They're quids in!

if your moving house don't waste your money on bubble wrap, use old catalogues or magazines to wrap your ornaments in. Its just as good and does'nt cost you a penny.

By LEAH WHITEHEAD. Posted January 31 2009 at 9:04 AM.

Hello Captain, Instead of buying expensive dog beds buy the value,smart price single duvet and quilt cover. It can sometimes only work out costing you a third of what an expensive dog bed will cost and they love it snuggling into it.

By craig price. Posted January 26 2009 at 1:36 PM.

instead of buying new xmas tree decorations to our
xmas tree we use our poppies that we buy from royal british legion on the tree it also reminds us that there are our brave troops away at xmas

By caroline gardner. Posted November 6 2008 at 11:07 AM.

If you peel your potatoes with a knife, add a drop of oil to the left over peelings and put into the oven whilst cooking other things, add a little salt and you have great crisps for snacking and dipping... and for free!

By s.ridley. Posted October 23 2008 at 11:41 PM.

Never go shopping on an empty stomach as you more likely to buy things that look tasty but do not need.

Also, when going to work, instead of buying a bottle of water each day, fill your own bottle at home and bring it each day and save £££.

By martin pidhajeckyj. Posted October 23 2008 at 10:09 PM.

We have stooped using expensive shampoo, shower gel and body wash and now use just one product for all the family ... value baby shampoo and at only 30p a bottle it is a big saving with four kids. Worth a try and less bottles to keep in the bathroom too.

By Jenna Fox. Posted October 22 2008 at 8:39 AM.

Top Tip instead of buying expensive facial wipes use baby wipes at less than a quarter of the price yet do exactly the same thing. And you get 3 times more wipes.

By K Bailey. Posted October 21 2008 at 6:16 PM.

Always make a shopping list and only buy what
you need. Cook enough food which will last for
two days and refrigerate or freeze half to serve
at a later date.

By Mrs Jill Jones. Posted October 20 2008 at 5:32 PM.

Run out of bleach, try using shaving cream does a nice job and leaves your bog fresh too

By Jake Moran. Posted October 20 2008 at 4:00 PM.

I grabbed one of Ryanair's free flights to Oslo, to deliver this year's Christmas presents to my sister and her family, who live there. I usually pay Royal Mail at least £30 to post them, every year. It was much more fun this way, and I picked up our presents too!

By Brita Bevis. Posted October 18 2008 at 8:42 AM.

hi there do you have difficulty getting off what has boiled over onto your cooker, worry no more just get a can of pepsi, you can put it in a spray bottle if you like, spray it on your cooker and leave to soak in, "hey presto" all the mess will be gone to leave your cooker sparkling, so no need to buy anymore oven cleaners, with the money you have saved you can treat yourself, enjoy.

By Sheila Parkes. Posted October 17 2008 at 2:41 PM.

Go shopping late at night before shop closing and you will get loads of reduced items!

By vicky roberts. Posted October 17 2008 at 11:14 AM.

Some Pharmacys run minor ailments schemes that saves you visiting the doctor. In some cases treatments/medicines can be free instead of paying for prescriptions.

By Gemma Farr. Posted October 16 2008 at 7:34 PM.

A good way to earn a little for xmas is,do on line surveys some offer you money others offer you vouchers for high street stores.I have already bought my daughter a toddler bed that she badly needed and my nephews and nieces a dvd each for xmas from the money and vouchers i have recieved from doing these surveys.I do these in the evenings when kids are asleep and it helps a lot.

By nicky. Posted October 16 2008 at 2:38 PM.

Crunch-Busting Treat
If you want to treat your kids to a trip to the cinema without breaking the bank, here's how - check out your local vue cinema for the weekend 'kids am' showings. Each weekend they show a great kids film for only £1.74 per child and adults go free!

By Amanda Partington. Posted October 16 2008 at 10:52 AM.

Before doing my main shop at my local supermarket, I check out the store's website and note down all the BOGOF offers, and money saving offers, then stock up on items for the future.

By mrs v sutton. Posted October 15 2008 at 8:20 PM.

when the kettle has boiled and you have made the tea, fill the kettle back up with the amount of water you need,and when you need to use the kettle again the water will be room temperature, so it won't take as long to boil, works with gas and electric kettles, so saving quite a bit of money over the year.

