Save-a-quid-or-2 thread

So guys and gals....

.... The money markets are tough - loans are hard to get - people are not confident in their finances...

.... So I thought time for a bit of community involvement - what are YOU doing to save a few quid here and there? The aim? To help out or give tips to anyone who wants to get them - families - students - and even single people...!

Have you canceled the gym and just run instead?
Brewing your own booze?
Turning off your TV off Standby at night?
Buying house brands over big brand products?

Have you noticed a different - what else you considering?

I don't want this thread to turn in to a debate about money/credit - but more so be something members can read through and maybe get some tips or tricks...

And if you aren't doing anything - good on you - please don't post in this thread - this is mass market for all readers who are being thoughtful with spending suddenly....

I'm down to one bottle of wine a night.

Stop upgrading pc unnecessarily...

but I just bought 3 terabyte hard drives!!! :crazy:

going out on the drink less....

I've given up coffee at work, I trying to go caffeine free for while but I've just work out how I am saving.
3 cups at 80p
a day : £2.40
a week: £12
a year: £624
that works out to be a 1.6% pay rise

I write my weekly shop off as a work expense.

Other than that I don't live in extravagance - I'm a student.

Read the money saving expert website :p

I've not really changed anything as I was actively scrimping before anyway, but these are the kinds of things I do:

Transport
-Try and carshare where possible
-Drive at 55 rather than 60 if roads are empty and you're not in a rush
-Don't go above 70 on motorways
-Slowdown in gear as much as possible before needing to brake

Food
-Packed lunches rather than canteen
-Plan ahead so you can buy food on offer more times than not
-Cut down on cans and bought teas/coffees
-Cut down on snacks, buy in multipack and never individually
-Cook own food in evenings, especially veggie pasta dishes :p Very good for you too :p

Social
-Drink halves occasionally instead of pints
-Invite friends around more often - cheaper than meeting at the pub/cafe/restaurant etc.

Buy all your books from charity shops. The RRP's are a joke in bookshops. You can get a lot of near enough new releases for a quarter of the cost, if not less!

cook for 4 and freeze 3...

get reduced meat etc when it's on "yellow label special" and freeze it.

be a hermit. (this one is my most difficult one)

Set yourself a weekly cash budget (mine is £22 - £10 on bowling and £12 on other stuff) and stick to it (FAIL!)

We've been buying house brand items especially meat that is in the pre packaging, it saves a lot. Cheap meat is ideal for casseroles, curries etc. Just cut off the usual non trimmed bits.

We have also been putting in energy saving lightbulbs

I can't believe how expensive certain meats like chicken have got....

Turning your PC off when your not going to be using it (e.g leaving them on over night)

My top tips to save money:

Share cabs with random people after a night out (Beer + Women = Profit)

Smuggle food into the cinema rather than paying their stupid prices (Chocolate + Movies + Women = Profit)

Don't buy expensive deserts for women - (50p Kitkat + Women = Profit)

Use eBay for presents (Second hand stuff + Women = Love + Profit)

Sell your own (and other peoples) crap on eBay (Used crap + eBay = profit)

And lastly, don't drink, eat the Mushrooms of magic. (Homegrown mushrooms - Booze = Profit + Women)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FifthFreedom

My top tips to save money:

Share cabs with random people after a night out (Beer + Women = Profit)

Smuggle food into the cinema rather than paying their stupid prices (Chocolate + Movies + Women = Profit)

Don't buy expensive deserts for women - (50p Kitkat + Women = Profit)

Use eBay for presents (Second hand stuff + Women = Love + Profit)

Sell your own (and other peoples) crap on eBay (Used crap + eBay = profit)

And lastly, don't drink, eat the Mushrooms of magic. (Homegrown mushrooms - Booze = Profit + Women)

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Yes but doesn't adding a woman to the equation make it infinitely more expensive?

Guys


Please keep this thread serious - a mass prune will happen otherwise


DR

I sometimes put my shopping in the hands of the supermarket - whatever's on offer (like a good offer, not a 5p off job) I'll buy - get to try out lots of things too.

Don't leave mobile phones connected to the charger - just let the batteries run empty (or as close to as possible if you're having to travel around).

Use charity shops/ebay - I mentioned this in another thread before and some people don't like the idea of having someone else's clothes for whatever reason, but clothes aside there's plenty of bargains to be had.

I empty out all the change I have each day into a jar . . . and keep doing that for a while until I need money...it accumulates quite quickly, and I don't really notice this money gone otherwise.

Go to house parties instead of going out - cheaper to buy your own drink, don't need to care about closing times, chances are most people will be sound (if not everyone) . . . although pick houses close enough for you to walk home or on a bus route...as paying for a taxi ain't fun.

I don't have a call allowance on my mobile, but I do have free (close to anyway) txts - so I message people all the time. I only use my mobile to call people when texting is not convenient.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DR

Guys


Please keep this thread serious - a mass prune will happen otherwise


DR

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The cinema one is very true though!

It costs under £1 to buy the popping corn, and that'll fill a sizeable bag. We always smuggle it into the cinema - they've never complained so far - and take a bottle of water with you and you'll easily save £5. Given how much tickets cost at the moment it's a pretty good saver - especially if you go regularly and feel that it's not a film without nibbles!

I also do the change thing. Buy one of those smashable pots and dont' put anything under 10p into it. Fill it with all your loose change when you come back from the shops - since otherwise you'll either lose it or waste it. Once it's full, you should have well over £200 - especially if you put the odd note in too! Buy a new pot with the money and start over again. It's really worth doing.

Read up on this site: www.instructables.com , loads of tips on reusing rubbish around the house and how to make things that'll save you cash :) The obvious one is the duct tape wallet.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7486417.stm Interesting article on the beeb about this

I know my brother and flat mates grow their own Vegetables (not magic mushrooms :P) They have a nice little system going after a few months of food ready to be eaten each week. Very good way to have lots of healthy food of your choice on tap. Saves them a bundle as well.

