Great Isn’t it Obvious MoneySaving Hunt: Tell us the secrets you didn't know you had

A question about : Great Isn’t it Obvious MoneySaving Hunt: Tell us the secrets you didn't know you had

Some daily MoneySaving routines are so ingrained they’re second nature; but you mightn’t realise you’re being clever. So I thought I’d tap all MoneySavers’ wealth of knowledge to dig out those little gems. Do you keep an Overseas Wallet like me? Save old batteries because they still work in less demanding gadgets? Measure your water before boiling the kettle. Please tell us your little gems.

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Best answers:

• Well I have never heard of an overseas wallet, but thinking about it, it certainly makes sense. (I usually go through a manic 10 minutes of emptying my purse of loyalty cards and receipts the night before the holiday instead ).
  Although I guess I do use loyalty cards at the airport (buy sandwiches at Boots with my points! ) so I would need to transfer some things from one purse to the other.
  My obvious tip, as mentioned, is only boiling the water I need in the kettle. I hate it when people come to visit and boil a whole kettle for one cup of water!
  Also, I never buy bin bags - just use supermarket carrier bags instead. I normally use Bags for Life for my shopping, so only get carriers when I know I need more bin bags.
• Never grocery shop without a list.
  1. Plan meals ahead
  2. Only buy what you need for those meals.
  Result: Loads more dosh in your pocket!
• I measure out water to boil too, I thought everyone did!
  I have a condensing dryer, one that saves the condensed liquid (water) in a pull out bottle. I use the water from it to water all the houseplants.
  We reuse envelopes by putting sticky labels over the old address or window.
  I sometimes use t-bags twice. It depends on the brand..cheaper ones tend to be too weak.
• -Disconnect your mobile chargers after use as they still use electricity
  -Have your computer on the most energy option. I have mine to turn off every minute but overides when being used.
  -When cooking, turn the hob off 5 minutes before as itll still heat it and allow you to use the conserved energy.
  -Curl the toothpaste to get all of it out. Rinse your toothpaste under hot water to get that last drops
  -Place used batteries in the freezer for an hour or if you want a lot longer. They will give you a bit of life, say 10 mins use.
  Cant think off anymore.
• I always save all my old batteries to use in clocks as they will usually last for another YEAR in this way. Cut tubes of anything in half, you will usually get at least another weeks worth of content(use the cut off top as a lid keeps it airtight), also add a few drops of water to seemingly empty bottles will again provide at least one other use.
• Being a night owl I make full use of the economy 7 meter. Right now I have a load of washing on the go and am cooking curries, casseroles, rice pud and a fruit pie in both the oven and the microwave. I've not long finished a bit of ironing, and taken my bath . You'd need check the eco7 hours as I believe they can vary from company to company - I'm with Southern Elec and in Summer it's 12.30am - 7.30am. I realise these hours aren't for everyone but I've done it for years and on my last elec statement they've reduced my DD yet again, this time to £29 a month . I wish I could vacuum at night but my dear neighbours are the opposite, early to bed and early to rise - it might make them healthy and wise but I bet I'm wealthier!
• I wouldn't run the hot water over the toothpaste to get the last out of it - it would cost more in hot water.
  I save Јs almost every week by getting Mr T to deliver my shop - no little extras purchased, and I get to see all the bogofs first, also get a voucher code from here and end up covering the delivery cost PLUS and extra few quid, AND I don't need petrol to get to Mr Ts. Every little helps
  Shop in Lidl when I'm passing for their fruit and veg.
  always use our cashback credit card but pay it off automatically every month - saves on stamps, the money is earning interest in the bank until the bill is paid, AND you get cashback! Sweet!
  Use Quidco for Ј70 or Ј80 when renewing insurances, and another few quid when buying holidays, but only if it works out cheaper aswell.
• Get to work early and make any 0845 or 0870 calls I need to make...
  (Needless to say, I won't tell you where I work, so you can't report me)
• Soup - save left over mash, meat, veges, almost anything from a meal (pasta doesn't work). Put them into a container and freeze - add to it over a few days or weeks, depending on how thrifty you are when making food in the first place. When you've enough, pull it out of the freezer, boil it up, then mash, sieve or blend it to make a yummy soup.
