Money Saving Tips

[nailit]

Anyone got any good money saving tips that they would like to share?
Although I'm on benefits I'm by no means destitute (although Mr Osbourne might see to that in the next few years). Im careful with income and outgoings, I budget as best I can (leave nothing on standby, never waste any food, etc).
Any tips to save a bit of coin in 2016 would be appreciated,
Thanks.

[jno]

read this site regularly

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

[TWR]

If possible, deliver your Xmas cards instead of posting, keep door closed to keep the heat in, there are too many to mention, each person has their own way of saving.

[Cloverjo]

Turn your immersion on only for half an hour before you have a bath or whatever. Someone once told me that it was more economical to keep it on all the time. That was rubbish. I got a huge bill that took weeks to pay off.
Go to the supermarket in the evening when they've marked down all the stuff they need to get rid of.

[Tilly2]

Plan your weekly menu. Shop once week and make each meal last for two/three days.

Eg:- Sunday roast meat
Monday. Cold roast meat with salad etc
Tuesday. Shepherds Pie.
Wednesday. Chicken thighs with stir fry
Thursday. Chicken curry.
Friday. Pork steak withe chips and peas
Saturday. Porc A La Creme.
Sunday. Roast meat

etc, etc.

[Dahlia_Lama]

I don't know if you have electricity and maybe gas or how you pay for it.

I can tell you my experience though. I was paying £180 pm for both, I live in a cottage, half of which is closed off unless we have guests.

We changed to Sainsburys and we have paid £120 pm for the last 3 mths. We thought we'd get a killer bill but we are in credit to £160 and we have had the heating on all the time downstairs.

Buy a slow cooker, cheap meat tastes brilliant. It doesn't cost as much as cooking on a hob.Soup is fantastic, you can pick up soup packs for next to nothing, add some lardons (£1 but split them up into 3 and freeze) from Aldi with some lentils and split peas and it'll last for 3 days.

My biggest tip is for the heating and electricity, that saves so much.

[Dahlia_Lama]

Doesn't read right...I know you have electricity, meant if you had both..

[mrs.chappie]

If you haven't already, look into getting a water meter. I used to pay around fifty quid a month for water - now I pay about fifty quid every three months. It will, of course, depend on how many are in your household, and how you use the water, but if you are a small family, I believe there are savings to be had.

A halogen oven is said to use less electricity than a normal-sized oven, and as someone else has said, slow cookers are very economical.

[nailit]

Good tips, thank you.
mrs.chappie, a water meter is one thing that I miss, I cant have one in the flat I now occupy. When I did have one at my previous address I saved nearly a couple of hundred pounds per year.

[Elina]

I agree with Lama, get a slow cooker .. you can get hold of them if you're lucky at charity shops or second hand markets. Also toasties makers are really cheap to buy a basic one new .. and it makes some really warming tasty snacks nailit

[Elina]

Jnos first post too is a great one!

[Elina]

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-5575/budget-slow-cooker-recipes.aspx?page=2

[Elina]

Food price comparisons ... tap in what you're after and find out where to buy it the cheapest! .. http://www.supermarket.co.uk/food-prices.aspx