Ways to save Money ( House, Bills and General Day to Day)
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This may come off as weird but can anyone tell me that they do around the house or bills wise in order to save money.
My friend said that when she goes out everything apart from fridge and freezer gets turned off at the mains. She also said that she charged her phone and Ipad up at the local library whilst she is there to use computer for work. Whilst she is there she uses wifi to download stuff to watch for when she is back at home and is on a family members Netflix account.
I do the same as your friend. I work a couple of hours a day and do it from my local library as we don't have internet at home. I use their wifi and also charge both phone and Ipad up whilst at library. I am on my sisters Netflix so download stuff onto the ipad to watch at home. I got given some power banks last year and charge them up whilst at library too and use them when my phone is almost about to lose battery. I always keep fridge and freezer on but most things get turned off by the mains. My partner has a gym near work and uses their showers, he also charges his phone up at work. I don't live alone and live with a few others so I am lucky I don't have to pay full rent and bills and so its cheaper living with others. Apps such as Shopmium, Checkoutsmart and GreenJin are great from getting some money knocked off your bill. I get quite a few things from free on Checkoutsmart and shopmium.
Chelsea0121 Ive already got Shopmium but thanks for the heads up on the 2 other apps.
This may sound cheeky but I always ask for gift sets for Christmas this way I save buying a lot of it throughout the year. My dad said he got enough shower gel and deodorant to last him until he gets to 70 and he only 62 now. He also using candles, tealights to light up living room instead of turning lights on. He gets thermal sock, bottoms and tops every couple of years for Christmas so that's how he will stay warm without using gas, he will also put blanket or jacket it if still cold after putting thermal on under his clothes. If I ever get a good deal on toothpaste or find good shaving foam/cream I pass onto him too.
SarahfromLeeds I get gift sets too for Christmas. This may sound bad but I haven't bought shower gel or moisturiser for about 3 years, I always used from the gift sets. I always look for deals wherever I can and I have decided to save up vouchers that I would earn from here onto my Amazon account for getting people Christmas present.
SarahfromLeeds Using candles instead of mains electricity doesn't save money.
A candle will produce just over 12 lumens (of light).
A 1 watt led light (bayonet fitting 1watt bulbs are available for about £1) will produce between 75 and 110 lumens and so will give about 8 times more light and will run for one thousand hours on 1kw of electricity.
Candles might be very useful in power cuts or when no mains power is available, but as a means of saving money, when mains power is available, are a no brainer.
Even higher wattage LED bulbs are much more economical and are much less likely to burn the house down.
With the maximum price for electricity being capped at 34p per kwh it means a 1watt bulb will run for 30 hours for one penny - see if you can find any candles or night lights that can even compete.
Since writing the above I came across an article confirming what I wrote, and also saying that even using old type bulbs will still be cheaper than using candles.
www.householdmoneysaving.com/cheaper-to-use-candles-or-electricity/
It's well worth a read.
SarahfromLeeds For the past few years I've been buying my son toiletries for xmas/birthday. I buy a couple of things each week when shopping. I pack them in a shoe box or a bag. This way he gets not just deodorant/body spray and shower gel but toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes and shampoo. He usually ends up with almost enough to last the year
To cook pasta I’ve started to just leave it in the boiled water covered with a lid on instead of leaving the gas on and boiling it. Tastes the same to me and no one has complained at dinner time.
Charging phones/tablets at a library isn't a bad idea, but some batteries drain faster depending on their capacity and usage.
I have a Samsung tablet and when it reaches 70%, it turns itself off, so it only has 30% usable of battery. I use it just for radio/youtube.
My kids have fluffy pj's and bedding in winter as our house is very cold and it's always been expensive to keep it warm. This year I've bought them electric blankets aswell. We always have blankets on the sofa for cold evenings. I'd love advice on how to dry washing without having the heating on lots or using a tumble dryer. We have a line outside but that's no use when it's raining and I've read very mixed reviews on heated airers.
I use a heated throw and charge as many things at work as possible. When I’ve finished with the oven I leave the door open
I no longer watch daytime tv, it was only background company anyway. Getting an air fryer soon, lighting one room at a time and just thinking twice about all energy I use.
We all have fleecy pj's and fleecy hoodies to wear around the house. We also have blankets too. Even the dog has a jumper. We have a heated airer, although rarely turn it on, but brilliant when I need to. I leave the oven door open after using, although I don't use it that often these days.
Minor things I do are things like using an air fryer, I bought mine for £25 in B&M in January and I've literally used the oven 3 or 4 times since then, they're a great investment. I also use a weighted blanket at night which keeps you nice and warm, mine was a gift but again I think they're about £25. Not really one to talk on energy saving though as I have to use my PC pretty much all day and all night for work.
We also got a heated clothes airer from Robert Dyas for about £40 to use instead of the tumble dryer, the box says it costs 20p an hour to run. Nice way to heat a smaller room too
With water costs, when I need to wash my hair I do it over the bath and switch the shower off in between (ie wet hair, shower off, rub the shampoo in, shower on) - probably seems a bit excessive but it cuts water waste down massively and I know it might be helpful for some people
Thinking of everyone in such uncertain times, I really hope anyone who's struggling badly can get the help they need, and hopefully come the next election (or preferably before!) we'll see change x
try to get curtains in the house with blackout lining, this will keep draft from getting in from windows
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