Frugal Tips Competition

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joyfull

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #15 on: June 08, 2009, 21:59 »
sign up to join tesco home panels to test/try free items. Today I got a kettle free to try (trial lasts 4 weeks) and I get to keep it and am now waiting for an all purpose cleaner.
 
Staffies are softer than you think.

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Trillium

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #16 on: June 09, 2009, 02:16 »
When you've almost finished cooking something on top of the cooker, turn off the heat a few minutes before the item is done. Residual heat will finish off the cooking and not heat your house when the pan is removed.

If you're using the electric kettle for one cup of whatever, measure that cup out with just a bit more water and add that to the kettle rather than trying to gauge how much water you need and wasting power on what you didn't need.

With UK water at a premium, most folk run the hot water tap a few moments for the hot water to come out the tap. Instead of wasting the colder startup water down the drain, save it in a jug to use for watering plants. Same with bathtubs and showers. It's amazing how quickly the water adds up and lets you overcome any hosepipe bans.

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Kristen

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #17 on: June 09, 2009, 08:19 »
Put a thermos flask next to the kettle.  Boil a fuller kettle and store the rest in the thermos.  Next time the instant coffee really will be instant! and no more walking away from a kettle after turning it on, and forgetting to return before it is stone cold again :)

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joyfull

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #18 on: June 09, 2009, 10:12 »
sign up to join tesco home panels to test/try free items. Today I got a kettle free to try (trial lasts 4 weeks) and I get to keep it and am now waiting for an all purpose cleaner.
 

Perhaps I'd better not get the cleaner as that will mean housework  :ohmy:

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BrianK

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #19 on: June 09, 2009, 10:28 »
OK proper answer here.

My frugality tip is to totally map your life out. Write out all your outgoings and tackle each one to see if it can be reduced. i.e. Utility bills. Reduce them by being economical with power, heat, cooking. 
Plan your shopping. Don't impulse buy.

Talk to allotment neighbours  house neighbours etc. Swop seeds and produce.
Decide what you want to achieve each month. Build raise beds? See if you can blag the goods, old pallets, freecycle etc. Clean the car? Use old bath water to wash the car initially with and rain water to rinse it. The list is endless.

Planning and preparing to be frugal will eventually reap much higher rewards than a single idea.

Frugality can be a lifestyle but not a frugal one. I know people who live on a pittance of money but eat healthier and better than I do, have a wine cellar to be proud of  (all home brewed) and give away more than they eat.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2009, 10:36 by john »
My Blog (updated 18/7/09)

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janet12000

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #20 on: June 09, 2009, 18:27 »
At work there are 5 of us that take it in turns to make lunch for each other.
It works out cheaper to make a load of food than to do it individually. It also means that you only have to worry about doing food for work on 1 day each week when it's your turn to make it.
For example 5 days of sarnies etc for 1 costs more than doing one big pot of curry, soup or stew for all of us to share, and fills you up so you are less likely to snack.
Obviously we have reusable containers from the pound shop to take it in to work.  ::)
The other bonus is that we all come from different cultural backgrounds so we get to have a huge variety of meals.
This week I have had oxtail stew and chickpea curry.
Tomorrow its pig tail and red beans cooked Jamaican style!

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Kristen

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #21 on: June 09, 2009, 19:03 »
What an excellent idea!

And what a pity that I am self employee working from home :(

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janet12000

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #22 on: June 09, 2009, 19:27 »
What an excellent idea!

And what a pity that I am self employee working from home :(

And a shame you are miles away....or you could join us!

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Patricia

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #23 on: June 10, 2009, 08:32 »
Kristen, You could still do the same thing. Just put the extra meals in the freezer. Cook in big batches and freeze individual portions. After a while you should have enough made up for a bit to have different meals all week. :)

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jaycee

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #24 on: June 10, 2009, 15:05 »
The Freecycle tip is great and I have made up cold frames from double glazed window panels off our local Freecycle.
I think one of the most effective cost savings on a daily basis is to boil only the amount of water you need in the electric kettle. I got one of those gadgets that monitor the useage of electricity and the SHOCK of how much energy is used to boil the water has ensured I now only boil the amount I need.
Wish I could convert the many friends that call and "put the kettle on" and as a matter of habit  fill the kettle to the top every time. Just would seem that  I was  penny pinching to ask them to only boil what`s required...so I bite my tongue and don`t look at my gismo!.

