What are your best cost-saving ideas??

[Lace_Dragon]

Since February I've been using coupons combined with sales and have managed to fill up my freezer and pantry for close to nothing with the help of the A Full Cup website (http://www.afullcup.com/forums). I don't know if they have the same kind of coupons and sales in the UK though.

[Roundsound]

The medievil pig thing.

Buy a pig, feed it scraps, chop a leg of when needed, when no legs left spit roast the rest.

Octopus will even grow new legs so you could keep one and eat its tentacles for the rest of your life.

[waterlily]

Buy during sales. I don't buy designer clothes unless I have a gift voucher or the item is heavily discounted (eg. $120 designer suit bought for $80!). Otherwise I buy from low end department stores. I am always presentable and considering the great impression I made with my $17 dress at my cousin's wedding or the $16 pants I bought in the US, there is no need to buy high end. I almost always have to get my clothes altered so saving money on the item gives a little budget to get it to fit perfectly. I occasionally make gifts, but I don't do it as much now because I'm not as time rich either.

[deltadelta48]

Having holiday flats...lots of cleaning...one day I ran out of usual 'brand name' cleaning stuff.
I mixed up some bleach and washing up liquid with water....Just as good for most jobs , and £££'sss cheaper.
Not all that good for cleaning really dirty ovens though !!.
I have not bought any 'brand name ' cleaning stuff for years now...thanks to my 'mixture' !!!.
Also to make the flats / halls etc , smell nice , I mix lenor or comfort ( with water) in a spray bottle , and spray about on carpets , curtains , furniture etc. ,
Also good when ironing anything.

That is what "how clean is your house" uses on many things. Vinegar works well too. I keep a jar with cut lemons filled with vinegar for tough cleaning, probably is antibacterial too. Just pour some out and it works. Smells great. Super cheap and looks interesting too.

[deltadelta48]

I've been using vinegar and baking soda to clean things for years. They're the cheapest and safest cleaning agents around and they do no damage to the environment.

If one or the other doesn't work alone, try them together. Sprinkle on some soda, dribble some vinegar over that, wait for the bubbles to subside, and wipe everything off with a wet cloth. The fumes are not dangerous. The two interact and loosen dried-on dirt. Try it the next time you have crusted-on stuff in a frying pan or kettle. Or is that something that only happens to bad cooks?

And when Belle ran into a skunk a few years ago, the vinegar and baking soda foam got rid of the smell faster than the tomato juice, enzyme cleaner, numerous dog shampoos, etc. Got it off the internet after a few failed attempts to get rid of the smell (which contrary to what you smell when a skunk tries to cross the road, opps, a musky odor, a direct hit to a dog smells like VERY strong burnt rubber). Probably will work on other things that dogs roll in too.

[luvintage]

I use all recycled packing materials for packaging the items that I sell. Never had a complaint from the customers. I get boxes, packing peanuts, foam and bubble wrap from businesses who are just throwing it away. They are happy to donate as they don't have to pay to dispose of it!!!!

[youmeus]

I live 15 miles from a grocery store and put off going until I really need to (about every 10-14 days). Everytime I enter a store it costs so just cutting down on the visits saves. It also saves on gas and wear and tear on the car and on my patience too. lol

[Teddyrose54]

I buy aromatherapy oils, and add a couple of drops, to cheap cleaning liquid, or washing powder.

The oils last a long time, and make the house smell lovely.

Stale wholemeal bread, straight into the oven, baked on a low setting and for a few hours, makes some lovely healthy doggie biscuits.

[Gothicina]

If you add soda crystals, when you do the laundry you can get away with using much less washing powder/liquid & it cleans the washing machine & is cheaper than calgon etc.
Soda crystals are less than £1.00 for a kg in Tesco, they're also handy for soaking stained cups, stuck on food or burnt saucepans, & make them so much easier to clean.

I no longer buy dog biscuits make my own, it's not only cheaper, I know exactly what goes in them, & Fudge has the fun of licking out the bowl.

I rarely buy commercial dog/cat food either. The dogs have as much raw food as possible, cat refuses raw, but does eat home cooked, again not only cheaper but I know what they're getting, no dodgy fillers, sugars, or e numbers. Whisper is 7 & a half, Fudge nearly 7, the cat I think 12, none of them have ever needed their teeth cleaned by the vet.

[HerMajesty]

If you add soda crystals, when you do the laundry you can get away with using much less washing powder/liquid & it cleans the washing machine & is cheaper than calgon etc.
Soda crystals are less than £1.00 for a kg in Tesco, they're also handy for soaking stained cups, stuck on food or burnt saucepans, & make them so much easier to clean.

I no longer buy dog biscuits make my own, it's not only cheaper, I know exactly what goes in them, & Fudge has the fun of licking out the bowl.

I rarely buy commercial dog/cat food either. The dogs have as much raw food as possible, cat refuses raw, but does eat home cooked, again not only cheaper but I know what they're getting, no dodgy fillers, sugars, or e numbers. Whisper is 7 & a half, Fudge nearly 7, the cat I think 12, none of them have ever needed their teeth cleaned by the vet.

How much soda do you put in the wash?

So far these are all great ideas!!! However, even tho we live in the country, I'm not going the pig route.......vegetarian, you see. lol