Credit Crunch

Post your top money saving tips here.

gary caddick
More Beer for less - Buy a 4-pack of Worthingtons (or any other brand of Creamflow beer) & buy a 4-pack of cheap tesco value/sainsbury basics bitter.Mix half of creamflow and half of the cheap version in a pint glass and you have a really good tasting beer that will go twice as far!

Mary Fenner
Do not buy new lampshades after painting a room- just use the same paint on the lampshades- instant match - and NO cost, It works!

Mark Williams
Do all your household have mobile phones? Get rid of the landline save £200+ a year!

Richard Fisher
If you see a Penny pick it up!... In one year alone I collected £42.00 from the streets of Plymouth by just picking up the odd coin.

Bill Savage
Junk Mail - keep it until you get a prepaid return envelope and then put it all in that and send it back - with a post card stick it on an envelope and do the same - it keeps your postman & their postman employed and Devon doesn't have to get rid of the waste!!

mariejakes
make your own souplarge pan onionchopped little oil fry addvegatablestock cube dissolved cook wizz in pan delicious

Phill Gregory
Dry your washing on the line,try and avoid using clothes dryers the are money eaters! Also washing smells far better fresher!

Marco
Head back to the old style of shopping. Plan you weekly meals and write a shopping list. Impulse buying means you spend so much more. Planned buying means savings and only buying what you really need!

Jean Holden
Instead of buying sandwich bags, use the bag that your sliced bread came in and/or the clear bags available in the fruit & veg section in your supermarket.Best of all, is to join your local Freecycle group on the internet. Items must be given freely, no payment involved. It's a great way to both pass on something you no longer want and if lucky, to find something you are looking for. It's a great way to keep things out of landfill.

Margaret
Only fill the kettle with the amount of water you need - you don't need to boil a full kettle for one cup of tea. Also don't put small saucepans on big rings on the cooker - you use more energy & you heat empty space around the pan. Energy saving bulbs really do save money & they are cheaper than ever now so replace every normal bulb with one. Close curtains at dusk to keep heat in the room rather than heating the windows

sue
save money by supplementing dog food,if u have a chicken carcass boil bones and add a carrot and pasta to make cheap meal for your dog,can also cook minced meat with pasta and cabbage leaves the ones u dont use

donna
Use a measuring jug or milk container to see how much cold water you run from your hot tap in the kitchen before hot comes through. You may be surprised - it could be as much as a gallon. That is how much hot water you leave in the pipe after turning the tap off, which then cools down and is heated again next time you turn it on, and costs you money each time.Instead, boil water for washing-up etc in the kettle - you don't even have to fill it. That way, you heat only the water you need, and don't leave several pints to go cold.

mike
two cars,perhaps more in family?.Declare sorn on one,thus saving road tax,fuel,servicing,mot and insurance costs!

Fiona
Take showers not baths, uses a lot less waterbuy "value" products. the taste isn't the same, but its good enough!secret santas are great ways to buy fewer christmas presents - pop everyones name into a hat and pick one out. and don't forget to set a limit.Stew the bones from the turkey. Stew is the best thing for a cold day!

val
Rather than spending money to eat something expensiveI might consider to mow some of the growing grasses and make my own mayo n enjoy

Mary
We are a family of 6 on a limited income and 2 children at uni.In October we put all our names in a hat, chose one name n buy 1 presnt for £30 for Christmas

Judi
If you shower using shower gel, instead of using a flannel - use one of those shower massagers - looks like a scouring pad on a rope! It makes the show gel lather up and so you use less, thus saving money!

sharon
buy jars of morrisons curry sauce at 5 pence each and add veg potatoes chicken tinned tomatoes what ever u want its delicious

Barbara
insteadof expensive carpet fresheners sprinkle the carpet with bi-carb last thing at night hoover up next morning you will find your carpet fresher and you have saved the pennies

rosegold
if you have apples from trees in your garden or allotment which you can't use, find your local cider maker and find out if they will take your apples in exchange for a bottle of cider

Michael Evans
I should have said we no longer pay Sewage Charge 1, not 2, as explained on the SWW bill

Michae Evans
This may help some with their bills from S.W.Water. I tested to see if the rainwater from the roof of our bungalow entered the S.W.W. sewers, by playing a hose on to the roof. It did not and now my neighbours and I no longer pay the Sewage 2 tariff on the bill.

suzanne
dont have your house lit up like a lighthouse try to stay in one room now the darker evenings are coming.

aaron bear
join carshare groups text instead off ringing people

Rosa
When buying a roasting chicken, buy the biggest one you an find. The meat-to-bone ratio is better. Carve the entire bird, make plenty of gravy and have ready a clean plastic takeaway container with a lid, or a similar plastic freezer-proof container. After plating up the chicken you are eating that day, put the rest of the slices into the dish, cover with the extra gravy and seal. When it is cool, freeze this chicken in gravy down for the basis of an extra meal. Also freeze the carcass for use in soup or stock-making.

Dave
Most people have a phone at work and one at home. Do you really need to spend £300+ a year to carry another in your pocket?Shop around for the best deals on insurance, phone, utilites.Think...1 Can I pay for it, 2 do I NEED it, 3 do I want it, 4 would I rather have something else. In that order.

a1skaterboy
Set room thermostat to 19.5°C. Reduce timer ON program to as little as possible. Set radiator TRVs as low as possible. Dress accordingly i.e. lots of thin layers.

Mel Menzies
1. Write to credit companies telling them to lower your borrowing limit.2. Cut up, or return, all credit cards.3. If that’s too drastic, close all your credit accounts, bar one.4. And if that’s still too drastic, cut down to two.5. With two cards, you can split your Christmas spending, paying one balance off in full (thus avoiding payment of any interest) and dividing the total of the second card into three payments.6. Avoid temptation by staying away from the shops.7. Leave your cheque book and credit cards behind if you do go.8. Keep your computer in the living room in full view of the family so you can’t be tempted to shop-online in secret.9. Return all mail-order catalogues, unopened.10. At the same time, write telling them to take your name off their mailing list.

reg fraser
If you cannot afford things, wait untill you can.

Jill Pendleton
Don't use so much aluminium foil. In cooking, you know that you have plenty of casserole dishes that you can use as a base and lid instead. And as for sandwiches, pop your snacks into a washed out carton if you really haven't got a tupperware type box at the back of the cupboard. By not using foil, you will save your pennies and space in your re-cycle bin, added to which it will mean less lorries on the road transporting more foil in cardboard boxes....

Pam
Take lunch (and a drink) to work instead of buying it.

Millie
Use Cash all the time instead of a card,you will find you think twice about every penny you spend.