Obviously shopping late at night gives you access to many bargains and tescos and asda etc..

I always found leaving early for work was a good one. You spend half the time in the car, saving you bundles on fuel as you can drive at normal speeds, not 2mph. By the time work has started you are really quite relaxed not so flustered as you have had time to settle. Win, Win apart from having to leave a bit earlier lol. Probably won't work for everyone but try it some days if you are like I was, getting in by the skin of yoru teeth.

Also with regard to the +women = profit thing.. what planet do you live on where anything +women = profit!?

I've been working hard to improve my fuel consumption, to the extent of a few basic aerodynamic mods to the car.

Food is cheap here, but by eating in and buying in bulk from the cash and carry I've reduced that a bit.

Otherwise, just cutting back on spending on non-essentials, and finding ways to fill my time that doesn't cost anything. For example: We used to go to the cinema on Sundays, now we go geocaching, so $15 a week saved there.

It's hard to cut back much further, as most of our regular bills are fixed or pretty small. Our last electric bill was $38, for example.

For cinema tickets: go on wednesdays and get someone you know on Orange to text you a buy one get one free code :)
I always eat before I go and I always bring a water bottle in :D
Only once I gave into ice cream at the cinema :drool:

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Originally Posted by staffsMike

Also with regard to the +women = profit thing.. what planet do you live on where anything +women = profit!?

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P.I.M.P :naughty:

Don't recharge stuff at home, I charge my phone and ipod at work. I also charge my phone in my car. But I've no idea how much money this saves.

AFAIK Charging phone in car costs more than charging it in the house... think of the petrol prices!

Minimize your borrowing costs.

Having £600 sitting in a savings account for a rainy day is all well and good, but if you're running an overdraft you're very likely to be paying more in interest charges on that than you are earning in the savings account.... so use the savings to reduce the debt you're paying interest on. If the rainy day comes then use your overdraft if you have to.

Rearrange your finances.

Now is not a good time to re-mortgage or to take out a loan to consolidate debt, so line up your debts in order of COST per month... and then attack them in turn. Ignoring a mortgage, it's likely a loan is the cheapest debt, followed by an overdraft, then credit cards and finally store cards.

Check out exactly HOW the relevant companies will pay off your debt with the money you give them. For example, a loan is just a straight payment whereas a credit card company will use your money to pay off the CHEAPEST interest balance first.

For example, say you have a credit card with £6000 on it. £1000 is a balance transfer at 5%. £2000 is from a promotion at 10% and £3000 is normal purchases at 27%.

You lob £2000 pay-off into it and they'll first take off the £1000 balance transfer, then half of the £2000 special offer leaving you still paying 10% on £1000 and 27% on £3000, even though the last purchases made were at the top-whack rate...

So the easiest way is to kill the card totally in one massive lump sum payoff... Which I know seems like a bloody daft thing to do but saving up and then pummelling the card in one go is far, far easier than trying to ease it down a bit each month with monthly payments, unless you can afford to lob significantly higher amounts than the minimum payment each month.

Switch insurance/energy suppliers
First, energy suppliers: If you already have a debit balance, DON'T SWITCH. Try, if you can, to pay a manageable monthly amount, one that gradually reduces what you owe as well as covering what you're using. Thankfully, most energy companies do not charge interest for debit balances so owing them a bit doesn't cost you anything... if you can, leave it until you have your expensive borrowing cleared and then clear this debt... But whatever you do, until you've cleared the debit, don't switch as the company will want the account settled immediately...

Insurance: When comparing insurance, only use those comparison sites as a rough guide... invariably there's options missing from their quotes that you have on your policy... but they're worth looking at to get a rough idea... and Confused.com actually fills in the respective insurers online applications for you, which is handy.

That said, still check what you get with your insurance as though you might punch it into a search, that might not be what you're being quoted for. At the same time, think about what you are adding onto your policy... have you ever actually USED the legal protection which costs £29.99 (or more like £35 when they've added in credit interest for monthly payments)?

And don't just switch for the sake of it unless you're going to make a significant saving... many insurers will charge you cancellation fees if you're not up for renewal and probably interest charges too is you were paying monthly.

For example, my car insurance is £438 a year fully comp with legal, windscreen, breakdown and protected no claims. LV were quoting £202 according to moneysupermarket.com. Except that had no frills and was ONLY fully comp and with an excess over twice what I already had. Once I added in windscreen, breakdown and protected no claims, it came to £383... and seeing as cancelling my current insurance would cost around £40, it wasn't worth it.

The same goes for house insurance... the only way you'll really save money is to reduce the cover you're getting and so it AT renewal time.

That said, there's an awful lot of frivolous stuff in house insurance that you should trim out if you can. Personal property insurance is a good one... when was the last time you claimed on your insurance when you lost your wallet with £50 in it? Especially with an excess of £60 to make a claim... likewise, theft or loss on holiday... take out travel insurance maybe?

Oh, and on final thing, don't be fooled by double-up or cashback deals. The Post Office is running a car and house insurance sign-up offer with £50 cashback and online discount... but the premiums are hardly cheap and certainly cost more than the £50 cashback.

Go through ALL your old financial stuff
Guess who found an ISA he'd forgotten about and hadn't paid a bean into for the last five years... If it weren't for an old statement, I would never have thought of it and that was me £117 better off.

I found some old shares too, issued when a building society I used to have an account with switched to being a bank. I'm waiting to see what I'll get from selling them, then I'll put that money to good use.

Got an old pension? See if you can merge it with your current one... perhaps the merge will allow you to skip a few payments and put that money to use elsewhere...

And finally
Don't be at all afraid to go into your bank and talk to them about how to manage your finances. Believe me, they'll damn well appreciate you going to them and asking for help rather than sending you snotty letters. You can't ignore debt and the only way to tackle it is to man-up, admit you're were a bloody fool and then just get on with dealing with it.

