This month I have been mostly saving money by...

[Andrew_Culture]

What with the climate-crunch and billion pound companies paying less tax than us simple folk times are hard, and as most of you lot are sensible, clever, witty and erudite I figure it would be cheery if we exchange positive tales of money saving. Let's force something positive out of this financial mess!

This month I have saved:
£30 by fixing the toilet seat instead of replacing it
£30 by moaning to Virgin Media that my bill is too high (just call to complain and they halve your bill)
£40 in diesel by cycling to work

I have also enjoyed very nice beer at 35p a pint by brewing it myself, and while I might not have drunk as much if I hadn't brewed up, I consider a saving of £3.50 a pint compared to pub prices pretty good!


So how have you saved cash recently?

 

[Arch]

My average workday lunch is one pack of Sainsburys Basic Noodles (11p), one home made sandwich of 2 slices of Basics Bread and two of Basics ham (haven't worked out exact cost, but can't be more than 15p worth), and a Club/Rocky/Penguin type biscuit (depending what's on offer), pack of 9 for a quid, so about 11p).

It's samey, but I'm fine with that, I just need calories at lunchtime. Under 40p a day for lunch makes a few pennies spare for other stuff.

Sometimes I do splash out and spend a quid on a pasty on top of that.

I cook my evening meal from scratch (making batches of pasta sauce, curry etc) and have a rule that the meat part (tuna, or mince usually) must come in under 50p a portion. So the whole dinner is usually under £2 worth.

Finally, my job gives me access to a lot of leftover tailends of bottles of washing up and laundry liquid that people can't be bothered to drain fully, which I snaffle, take home and decant. Haven't had to buy either for two and a half years now.

The result of all this is that I can live on a four day week, and have a three day weekend with Night Train.

I could save some on train fares by buying advance tickets, but like to be flexible on travel time.

 

[MontyVeda]

thirty qwid for a bog seat.... crikey! You need to find a lower class loo seat supplier.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

thirty qwid for a bog seat.... crikey! You need to find a lower class loo seat supplier.

It was a self closing jobby bought in financially happier times, the problem is that I forgot that normal folk don't have them, which leads to a lot of accidentally slammed bog seats!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Sometimes I do splash out and spend a quid on a pasty on top of that.

I cook my evening meal from scratch (making batches of pasta sauce, curry etc) and have a rule that the meat part (tuna, or mince usually) must come in under 50p a portion. So the whole dinner is usually under £2 worth.

Cooking from scratch is not only cheaper, it's also a hell of a lot nicer and healthier!

 

[Night Train]

I have been saving money by not being mobile. I can't get out, or into the workshop, so I can't spend any money.

 

[MontyVeda]

It was a self closing jobby
...

 

[DiddlyDodds]

I am extremely rich and dont ever save money , in fact i love spending it

 

[Arch]

I have been saving money by not being mobile. I can't get out, or into the workshop, so I can't spend any money.

I think it's saving me money too, not so many outings for coffee and cake!

Never mind, it's not for much longer, and then we can blow all that saved coffee and cake money when we go to my sister's....

Cooking from scratch is not only cheaper, it's also a hell of a lot nicer and healthier!

Absolutely. Everything made perfectly to my taste, and I can cut down on fat as I wish, and cut out salt altogether - I'm sure I get enough salt from the processed foods I do use, like bread, baked beans, crisps etc.

Also, I can knock up a big batch of pasta sauce, plus pasta for one meal in under half an hour, and freeze or chill them, and each meal after that only takes as long as the pasta takes to cook each evening - a bonus when I'm shattered after work.

 

[Red Light]

Mrs Redlight saves loads every week what with all the sales on all the time now. Seems to cost me a fortune though saving all that money.

 

[Night Train]

Never mind, it's not for much longer, and then we can blow all that saved coffee and cake money when we go to my sister's....

Ahhhh, I just put a bid on Ebay.

 

[Arch]

Ahhhh, I just put a bid on Ebay.

That's ok, I'll get coffee and cake, and you can sit outside with a digestive biscuit...

Also in the saving money stakes, we're planning a trip to my sister's at the end of August, and as they don't have a lot of spare room indoors, we're going to save on the cost of a B and B by sleeping in their big family tent in the garden. The only question is whether we get away with doing that for a few nights without a small boy or two wanting to join us!

 

[Night Train]

That's ok, I'll get coffee and cake, and you can sit outside with a digestive biscuit...

I'll have cake I think.
I've been out bid.

 

[snorri]

I saved nearly 100 euros last week
Nearing the end of my cycle tour I went to the ferry office to buy a ticket to get home. The cashier warned me it would be expensive, calling on my vast negotiating skills I asked what we could do about it. Travel tomorrow she said, a quick mental calculation and I realised that for the price of 11 Euros for a campsite I could have an extra day holiday and still be in pocket.

 

[Kiwiavenger]

My lunch is asda smartprice tuna, pasta and mayo! I bulk bought the pasta when it was 12p per 500 grams and the tunas about 50 p per can the mayo I have upgraded to asdas own rather than smart price as it was a bit too vinegary! Works out less than 50p per portion

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