Bitterwallet’s improved top 50 household money saving tips
March 7th, 2013 • 64 CommentsAt what point does frugality become tightness? Over the past few years, we have become a nation of penny-pinchers, adopting tips and tricks our grandmothers would be proud of to save a few bob. Now, Skipton Building Society has asked people to name their top money-saving ideas and has compiled them into a handy list for us all to mull over. Perhaps you do them all already, or perhaps you might get a few new ideas. We don’t really care.
Some of the tricks are no less obvious than a face slap with a 2”x4”. Some of them are downright idiotic (half of number 17 would cost you money. Far better to lug it into a branch of Skipton Building Society and get it changed for free).However, we decided the actual list was a bit dull, so we have livened it up with a few of our own additions. We think you’ll agree it is improved immensely. No thanks necessary.
1. Switch lights off as soon as leaving a room
2. Shop around for the best products
3. Re-using carrier bags. Before you use them in the bin.
4. Only boiling enough water for one cup of tea. Especially when your spouse/partner/other is waiting expectantly for their cup.
5. Taking part in focus groups and online surveys to make money
6. Turning off the tap when brushing teeth
7. Cutting out coupons, money off vouchers and discount website links. Note, if you attempt to cut website links out of your computer, you may need to buy a new computer, thereby not saving any actual money.
8. Switch gadgets off when not using them. Including those battery-operated ones in your bedside drawer.
9. Bulk buy toilet rolls, washing powder etc
10. Only turn lights on when it’s really dark. That pretend dark is just annoying.
11. Opt for own-brand products over expensive options. Especially when buying ready meals.
12. Wearing lots of layers instead of putting the heating on. Combine with number 9.
13. No buying something until its cheap or you can find a voucher for it. Probably unwise to apply this to essential medicines.
14. Hanging clothes around the house instead of using the tumble dryer. Combine with number 12. Wrap yourself in toilet roll and wet clothes.
15. Going to the reduced aisle in supermarkets at specific times
16. Drive at a slower speed to lower fuel consumption
17. Saving coppers and using change machines to convert into cash. If the police officer won’t fit in the chute you can take him into the bank instead.
18. Asking for presents you need rather than want. Sanitary towels are probably a no-no though.
19. Waiting until after 6pm to phone anyone from the landline. To be honest those types of call are probably better placed after 10 anyway.
20. Write a list for the food shop and don’t deviate. Being a deviant is never advisable.
21. Re-heeling shoes rather than buying new ones
22. Using all the samples stuck in magazines
23. Bake cakes, jam, bread etc
24. Saving unwanted presents and giving them to other people
25. Having left over dinner for packed lunches. Soup works less well for this.
26. Re-using wrapping paper
27. Buying an old car rather than new
28. Making kids packed lunches instead of buying school dinners
29. Patching up old clothes rather than buying new
30. Cutting up Birthday and Christmas cards to make present tags
31. Make a massive meal at the beginning of the week that you can split and freeze
32. Cutting / dying hair at home rather than going to the hairdressers
33. Only flush the toilet when absolutely necessary. Seriously? You dirty fkers.
34. Use the library rather than buy books
35. Park miles away from the shops rather than paying to park close by
36. Grow your own vegetables
37. Buy clothes and toys from charity shops
38. Fold up tin foil and cling film to use again. No liability will be accepted for any harm caused to persons, places or things by a deranged person who has been trying to unfold cling film for a week.
39. Give ‘cheap but nice’ presents like a photo in a frame. Although if you have ugly children, perhaps just the frame would be better.
40. Sharing bath water. With the neighbours.
41. Using a hot water bottle instead of putting the heating on
42. Sit next to one radiator instead of putting all radiators on
43. Use tired clothes as pyjamas rather than having actual pyjamas. Or just wear your pyjamas all the time.
44. Waiting until it is a cheaper time to park. Although not all the shops are open at 11pm.
45. Cut the end of a toothpaste tube to get the last bit out
46. Stick the end bits of soap together to make sure none is wasted. This is actually a conceptual impossibility. There will always be an end bit of soap, even if it is the end bit of an end bit soap.
47. Only go to the cinema on a Wednesday. Even if you’re on Vodafone.
48. Only use one or two sheets of toilet paper to make it last longer. See number 33.
49. Use old knickers as dusters. Wash them first.
50. Only go food shopping after a meal, as an empty stomach leads to temptation
94.
dont buy gloves
Dumpster food is very nutritious and free, I tend to find.
Did I mention it’s free?
I can’t believe anyone is so poor they can’t afford to use an extra section of bog roll.
Never understood penny pinching, you’d be better off doing overtime/getting a second job or sorting out your finances.
Boiling an extra cup of water even with a kettle which is one of the most inefficient appliances in house will cost a fraction of a penny, changing your supplier will save you notes.
In my experience most of the people claiming to be skint are the ones in designer clothes totting iPhones.
Fucking hell, some twat has a lot of time on their hands.
Bum foxes instead of high class hookers.
94 – Don’t buy any of the overpriced crap sold by Apple…
95 – If you don’t have a job, have as many children as you can and live off the benefits, never bothering to work or being able to provide for your children financially or otherwise.
No, wait – millions of people do this already!
96 – If you want to get paid £40,000 for NOT doing your job, simply become a police officer!!!
19. Offpeak on BT starts at 7pm so waiting for 6pm won’t save you anything.
YES! FOXES!
36. Grow your own vegetables
Which the author/piss taker of this article clearly has never done. By the time you’ve got seeds, liquid feed and compost, possibly netting, maybe had to buy a fork a book to guide you, canes etc, most of the time you’re only saving thrupence on a bag of parnips which might even come ready washed.
It’s great to grow your own veg if you enjoy it, and it certainly tastes nicer, but don’t think it will halve your veg bill if you have 2 sq foot of dirt wit ha few seeds thrown in.
Also cinemas – cineworld are cheap on a tuesday and even cheaper if you sign up to their poorly designed wankfest website.
lifted straight from the daily mail website.
Strawbear it depends on what veg your growing.
Lettuce/Salad leaves are extreme cost savings.
A cheap grow bag and some cheap mixed seeds will cost you £2 at the most.
If you sow heavy and thin often you’ll have edible leaves within a few weeks and last months.
At £1+ for a bag of salad leaves or a lettuce head it will pay for itself after 2 harvests.
Even the more expensive to grow crops can be made cheap with some thrift and shopping around.
Small space checkout this chappy
http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/
Eat the rich