How To Live On Less

RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE
Save on bin charges
Recycle at bottle/plastic/paper banks
County councils take old electrical goods off you hands
Re-use plastic take-away trays for bulk cooking or leftover foods to go in the freezer
www.freecycle.org

HYGIENE SAVINGS
water down handwash (make from Ecover washing up liquid & tea tree oil)
use only a squirt of washing up liquid
machine wash with only half the recommended dosages - newer machines are much more efficient
use washing liquid instead of powder as you can wash at a lower temperature for the same results
water down fabric softener to stop that over conditioned-static effect
Washing soda and vinger are just as good as those industrial cleaners
buy toiletries from Lidl/Aldi or Avon (some great deals 5 for 7.50 etc)
buy baby wipes from Lidl/Aldi
wash baby wipes and use again with baby lotion or home-made lotion ( make by using a mug of camomile tea, spoon of vegetable oil, few drops tea tree and lavender lasts about four days, either soak the baby wipes in it or put in a soap dispenser and squirt to use, prevents nappy rash too I swear by it!!)
Save on make-up remover, face wipes or night creams - rub in baby lotion/cold cream and use a hot wet face cloth to wipe clean - your skin will feel soft and moisurised
Washable Nappies
Washable Breastpads

HEATING COSTS
Turn down thermostat by 1 or 2 degrees
Put on a fleece or jumper
Put clothes on rads to dry

ELECTRICAL SAVINGS
[broken link removed]
turn off all the lights
unplug all appliances
turn off the TV and DVD etc at the socket, not just with the remote
iron everything at once
turn down thermostat by 1 or 2 degrees
put on a jumper/fleece
bulk cook on the top AND in the oven e.g. cook bread while your making a roast
bulk freeze
wash at 30 degrees
only boil as much water as you need
Put your clothes on a clothes horse at night before tumble drying them - they'll be nearly dry by morning
For really high ESB users consider Nightsaver Electricity
Fill your dishwasher properly (wash pots by hand as they take up so much space)
Wash only full loads of clothes
Install energy saving bulbs in places like hall, kids bedrooms etc



SHOPPING SAVINGS
Use you Clubcards everywhere!!
Plan the weekly meals before you shop
Check your presses before you shop
Always check your receipts – Supermarkets are notorious for overcharging against the list price and they HAVE to refund you the FULL amount of the product
Buy meat at butchers
Print out, cut out and USE coupons
Pigsback coupons can be used at self-pay tills at TESCO (whether you bought the item or not!!)
bulk buy 100% extra free products THAT YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN BUYING ANYWAY
do a monthly stock shop for pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes etc at Lidl or Aldi
buy toilet roll (4-ply) 10 for €5 at Lidl
buy washing liquid for clothes at Lidl/Aldi
bulk buy near out-of-date food and cook and freeze it or simply freeze it for a later date
in Dublin you should go to Courtney Food Services for your meat (in Kimmage, Poddle Park area)
- ENGLISH MARKET in Cork, Festa is in Bray in the Egan centre at the very end of the Dargle Road
buy fruit and veg in Smithfield if possible or in a veg shop
Pick your own fruit/veg
stop buying the paper everyday – you live on the internet anyway
go to the hospital pharmancies for your 'scripts and other meds - you'll save a lot more on medication as they usually sell at a lower mark-up than the highstreet pharmancies
Breastfeeding – have to put it in or I’ll be hung (only joking)

MONEY www.finfacts.ie
Consider putting your SSIA payments to your mortgage now and reduce the term and interest
Pay off credit cards with savings, interest on card is more than you get on savings!!
Transfer all credit card debt to a new card with 0% balance transfer and cut up the old ones
Get a term loan from the bank to cover credit card debt and cut up your cards until you have the loan paid off
Variable rate loans do not incur penalties for early repayment
Don’t constantly reapply for credit cards as your rating goes down everytime you get refused
Talk to another bank about your mortgage, then get back to your bank and tell them you have a better offer
Talk to your bank about bank charges – remember they hate to see you leave
Talk to your bank about Credit Card – ask about cancelling your account (mention high interest) and see how it pans out
Ring around for insurance deals - car/home/personal etc
Transfer unused portion of tax credits to other half if possible
Do an expenses spreadsheet and look to see where you are spending your money
Give up something you won't miss too much - great if you're on a diet - and use that money for yourself as a treat
Bring lunch to work and you will save a fortune
Sell unwanted items on Ebay and make some cash.
Bring books to Chapters in Middle Abbey Street for a part refund/credit note
Get rid of TV packages that you don’t really use – shouldn’t take long for everyone to stop complaining
Sign up for Drug Payment Scheme and you’ll only ever pay €80 per month
Bring snacks for children with you when you go out as it will save a fortune on buying stuff for them
Check all of the petrol stations to and from work/shopping etc for the best price www.pumps.ie
Make sure car tyres are at the correct pressure to save on wear and tear
When getting new tyres out the back ones on the front, as the front wear down quicker
HEALTH Insurance is not necessary for children under 12 as the state covers them – ( NB consultancy fees which will be covered by VHI Plan A)
GOOGLE for discount codes online