By Sheila Parkes. Posted October 15 2008 at 4:47 PM.

You can save on electricity or gas when you boil eggs by bringing them to the boil, then switching off the cooker. Leave them with a lid on tight and eggsactly seven minutes later (just enough time to toast and cut soldiers) you will have perfectly soft-boiled eggs.

By Eve Clements. Posted October 15 2008 at 4:32 PM.

if you bake, and you havent any eggs, use 1 teaspoon of vinegar to 1 egg, it works exactly the same, they used to do it in the war when eggs were scarce

By pat ward. Posted October 15 2008 at 11:55 AM.

when using electric plug in air fresheners, switch them off when you go out or go to bed, this will save electric and your refill will last longer

By donna kirkby. Posted October 15 2008 at 6:27 AM.

I have dug out my old teapot and now buy leaf tea, the saving is amazing 80 teabage (250g) costs £1.42 in our tesco but their tea leaves are just 67p for 250 grammes and it makes a lovely cuppa at just the right strength.

By mrs j perham. Posted October 14 2008 at 8:51 PM.

Before you go out to get your shopping,(especially dvd's and computer games ) go on a price comparison site and check the prices first. It is amazing what the difference can be from one shop to another.

By Karen Tiplady. Posted October 14 2008 at 7:06 PM.

Hello Captain,When washing up always put the liquid in before the water,this saves on liquid and the time it takes to clean up after.
Thanks Richard Brown,Telford

By Richard Brown. Posted October 14 2008 at 1:24 PM.

If you remove the drawer on your washing machine you will be amazed how much washing powder & softner dosnt get to your washing. If you clean it out on a monthly basis you will notice your laundry is cleaner & you wont need to use as much powder & softner.

By Xenia Hamnett. Posted October 14 2008 at 12:58 PM.

1. After i have shredded our important documents in the shredder my daughter then uses the shredded paper for extra bedding for her hamster this is cost effective instead of going straight into the bin.



2. When having a baby/toddler it is so easy to get mucky hands or food getting on your clothes, a quick way to get the mark off your clothes is to use a baby wipe, it wipes away most of the stain until you can put it in the washing machine.

By samantha chetwood. Posted October 14 2008 at 1:00 PM.

Save £1's by not buying newspapers or magazines, - go to your local library and read them all for free - also you're not using heating and lighting while you're out!

By eileen tickle. Posted October 13 2008 at 11:17 PM.

Save envelope received in post and put in any money off vouchers you collect throughout the week - make list of shopping on back of envelope - cost nothing to have everything at hand and definitely saves money when you get to the check out as you don't forget you have the vouchers. Also put in any vouchers that the cashier hands over so you can keep them for your next shop.

By Sheena Metcalfe. Posted October 13 2008 at 10:09 PM.

Look for cut price joint of meat (always one on at supermarket) - cook in oven at same time as e.g. Chilli Con Carni - organising and cook two meals for the cost of cooking one. Also prepare and cook enough vegetables to eat this evening and heat up tomorrow - again sames money and time on preperation and you already have meat left over from joint!
Freeze the chilli for another evening.

Everyone happy!

By Sheena Metcalfe. Posted October 13 2008 at 10:05 PM.

Make sure your car tyres are inflated to the optimum pressure- it will save you £££££'s on fuel and keep you safer too, great stuff!

By Caroline Gallen. Posted October 13 2008 at 8:50 PM.

Draw up a fortnights menu and shop accordingly online, getting fresh items from the weekly market. You still see the offers and are not as tempted and it cuts the delivery fee in half.You can also scroll down your list and delete anything you don't really need.

By Avis Swain. Posted October 13 2008 at 7:59 PM.

My tip for everyone would be to look on the internet for discount code websites. You can get some really good deals on them. I even saved 20% on my new fridge freezer from Currys! Just one thing, look out for vouchers/codes that have expired as many websites still show these which can be extremely annoying!

By Rachel Daisley. Posted October 13 2008 at 8:33 PM.

When making a roast save the fat from the meat and use it for the next time u make roast potatoes, they taste great!