Also, don't let pride stop you shopping on a budget. Value and store-own brands are perfectly edible and yes, I know only Hob-Nobs taste like Hob-Nobs, so don;t buy any at all.

Want to know the best secret about value brands? For fruit and veg especially, there's NO difference in quality between value and store-own label... it's purely down to size and shape grading... The easiest place to see it is in the mushroom or carrots... and I pretty much defy ANYONE to tell me the difference between a spag bol made with a tin of value chopped tomatoes or a tin of Napolena tomatoes with basil and garlic at five times the price.

Anyhoo, that's my mammoth post for the evening... hope it helps! :)

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Originally Posted by manwithnoname

Don't recharge stuff at home, I charge my phone and ipod at work. I also charge my phone in my car. But I've no idea how much money this saves.

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Yeah lol a great way to save money = rip off work as much as possible.

e.g. "borrow" stationary, charge your crap at work and make calls on their line.

Works every time.

And @ Staffsmike, Not all profit is monetary ^^

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Originally Posted by SiM

AFAIK Charging phone in car costs more than charging it in the house... think of the petrol prices!

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That's not my understanding, as long as the engine is running it will charge the car battery if the battery is full then the "charging energy" is wasted - if you drive does the idle speed on your engine go up when you put the full beam on. (But put the air con on, then the idle speed on my motor goes up)

edit:
@FifthFreedom work actual provided the USB charger to put into my PC for my phone but I am taking liberty charging my ipod

... thanks for reminding me to grap a few pens tomorrow

Ah that's the same old story in chocolate shops, why pay a tenner for a small bag when you can get a hundred genitalia shaped offcuts for a fiver :)

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Originally Posted by Whiternoise

Ah that's the same old story in chocolate shops, why pay a tenner for a small bag when you can get a hundred genitalia shaped offcuts for a fiver :)

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Like in the butcher's. :)

Got a water meter installed.

a two bed + two bath flat dosen't use nearly the £650 a year i was previously been charged. They even offered a garrentee that if i used more than i was currently paying, the meter would be turned off for as long as i billed with them. Not sure how much use it would of been in 5 years time, but it was a nice show of confidence.

Put my savings in a high performing hedge fund thats managed 11% in the last month :P

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Originally Posted by TheAnimus

Put my savings in a high performing hedge fund thats managed 11% in the last month :P

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Sounds awfully risky. Be careful.

Never just renew your inurances, get a new deal every time, that way you get max vfm

and recharge your phone/ipod & batteries at work :)

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Originally Posted by 0iD

Never just renew your inurances, get a new deal every time, that way you get max vfm

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about 15 minuites and saying "no i'll go elsewhere" contents insurance re-newed at £175. Best price i found elsewhere was £280+. But yes, blindly renewing is silly.

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Originally Posted by schmunk

Sounds awfully risky. Be careful.

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Yes, espesually given the type of arogant bankers who run it ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick

Minimize your borrowing costs.

Having £600 sitting in a savings account for a rainy day is all well and good, but if you're running an overdraft you're very likely to be paying more in interest charges on that than you are earning in the savings account.... so use the savings to reduce the debt you're paying interest on. If the rainy day comes then use your overdraft if you have to.

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Now i'm not so sure about this one.

First off most people can get an intrest free overdraft facility provided you get back into the black each month. I've actually got ony thats my gross monthly, rather than net (stupid, stupid, stupid). In which case defo keep in the savings.

Now if you find yourself up smelly creak without a paddle, odds are your bank won't want to lend you money. When you need to borrow money, your a bad credit risk, when you don't need to your a good risk and banks fall overthemselfs trying to lend you money.

The reason i mention this is you might find that you can't get an overdraft when you need one. NEVER count on it been there.

But that's the point... using your savings to get out of your overdraft improves your credit rating as it reduces the % of borrowing.

There's no bank I know of that will remove an overdraft facility just because you're not using it. Being in credit all the time actually makes you a more attractive proposition for gicing an overdraft to.

The whole point of my post was to look at what you can do with the funds you have available and specifically not borrow any more to buy a way out.

And, as you say, an overdraft is only free if you bring it back into the black before month end... so surely using savings, if you have to, to bring the account back in line is better than being charged?

And yeah, high risk, long term savings offer a good return, but after seeing all my so-called 'managed' investments perform like crap, I'd only ever stick money into a tracker investment... especially as, according to Which, only FIVE fund managers in the UK managed to outperform a computer basing its investments on tracking just behind market trends...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by manwithnoname

That's not my understanding, as long as the engine is running it will charge the car battery if the battery is full then the "charging energy" is wasted - if you drive does the idle speed on your engine go up when you put the full beam on. (But put the air con on, then the idle speed on my motor goes up)

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hmmm... I wouldn't have thought so... where is it wasted? it has to go somewhere?

anyone can explain this further?

when you're idling and the battery is full it's not used for anything except for keeping the engine running. but doesn't the charging decrease your mpg and therefore cost you?

Ok, in very rough layman's terms:

There's a sensor in the alternator/battery loop that measures how well charged the battery is, (don't ask me how, probably by taking a reading across the terminals or something...) anyway, this cuts off the supply from the alternator when the battery is charged, basically creating an open circuit in the battery/alternator loop.

You alternator will still be supplying electricity to run the engine and car electrics, it just won't be charging the battery.

How do I know this? Because when that sensor breaks, it'll stay in the state it was when broken... so mine broke when it was open and my battery didn't get charged. But there was no battery fail light on the dash as the alternator was still supplying current... took the garage two visits to figure out it wasn't a faulty battery or a dodgy alternator but one little relay.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick

And yeah, high risk, long term savings offer a good return, but after seeing all my so-called 'managed' investments perform like crap, I'd only ever stick money into a tracker investment... especially as, according to Which, only FIVE fund managers in the UK managed to outperform a computer basing its investments on tracking just behind market trends...