  Don't forget to keep the water after boiling or steaming vegetables (add it to the already frozen left overs) - cheaper than using a stock cube, but don't forget salt for taste!
  Paper - use the back of mis-printed paper for pasting over old envelope addresses. Shredding paper (electric or hand held) for packaging fragile stuff instead of buying polystyrene.
  Liquid Soaps / Washing liquid - perhaps obvious... Shampoo, liquid gels, liquid washing detergents. I always add water, gently roll around (don't shake it or you just end up with endless bubbles), and use up all soap remains. For the washing machine, just add it as the water goes into the drawer.
  an old one - if you're cold: jump up and down to keep warm, add an extra layer (jumper!) before turning on or up heating. Sitting at the computer for a time slows down the circulation.
• If someone comes and boils loads of water in my kettle, I put it in a thermos and use it for my coffe for the rest of the day!
• I live in a flat where all of the bills are included in my rent so that's a massive money saver for me right there. It even includes wireless internet access!
  Most of my money saving comes from the shops. I tend to:
  1. Check 2 sites before I go shopping - https://www.madaboutbargains.co.uk/of...ur_Trolley.htm and https://supermarketspecialoffers.com/DiscountOffers.aspx
  2. Stock up on BOGOF offers of the things I use most and that have a longish shelf life i.e. various brands of cereal, loo roll, tinned stuff etc.
  3. Look for the 'reduced price' sticker on fruit and veg and salads. Because they don't tend to last that long, if you time it just right and you see the guys walking around with the pricing gun there are massive savings to be had.
  4. Plan my meals around my BOGOF and reduced price items.
  5. I use a PAYG phone because I rarely make calls. I mostly use it as a point of contact. I only top up on Boots triple point weekends
  6. I've recently found that some special offers in supermarkets can also be found at the same price at Boots. If so, I buy at Boots first - 4 points per pound, then Sainsbury's - 2 points per pound, then Tesco - 1 point per pound rewards. Not close enough to an Asda or a Lidl to get there regularly enough but Lidl and Morrisons is always good for great fruit and veg as well. You get heaps more than the standard supermarket fare too!
  7. Saving old batteries for clocks is an old one of mine. I now use rechargeables because it ends up being cheaper in the long run and better for the environment.
  8. As well as using carrier bags for trash. I use a bag for life as well...carrier bags only when new bin bags are needed.
  9. Unplugging electrical items after use is a good one because of the 'phantom' electricity it draws but might be a bit time consuming considering the fact that we have an enormous number of them now that we take for granted!
  10. Finally, I buy my first bottle of water. Thereafter I boil tap water in the kettle and once it has cooled, refill the original bottle time and time again. Clean, fresh water without the cost of bottled!
  There are probably more but I do take such stuff for granted now that I'll have to think a bit harder.
• gee........................I have soooo much to learn!!!!!!!!
• Use smaller glasses, bowls and plates. I bought some large wine goblets in a sale a while back, and realised after a few uses that I was getting through a bottle of wine much quicker than usual. Same thing with some large chunky cereal bowls I bought for the kids - they were getting through packets of cereal in just days because the bowls had a much larger capacity than they were used to.
• We dilute our washing up liquid. It's just as effective and we use less.
  My mum buys large bottles of bath gel and decants into handwash containers.
• Also, just wanted to add that you should not be afraid (or proud) to try the 'basics' or 'value' lines of products. Some of them as as good as or better than the branded products. Try 1 can or 1 small product every time you shop to see if you like it. Don't buy 10 just because they're cheap and then never use 'em. That's NOT money saving! If you don't like it, then you're not out that much money. However, if you do end up liking it, then you are in for hundreds of pounds worth of savings as you can now replace your regular brand!
  Case in point...I used to use Daz. One day years ago, to make up my shop to just over the pounds to qualify for points on that spend I picked up a small Sainsburys Low Price detergent. They've now changed the name to Basics. I was surprised to find that it got my clothes just as clean as Daz did. I still use the Basics line for my washing as it doesn't have the very heavy perfumes a lot of the other washing liquids do which give me headaches. My clothes are still clean and fresh looking.