By John hope. Posted October 13 2008 at 8:25 PM.

Dont waste money on expensive bin liners, use supermarket carrier bags instead. The handles can be tied together to secure the contents and thrown straight into your outside bin.

By Helen Irons. Posted October 13 2008 at 5:14 PM.

Turn off the radiators in rooms that are not used and keep all the doors closed to stop cold air circulating around the house.

By Eric Steel. Posted October 13 2008 at 4:27 PM.

when cooking either on top of the cooker or using the oven .turn off the gas or electric several minutes before what ever you are cooking would be finished off. as the heat in the water,pan or oven will still be hot enough to carry on cooking for several minutes . this will save you loads.

By phil butterworth. Posted October 13 2008 at 4:42 PM.

Cut open tubes of moisturiser, conditioner, shampoo etc. Ther is always a lot of the product left at the bottom which the squeezie dispenser can't get to, try it, it really works!

By pauline lynn. Posted October 13 2008 at 4:01 PM.

Poundland!
The best thing since sliced malt loaf

Beat the credit crunch and get amazing deals,
cheap food
cheap books
cheap hair products
cheap makeup
cheap christmas gifts
cheap halloween stuff

cheap as in £1

This christmas, go to poundland and get some fab deals!

By gina. Posted October 13 2008 at 2:43 PM.

School dinners cost about £10 per week now. So we bought our daughter a food flask ( aprox £3.99) and we now give her the left overs from the previous nights evening meal. Reheated in the microwave for 3 minutes before school keeps it hot for up to 6 hours. She has a hot, healthy, nutritional meal for lunch every day at school which costs us nothing. A typical meal would be stew, cottage pie, or pork casserole. She has even been given a healthy lunchbox award by the dinner ladies and we have saved £10 per week.

By Becky LAight. Posted October 13 2008 at 3:00 PM.

Avoid grocery shopping when you are hungry - it will stop you adding unnecessary items to your basket - shop on a full stomach!

Also, try and nip to the Supermarket late in the evening when alot of food is reduced. Meat, fruit & veg and bread can often be found marked right down in price, some of which can still be frozen for a later date.

By Simon Armstrong. Posted October 13 2008 at 2:58 PM.

Dont waste food. Boil up the bones from your Sunday Roast with carrots, onion and celery and use as a stock for homemade soup.

By Sarah Barnes. Posted October 13 2008 at 1:06 PM.

Intsead of buying tomato ketchup, brown sauce and salad cream in normal size bottles, but cheaper catering packs and re-fill your empty bottles.

By Eric Fisher. Posted October 13 2008 at 1:18 PM.

Clear out all clutter from your car boot and keep your tyres correctly inflated . You will be surprised at how much petrol this saves you.

By susan makepeace. Posted October 13 2008 at 12:40 PM.

Living on £1 a day

If you hadn’t noticed, we are in a credit crunch!

Soooooo, I’ve come up with some ideas hopefully to help with that and be a perfect excuse to socialise!
* Sharing books with each other is cheaper than buying.
* Raid newspapers for coupons for free cinema tickets, lunches, ice skating and bowling.
* Sign up for one-off gym trial days and pool sessions.
* Free samples of shampoo, toothpaste and washing-up liquid in magazines.
* Clothes swapping parties with friends.
* Buy in bulk.
* Use a hobby to help you earn.

Well, there's a few ideas to get you started and I hope that its helped. Happy saving!
Katie X

By Katie Neal. Posted October 13 2008 at 11:48 AM.

Save money on electricity by filling empty plastic bottles with water and use them to fill the freezer. It is a lot cheaper to keep water cold than it is to keep air cold!

By Andrew Conway. Posted October 13 2008 at 12:18 PM.

My reader tip would be, don't waste money on detangling potions for your wet hair just comb some lemonade through it, it really works

By anna pearce. Posted October 13 2008 at 12:14 PM.

Make storage by putting all your belts, bags hats scarves and other bits and pieces into a box and keeping in the bottom of your wardrobe.