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Well thats a damned lie!
Look at the http://www.hedgefundintelligence.com/ awards (subscription required)

The reason i say using an overdraft is ok, is provided you go into the black.

I often hit the red to about 3k, as my mortgage, and most bills go out before i'm paid. Its interest free money, that allows me too keep my savings in much better areas. If there was a problem i've got some instant access savings getting a measly 8% (promotional, then loose CGT :() rate. The rest is tucked away in more long term saving.

Doing it this way my bank see me as a model customer, offering me an overdraft to 5k interest free! If i just cleared it completely and never used it, it would be slowly removed. The same way someone who's earning a lot of money, who's never had a credit card when first applying will get a low credit limit. They like to look before they leap.

Try the cheap supermarkets - Aldi and Lidl - and look out for street markets for cheap veggies. If you have a nearby farmers market, check that out - usually good for eggs!. Reduce your meat consumption and eat more veggies/pulses instead. Plan your vehicle use in advance so you combine as much as possible - e.g. go to the shops on the way home from work, rather than as a separate journey. Entertain at home rather than use pubs / restaurants. Be rigorous in turning unused electrical items off at the socket - especially true for PCs. Get your house properly insulated now before the cold weather arrives - lots of grants available. It's also a good time to get your central heating boiler serviced. Once the weather does get colder, turn the thermostat down a couple of degrees and wear a jumper. Grow your own veg - even if it's just cress!

damn good thread :)

I'm getting tighter by the day

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Originally Posted by Nick

And finally
Don't be at all afraid to go into your bank and talk to them about how to manage your finances. Believe me, they'll damn well appreciate you going to them and asking for help rather than sending you snotty letters. You can't ignore debt and the only way to tackle it is to man-up, admit you're were a bloody fool and then just get on with dealing with it.

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Don't be afraid to ditch your bank completely.

I just ditched HSBC in favour of The Co-operative (ethical banking FTW) and got better rates on my current account, my savings account and my credit card. Makes me wonder why I stuck with HSBC for so long before!

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Originally Posted by FifthFreedom

My top tips to save money:



Smuggle food into the cinema rather than paying their stupid prices (Chocolate + Movies + Women = Profit)

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i've done that since i was small. always bought my own popcorn and drink into the cinema:)

I've cut out getting the bus to work, and I now cycle the 6 miles each way. Also has the benefits that I get fitter and lose weight, plus it's about 15-20 mins quicker so I get more time in bed.

I think Tiggs mentioned the age old "cook for 4, then freeze half of it" (well, there's me and the missus and she complains if I don't feed her)

dumping the copper, 5 and 10p pieces in a Glenfiddich tin and emptying it every 3 months or so - it's amazing how much I save.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Splash

I've cut out getting the bus to work, and I now cycle the 6 miles each way. Also has the benefits that I get fitter and lose weight, plus it's about 15-20 mins quicker so I get more time in bed.

I think Tiggs mentioned the age old "cook for 4, then freeze half of it" (well, there's me and the missus and she complains if I don't feed her)

dumping the copper, 5 and 10p pieces in a Glenfiddich tin and emptying it every 3 months or so - it's amazing how much I save.

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I've got a years worth of change in half a coke bottle lol no idea how much is in there at the moment, when it gets full then I'll get it all counted up and start getting it changed up.

I'm driving incredibly slowly in as high a gear as i can recently. Don't race off at the traffic lights anymore.
Recently done 200miles in a quarter of a tank as i took my time and drove at 50-55mph.
Then on the way back, it was late and i wanted sleep so bombed it on the return. Took a WHOLE tank!!!

So....moral of story?


WALK.

Sit down and plan your meals for the week and then internet shop!

We always spend less that way, often a good £20, even if we shop with ocado!

Also keep everything paid off and don't buy stuff you don't need! I have now been weaned off my technology buying addiction. That is until we have moved into the new house once its done up!

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Originally Posted by DR

I can't believe how expensive certain meats like chicken have got....

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i was saying the same thing the other day, chicken used to be the the cheap meat, but now it costs the same if not more than pork round here.

our tip is we often pop to tescos to check what meats are reduced, if you dont mind being flexible you generally pay half the price you normally would. An added bonus if you will is that sometimes you try new things :D

The thing is, saving money doesn't necessarily mean being a miser and scrimping on every penny, it's about being sensible and looking for the costs you take for granted or even daft things like running boiler to heat hot water you're not actually using.

Personally, I'm aiming at the things that don't make an much, if any, impact on our lives... so the hot water is run once now, in the evening. The cylinder is well lagged and that means there's enough to bathe the kids and for me and the missus to have a shower in the morning.

We don't run the dishwasher unless it's chock full and even then I'll wash up mugs and plates... it's only once the family meal is over that we cram everything in and run it.

Cat food: The kitties are all on the own-brand store stuff... not the really cheap stuff as the fickle buggers won't touch it but they're not getting the super expensive stuff from the vets either... especially when all they seem to like to do at the moment is chomp down on a mouse and leave half by the back door all the damn time.

For meat, probably one of the most expensive items you can buy, try going to the local market and hunting out the butcher's van. You'll find he has some bargains going and, once you get to know him, you can start haggling a LITTLE, don't push it too much or you'll wind him up.

I bought 20 large chicken breasts for £15, three bone-in legs of lamb for £10, 5kg beef mince for £10 and a half a strip of sirloin for another £10... then he threw in 20 Lincolnshire sausages for free. All that stuff is wrapped up and sitting in the freezer meaning we don't need meat for at least three weeks now.

Best time to go is near the end of the day... ok, you get less choice but he'll sell off what's there nice and cheap. Same goes for the veg men... they'll sell at a tiny profit if it means not having to load it up on the van... and a full sack of spuds will quite happily keep somewhere cool like the garage.