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Kristen

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #25 on: June 10, 2009, 15:39 »
Put the rest in a flash jaycee ... hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised!

And just pour them a cuppa using the flask next time they call round - in my experience that makes them think far more than my preaching about non renewable resources!

Having read John's book I now also enjoy asking if they think the electricity company is a charity that needs my hard earned pennies to fund the executives' bonuses!

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Christine

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #26 on: June 10, 2009, 18:19 »
Remember that frugal shopping does not mean buying cheap.

There's a reason for something being 2 for £1 rather than 98p on the own brand shelf of the supermarket - often the amount of water in the 2 for £1 offer.  It's far better for the environment to buy less packaging and use less than to think that cheap is good.

Remember too when you are food shopping look up and down from the brand at eye level. The saying that the eye buys is very true when you are in the supermarket and the more expensive brand will be at eye level and easy to reach. If you want the item on the top shelf or right at the bottom because it's as good as the expensive brand but you can't reach it - ask the staff to reach it for you.

Compare the contents when looking at the buy one get one free offers - you may well find that two smaller ones give you more content and you get better value for your money.

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mumofstig

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #27 on: June 10, 2009, 19:43 »
Unless you like really really strong tea you can make 2 mugs with one tea bag :) Mum always did with typhoo and i can with coop 99  ;)

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janet12000

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #28 on: June 10, 2009, 20:56 »
The pigs tail stuff was erm.... delightful. Still filled me up for the day though.  :tongue2:
Another thing that we have started at work is the 'kids clothes swap'.
We all have kids of different ages. We take all our kids outgrown stuff into work once a month and take our pick of the stuff that would be suitable for handing down.
I cleared out my lad's clothes that he could no longer fit in to and most of will fit one of my work mates lad's who is 2 years younger.
In turn I have picked up a load of clothing for my boy without paying out a penny from someone who has an older boy.
If there is clothes left over that will not fit anyone we ship them to Africa via charity.


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Teen76

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Re: Frugal Tips Competition
« Reply #29 on: June 11, 2009, 21:33 »
My Frugal tip is to keep your eyes peeled  :blink:  You just never know what you might find.

What I mean is, for example, I saw someone at my work place going along in his JCB with loads of wood in the bucket ready for the bonfire.  I went over after he had gone only to find a large quantity of old scaffolding boards, posts, and other useful bits of wood.  So I neatly stacked them to one side and took them up the allotment.  Too flipping good for a bonfire!

I also keep my eyes open for bargains.  I bought myself a new cargo trailer for my bicycle for half the price of anywhere else, a new petrol strimmer for 40% cheaper than anywhere else and many other articles the same way. 

Another tip is to use your imagination.  Its fun!  Think of ways to make things for free or nearly free.  Amazing what you can come up with.  I made a huge coldframe out of lots of little offcuts and a sheet of plastic.  Doesn't look bad considering I'm no carpenter or DIY expert.

I try to reuse plastic packaging in my gardening escapdes, such as using them for seed trays or propagating lids, using plastic bottles as cloches, keeping the slugs off of stuff.

I am learning to propagate plants in order to get lots of free ones.

I am always looking on freecycle ready to pounce on anything remotely useful.

I go to the local car boot sale and occasionally come home with a real bargain.

I sale anything I never use on eBay in order buy other items that I will use.

I'm in the process of learning to make my own wine in order not to waste bottles and to get wasted  :wacko:, plus use all my lovely fruit in a good way rather than feeding the local blackbird.

Shock horror I repatch my work trousers to make them last that bit longer.  They're perfectly good trousers, just have a few holes in those private places   :ohmy:

I have begun the process of composting everything I can.  Why pay for it when you can make it yourself with the rubbish you throw away and why give it to the council who will charge you to buy it back!??

At work instead of the plastic pots being put into the landfill I put them on Freecycle along with those plastic fruit and veg crates and anything else I can pillage.

I don't have a water butt yet but I put out all manner of containers to collect water when it rains.  And it works!

I'm not sure if any of these are tips but I hope I earn a couple of brownies points for trying at least! I don't earn much and so I think this makes me more frugal anyway, plus my upbringing was to make things last cause you wouldn't be getting anymore.
Teen



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