVELY! And charged for the energy you steal...

-Turning your heating down by 1 degree saves £60 a year, 18 degrees is fine for most people
- Learn to DIY. I fitted a new bathroom suite and tiled the full bathroom, only got a mate to fit and plumb a rad and fit the shower. Total cost was £590 versus the £1600 I was quoted. Patio doors fitted myself, total cost £440 versus £1100 quote

[ozonehostile]

Most people on here already save themselves one of the biggest costs a households outgoings by servicing and maintaining our own cars.


Lad I know recently spent £600 having a hub, two Wishbones and a spring changed on a 306! Couldn't believe it when I heard haha

[lolsteve]

Poundland washing detergent. £1 for 24 washes, does the job and smells alright. Prefer it over the Ariel with frebrezze or whatever I had before which just smelt off to me the entire time

[r3k1355]

Get to know the time your local supermarket starts reducing food and go in just afterwards for the best choice. Tesco and the BP/M&S stores are both 4pm but if your a real blagger go in just before midnight just as they are about to take it off the shelf and ask if they'll do a stupid cheap price to save it going to waste

or find/make a friend with someone who works there.

My brother followed me round Morissons the other day with his reduction gun, banging a ticket on everything in the trolley.

Then he brought home two dressed lobsters for 18p at the end of the day.

[silverzx]

I have to agree with the heating tip!

Heating costs a fortune, around 50p/hour (for a little flat), get your jumpers on!

[cully]

Sack sky off TV is crap full stop
Freeview and online sreaming

Mobile phone contracts change to a restricted terrific that cuts you from racking up big bills

Electric turn off unplug vampire goods like phone chargers as they use electric even when not charging your phone

Big saving for me was installing a grey water system which uses rainwater to flush toilet and wash clothing in washing machine

Learn to walk short distances or cycle instead of taking car

[bigcheez2k3]

As said, get rid of Sky/VM. Can get the same stuff on Nextflix, or for even more choice just download it all.

[Toms306]

If its yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down.

[THE_Liam]

If its yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down.

Dirty fecker!

[silverzx]

As for phones.. Buy the handset and get a sim only. 99% of the time usually cheaper.

My virgin sim only 30 day rolling contract is £15 per month and I get unlimited texts, calls and data.

Even if you spent £500 on an iPhone5S etc and got a Sim only it's still cheaper then paying £40+ a month over 24 (£960) months.

[ally406]

TV is full of shite and is 30% adverts, I don't own one, and don't pay for a TV license. Use online services to watch content, it's all there in HD without adverts and doesn't even require a TV license provided you aren't watching live TV.

If you have cable internet ditch the phone line a go VoIP, mine has no line rental and hugely lower rates than VM. I'm saving around £12 a month and the service is indistinguishable from an analogue line.

Switch off the heating in rooms you don't use and close the door.

If you have a tumble dryer change it out for a condensing one, by itself it can heat the whole house so you dry your clothes and switch the heating off. A normal dryer is pumping ~3kw of heat straight out the window.

I bulk buy items like toilet paper, tissues, tooth paste, washing liquid etc at Costco, particularly when they mail out a coupon book. Working out around 1/4 of the price and more time efficient (how much time do you spend shopping for bog roll?).

....and of course run an XUD on veg, £200 a month saving, half the mortgage practically

[Danny2009]

f*ck that me and Missis have our own house we have takeaways 2-3 dog eats best butchers tripe and we usually go out once a week for a meal

[WiNgNuTz]

f*ck that me and Missis have our own house we have takeaways 2-3 dog eats best butchers tripe and we usually go out once a week for a meal

Wanna lend (read: GIVE) me a grand or so? Should see me right till Feb when I get paid.

[bigcheez2k3]

f*ck that me and Missis have our own house we have takeaways 2-3 dog eats best butchers tripe and we usually go out once a week for a meal

Yay you have more money than some people?

*goes to find medal*

[Dum-Dum]

Oh don't forget your green clubcard points if you use your own bags. I always try and haggle for more of them as my shopping bags are huge and probably save 3 or 4 carrier bags each.