I'm quite lucky in that near work we have Asda and near home I have a Tesco so I can take advantage of the offers from both places to get the majority of the shopping at quite a cheap price by getting the special offers they both have each week :)

What I now do:

Cycle some days to work instead of drive
Drive more 'old woman' like (so hard!)
Turn off everything I don't use at the plug
Switched to a low powered home server (Tranquil - still waiting grr!)
Trying to stop buying unnecessary stuff from Scan

I'm not actually sure if it's worth me doing this. But I tend not to fill the fridge with stuff that doesn't need constant chilling (like, I usually buy 4 cartons of juice and only keep one in the fridge)

I also tend not to completely fill my car with petrol. The sight of a full tank makes me drive less cautiously and more often.

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Originally Posted by Salazaar

Don't be afraid to ditch your bank completely.

I just ditched HSBC in favour of The Co-operative (ethical banking FTW) and got better rates on my current account, my savings account and my credit card. Makes me wonder why I stuck with HSBC for so long before!

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Ok, this might be a tad off topic, but...

Ethical Banking is just a conn, a marketing ploy, in many ways one thats as bad as 'Fair Trade' Product Branding.

For a start off, how can you have non-ethical banking? Its hard because you have to define ethics, the easyest definition is the law of the land. So that makes every bank in the UK 100% ethical.

Enless that's not good enough for you, in which case you start to discriminate. Note my choice of word. These people aren't going to waste money to find out if what your doing is ethical or not, they will simply not sell it to you.

Secondly, they can't do what they claim.

Criminal organisations regularally launder money, some estimated as much as 10% of the monies traded where originating from illegal sources. How can a firm claim to ensure its money is spent ethically when the secondary market is hudge? For instance you might give money to the African nutritious food company, who make a super good naturitious smoothie, that helps with all the problems. Excellent. Until you find out the only recipients where those who are supporting a horrifically violent ragiem.

This is brings me back to why i hate the notion, its un-fair. They can't relalistically spend enough time deciding whats ethical and what isn't, so instead they use their own set of predudice rules. How many would put their money into an account that garanteed it wouldn't be used to help fund developement of wales because they're all un-employed doll scroungers, based on the un-ethical behavour of a large miniroity.

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Over in the HEXUS.community discussion forums, our readers have been sharing their thoughts on how to save a few quid, and we've plenty of suggestions worth taking a look at.

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Read more.

Well i think food has went up quite a bit but you don't notice it till you do a full grocery shop. An extra few pence on all items makes a big overall difference.

So i think people should think about trying local stalls etc. For example i go to my local stalls for fruit and vegetables and i find it much cheaper (and better quality) than tesco. Especially for potatoes etc.

Although i do live at home with parents in the summer so what i do when here as i cook alot is grow some of my own vegetables. I would encourage people to do this.

I used to always go down to the shop/newsagents to buy a few goodies such as crisps/chocolate etc etc

once i realised that i was spending a few quid on that every single day, it adds up to a sidnificant amount... i stopped :)

Most of the time im not really saving money, i think why spend it on A when i could use that money on B, which is probably something alot better once saved up.


I do the pennies in a jar too :p

Regularly get a magazine every week/month/fortnight?

Have a look into getting a subscritpion, usually it'l work out a darn site cheaper per issue than getting it every time. They'l usually chuck in a free gift or something as well.

To quit smoking is a great way to save money.

If you're wondering just how much you're spending on the bad habit, try out this calculator: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/cost-of-smoking-calculator

Shifting credit card balance onto 0% for balance transfers.

That's how I bought my new car, rather than going for a finance deal or loan.

If I haven't paid it off by the time the 0% expires, I'll transfer it again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steven W

Shifting credit card balance onto 0% for balance transfers.

That's how I bought my new car, rather than going for a finance deal or loan.

If I haven't paid it off by the time the 0% expires, I'll transfer it again.

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You have to be careful when doing that. Make sure you read the small print because usually they charge 2% for balance transfers...

Also if you use the card for other things it can end up costing you more. Quote from Nick:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick

Check out exactly HOW the relevant companies will pay off your debt with the money you give them. For example, a loan is just a straight payment whereas a credit card company will use your money to pay off the CHEAPEST interest balance first.

For example, say you have a credit card with £6000 on it. £1000 is a balance transfer at 5%. £2000 is from a promotion at 10% and £3000 is normal purchases at 27%.

You lob £2000 pay-off into it and they'll first take off the £1000 balance transfer, then half of the £2000 special offer leaving you still paying 10% on £1000 and 27% on £3000, even though the last purchases made were at the top-whack rate...

So the easiest way is to kill the card totally in one massive lump sum payoff... Which I know seems like a bloody daft thing to do but saving up and then pummelling the card in one go is far, far easier than trying to ease it down a bit each month with monthly payments, unless you can afford to lob significantly higher amounts than the minimum payment each month.

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I bought a house :stupid:.. But I am going to buy 18 x LED 2w spotlights to reduce crazy power used by 18 x 50w spotlights..
Also might try to build the world's first hamster powered pc! :O_o1:

-Rich

Actually, that's a damn good one!

Light bulbs, especially halogen spots, are stupidly expensive... sadly, I've got eight of the small ones in my kitchen.

Now an LED spot is roughly twice the cost of a standard bulb but we bought one as an experiment and it has so far lasted longer than any of the others... we're gradually replacing them as bulbs blow.

Where possible, we've also fitted energy saving bulbs, even the cost of retro fitting the old ceiling rose and pendant bulb holder then lobbing a cheap but nice lampshade on it is working out cheaper than the lovely-to-look-at-but-expensive-to-run lamps we used to have up there.

LED light will last much longer than normal lights, when they start to put them in street lights, the limiting factor to the life of the street lights will be the lifetime of the pole!

Another good one is when you are cooking say something like Chilli or Bolognaise. Do a big batch of it and use what you need and put the rest in a tub straight into the freezer. Then when it comes round to wanting to have that meal again its quicker and easier to just defrost and heat. Saves money on energy.

