Scrimping Tips!!!

munchbunch

Did anyone see "Extreme Cheapskates" on tv last night? OMG!!:eek: I like saving as much as the next person, but not flushing your toilet for a week..ewwwwwwww!!
It got me thinking though, any normal tips of saving your moolah on a day-to-day basis?

Such as:
Put a brick in the toilet cistern to save water!
Keep oven door open when you've finished cooking - heat the kitchen!
Install and use rain water butt to wash car/water plants etc
Buy a re-useable cup and bring your own tea/coffee to work.

Anyone else got tips?

Monotype

Does opening the oven thing do anything? I assume the heat has to go somewhere, so it's still entering the room, just slower than if you open the door.

Check out the lifehacking thread and forum for some really good ideas (and a lot of bad ones too!).
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056371112

MFlack2012

My favourite is to chop old over-ripe or just ready to go off fruit and veg and freeze. I chop up all the peppers, scallions, apples, banana's etc; chop all the bad bits off, pop them into a freezer bag and straight into the freezer. They're great then for those scrimper meals such as Shepard's pie, curry, fish pie, bakes, casseroles etc and the fruit is great for smoothies etc for summer months and snacks after school in the winter. Saves loads of money every other week!

snubbleste

Is that the one where the woman put the freezer on a timer, it would switch on for 12 hours at night only, to avail of cheaper electricity. I may give that a go!

I won't be however serving tea to my guests out of used yoghurt cups.

L1011

snubbleste wrote: »

Is that the one where the woman put the freezer on a timer, it would switch on for 12 hours at night only, to avail of cheaper electricity. I may give that a go!

If you don't actually have a dual meter system, it doesn't save a cent.

The majority of people on that show were at best saving nothing, often costing themselves far more, and clearly seriously mentally ill. Horrendous exploitative TV.

Access

MYOB wrote: »

If you don't actually have a dual meter system, it doesn't save a cent.

The majority of people on that show were at best saving nothing, often costing themselves far more, and clearly seriously mentally ill. Horrendous exploitative TV.

Agree totally... TLC Channel should be renamed freaks tv.

Putting any freezer on a timer could cause temp fluctuations and cause the food within to semi defrost and re freeze again each time... causing huge build up of bacteria. This is the stupidest tip I have ever heard of in fairness.

Also there is a reason your toilet has a 7 or 9 litre flush... that is the amount calculated for each flush to wash away the solid waste without your sewage lines getting blocked. People also put 2ltr drink bottles filled and placed in cistern to prevent the cistern using the full amount of water... bet you their sewage line will give them trouble within a month or two.

Is saving 1 or 2 litres of water each flush worth a €200 bill for jet washing your sewage lines?

Is saving a few cent a night on turning off your freezer worth the potential of giving your family food poisoning?

Common sense doesn't always prevail in these tv shows.

For proper money saving and time saving tips try the lifehacker forum on boards or check out lifehacker.com

robin3

I agree about the freezer thing, dangerous... although i think food stays frozen for few hrs if you don't open the door, something about protecting your food in case of a power cut, I won't be trying it.

The bottles of water in the toilet can be a good idea if you have an older cistern- approx 1990s or older, these often use 11,12,13 litres of water even up to 16litres, which is too much and unnecessary.

dak

If you use a loaf of bread a day buy it and your marg in Lidl or Aldi and save yourself about €500 a year . €2.10 versus approx 75c.

Bread is ideal for freezing and doesn't take long to thaw out !

Cats.Whiskers

I found this via the Guardian last night.

It's a scrimping blog - the title of this post is 30 ways to save a Pound - interesting reading

http://hardshipandhope.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/30-ways-to-save-1.html

Oracle

MYOB wrote: »

If you don't actually have a dual meter system, it doesn't save a cent.

You can get a dual (Nightsaver) meter installed by ESB Networks. Although there can be a charge for installation, and the standing charges are higher (Nightsaver Tariff). So you'd need to work out if its going to be a saving for you.