Instead of paying for sandwich bags, tin foil or cling film for your sandwiches the bags the supermarket fruit and veg bags are just as good so a handful of them always falls in my trolley.

Bulk buy. Me and mrs do one big shop a month then spend a tenner a week on the stuff that goes off. (We have saved about £50 a month this way)

Use places like ebay for certain products...be surprised!

I'd not realised the 1 big shop a month saved you money but thinking about it it probably does, f*ck knows how. I do the same, big shop at the start of the month for the stuff that will keep is about £150 then about a tenner a week for milk bread and veg vs probably £80 a week before I shopped like that.

Also that ebay tip is really good, there is only one deodorant that I get on well with and I buy a dozen off ebay whenever I'm running out and its about a third of the price of superdrug. Same as razor blades.

Learn to walk short distances or cycle instead of taking car

Yes, anything less than a mile and a half I walk bar my big shop at the supermarket, the little shop I can get in my rucksack.

My virgin sim only 30 day rolling contract is £15 per month and I get unlimited texts, calls and data.

Thats a bargain mate, you got a link?

[Toms306]

If its yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down.

Dirty fecker!

Tbf, the toilet in our house is by far the biggest water usage.... When I'm on my own it can go two or three times without a flush...but bear in mind that's only about half an hour!

Switch off the heating in rooms you don't use and close the door.

If you have a tumble dryer change it out for a condensing one, by itself it can heat the whole house so you dry your clothes and switch the heating off. A normal dryer is pumping ~3kw of heat straight out the window.

I agree'd with most of your points (although you seem like a right tight a*se! ) but not this.... No heat in rooms just causes mould, I didn't have a heater in my room for the last few winters and was forever cleaning mould off the walls! (We have no central heating so have to rely on plug-ins). This year I have had a heater, but only on in the evenings when the temp is below 17c - not had quite such a problem with mould this year so I'd say it's worth keeping some heat on.

Same with the condenser dryer, yes it kept the kitchen warm but puts so much moisture into the air that was again condensing on the windows and causing puddles on the sills each morning and on the walls creating mould. Plus condenser dryers cost more to buy and more to run... We now a normal one.

On the subject of mould - cold washes on the washing machine are a false economy too, the rubbers end up all mouldy and the washing machine fills with bacteria and stinks lol.

[silverzx]

My virgin sim only 30 day rolling contract is £15 per month and I get unlimited texts, calls and data.

Thats a bargain mate, you got a link?

http://store.virginmedia.com/virgin-medi...art=google

"VIP SIM
30-day contract unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited data"

[ozonehostile]

I need to go back to sim only. Anyway of getting rid of a contract?

[lolsteve]

Giffgaff £10 a month, no contract done me perfectly for years.

Anyone else set their washing on a second spin cycle after a washing load? I do it to try and get as much moisture out as possible before taking out to dry. Less moisture on the clothes, less to evaporate into the house.

10 ways facebook group too, I recently got £40 of tesco giftcards for £2. Saved me a bit for the Christmas holidays

[THE_Liam]

A few of mine, as a Yorkshireman I feel qualified to advise on being a tight twat. Cracking idea Chris

- run on veg oil £60 a month
- replace Sky with Netflix £30 a month versus £3.99 a month £26 a month
- take packed lunches/jars of coffee to work £60 a month
- don't buy pet food from a supermarket, buy it from a pet food wholesaler. 15kg of complete dog food for £10.25 £30 a month
- if you pay to park near work, have a drive around. 10 minutes extra walk a day saves me £3.50 a day, and its exercise £70 a month
- join a discount warehouse like Costco, not just for SVO (£14.99 for 20 litres), I get 12 cans of Monster for £7 and I got a 42 inch Sharp smart HD TV for £350 Hard to work out but a fair few quid each month

What Chris says about butchers and farm shops is right, the meat is about the same price but FAR better and doesn't shrink as much, I get 2lb of mince, 1lb of steak, 2lb of chicken breast and a few other bits and pieces like sausages and burgers for £25...

f*ck that me and Missis have our own house we have takeaways 2-3 dog eats best butchers tripe and we usually go out once a week for a meal

Look at it this way mate, add up the savings I make (not including Costco) and that's £246 a month. I can go for a beer 3 nights a week and take my lass for a meal at the weekend with that money, but if I didn't own my house way I'd look at it would be 2 years of that and that's a deposit for a house, or a few holidays, or a Skyline GT-R...

