Money saving tips

[falling rain]

With all the rising prices how about a money saving tips thread, and 'heads up' if say Asda, Tesco etc are doing any specials or good deals.

Group buy some veg at your local 'pick your own' - you may get a discount if you buy loads and split it amongst a group of friends. Use any leftovers to make pickles, chutneys, jams. I've started dabbling a bit with growing my own, inspired by Jamie Oliver and HFW and made some lovely tomato chutney/ ketchup - use any old jars to bottle it up. Steralise first. Give away some for Birthday and Christmas presents.

Asda are doing 3 for a fiver on nice sausages. Apple and pork - leek and pork - beef and tomato - lincolnshire twirl etc there are 6 sausages in each pack so it's £5 for 18 sausages - freeze what you don't need. It's about 27p each for good quality sausages.

Use one of the swap book sites if you read a lot instead of buying new books.

Nothing special to start things off, but surely with all us folks on here we can come up with some helpful tips to help each other out.

Make your own bread and of course forage a bit of wild greens if you don't aready. Don't waste food use the chicken carcass for stock or make a soup.

If you live near the sea go on a mackerel fishing trip and fill your freezer. Take the kids on a fishing trip instead of Alton towers. They'll have a great time out on a boat fishing and you get a good few meals from the proceeds. Just an inshore half day trip would do. Or buy a cheap rod and reel and catch a few from the shore.

Nothing really too orignal from me there, but between us we must have hundreds of ideas.

C,mon folks lets have your ideas. We're a community...........lets commune.

Fuel saving tips, gas electric , petrol.....................lets be having them.

 

[Andy2112]

Cracking idea, get ya thinking caps on everyone.

 

[Tadpole]

I think my best tip would be, don’t shop in ASDA or Tesco or any of the huge chain shops. Shop in Aldi, About two years ago I lost 30% of my income, forcing me to change my shopping habits. I went from spending £70 to £80 per week, to spending £38 to £45 pound a week, getting better quality goods than I could afford when I shopped at Tesco, buying only the value and basic range. (Aldi sells award winning basic foods, including cheese hams olive oil. ) Ok you don’t have 40 types of baked beans and only three kinds of cheddar cheese. However, who wants 20 types of processed cheddar cheese anyway. All the staples are there, just not branded, I say Apply your brain, cook from scratch, and save money

 

[Tony]

We get fruit and veg from the local market, it's the end of the week so things are starting to spoil sometimes but I picked up a crate of pineapples for £2, box of Yams (about 32) £2, bag potatoes £5 (25Kg) Box apples (50-60) £4 Tray of grapes (10 punnets) £2 It's excellent, the pineapples etc are going in the dehydrator and we'll see how it goes.

 

[PJMCBear]

If, like me you take a fair amount of perscription medication, calculate how much is costs you over a year. If it's above £102.50 get on the NHS prepayment scheme. I'm saving over £150 per annum by using the scheme and you can pay by Direct Debit over 3 months.

 

[John Fenna]

Buy a second hand sewing machine and some cheap patterns (often available in charity shops) and make your own clothing and equipment!

 

[gregorach]

If you like a drink, get into home brewing or wine-making. I'm saving a fortune!

 

[John Fenna]

But not your liver?!

 

[gregorach]

The liver is evil and must be punished.

(Funnily enough, that's the slogan on the T-shirt I bought at the Scottish Real Ale festival last weekend...)

 

[Aaron]

Save on toilet paper by squashing the roll flat and then wedging it into the holder. Your mrs and the kids will soon get fed up of tearing off just one sheet at a time! (and leave you - even less to spend out!)

 

[Nicolas]

here is an awesome tip to save money - don't spend it


I give all my money too my wife I'm crap looking after money you have to know your limitations.

 

[falling rain]

The liver is evil and must be punished.

(Funnily enough, that's the slogan on the T-shirt I bought at the Scottish Real Ale festival last weekend...)

Talking of funny t-shirts.

My all time favourites are 'Muffin the mule is not a criminal offence' and 'Jesus is coming........quick look busy' I almost wet myself when I saw those.
Muffin the mule was a TV programme for the younger folks benifit
http://www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/tv/children/muffin/muffin.htm don't remember it myself of course........ahhemm!

 

[susi]

If money is tight, don't buy what you need, buy what you can't do without.

Don't have more kids than you can afford.

Don't eat poor quality, cheap, processed foods. In the long run your body will not forgive you. Instead cut down on leisure/holiday spending, filling the time with "free" activities like walking.

Analyse your supermarket bill. Often the things that cost the most aren't actually food at all, but all the add-ons that the missus likes. Stupid stuff like smelly blocks to hook around the rim of the bog, air fresheners, disinfectant sprays for the kitchen, moist bog roll (after a vindaloo run normal stuff under the tap for christ's sake, stop being so soft )even fabric conditioner (which I gave up 3 years ago and don't miss at all). These are what mount up on the Tesco bill. Buy a bar of soap rather than luxury shower cream, the list is endless....

 

[MartiniDave]

Spread a cheap blue tarpaulin on your lawn. People in aeroplanes with think you've got a pool!

 

[verloc]

Terminate your internet conecti

 

[MartiniDave]

Use someone else's internet connection (at lunchtime, of course )

 

[falling rain]

Spread a cheap blue tarpaulin on your lawn. People in aeroplanes with think you've got a pool!

Buy 2nd class stamps and post your mail a day earlier

Save electricity by turning off all the lights in your house and walking around wearing a miner's hat.

Don't buy an expensive address book just get an old telephone directory book and cross out the names and addresses of people you don't know

Save petrol by pushing your car to your destination. Invariably passers-by will think you've broken down and help.

Avoid being wheel-clamped by jacking your car up, removing the wheels and locking them safely in the boot until you return.

Take your dustbin to the supermarket with you so that you can see which items you have recently run out of.

Ahh good old Viz top tips. I love 'em
http://fishtank.org.uk/humour/humour.php3?articleid=61

my favourite is
People whose surname is Toblerone should always take along an empty 'Toblerone' chocolate box when attending interviews for office jobs. This would save your potential employer the expense of having to make a name plaque for your desk, and therefore increase your chances of getting the job.

 

[Andy2112]

Look through your neighbours window to watch tv, and if you want sound, press a glass onto the window. Be really cheeky and get a universal remote control to change the channels.

Naughty, but eat a few things when doing your shopping in the supermarket, same goes at your local pick your own fruit places.

read the paper at the library.

Use someone else's wireless connection.

Eat half a burger then go back to the counter and say it was cold to get another one.

 

[crazydave]

asda frozen chicken breasts - 400g for £1.20 just right for a chicken tonite.