Money savers

yourmano

Just wondering...what money savers have ye never thought about before that are significant? A neighbour of mine was telling me today he saves a hundred a week cos the school he sends his 4 children to provides them with lunch...very very interesting. AND gets all their hair cut in a hairdressing school. Never thought of it before but both really good ideas!

Fionn MacCool

Don't buy drinks for women. Saves a load of money and your self respect.

yourmano

My woman bought me one, that and the fact she didn't sleep with me for ages made her the one for me. Nothing like it to keep a man interested! Also, bottles of wine in saving us a mint!

Xiney

Buy all the cat's food and kitty litter on zooplus.ie. Saves us at least €40 a month, plus they deliver it for free when your order is above a certain amount so it saves us the taxi from petsworld with the kitty litter (which is too heavy to carry anywhere)

Bought prescription sunglasses off zennioptical.com, cost me €17.50 including delivery. Would have easily cost ten times that in specsavers.

I don't buy individually potted yogurts anymore, I buy 500g of fat free plain yogurt at Lidl for 57 cent, and add some vanilla extract and splenda.

I've been getting my hair cut at the hairdressing college on Forster street for a few months now. It's 15 euro for wash/cut/blow dry, and they're running a special where you get a treatment (for dry, damaged hair) included in that price right now. My hair isn't very complicated so it always turns out nice.

Don't have cable, and our landline is via our internet provider (digiweb). We also switched to airtricity to save money on electricity (11% I think)




We're used to being poor - we've had lots of practise. We're practically pros at it. Doesn't change the fact that I'm f*cking sick of it!

JohnCleary

If you like the 'oul drop of grog like myself, buy it up North.
Infact, go up North and buy all your non-preishables/drink - you'll save a packet

Bring naggins into the pub with you

Steal toilet paper from your college/whever instead of buying your own

Steal plenty of ketchup/salt from fast food outlets - it'll save you buying them

Steal plenty of plastic knives/forks from same outlets - you'll save a fortune on dishwasher powder/fairy/hot water

Walk to the fcuking shop that's 500m down the road instead of driving

Zzippy

JohnCleary wrote: »

Steal toilet paper from your college/whever instead of buying your own

Hehe, I remember those days, a foot wide roll of bog roll would do a house of 7 students for a week. One way of getting value for your registration fees..

"Whose turn is it to steal the bog roll?"

Xiney

Haha. Someone in our house used to steal the quilted stuff (and toiletries) from the Ritz - screw that crap they used at school.

ronnie3585

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

Don't buy drinks for women. Saves a load of money and your self respect.

...and sex.

Fionn MacCool

If you have to buy em drinks for that you've problems other than money a chara

Bring your own lunch to work at least a few days off the week.

JohnCleary

Jake Substantial Self-possession wrote: »

Bring your own lunch to work at least a few days off the week.

+1

Make yer own smoothies too - they're a great brekkie for the likes of me who can't stomach cereal in the morning. Nice way to line your stomach for the day

ukgalwaymcguire

JohnCleary wrote: »

+1

Make yer own smoothies too - they're a great brekkie for the likes of me who can't stomach cereal in the morning. Nice way to line your stomach for the day

mmm yumm recipes john???:pac:

JohnCleary

ukgalwaymcguire wrote: »

mmm yumm recipes john???:pac:

I keep it simple and chuck whatevers around tbh :pac:


Normally:
Ice
Banana
Pineapple
Strawberry Youghurt
Orange Juice
Drop of Mi-Wadi

- I stopped using strawberries as the really added to the cost of the whole thing. I like to keep it simple. I hate eating bananas so if anything its a good way to get a bit of fruit in me.

Lines the stomach perfectly. Then I make a roll for later on, as I do be hungry about an hour after. So i've a week of breakfasts/brunches for a fraction of the cost than if I were going to a shop every day. I've noticed this year in college a LOT more people bringing their own packed lunches. What's the point in paying 5+ euro every day for deep fried muck.

JohnCleary

JohnCleary wrote: »

I keep it simple and chuck whatevers around tbh :pac:


Normally:
Ice
Banana
Pineapple
Strawberry Youghurt
Orange Juice
Drop of Mi-Wadi

.

Blueberrys make a great job of a smoothie also!

padraig71

Bake your own bread. The 1kg bread mix at Lidl costs about €1.50 and makes two loaves - quality multigrain, wholemeal etc, none of your sliced white pan rubbish. Loaf tins cost €4 at Dunnes. If you buy four tins as a once-off investment, that means you can bake four loaves for three quid and the price of running a hot oven for an hour (four is the most loaf tins you can fit in a normal oven). That's enough to last my own two-person household for a week easily.

gaeilgegrinds

I bake my own bread and make all my own lunches, always bring my own yoghurt and fruit in tubs too instead of buying expensive yoghurts and wasting plastic.

kraggy

I do all my own stunts.

gary82

Make your own pizza. Huge saving against getting it delivered. You'll have it made in the time Domino's get it delivered too.

As I said on the Food&Drink forum:

The Base...
1 cup warm water
8g sachet dried yeast (you get a box of 10 or so sachets)
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2½ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano (optional for herby base)
1 tablespool olive oil

Mix all the dry ingredients into a big saucepan, then add the olive oil and warm water until you can form it into a big dough ball (balance with +/- water and flour). Now you've to leave it in a warm place for half an hour. I generally put the lid on the saucepan and float the saucepan on warm water. After 30mins it will have risen, flatten out on a flour-dusted oven tray using your fingers, you'll get a feel for how thick you like it after a while. Add more olive oil to do this, makes it much easier.

The Topping...
I always start with one of those small (and cheap) tins of tomatto puree spread over the base. Add a bit more dried oregano or other italian herbs.

Now for the toppings that's all up to your personal taste, chop up all your ingredients and top off with cheese. My favourite is to get one of those Dunnes/Lidl bags of 3-cheeses and add some grated mature cheddar. Mixed herbs on top is good too.

Here's a pizza I really like...
Chorizo (sliced up quite fine)
Onion
Mushroom
Basil
Sweetcorn (small amount)
Clove of garlic
(and Cheese, as mentioned above)

(all chopped up while the base rises).

Now put in a preheated hot oven for 12'ish minutes - just keep an eye on it.

Once you've the flour, yeast etc in stock it works out very very cheap. If you need inspiration for toppings - consult your Domino's take-away menu!!