By Deborah Thomas. Posted October 13 2008 at 11:24 AM.

if special offers were sold out at tesco and asda years ago they used to give you a 'rain cheque' so the item could be bought later when in stock. i tried this at tesco last week amd it still works, and will get 4 packs of cat food for half price when they stock up and the offer has finished!

By pam critchley. Posted October 13 2008 at 10:11 AM.

my top tip is

running out of vinegar?, use the vinegar from the jar of pickled onions we all have in the cupboards

By matthew wood. Posted October 13 2008 at 9:11 AM.

gently squeeze new toilet rolls,it stops kids
pulling too many sheets at once

By rich downton. Posted October 13 2008 at 1:11 AM.

Filling kettles to the brim is false economy so when boiling a kettle,measure in exactly how many cups you require. It is amazing how quickly the kettle boils and how much gas you can save

By Stephen Dixon. Posted October 12 2008 at 11:18 PM.

when putting your cenrul heating on this winter turn off the radiaters in the rooms not going to be used that day and that will save a few quid over the year if you remember to do this every time you use it

By j hands. Posted October 12 2008 at 10:55 PM.

For all new mums. Keep your sample bottle of Dettol surface cleaner from your bounty packs. Its small enough to keep in your changing bag and use when out and about and saves you buying a pack of disfectant wipes.

By Andrew lee. Posted October 12 2008 at 9:46 PM.

If your nail varnish has gone thick and hard to use put in some nail varnish remover and you can get lots more use from the bottle.

By karen.boswell@skanska.co.uk. Posted October 12 2008 at 9:21 PM.

If you have problems with getting a lid of a jar off put an elastic band round the top of the lid and it will open easy.

By Karen Boswell. Posted October 12 2008 at 9:17 PM.

If you have trouble opening your jars at home put an elastic bank around the lid and the lid comes off easy.

By Karen Boswell. Posted October 12 2008 at 9:16 PM.

Look around the home at how many electrical items you have and then switch off those that are not used regularly such as microwaves, food processors dvd players.

By Sharon McGurk. Posted October 12 2008 at 8:49 PM.

At beginning of the month I plan meals for the entire month, then add up how many items I will need then bulk buy items such as passata, beans, pasta, cereals, toilet rolls, shower gels and toiletries. I then visit the shops that offer the best value for these items and this reduces number of visits to supermarkets during the month and being tempted to buy extras. Any offers on large cuts of meat I snap up and then slice into three joints and freeze down and this is Sunday roast sorted for 3 weeks. It has saved a great deal and also means husband and daughters know what is for tea and can even prepare it!

By Sharon McGurk. Posted October 12 2008 at 8:46 PM.

Save money by avoiding the city shops as much as possible - don't nip into town for something to do on a Saturday afternoon. You'll buy things you don't need! Instead, go for a walk in the park or visit some friends. You'll feel much better for it too.

By Adrian Davies. Posted October 12 2008 at 8:18 PM.

Don't use standby buttons on your tv or any other electrical appliance - it keeps on using electricity even though it appears to be turned off. Use the on/off switch instead.

By Lindsey Till. Posted October 12 2008 at 8:14 PM.

When you've finished using a room turn the light off! I'm sure evryone of us have left the light burning for no reason at all, the bathroom and kitchen especially.

By Scott Anthony. Posted October 12 2008 at 8:08 PM.

Any elderly relatives to buy for? Join forces with other family members and make up a food hamper for them. It will be much appreciated... but don't forget to add a couple of luxury items.

By Mrs Barbara Trigg. Posted October 12 2008 at 7:22 PM.

Christmas, get together with close family and agree on a token sum - say £10 - to spend on each present. Everyone saves and no embarrassing overspends on pressies.

By barbara trigg. Posted October 12 2008 at 7:18 PM.

dvd/ps2 games lightly scratched or won't load. Take a blob of toothpaste and rub it gently with your finger over the surface of the disc. Rinse off and pat dry with a soft cloth. Ready to go.

By L. Simmonds. Posted October 12 2008 at 6:29 PM.

You can buy special insulation sheets to put behind radiators to reflect the heat back into them. Cardboard wrapped in aluminium foil does this too.

By Terry Cornick. Posted October 12 2008 at 5:57 PM.

