Money Saving Ideas
We were thinking recently about ways in which we could save money in our household.
We have compiled this list of money saving ideas. We hope that you enjoy it. If you have any more ideas please drop us a line and we will add it in.
Money Saving Ideas
Saving Electricity
- Where possible install low energy light bulbs. They use about 25% of the power and pay for themselves quite quickly.
- If you use an electric kettle - don’t fill it up to the top every time. Just use enough water for your hot drinks - around 300 ml per person.
- Dishwashers - don’t just use the standard wash settings - experiment with the economy wash settings - the wash quality is often the same, but you will save on electricity.
- Tumble Dryers - When our tumble dryer broke down we saved a small fortune by pegging our washing out on the line - our clothes did not shrink and they smelt much better.
- Washing machines - we tend to over wash clothes. Experiment with lower temperature washes. You can usually still get clothes clean on a 30 or 40 degree wash.
- It sounds obvious, but turn off lights when you leave a room.
- Unplug any electrical devices such as chargers when they are not is use. Even when they are on standby they still take up power.
Saving Water
- If your water bill is very high you may want to get a water meter installed. This way you can regulate the amount of water that you use
- Install some water butts - these are quite simply done and will save you quite a lot on your water bill - they will also get you around a hose pipe ban.
Household savings
- Wear a pullover, cardigan or vest in colder weather. “We tend to heat up our surroundings rather than ourselves” my father used to say. This can save a real fortune on heating costs.
- Detergent. We all tend to use too much detergent. Manufacturers usually give us large scoops and wide nozzles to encourage us to use more. Try using 30% less per wash. You probably won’t notice the difference.
- Join an Organic Box Scheme for vegetables. This is a “lucky-dip” box of vegetables - depending upon what is in season. We have a mixed box of fruit and veg delivered to the house every week (10- 11 items for £11.50). Being grown locally, it cuts down food miles and is better for the natural environment.
Shopping
- Don’t buy clothes in the sales. The clothes may be going out of fashion and you may only wear it a few times. Much to buy something that you really like and wear it a lot.
If you have any more money saving ideas please add them into the box below and we will add it in to the page.
Use ground turkey instead of ground beef. Cost less. And it’s better for your health.
Make casserole dishes and freeze sections for later consumptions.
Buy a water filter pitcher instead of those expensive bottles of water.
Use small wash cloths, hand towels or cloth napkins.
Cook at home instead of eating out- left overs make great lunches.
Start a piggy bank.
Use bicorbonate of soda and some salt for brushing your teeth. Denise
Use bircobonate of soda as a deoderant.
grow your own vegetables, l.g
re heel shoes instead of buying new ones, l.g
Burn candles instead of having the lights on.
If you are having a drink of cold water put a slice of orange and lime in and it makes it a bit mor special.
the best way to save detergent in a washing machine is to use the little balls of liquid which does for the whole wash.
If you use a Hippo cistern toilet flush saver bag, You will save 1 litre of water for each flush that you make. So if you have a large family just imagine how many litres of water you will save each year. Good for the environment and good on the pocket. Or better still put a house brick in your cistern.
You can also fill up number of half litle soft drink bottles to add to your cistern - editor
Drill a hole in your fridge door, that way you can ensure the light goes off
Buy tesco value dishwasher tablets and snap them in half. Dishes still come out clean!!
Get cash for your old CD’s
If you have gone digital you can now turn all your old CD’s into cash - visit http://www.musicmagpie.co.uk - CD’s are worth anything from 25p to £3
This is one i hope can be useful to a few people.
Mobile Phone, Check your mobile phone bill and see how many of those inclusive minutes you actually use. If you are an occasional user a pay as you go phone could work out to be a cheaper option. A friend of mine was paying £25 per month but on closer inspection was only using £5 per month for texts and calls. Result is that he is better off by £240 each year.
http://www.carpetbagging.co.uk/moneysaving_household.html
Instead of just going food shopping and buying what you think you need. Why not sit down with a pen n paper and do a rota for your weekly meals and a few snacky stuff. Write a list of what you need and stick to it. Me and my wife do this and since starting we spend roughly 50% less than we used to its great if you’re trying to cut the waistline too with only buying what you need you resist the temptation to binge out and we dont have to throw out of date food away anymore.
If you spend $3 per day at the coffeeshop, over the course of a year that adds up to almost $1100! Why not roast your own coffee at home? The coffee is better and only a fraction of the cost of coffeeshop coffee.
Put a squirt of washingup liquid in the bath water you dont get a ring round the bath afterwards.
Brush your teeth with bicarbonate of soda and saltUsing a twig? The obvious downsides are the taste, which is presumably vile, and the lack of flouride and breath freshener.
Keep your freezer fully stocked to cut down on amount of electric it uses to keep it working well.As i use food out of my freezer i replace it with my empty tupperware boxes,until my next shop day when i fill up with food again.
If you want to lower your costs on cleaning products then try using some natural ingredients like vinegar and lemon. It cleans your work surfaces in no time leaving a sparkling finish.
Grow plant in doors. Not only it supplies oxygen, it help to regulate the air so that it smell fresher. Plant maintenance is much cheaper than using air purifying.
use the heater at night only. If you are at home during the day. use a throw rug or more clothes. Days are less colder than night.
found a similar article here with 20 lazy ways to save money, its helpful! http://sahmanswers.com/news.php?readmore=1286
When go shopping, buy in bulk. Do check out the expiry date. If an item can last for 3 years, buy bulk for 1 year stock. It is much cheaper.
Also, do not buy from convenient store. Always buy from hypermarket that tend to offer cheaper price because they too, buy in bulk. To maximize saving, buy only during sales & promotion, and make sure coupon, voucher or redeem rewards points with your purchase. (http://moneymatter7.blogspot.com)
When you buy box’s of washing powder tablits use only one not the recomended 2 your box will last twice as long and the washing comes out just as clean
If you have video games or consoles that you have finished, trade them in at http://www.tradeyourstuff.co.uk and get cash for your games..
instead of turning the central heating on in the winter, why dont you just wear a pair of socks, keep a hot water bottle nearby and a warm snuggly top, that will save your winter bill which is about 4-5 month worth of central heating!!!
dont do anything