October Budget Money Saving Tips

We recently had air conditioning installed.Admittedly it cost a bit to have installed and varies who you use and how many units you have. But not only do they provide a cooling system but also heat the rooms. We are hoping to use them in individual rooms over winter so we wont have to heat rooms we are not using. We don’t use the bedrooms for example in the day so they will only need to heated just before going to bed to take the chill off. But I do like snuggling under a quilt to keep warm.

More pulses and less meat.I dont put heaters on until Feb.Shower less and only light the room I am in. Dont go in for cosmetics or nail salons.Nor do I eat takeaways.

The most obvious ways to save are overlooked. Youngsters are keen on saying how good we had it back in the day but don't stop to think that most of us only had to pay for a roof, food, light and heat, a landline phone if we could afford it, clothing and if we were very lucky a car.

Nowadays it's all the above plus daily bought coffee, streaming subscriptions, broadband, mobile phones, designer clothing, frequent nights out, takeaways more often than not, holidays abroad and loads more.

Not all people were in the first group, nor do all youngsters belong in the second but is it any wonder outgoings are greater for Gen Z etc when there is so much more to spend their money on.

If you are serious about saving many things in the second group can be ticked off as not essential and as Martin often says, check your direct debits as it is not unheard of for two in same house paying for same streaming service, crazy but true.

My own tip is to keep a notebook and check your bank balance when your pay goes in. Deduct every single direct debit (even if it has not yet gone out) to give you a true picture of what you have left for the month. Each time you pay for something go to notebook and deduct and when anything goes in add. Seeing it in real terms can keep you on track.

Yesterday I bought 7 or so items from Aldi costing £7.86 and when I got home I went online and added the equivalent from Sainsbury's......£11.38.

Food tip: Grate a block of cheese, you will find you use far less than when slicing. Always buy things on offer. I bought 4 blocks of butter this week as they were half price and put in the freezer. Make huge pots of stew and freeze, never throw veg, prepare and freeze. I par boil spuds and freeze for roasties and many other veg like swede, carrots etc can be frozen after blanching. Freeze chopped onions, saves a job when cooking.

Remember, a £2.50 coffee each day to work is a minimum of £50 per month! Totally unnecessary, use a flask !!!

Turn the central heating control to a lower temperature and wear more clothes in the house including those furry hoodie things which can be very toasty very quickly.

Have fasting days which is good for your health and your pocket.

Try replacing shorter drives with walking or cycling.

Go in at the right time to supermarkets to get reduced items which you then freeze.

De-clutter the house but do it in a way that optimises the price you get. I.e. sell stuff that sells better in the Autumn and winter season. Don't try to sell summer items over the winter.

Men only really but cut your own hair or get another family member to do it. You just need a basic hair clipper and a couple of mirrors if doing it to yourself.

Don't buy rubbish premium brands make sure you everything you buy is the best option for value overall. This isn't always the cheapest but is never the most expensive.

Never pay interest apart from a mortgage and make sure if you are paying interest it is the lowest interest rate of your options.

Consider second-hand, refurbished and repaired items if you get a good discount and buy privately where possible and haggle too or use auctions on ebay.

Never be loyal to supermarkets. Sign up to all of their loyalty schemes and use supermarkets that send you vouchers rather than going regularly to the same supermarket. If a supermarket is particularly good price for a particular long life item considering buying a few extra when you are in that supermarket.

Don't be afraid to return items that you are not that pleased with rather than just accept them even if the quality is a bit poor and where there is a chance of you having to pay return postage make sure the reason is not 'you no longer want the item' but instead 'disappointing quality' or 'not as described' so you are not liable for return postage.

Always check for cashback sites, vouchers and other promotions before buying more expensive items to make sure you pay the lowest price possible.

Ask people now what they want for Christmas so you get the item before you get the big Christmas price hike in November and December.

I think it reaches a point where one can't save anyone than one does. The heating really doesn't go on unless it has to. A person has to eat. Going out it thing of the past. No beauty treatments like nails, waxing, etc any more. Hair cut by a relative. No take outs. No store bought coffees. I think the powers that be don't want to us have any quality of life.

Well I shop around even if it means getting on the bus and changing 2 buses each way.

I look at reduction aisles wherever I go.

In store.

Online can be expensive.

Use store loyalty cards.

I don't drink or smoke so that helps.

