Your biggest money saving tip?

Matt.Br · Post by **Matt.Br** » Mon Jun 26, 2023 3:03 pm

Come on then, hit us with your biggest money saving tip...

Doesn't have to be project specific...can just be a life thing.

My one is simply creating a meal plan (save a LOT on potentially wasting food).

My other is if I want a 'luxury' food (say sourdough bread), I make it myself...as it tends to be a lot cheaper.

What are yours?

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Mon Jun 26, 2023 3:59 pm

My air fryer saves me loads of power over our conventional oven/grill. Most stuff cooks in 12 minutes which is about when the oven has just got to 200. never waste food and only cook what I will eat. I Clanger Mrs D for throwing away food but it is wasted breath.

DWD

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Mon Jun 26, 2023 6:24 pm

the best money saving in the short term is small changes not requiring an outlay
even though i havent got an air dryer, i 100% agree about saving and worth the investment as long as you use it for perhaps 3 months to a year in daily use you will get the outlay back with savings after that
in general {i will exclude air dryers here] iff you have to spend more than a fiver for a gadget it may never give you any savings
best savings appart from own brands and end off day discounts is things like turn heating down say 1 degree and heat for a slightly shorter time
other things like replace 50% meat with say cubed potato to replicate chicken in your curry and those sort off things
dont have savings at say 4% when you have debt at 40% on a store card

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Mon Jun 26, 2023 8:10 pm

Crime, but don't get caught.

Neelix · Post by **Neelix** » Mon Jun 26, 2023 8:14 pm

Stop using credit and debit cards and use cash only very wisely. Spending cash is more real than waving your card or phone to pay for items, and very few people check statements these days too

Rorschach · Post by **Rorschach** » Tue Jun 27, 2023 7:17 am

Neelix wrote: ↑Mon Jun 26, 2023 8:14 pm Stop using credit and debit cards and use cash only very wisely. Spending cash is more real than waving your card or phone to pay for items, and very few people check statements these days too

That's not really money saving is it, that's just adjusting for bad habits. I mostly use my credit card, I always check statements and because I am earning interest on my savings while I use the credit and I get cashback I am actually saving/making money by using my card. I don't make any purchases using my card that I would not make using cash if that was my only option.

Argyll · Post by **Argyll** » Tue Jun 27, 2023 7:48 am

Go to supermarkets around 9pm. That's where most items are reduced from 30-70% off. Then put them in the freezer. I eat quite a lot of meat. The other night I picked up 6 packs of burgers from Aldi with 30% off.

toolbox · Post by **toolbox** » Tue Jun 27, 2023 11:17 am

Keep the Mrs away from Garden Centres!

big-all · Post by **big-all** » Tue Jun 27, 2023 1:17 pm

dont always assume larger pack is better value or refills save money

Neelix · Post by **Neelix** » Tue Jun 27, 2023 4:34 pm

Rorschach wrote: ↑Tue Jun 27, 2023 7:17 am
Neelix wrote: ↑Mon Jun 26, 2023 8:14 pm Stop using credit and debit cards and use cash only very wisely. Spending cash is more real than waving your card or phone to pay for items, and very few people check statements these days too
That's not really money saving is it, that's just adjusting for bad habits. I mostly use my credit card, I always check statements and because I am earning interest on my savings while I use the credit and I get cashback I am actually saving/making money by using my card. I don't make any purchases using my card that I would not make using cash if that was my only option.

Managing your expenditure carefully can be more rewarding than cost savings .......... but seemingly few people actually do it

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Tue Jun 27, 2023 4:55 pm

I never understood the number of people who have Deliveroo type takeaways, are they so lazy they pay out for a meal rather than make it themselves? It used to be an occasional treat for some but it is big business now. We were in Mcdonald's where we have a Happy Meal, six quid for two and cheaper than 2 coffees at Costa, and I was amazed at how many delivery guys were waiting with their insulated bags. The burgers can be tepid by the time you get from the counter to the table so I am thinking they must be well cold after the delivery journey. Incidentally, the Happy Meal suits us as we get a coffee and a hot chocolate as well as a cheeseburger and fries, just enough for us at lunchtime and convenient if we are passing.

DWD

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Tue Jun 27, 2023 5:31 pm

dewaltdisney wrote: ↑Tue Jun 27, 2023 4:55 pmare they so lazy they pay out for a meal rather than make it themselves?..................

We were in Mcdonald's where we have a Happy Meal

Could you have not made that at home?

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But on a more serious note:

Have you tried putting yourself in other people's shoes?

We can't make cod and chips* so we send out for it. Used to drive to chip shop to get it (just about 5 miles round trip for non soggy stuff, that the local chip shop sells) after a few visits we realised they deliver it at no extra cost, but we do phone the shop direct, not via any app, and we pay the delivery person.

OH has also tried to make curry, (several times) never comes out right, so ends up costing more in the long run.

*Yes, we can make chips, but no, we can't make / cook cod in batter like chip shops do.
I don't go to or have McDonalds*, any of the fancy coffee places, or KFC etc

* Many years ago, company I was working at (Out on the road) one suggested going to McD for lunch, about 20 mins later almost everyone got up and ordered another meal, it was just not filling, ever since then, I only go if who ever I am with wants to go, I don't miss it at all.

I would also suggest, not in all cases, but most, it is more a sake of convenience.

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Tue Jun 27, 2023 6:31 pm

Don't listen to those lifestyle gurus who talk about decluttering and the whole "if you haven't used it for six months" thing. Something has to be completely worthless for us to throw it away in our house. Is there any residual value left in it ? Can it be sold , reused , composted or whatever ? We even put a carrier bag of milk bottle tops on ebay and sold them..

Argyll · Post by **Argyll** » Tue Jun 27, 2023 7:00 pm

Grendel wrote: ↑Tue Jun 27, 2023 6:31 pm We even put a carrier bag of milk bottle tops on ebay and sold them.

London mike 61 · Post by **London mike 61** » Tue Jun 27, 2023 8:15 pm

My son and I downloaded the TooGoodToGo app and most weeks we get a lot of food cheaper that otherwise would be thrown away by various food outlets, anything from greggs bakers , Costa coffee, spa supermarkets etc. the other app that is worth having is the olio app , so what happens is that at the end of a day ‘ food heroes ‘ collect bread , cakes and the like from the major supermarkets and take it home and display it on the app and folk come to the person’s house and collect the items for free. They also have a section for non food items that are available for collection for free.

I hate waste when there are folk out there struggling to make ends meet and good food gets dumped.

Mike