You can buy special insulation sheets to put behind radiators to reflect the heat back into them. Cardboard wrapped in aluminium foil does this too.

By Terry Cornick. Posted October 12 2008 at 5:57 PM.

tip 1. instead of using expensive ironing water,
dilute fabric conditioner into a cheap spray bottle with water and lightly spray on the clothes,
this way its far cheaper and lasts allot longer!

tip 2. always boil the amount you need in the kettle,
saves on water and electricity.

By roseanne hagon. Posted October 12 2008 at 5:50 PM.

My reader tip would be: When having a roast dinner, with left over meat, why not make a curry and use it the next night for tea. It tastes just as good.

By K.Moore. Posted October 12 2008 at 5:40 PM.

Dont waste extra electricity boiling the kettle to make your gravy, just use the boiling water that you have cooked your vegetables in, it will also taste better

By Neil Chapman. Posted October 12 2008 at 5:16 PM.

Another tip for sealed plastic containers especially make-up, face creams etc. Cut the end off the tube and use from the bottom. You will be amazed at how much is left inside these. Just fold over and use a household peg or paperclip to re-seal.

By Lesley Shroder. Posted October 12 2008 at 4:34 PM.

My tip is for mascara. Tubes seem to dry out quite quickly but if you put them in a cup of hot water just before applying it loosens the fluid and you can get up to another month or more daily use from them.

By Lesley Shroder. Posted October 12 2008 at 4:29 PM.

I have two tips

1, If you like the breakfast cereals that are blended with fruits and fibre/wheat flakes then try buying cheap branded wheatabix/flakes and mix with cheap branded raisins fruits. You'll get much more for your money and will have a even blend of cereal and fruits as it won't settle in the box!

2, Don't fret over expensive holidays abroad or in the UK. Use the Sun holiday offers as they are excellent and you can go all over the UK at places you may not have been able to afford previously. I have taken my children every year for the last six years and we love our holidays.

By Louise Church. Posted October 12 2008 at 3:07 PM.

Every few months, make sure you take an electricity meter reading and phone it in yourself. You'd be suprised how many bills are on estimated readings and, over the year, my electricty company owes me £32.00 which I'm saving for Christmas when I'll request a cheque back from them

By Samantha Austin. Posted October 12 2008 at 1:46 PM.

For very cheap window cleaner dilute consontrated car screen washer fluid,cheap and effective!

By N Campion. Posted October 12 2008 at 12:12 PM.

When we cook the sunday dinner and roast in the oven. I usually pop in 3 or 4 decent sized jacket potatoes as well. We dont eat these with the dinner but warm them up briefly in the microwave later in the evening for a light supper with coleslaw and cottage cheese. The potatoes would normally take about 1 hour in my electric oven to cook on their own but because theyve been done at the same time as the roast thats a big saving in power and they still taste as good.
Jen.

By Jennifer Taylor. Posted October 12 2008 at 12:26 PM.

my reader tip would be. buy full fat milk then over 3 days water down to make semi skimmed ,saves buying daily plus cuts down on fat intake, always keep refrigerated.

By claire taylor. Posted October 12 2008 at 12:25 PM.

Save money on white goods by shopping in places with B-grade stock. The goods often have just small scratches along the side of fridges or dishwashers which you wouldn't see under the counter and can make a real difference in cost.

By clare nicklin. Posted October 12 2008 at 12:22 PM.

My Readers Tip Would Be
Instead of buying expencive stain removers for white shirts that have ink on them, use hairspray to remove the mark.
Put the inkstained shirt on a coathanger ,spray the stain ,let it dry and repeat if need be , then wash, the stay comes out.

By kathleen pryce. Posted October 12 2008 at 12:26 PM.

Don't buy fastfood meals,they are unhealthy as well expensive.Insted with that fiver you can have a roast chicken with patatos for all the family.Buy fresh and cook in home.Do not waste food,keep that in fridge.

By rudina tobli hayes middlesex. Posted October 12 2008 at 11:12 AM.

My reader tip would be. Crumble old bread and unused crusts with cheese to make into toppings for pasta dishes or to sprinkle on top of roased veg.

By Lindsay Robson. Posted October 12 2008 at 11:43 AM.