Been doing my own hair and shave since they closed during first COVID lockdown.

Make me own tea coffee.

Don't buy papers or magazines or lottery tickets.

Try avoid turning heating on and wrap up warm instead.

Don't shop online without using cashback websites and apps.

Is there really a way of saving money in this country , If they don't get you on one thing , they get you on another . I do try to shop around for the best deals, avoid buying expensive coffees at work or in town, fix my gas and electric, shop around for car and home insurance each year, but still prices seem to go up and up, and as I work wages don't seem to keep pace with rising costs especially since they froze personal allowances.

We couldn't save anymore if we tried, we've changed a lot of things, where we shop & what we buy ect...it's gotten to the point where we can cut back anymore

This year i think i will make an effort to wrap up warm more, whilst inside, instead of having the heating on as much. In previous years i have just heater the house as it was more comfortable, but with the cost of living, and increased energy bills, i am going to reduce the amount of heat i use as I can only see the cost of these things continually increasing.

Following on from Lynibis I shop yellow stickers we eat what is available, if there's a lot of items and they're well reduced I freeze them.

We also have various bank accounts to keep track as pension is 4/weekly, Direct Debits monthly. System is on our Pension day (they're different) fixed amount into 'holding account'. End of month fixed amount to cover DD's into that account. Fixed amount into 'food' account, this is the only card that leaves the house. Monthly amount is put on whiteboard and each spend is deducted, the aim to have some left at end of month, it is never added to, if there's nothing in it it's time to rummage in the freezer.

We also live in fleece trousers and oodies, the heating is seldom on.

We will just carry on the way we are as don't think that there is anything more money saving than what we already try to do. I batch cook, buy food when on offer and freeze, stock up on veg when reduced at Christmas etc etc. last year I did buy a heated throw and that way perfect for me, the heating was only put on when absolutely necessary.

I’m quite money savvy anyway, so I thankfully don’t have to make many adjustments. I don’t subscribe to any entertainment at all & mainly only watch YouTube these days, who h is free & contain content I can choose & watch at my leisure to pass time.

Depending on what Is on your bed, why not buy a thicker duvet. Use your old duvet then to wrap up In during the day. You can always cut your old duvet then sew It If Its too big. Use It as a throw. Another tip Is to turn down your boiler. The default for any boiler Is 75 - 80. If you turn It down to 60 It saves your pocket. Also adjust your thermostat to when It clicks so It comes on every so often. Buy cheaper products when shopping. Half the time you are only paying for the brand. We are all getting ripped off In this country now anyways. Food, energy, petrol etc. Its getting ridiculous. Everything goes up except your wages and when It does goes up so does everything else so you just cant win.

There was a brilliant tip on This Morning this week regarding the huge savings that can be made by buying advent calendars IF there's a few products that you'd usually buy inside.

Advent calendars offer huge savings as they are used to promote purchases in the future, so if you wish, you can keep the products that you'd normally buy, then either gift the remaining ones or sell them.

Rather than buying Lottery Tickets, if you would still like the chance of winning a large amount, consider buying some Premium Bonds from NS&I with any of the savings you've managed to get together. This way, you can cash in your investment if you need it in the future, but even smallish wins add up. In fact, I have doubled my investment with two wins so far. Had I bought lottery tickets, my initial outlay would be gone for good even though the wins would have been exciting.

Be brave don’t save cash, buy a unit trust investment fund. Add to it whenever you can.

If you have a modern boiler it comes with an individual mobile room thermostat which you can have in the room you’re in and are very accurate. Keeps heating bills down or individually turn down the ones on each radiator. Avoid turning them off completely as moisture will build up and makes the bills go higher and could create black mould

Heated throws are a god send, we have them everywhere and allows you to have the heating much lower. Also many clothe layers are better than one single thick jumper.

It sounds strange but air your home every other day to remove moisture and the dryness in the rooms is easier to heat

I may have mentioned this before a long time ago. One of my best purchases which is not electrical is a stainless steel steamer which I use several times a week. My favourite meal is salmon fillet, vegetables and new potatoes so I boil the pots in bottom, put veg in one steamer and salmon on top where you can easily see when it is cooked. It may be a small saving on energy on the hob but in this case using one ring on hob is cheaper than using 3.

I obviously boil the potatoes for 10/15 mins first before adding the other two.