GIFTS/CLOTHING
Buy in the sales
Buy bits and bobs year round when on sale for gifts, birthday presents etc
Have a look in the fashion shops to see what you like and then see if Penneys has something similar...
Make your own cards
[broken link removed] for great bargains in books

PHONE/MOBILE [broken link removed]
Vodafone – 300 online free texts per month & 10% FREE credit when you Top Up by €20 or more!
O2 - 250 free online texts
Switch from eircom (to anyone else, it doesn’t matter )
Install MSN, if you haven’t already and buy a microphone and talk to everyone for free

ENTERTAINMENT
www.pigsback.com have offers 2 for 1, money off restaurants, cheap breaks
www.laterooms.com can secure you a quick weekend away
[broken link removed] or for cheap DVD rental
on www.play.com its cheaper to pay in sterling

someanne said:

RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE
bulk cook on the top AND in the oven e.g. cook bread while your making a roast

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My missus who does all the baking would not be happy sharing her baking with the roast! She maintains that the optimum way to bake is to put the cake/bread etc. in the middle of the oven, and take out all other trays/shelves. That way, the temperature is even and the best results are achieved. Judging by my favourite cake which she bakes for me (when I'm in the good-books), I can't argue with her!

Some of the others are good tips, though... thanks!!

I find these above are great ideas and these below were just mine
join the library
avail of free amenities - parks, museums, coastal walks etc for saturday
avoid going to shopping centres - they drive you crazy when you have no money.
take an interest in your garden and take cuttings rather than buying plants.
wash & hoover the car yourself! make a decision not to buy anything but petrol at garages - i used to buy stuff i really didn't need and stopped.
walk more - make a decision when you go to the shop to walk.
cancel the gym membership, invest in free weights, an iPod, go walking / jogging, running
Join an evening class or sports club and go trianing a few nights a week.
discontinue Sky for a while till you realise you need it or don't need it.
Bring a lunch to work with fruit when you feel like a coffee whip out the apple/orange the craving for a €1.50cuppa will be gone! . go back to basics on food - I revisited porrige and it is cheap and actually not as bad as I remember!
give up ciggies!
tribune online - sunday paper s free.

thats all i can think of so far!

someanne said:

Always check your receipts – Dunnes are notorious for overcharging against the list price and they HAVE to refund you the FULL amount of the product

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Any independent proof of this or is it simple a random piece of defamation?

in Dublin you should go to Courtney Food Services for your meat (in Kimmage, Poddle Park area)

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Er - why this specific place and what if you don't live near Kimmage?

buy fruit and veg in Smithfield

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There hasn't been a fruit and veg market in Smithfield for years now unless you mean Fresh which is not cheap. I suspect that you actually mean the Dublin City Council fruit and veg markets further in towards the city centre.

Get a term loan from the bank to cover credit card debt and cut up your cards until you have the loan paid off

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Or get a mortgage top-up scheduled over a shorter period than the main mortgage loan term.

Bring books to Chapters in Middle Abbey Street for a part refund/credit note

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Are they still open there now that the new store is open on Parnell Street?

HEALTH Insurance is not necessary for children under 12 as the state covers them

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The public health service covers everybody but not everybody would be happy or able to put up with waiting lists etc.

Interestingly I caught mythbusters on the discovery channel over the weekend and they had tested a number of differing light sources on weather you should turn off the lights when you leave a room - even if you are returning soon after:

See about half way down this page to see how they got on :
http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2006/12/episode_69_22000_foot_fall_lig.html

Basically for any type of light it's more efficient to turn off the light when you go out of a room and turn it back on when you return.

However as it's just a show their findings can't be taken as total fact: Here it states that you shouldn't turn off unless out of the room over 15 mins:
http://lightingdesignlab.com/articles/switching/switching_fluorescent.htm for flourescent lights that is.

As an asside the LED lightbulb looked very interesting - low power usage and the longest life.
This I think was the type - but with the cover removed : http://www.amazon.com/150-LED-Light-Bulb-White/dp/B000IZGIQ2/sr=1-15/qid=1166200333/ref=sr_1_15/104-1816202-5061549?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden
Perhaps not quite ready to replace all household bulbs with LED's yet...

ClubMan said:

Any independent proof of this or is it simple a random piece of defamation? - it happens to me regularly

Er - why this specific place and what if you don't live near Kimmage? - its an example

There hasn't been a fruit and veg market in Smithfield for years now unless you mean Fresh which is not cheap. I suspect that you actually mean the Dublin City Council fruit and veg markets further in towards the city centre. - right

Or get a mortgage top-up scheduled over a shorter period than the main mortgage loan term. - if you have a mortgage

Are they still open there now that the new store is open on Parnell Street? - right

The public health service covers everybody but not everybody would be happy or able to put up with waiting lists etc. - these are only suggestions, does the PHS cover everyone for free, or only until they are 12?