Even better idea is actually just make Bolognaise, then you have a good base for making Chilli. Just add Kidney Beans and spice and it is done. 2 separate meals!

This can also be said for casseroles. Cuts down on waste also, how many times have you just thrown whats left away or gave it to the dog?

Another little cooking tip for people that use electric hobs, these things take ages to cool down, so if you are cooking something like rice or pasta halfway through just turn the hob off. The residual heat that remains in the rings will finish cooking the rice or pasta.

This one is for blokes mainly! If you get your hair cut short, instead of going to a barber, invest in a set of decent shears and get partner / family member to just take it down to a low grade. It is easy enough to taper in after you get used to using them also.

Finally, a lot of the white label stuff in supermarkets is perfectly ok. Things like rice, pasta, milk, meat. Main thing with meat is that it is exactly the same as what is in the decent packaging, to cut costs they leave packing white as it is cheaper than to print colour. They also don't trim the excess fat off the meat, once again making it cheaper. It takes minutes to take off the thick fat, either with a decent knife or even a pair of scissors.

Minced beef is a bit different what with the fat being ground down with the meat. I suggest boiling the mince in water for about 10 mins, then drain off the water and it takes most of the horrible oily fat with it. A lot or people don't like doing this as they believe that most of the taste is actually in that fat, regardless of how unhealthy it is. So, stick a beef oxo or stock in when you have drained the water off and make the meal you intended.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SiM

Also if you use the card for other things it can end up costing you more. Quote from Nick:

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Yes, Just about to transfer again due to this one... stupid me.

once card for purchases, one for balance transfer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick

... we're gradually replacing them as bulbs blow.

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I thought about doing that.. but then i thought.. if the bulbs blown it's not using any power at all! :)

I'm tempted to replace them all cause its going to save ££.. but i'm not sure what i would do with 18 second hand halogen spot lights. And it would cost a bomb! (anti money saving!).

-Rich

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rjpearce

I bought a house :stupid:.. But I am going to buy 18 x LED 2w spotlights to reduce crazy power used by 18 x 50w spotlights..
Also might try to build the world's first hamster powered pc! :O_o1:

-Rich

---

The ONLY time you're going to be in trouble buying a house is if you've over-stretched yourself on mortgage payments or if you're wanting/needing to move and you're in a negative equity/100% mortgage vs value situation.

I only have a 60% mortgage (based on borrowing vs house value at time of purchase) but if house prices drop, I might end up in with a mortgage for more than the house value. However, I'm not worried as I don't see us having to move any time soon and prices WILL eventually climb back up... just when that will happen is anybodies' guess but at least I'm not faced with having to find even more money to borrow, which I might not be able to afford to pay back, just to move house.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ferral

Another good one is when you are cooking say something like Chilli or Bolognaise. Do a big batch of it and use what you need and put the rest in a tub straight into the freezer. Then when it comes round to wanting to have that meal again its quicker and easier to just defrost and heat. Saves money on energy.

Even better idea is actually just make Bolognaise, then you have a good base for making Chilli. Just add Kidney Beans and spice and it is done. 2 separate meals!

This can also be said for casseroles. Cuts down on waste also, how many times have you just thrown whats left away or gave it to the dog?

Another little cooking tip for people that use electric hobs, these things take ages to cool down, so if you are cooking something like rice or pasta halfway through just turn the hob off. The residual heat that remains in the rings will finish cooking the rice or pasta.

This one is for blokes mainly! If you get your hair cut short, instead of going to a barber, invest in a set of decent shears and get partner / family member to just take it down to a low grade. It is easy enough to taper in after you get used to using them also.

Finally, a lot of the white label stuff in supermarkets is perfectly ok. Things like rice, pasta, milk, meat. Main thing with meat is that it is exactly the same as what is in the decent packaging, to cut costs they leave packing white as it is cheaper than to print colour. They also don't trim the excess fat off the meat, once again making it cheaper. It takes minutes to take off the thick fat, either with a decent knife or even a pair of scissors.

Minced beef is a bit different what with the fat being ground down with the meat. I suggest boiling the mince in water for about 10 mins, then drain off the water and it takes most of the horrible oily fat with it. A lot or people don't like doing this as they believe that most of the taste is actually in that fat, regardless of how unhealthy it is. So, stick a beef oxo or stock in when you have drained the water off and make the meal you intended.

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Natural fat is not that bad for you. Stuff to avoid is partially or fully hydrogenated fats, sugar, and your appetite - fat people are fat simply because they eat too much!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rjpearce

I thought about doing that.. but then i thought.. if the bulbs blown it's not using any power at all! :)

I'm tempted to replace them all cause its going to save ££.. but i'm not sure what i would do with 18 second hand halogen spot lights. And it would cost a bomb! (anti money saving!).

-Rich

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Got a light in your cooker hood? Use that instead... give the kitchen a subdued, easy feel... plus it's lighter later in the summer anyway.

tesco points are a god send,

in store u only get £1 for each £1 of points vouchers but on their website u can get magazine subscriptions, discount vouchers and other goodies at a complete bargin.

i got pc zone subscription for £20 tesco vouchers for instance

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gagaga

Natural fat is not that bad for you. Stuff to avoid is partially or fully hydrogenated fats, sugar, and your appetite - fat people are fat simply because they eat too much!

---

lol, er, no, not strictly true but for some people, yes, obesity can have a medical cause.

And all edible fats are natural... especially the type Ferral is talking about and just because they're natural does not mean they are less bad for you.

You're right in that saturated fats, as they're also known, are to be avoided and this is exactly the type of fat you'd see coming out of your mince... as a rough rule of thumb, any fat from a land animal will be saturated.... though there's a fair whack of saturated fat in some fish too.

I'd rank reducing fats in the diet way above reducing sugar because sugar has about 1/3 the calories by weight and doesn't carry that hidden demon in the form of cholesterol like saturated fat does.

