Last week I was considering hiring a skip for the day (at a cost of £90) so that I could clear out some of the junk from my garage and one of my friends pointed out that I didn’t need to pay for a skip when I could arrange a collection from the council for a fraction of the price. I didn’t even know the council offered that as a service let alone that they would come along and take my rubbish for just £15.00!
I saved a fortune because someone pointed out something they thought was obvious.
So, I started thinking about how many other little tips there were that may seem obvious for some people but for others they’re new ways to save and I decided to have a regular little thrifty tip round up on here so we could share them and hopefully all learn more ways to make the best of what we have and save a few extra pennies.
I’ll start with a couple of mine….
When you’re shopping, ignore the goods on the eye level shelves as that’s usually what the shop wants you to buy. Look at the top shelf and the lower shelves and you’ll find the cheaper versions of what you’re after.
Freeze grapes to use as ice cubes in wine – they won’t water down your wine and you’ll have a yummy treat at the bottom of your glass.
I also asked on Facebook for some tips and here’s what I got….
My biggest moneysaver throughout the year is quietly putting away all the gifts which aren’t suitable/ liked and giving them as presents when birthdays/Christmas requires it. Obviously keep a note of who gave them to you, so you don’t commit a faux pas by gifting them back to the same person.
Donna from www.mummycentral.com
Buy bicarbonate of soda in bulk online.It’s great for both cooking and cleaning.
Aly at Plus 2.4
If you like treating the kids to the odd bonus for being little stars for whatever reason, take them to a local charity shop to choose a gift…they will have hours of fun picking something out; a book, toy, DVD, etc – and its a hell of a lot cheaper than going new!
Helen from www.kiddycharts.com
Meal Planning saves money, stress and time.
Michelle at www.utterlyscrummy.blogspot.co.uk
It’s only a bargain if it’s useful or you need it!
Pippa at www.redrosemummy.com
If items purchased for a bargain price won’t be worn or used, they are a complete waste of money, no matter how much you ‘saved’ compared with the recommended retail price.
Ruthy from www.minibreakmummy.com
Use cashback websites, then spend the money you save on essential things. Like Chocolate or Dr Pepper.
Pippa from www.amothersramblings.com
Teach your children how money works early on and once they’re 11 or 12 give them budgets for clothes etc that they manage themselves (well, they think they do).
Jenny from www.thebrickcastle.com
Buy your kids books form charity shops!!
Becky from www.thrifty-home.co.uk/home-kids-needs-books/
Think for a couple of days and don’t make impulse purchases.
Anna from www.intheplayroom.co.uk
And to round it off, some lovely thrifty posts that I’ve found recently:
- Thrifty gardening tips from Maggy at RedTedArt
- 20 Alternative uses for eggshells from Liz at Me and My Shadow
- Budgeting for an almost vegetarian diet from Aly at Plus 2.4
- The two together Railcard from A Thrifty Mrs
- Shampoo free for two years from Lulastic and the Hippyshake
- How to upcycle old salad from Miss Thrifty
- Pom Pom crafts from Jen at The Madhouse
- 2014 – The year of Thrift from Penny at Being Mrs C
- How to get Perfect rice every time – Lucy at Wonderthrift
What’s your best thrifty tip?
Some great tips here. We have a garage full of junk that needs taking away and we were planning to hire a skip. I'll be calling the council tomorrow to see if they offer the service you describe!
My favorite is – It’s only a bargain if it’s useful or you need it!
This is so true… I wish I could stick to it
Love the frozen grapes tip and the thinking before impulse buying tip, I need to do that!
Some fantastic tips here.
Glad it's not just me that puts away unwanted gifts and gives them onwards!
Some really useful tips there. Lovely idea to have frozen grapes in your wine. Would look good and taste delicious.
I put a tiny bit of cash in my pocket for the school run so that I'm not tempted into the supermarket to buy them treats or me some wine! Like these tips very much 🙂
Some great ideas there – the grape idea is my favourite!
Impulse buys are my biggest problem. Thank you for such wonderful tips, I particularly like the grape one and the treats/books from charity shop ones.
Thank you for including me. Some great ideas here. I'm taking notes.
When you're shopping look for the specialist food sections – coconut milk is much cheaper in the section with the Indian brand goods than in the section with the jars of curry sauce and more mainstream 'oriental' products. The price difference can be more than £1!
Some great tips. I used to be really funny about charity shops, but since having the little one I think most of her books and toys have come from secondhand sales or charity shops. If you look carefully, you can get stuff that looks as good as new. I swear some of it has even been new!
I am so into being frugal at the moment so I can pay debts off. We have been doing all sorts like watering down the semi skimmed milk when it gets to the half left point to saving every penny and cashing it in at the bank rather than those machines that take a cut. Love new frugal tips – thank you.
Thanks for mentioning my post about upcycling salad. Having a good read of the other posts mentioned here!
Really useful tips – thank you!
Great tips as always. I really do need to start with a food planner and a good tip off about the eye line in supermarkets! x
We love our local charity shops, everything looks brand news and my kids don't care if toys and books are pre-owned.
I never knew that about the Council rubbish collection either! Love that grape freezing tip!
Great post – and without so much as a mention of Mooncups lol
I have noted so many of these down. Great post again xx
Great ideas! I need to remember – It's only a bargain if you need it! x
Some really great tips and a great round up. I had no idea the council offered this either!
Great roundup! I especially like the grapes in wine tip. In fact, I have some grapes AND wine, so I feel this might be on the cards soon.
Some really great tips here!
I'll have to check and see if the council do the rubbish thing in my area, I know they take away the big bulky stuff for a fee!
Some great tips – love the grape one!
Some brilliant tips there – and the link to the post on the new two together railcard is also incredibly useful!
I didn't realise the council offered that service either! I love the frozen grape tip!
wow, I hope this isn't exclusive to your council – what a brilliant tip – £15?! Thanks so much 🙂
Some fabulous thrifty tips, I save unwanted presents etc and re-gift too
I can hear my mum when I read the tip "It’s only a bargain if it’s useful or you need it!" and I say it to my OH now! So true though – what is the point of filling a basket with stuff from the £1 shop if you don't actually need any of it?
Love Love Love the frozen grape idea!!
Super round up Cass
Some fab tips, thanks for including mine there!
I shall have to look into a council collection too. great tip. I've got a lot of bits I need to get rid of before we move house.
So many wonderful tips there Cass – didn't know about the council option instead of a skip too, that's definitely worthwhile bearing in mind! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Some great tips. I had no idea the council did that either…that's really good to know they will come and pick it up for £15…bargain!!
Great tips and thanks for featuring me.
Great ideas !!! I have a home full of JUNK that the council can get rid of for me!! I'm going to look into that thank you!
Thanks for an informative post. I had absolutely no idea that the council collected rubbish. I shall now be using their services in the future. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing our thrifty gardening tips!
Great tips there, will be exploring those ideas
Thanks for including mine! I have had to tell my husband the one about the skips / council too, he is always suggesting "let's hire a skip to clear our rubbish" its so expensive and not necessary!
Fab post, freezing grapes is one of my favourite things to do and they are lovely on a cheese board too. I am a huge fan of Bicarb and use it whenever I can. Thanks for so many good ideas. x
There are some great tips there – I really like the one about ignoring eye level in shops, the cheeky swines – that's never occurred to me before 😀