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i see

well thanks for the heads up and the pm to notify me of my one or two mistakes before you tore the This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language out of my post

it was posted in the interest of helping others

S.

thanks for the tips, very helpful

someanne said:

well thanks for the heads up and the pm to notify me of my one or two mistakes before you tore the This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language out of my post

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What are you on about? I'm merely commenting on some of the points that you posted. I don't make a habit of engaging with AAM contributors "offline" via PM or email. This is a discussion forum so if you post something then you can expect to receive comments and feedback in the thread in question.

these are only suggestions, does the PHS cover everyone for free, or only until they are 12?

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From [broken link removed]:

Entitlement to free care

Everyone is entitled to public in-patient and out-patient services but some people may have to pay some [broken link removed].

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Some excellent suggestions there, would the pigsback vouchers not be theft though?

MrKeane said:

Some excellent suggestions there, would the pigsback vouchers not be theft though?

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only if you don't buy the goods.
you should also not eat the grapes in the supermarket while walking around doing your shopping.

There are some constructive suggestions in the post, but some of it is a little demeaning.
If someone is struggling financially then more power to them if they can save some money with lifestyle changes. If not, some of this is a little "Good Life"

susie1 said:

only if you don't buy the goods.
you should also not eat the grapes in the supermarket while walking around doing your shopping.

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Is that not what the OP suggested?


Pigsback coupons can be used at self-pay tills at TESCO (whether you bought the item or not!!)

MrKeane said:

Is that not what the OP suggested?

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not exactly, i suggested the grape thing

here's another tip:
you could let Tesco/Dunnes overcharge you on whatever. once you check your receipt, go back and buy loads more. then return to the customer services and get the full refunds AND you get to keep the items..

susie1 said:

here's another tip:
you could let Tesco/Dunnes overcharge you on whatever. once you check your receipt, go back and buy loads more. then return to the customer services and get the full refunds AND you get to keep the items..

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I don't think people should be suggesting "underhand" ways to save money

someanne said:

water down handwash (make from Ecover washing up liquid & tea tree oil)

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Why Ecover - Is it the cheapest?

someanne said:

Washable Nappies

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Really? What about extra washing & hygiene costs?

someanne said:

iron everything at once
Put your clothes on a clothes horse at night before tumble drying them - they'll be nearly dry by morning

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contradiction here?

someanne said:

Supermarkets are notorious for overcharging against the list price and they HAVE to refund you the FULL amount of the product

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Is this true? My local Centra have policies written up on this but they only refund you the amount of the overcharge. I can't imagine for a second that they are breaking the law by doing this.

someanne said:

stop buying the paper everyday – you live on the internet anyway

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Only comparable really if you're in broadband land and have your PC switched on 24/7 - which kinda contradicts your energy saving suggestions.

someanne said:

Talk to another bank about your mortgage, then get back to your bank and tell them you have a better offer

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Only practical if the savings you make are outweighed by legal and other fees involved in changing mortgage - or if you can get the mortgage company to pay for these.

someanne said:

Talk to your bank about bank charges – remember they hate to see you leave

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Really? - I dont think so... I left one particular bank a few years ago and I doubt if they even noticed me go. They certainly didn't pay me much heed while I was a customer.

someanne said:

Talk to your bank about Credit Card – ask about cancelling your account (mention high interest) and see how it pans out

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Ditto.
By the way, paying interest on credit card accounts is for mugs.

someanne said:

Transfer unused portion of tax credits to other half if possible

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I would have thought that an annual joint-assessment tax return would be a better way of ensuring this?

someanne said:

HEALTH Insurance is not necessary for children under 12 as the state covers them – ( NB consultancy fees which will be covered by VHI Plan A)

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Crazy, crazy advice. Other posters: if you are tempted by this, don't at all costs - unless you would be comfortable seeing your child waiting in a public queue for up to several years for surgery or treatment if for example they develop any of a range of medical conditions.

someanne said:

Vodafone – 300 online free texts per month & 10% FREE credit when you Top Up by €20 or more!
O2 - 250 free online texts

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I would have thought that pay-as-you-go mobiles are a pure waste of money - surely billpay is cheaper?

someanne said:

Switch from eircom (to anyone else, it doesn’t matter )

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Really? Don't put your life on it...

someanne said:

www.laterooms.com can secure you a quick weekend away

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This is a good site but I find that only occasionally does it have the best deals available.

Ubiquitous

I read the paper online at work during breaks rather than buy it.

There are lots of banks covering the cost of switching mortgages these days, in particular NIB appear to be about the cheapest on the market and do it (according to contributers to this site) Other contributers on this site appear to have had success in talking to their own banks and getting a reduced rate.

I talked to my bank once about fees and the stopped charging me for an overdraft facility, reduced my fees and refunded me 2 months fees as a goodwill gesture, the bank was bank of Ireland.

I thought pay as you go were a waste of money too but it depends on your circumstances. My billpay charged a flat rate 24/7 but I rarely used it at peak time because I was at work so it will be ready to for me because I rarely use a mobile anyway, €10 a month is ample.

Personally wouldn't eat grapes before weighing/buying in the supermarket. It is theft although lots of people don't seem to agree.

I used to work in a small local shop and there was 1 miserable old git who used to pick all the grapes off the stalk before weighing them!! He reckoned he shouldn't have to pay for the stalk when he couldn't eat it!!