And as to appetite, you should certainly not ignore your appetite but aim to eat a balanced diet. A good source of protein and fibre (both of which help you feel full) is beans and pulses, which, if you buy them dried and soak and cook them yourself, are superb value and great for bulking out dishes. (Just watch the carbs on the beans, they can be quite high)

Adding cereals and pulses to caseroles and soups really thickens and pads them out, a decent sized bowl of soup will fill you up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SiM

You have to be careful when doing that. Make sure you read the small print because usually they charge 2% for balance transfers...

Also if you use the card for other things it can end up costing you more. Quote from Nick:

---

Yep I got charged 2%, but on £3000 still worked out far cheaper than keeping with the credit card company I was with.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stringent

What I now do:
Trying to stop buying unnecessary stuff from Scan

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Drat they had the Corsair PSU on Today only I wanted.

I'm too weak willed.

The Zak list of money savings, which is, frankly, never ending:

When buying stuff that has no shelf life, if it's on a special offer, buy a LOT of it
eg: anti persperant/deodarant: if it's buy one get one free.....empty the shelf. Take it all.

Use as much of every part of every vegetable as you can. Always cook the stalk from brocolli, sliced fine like carrots. It's great. Never peel potatoes, even if they're for roasting, skin on is good as gold, and often tastier
(note: years ago restaurants figured out that "potato skins" were good to sell.... go figure!)

Don't buy Economy toilet rolls. They're often not good value. Just cos they're cheap, doesn't mean you use less of them, or that there is more per roll. There often isn't. Look for the ones that have the lowest cost per sheet, even if they're the most expensive in the shop per pack. They will last longer. Cost per sheet...critical.

Buy good quality tea bags and make two cups per bag, not one. Yorkshire Tea for Hardwater areas makes THREE cups! I know...I use them all the time.

Buy good quality meat, and use less of it, and cook more vegetables to go with the meat.

Turn off any electrical stuff that can be turned off...AT THE WALL. TV's and PCs use electricity even when off at the front.
Ditto with ANYTHING that has a power brick. Power bricks use electricity even when the gagets not on (in 90% of cases....Nokia phone chargers seem to be an exception)

When approaching a roundabout, lift off the throttle a bout 5 times further away from it than normal and coast ALL the way....ignore the people over taking.... trust me.... and I BET you still have to break tomake it round the thing....cars roll a LOT better than you think. TRY IT..... it'l feel weird, so curse me....but DONT accelerate...roll....curse Zak...roll...curse....and finally as you get there, still going to fast to make it round, apologise to me :)

Turn off your air con occassionally.... specially if you have climate control.

Grow some salad. Dig over a bit of soil, plant MIXED LETTUCE LEAVES and water nightly..... one bag of seeds, £1.20 creates equivalent to about 20 BAGS of salad. Each bag of salad costs about £1.40 in a Supermarket. Cut leaves but dont pull up whole plant they just keep growing :)

(Woolworths Mr Fothergills seeds are awesome)

If yuo drive a lot like i do, buy plain digestice buscuits, and carry them in your car, and carry a bottle of tap water. When you feel a service station stop coming for food, eat 2 biscuits, and a few glugs of water, and drive on past. I have done this for 3 years now, and spend less than £1 per week on food while I'm out. This saves me about £1000 per year!

If you get good service from someone, give them a tip. Always tip good waiters, or home delivery people if it's on time. A £2 coin will make someones day. How does this save money? Im not religious, but I do belive that things come round. This is the only illogical piece of advice..... I dont know why, but it's always paid me back. I get better service on my second visit, I get told the better dishes by my favourite restaurants, I get the odd freeby from my local delivery curry bloke, and in the long run...I save money! Weird innit?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zak33

When approaching a roundabout, lift off the throttle a bout 5 times further away from it than normal and coast ALL the way....ignore the people over taking.... trust me.... and I BET you still have to break tomake it round the thing....cars roll a LOT better than you think. TRY IT..... it'l feel weird, so curse me....but DONT accelerate...roll....curse Zak...roll...curse....and finally as you get there, still going to fast to make it round, apologise to me :)

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For more fuel savings on a modern-ish car, make sure to coast in gear - no neutral or clutch. Yes you won't be able to coast as far, but the difference is you will be using absolutely zero fuel to do so - as soon as you use the clutch or neutral your engine has to use a surprising amount of fuel to maintain a smooth idle. You will also have full control of the car in gear.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kalniel

For more fuel savings on a modern-ish car, make sure to coast in gear - no neutral or clutch. Yes you won't be able to coast as far, but the difference is you will be using absolutely zero fuel to do so - as soon as you use the clutch or neutral your engine has to use a surprising amount of fuel to maintain a smooth idle. You will also have full control of the car in gear.

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You are right to mention it incase anyone thought I meant to coast with no gear selected.
(To coast OUT of gear is illegal. It implies a lack of control and would be something that a Policeman could throw the book at you over.)

So damn good point.

Turn off your air con occassionally.... specially if you have climate control.

Or 99.9% of the time you can just open a window.. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Whiternoise

Turn off your air con occassionally.... specially if you have climate control.

Or 99.9% of the time you can just open a window.. :)

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At NSL speeds it's more efficient to use aircon than have the windows open.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick

Now an LED spot is roughly twice the cost of a standard bulb but we bought one as an experiment and it has so far lasted longer than any of the others... we're gradually replacing them as bulbs blow.

---

The only problem I have with LEDs is how Directional they are. I have spots in this room and they fill the room, I tried LEDs and you ended up with 3 spots of light and darkness everywhere else.

Yeah, they are less diffuse than normal spots so possible only good in certain areas... I have a bunch of downlights in the kitchen ceiling though, so they work pretty well for me.

One word of caution though; unless you want a room to look cold DON'T let your PC-pimp side take over and buy the blues ones... stick with white or you'll end up with a room looking like the inside of a modders case.