The majority of people on that show were at best saving nothing, often costing themselves far more, and clearly seriously mentally ill. Horrendous exploitative TV.

Some may be eccentric, but not mentally ill. Either way it's not for any of us to judge. Its a sad world if everyone has to conform to norms about how to live.

L1011

Oracle wrote: »

You can get a dual (Nightsaver) meter installed by ESB Networks. Although there can be a charge for installation, and the standing charges are higher (Nightsaver Tariff). So you'd need to work out if its going to be a saving for you.

I'm aware of this, that is why I mentioned it.

Oracle wrote: »

Some may be eccentric, but not mentally ill. Either way it's not for any of us to judge. Its a sad world if everyone has to conform to norms about how to live.

Did you see the show in question? Mentally ill is a mild term for some of the people they were shamelessly exploiting.

The C4 UK version would be people you'd describe as eccentric - this one wasn't.

Beannacht

MFlack2012 wrote: »

My favourite is to chop old over-ripe or just ready to go off fruit and veg and freeze. I chop up all the peppers, scallions, apples, banana's etc; chop all the bad bits off, pop them into a freezer bag and straight into the freezer. They're great then for those scrimper meals such as Shepard's pie, curry, fish pie, bakes, casseroles etc and the fruit is great for smoothies etc for summer months and snacks after school in the winter. Saves loads of money every other week!

That's a great idea. I do this with herbs, which I never seem to be able to use while they are fresh. I stick them in an ice cube tray with water (although I read that it can be done with oil too). I have also read people freezing leftover wine in icecube trays to add to sauces and stuff but I have never done that.... I never have leftover wine :P

deelite

My tip is to slice lemons and put them in freezer bag and take out as required.

Access

Here is a few...

Citronella candles to ward off miggies and bugs during the summer can be expensive (normally 3 times more expensive than regular candles) Just buy a bag of tealight candles from aldi/lidl/ikea and buy a small bottle of citronella oil for your local pharmacy and whenever you light your candles, give enough time for the wax to slightly melt and just add one drop (one or two maximum per candle as it is strong stuff!) to each tealight. No bugs for the rest of the evening.

Don’t buy deodorisers for your shoes; put cat litter in them overnight instead.

Put your candles in the freezer – cold wax burns more slowly and they will last longer.

Add oats to your mince: this makes your meat go further. The oats soak up all the juices and flavourings, so it’s tasty too.

Sticking electric windows on your car? - open the window fully and rub a candle (like a long thin dinner table candle) all around the window grove on the door. The wax acts as a lube for the glass and wont smear the window as it goes up and down.

Car window wiper blades not cleaning the way they used to? - Clean the blades with baby wipes. Rub them with the wipe like you were cleaning the edge of a knife and after about three or four baby wipes they will be as good as new.

To get rid of the weeds between paving stones, pour salt along the line of the weeds and then pour boiling water over the salt, making sure it goes down between the cracks. The weeds will be gone within a few days.

The_Conductor

munchbunch wrote: »

any normal tips of saving your moolah on a day-to-day basis?

Such as:
Keep oven door open when you've finished cooking - heat the kitchen!
D

Do *NOT* do this.
If its a modern oven, its designed to self cool over a period of time (which will release the heat into your kitchen anyway, albeit over a longer period of time. If you open the door and turn off the oven and allow it to rapidly cool in this manner- you will burn out the thermostat in the oven in no time flat (and it will not be covered under your warranty). Anyone familiar with installing kitchen appliances normally warns people not to turn off the oven at the switch until its self-cool cycle has completed, or you'll blow the thermostat- its designed for gradual heating and cooling- not short sharp shocks.

An actual tip- is a grey water toilet. They're very popular in some parts of the States and Australia. Essentially- there is a sink over the toilet. The sink drains into the toilet cistern when you wash your hands, and you immediately have a reuse of the water- without the need for a water buttress or storage facilities for water that aren't going to work in an urban area.