Saving for the sake of it is pointless, you need a reason for it to make sense. Fancy a Skyline Danny?

[Danny2009]

Yea see your point mate just like to live well already putting some aside for a nice car in August won't be no skyline just yet tho

2 years ago I had nothing lived with my mum and the hardest decision was a ten deck or fuel so I'm making up for lost time way I see it

[Piggy]

Just a thought for those not as fortunate as Danny....

Check ya electric, most have a nighttime reading and a daytime...check when those hours are, and if possible set timers for things like washing machines and chargers and get up and have ya shower in that cheaper electric bracket.

Also rinsing and soaking ya washing up in cold water reduces amount of hot needed to wash up!

And boil ya kettle for only the amount you need.

[Dum-Dum]

I agree'd with most of your points (although you seem like a right tight a*se! ) but not this.... No heat in rooms just causes mould, I didn't have a heater in my room for the last few winters and was forever cleaning mould off the walls! (We have no central heating so have to rely on plug-ins). This year I have had a heater, but only on in the evenings when the temp is below 17c - not had quite such a problem with mould this year so I'd say it's worth keeping some heat on.

Same with the condenser dryer, yes it kept the kitchen warm but puts so much moisture into the air that was again condensing on the windows and causing puddles on the sills each morning and on the walls creating mould. Plus condenser dryers cost more to buy and more to run... We now a normal one.

On the subject of mould - cold washes on the washing machine are a false economy too, the rubbers end up all mouldy and the washing machine fills with bacteria and stinks lol.

You want a dehumidifier mate, I have big issues with condensation in my house as there is no ventilation to clear it out. Also when its cold it feels alot warmer if the air is dry than if the air is damp so you can run the house colder.

As for washing machines you do have a bit of a point. I do my colours on a cool wash and the whites (about every 3rd) on a hot wash as I reckon they come out slightly whiter and it stops the mould (and helps heat the kitchen)

10 ways facebook group too, I recently got £40 of tesco giftcards for £2. Saved me a bit for the Christmas holidays

I don't trust those Tesco Facebook things, look like a scam to me.

[Poodle]

I don't think i'll be very good at this because i've been living like it so long i've forgotten all the unnecessary crap other people full their lives with lol, but here goes. Blatantly stolen inspiration from others here lol:

- Lose the tv, if you've got sky/virgin/other shite you'll have just saved yourself about a grand (assuming you haven't already got a tv).

- Another vote here for butchers meat

- And servicing your own car

- And only heating the rooms necessary

- Second job - else you'll be bored now you haven't got the tv to melt your brain

- Sack off all the shite food - crisps, chocolate, sweets, fizzy pop, alcohol, etc - you don't need it and you'll enjoy it more if you only have it once a week, or less

- Cook your own food, ready meals have less goodness in them and cost five times as much, not to mention taste shite

- Walk/cycle everywhere you can, be amazed at how much you spend driving the 3 miles to work/the corner shop/the pub

- Turn the heating down, double up your curtains and put draught excluders everywhere

- Use lidl/aldi for non-perishables and other high value/long life bits like cheese and cereal

- Set a value on your allowed personal spending money each month - i've managed to mod my car on a budget of £25 a month for the last three years

- Restrict the supply of treats, such as takeaways, cinema and nights out to once a month/fortnight

- If you use coupons, ONLY use the ones you would use normally, else you end up with a cupboard full of expensive crap that you'll never use

- Lose any high-energy machines you don't need - dishwasher, tumble drier and the like

- Learn sewing, darning, knitting, plumbing, electricals, carpentry, and anything else you can learn which means you don't have to throw something away yet or pay someone else to fix it

- Seperate your clothes into categories so they last longer - nice (for occasions where you need to look smart and meeting new people), meh (for general day-to-day stuff and meeting friends) and holy-f*ck-burn-it-now (for mechanics, diy, walking the dog and anything else that will destroy clothes)