There are a load of tesco codes on Hotukdeals.co.uk valid for the next couple of
weeks the best one being £12 off £80

We have just done a road test in the wet. Our car has a mileage in the tank feature. Coming back from Washington we started with 114 miles in the tank, when we got home we had 194 miles in the tank.

How we did it :

4th gear and travelling between 40 to 50 mph.
Cantered round the roundabouts like mentioned.

Why not though canter when it comes to exit ramps and other downhill roads also, doing this actually really helped our mileage

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kalniel

For more fuel savings on a modern-ish car, make sure to coast in gear - no neutral or clutch. Yes you won't be able to coast as far, but the difference is you will be using absolutely zero fuel to do so - as soon as you use the clutch or neutral your engine has to use a surprising amount of fuel to maintain a smooth idle. You will also have full control of the car in gear.

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I wasnt aware of this, will come in very handy with the amount of driving I have fast approaching!

Reguarding A/C I only turn it on for short bursts when it gets really hot cools down the car a bit then gets turned off again, usually A/C will be for a max of ten seconds before it then gets turned off again. I make sure I always have my fan set to cold on either 1 / 2 to keep my car cool all of the time.

I'm not sure if anyone else has heard of staying in 5th gear as much as possible at low speed like 30MPH for example, does it really make a difference?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick

One word of caution though; unless you want a room to look cold DON'T let your PC-pimp side take over and buy the blues ones... stick with white or you'll end up with a room looking like the inside of a modders case.

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need UV reactive furniture http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...d9pg4tyw3f.gif

Quote:

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Originally Posted by digit

I'm not sure if anyone else has heard of staying in 5th gear as much as possible at low speed like 30MPH for example, does it really make a difference?

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My driving instructor (going back 10 years now) worked for a company where they logged all mileages and fuel consumption, and he reckoned he got 5% better fuel economy than anyone else at his branch by using 5th at 30 on the flat.

Obviously this is dependent on your car (driving school cars are typically small and light), some will grumble a bit which is probably not good on balance.

Edit: Also remember that Driving instructors probably drive on the dot of 30 far more than most people. YMMV :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by digit

I'm not sure if anyone else has heard of staying in 5th gear as much as possible at low speed like 30MPH for example, does it really make a difference?

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Depends on the engine and gear ratios obviously, but if it's not labouring the engine to do so then yes, doing 30 in 5th is fine.

In my diesel 30mph is basically idle revs in 5th gear, which is fine for gentle roads but it doesn't like hills too much.

I'm pretty much always in 5th but accelerating in 5th isn't necerssarily the most economic thing to do, especially if you find your foot welded to the floor trying to get it to move.. best to change down and use less throttle I have found.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by staffsMike

I'm pretty much always in 5th but accelerating in 5th isn't necerssarily the most economic thing to do, especially if you find your foot welded to the floor trying to get it to move.. best to change down and use less throttle I have found.

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accelerating in 5th is probably is economical thing to do fuel wise but if the engine is labouring then you may be doing damage to the motor. You can have you're foot the the floor but it the RPM of the engine is still low then you will not be using much fuel

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kalniel

Depends on the engine and gear ratios obviously, but if it's not labouring the engine to do so then yes, doing 30 in 5th is fine.

In my diesel 30mph is basically idle revs in 5th gear, which is fine for gentle roads but it doesn't like hills too much.

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Thanks for the explaining that :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by manwithnoname

accelerating in 5th is probably is economical thing to do fuel wise but if the engine is labouring then you may be doing damage to the motor. You can have you're foot the the floor but it the RPM of the engine is still low then you will not be using much fuel

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Won't be accelerating quickly at all though ... I myself like staffsMike choose to go down a gear to allow for more revs to get me up to speed.

Agreed - use peak torque range for accelerating and once at speed change to the highest gear possible without labouring the engine.

Accelerating in 5th at 30 or even trying to in my 1.6 petrol 307 sees my mpg (I have the trip computer for ~instantainous mpg) go from ~55-60 (flat road tickling along in 5th) to ~20 and gain ~1mph in the process. Change down if you need to accellerate.

Best trick for saving elecly money, based on our Southern electric usage monitor (its really cool), is to only boil the water you actually need in the kettle. Our usage is about 400Watts (yes watts) during the day (200 if its just the fridges) and 650ish in the evening when everyone is in, but the kettle is like 3.15kW so even if its only on for a few minutes its still stucking major juice.

GK

Quote:

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Originally Posted by digit

Thanks for the explaining that :)



Won't be accelerating quickly at all though ... I myself like staffsMike choose to go down a gear to allow for more revs to get me up to speed.

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Suppose it depends how quickly you need to accelerate but if you are accelerating in 5th why change down to 4th. I can't imagine the journey time been increased greatly and on the other hand not sure how much extra fuel would be used - but if you're trying to save money ...

My sister comes home from Uni as often as possible - That way gets free meals etc at home and my parents often buy her things to take back, plus she raids the cupboards and makes a quick exit :(

Use cashback sites for online purchases, e.g. Quidco. For insurance products some offer £50, as do Orange, the money would normally go to someone else but you might as well have it.

For financial products make sure the quote is the cheapest though, treat cashback like a bonus.

Edit: As others might have said, read Moneysavingexpert.com and check Hotukdeals.com - but even if it's on offer doesn't mean you have to buy it!

Boots Advantage Card. Keep an eye out for the extra points offers, they've got one today with an extra 1000 points (= £10). There is a minimum spend (think it's £60 today), but I wait till they have this offer combined with the extra points on clinique and then place my order. Have spent £66 this morning, but received £22 worth of points which I redeem at christmas time and get my girls loads of goodies for their stockings. I had £100 worth of points to redeem last december :)

I get loads of advantage points from boots when they have the special offers on aftershaves like issey miyake pour homme and the new limited edition one :)

Getting free sandwiches from boots - ftw :)

this is a great thread :)

Rate it :) (top right)