Cascais is right, joke with the attendant, sales rep who ever I always ask for discounts or if they say 400 if I've to get my car fixed I always jokingly say I'll give you 200, they know you're serious but can't pull you on it and they usually take the hint and give you money off.

P.S. This doesn't work in shops unless you buy several big items, then just ask " Can you do anything better on that??

DO NOT do this in Supermarkets etc, just in trade environments etc. as I can't afford to bail you out if it turns ugly lol

Someone mentioned checking your receipt for overcharges, and I agree! In Tesco they have some policy that if you have been overcharged and go the customer service, you get your money back, and get to keep the item.

I also always compare prices to see what size packet is cheaper of the same product. You would think that the biggest size is cheaper, because of less packaging, but that is not the case in Ireland! Refills are not always cheaper either, which really makes me angry. You should have an incentive for buying the environmentally friendly one, especially since the package material cost is less for the producer! I still buy refills if they are the same price though, for the environmental benefit. Probably reinforcing the high price in the process, so maybe I'm stupid for doing so.

I always stock up on hygiene products and cleaning products when they are on offer. Things like that don't go out of date quickly, which can be a problem if stocking up on food.

I look at the "reduced" shelf for products that are about to go out of date. They often have ready meals, and these are fine a day or so after expiry, and good for bringing as lunches. If I'm not going to eat it within 2 days after expiry, I freeze it straight away, and it will be fine at least for a few weeks.

With all food items- don't just rely on expiry date, rely on your sense of taste, smell- and sight! In my native country, they have a huge campaign about this at the moment, because people throw out perfectly good food, just because it has passed the expiry date with a day or so. The only things I'm very careful about are meat and fish, especially if uncooked.

I travel a lot, and whether I'm going by car, train or plane, I bring sandwhiches or fruit, and a water bottle.

Out of date food
 

I agree with Merienne and always have to remind myself that 'Best Before' and 'Use by' are different things. I always keep 'Best Before' long after it's date. Also that racket of multipacks being dearer per kilo/litre than the smaller quantities seems to happen everywhere, I always look at the per unit price now.

Yeah I agree. I particularly noticed this with Weetabix 48/72 packs. Sometimes they have the 'per kilo' price on the shelf and the larger one is always dearer. I've taken to checking the prices using the calculator on my phone.

Wow some really great tips and some excellent ideas cant wait to try these out and read some more................Chamallo

i buy two types of washing liquid, the one good brand for my clothes and the supermarket own valu range one <cheapest one> for washing bathroom mats and jeans and anything else rough!
saves my good expensive washing powder/liquid for clothes only and it lasts much longer

large containers of white vinegar
 

Vinegar
 

Your local Cash and Carry sell 5 litre containers.

If you don't want to go to cash and carry ask at your local chipper.

Great deal!
 

I realize that this might be a bit off topic but I am so pleased with my deal (and it is greenish).
I have just got back from London, and I would normally stay in a hotel but a friend of mine recommended renting an apartment instead. I gave it a go and I would advise anyone and everyone to do it! The place I booked was nicer than any hotel I can afford and with the money I saved I could go to fancy restaurants and things like that. And my host was so lovely, I had the best time.

Money saving tips
 

Just found this thread and found some advice very useful. Here are a few of my tips;

1. Best way to save fuel is to list all the places you need to go to before jumping in the car. You could for example go shopping on the way to collect kids etc.
2. there are web sites out there that give practical fuel saving advice like emptying boot, correct tyre pressure, not filling fuel tank with heavy fuel etc.
3. My Wife, kids and friends all use the same mobile phone provider so we can call each other fro free as long as we top up every month.
4. When cooking food in a pot you can save time and money by bringing dish to a boil, turning off gas and covering pot with a towel or two. This stops the heat escaping and the dish slowly cooks while cooling down. Works best for rice, pasta etc. It is sometimes necessary to heat up before eating to cook through. I did this for years in when flat sharing. I would boil food in a pot, turn off heat, cover pot and go to work. Come home later and heat up.
5. Get car parts, or any appliance spare parts on-line. You can get mechanic to diagnose car problem, you get parts and mechanic fits them. I often get spares like side mirrors from scrap yards.
6. Having a community garden gets you socially involved with neighbours and you get to grow your own food. This is cheaper on materials but takes a lot of time. But is you enjoy it and enjoy the company then you are getting fresh air and exercise which is an added benefit.

Some money saving tips for you that I have started doing recently:

1) Break the dishwasher tablet in half if your dishes haven't food baked onto them. I do this all the time and the dishes come out perfectly and I use LIDL tablets. This means a box of tablets will last 2 months instead of one.

2) If you use liquid soap to wash your hands, instead of buying a new dispenser each time just refill them! I bought Tesco's own brand bubble bath for 79 cents and so far have got 4 refills from a 1 litre bottle, and as Tesco say every little helps! You can also use another refilled dispenser as shower gel saving even more.

3) If you are making a mince dish and need to stretch it a bit, just add some porridge oats. They soak up the juices of the meat and nobody will notice the difference!

4) When I buy a sliced pan I halve it and freeze one half as we were constantly throwing out half a loaf especially in warm weather.

5) I keep a bottle of diluted washing up liquid beside the sink and use that for items like saucepans. When I empty the saucepan I just squirt some of the diluted liquid into the saucepan add water and leave on the hob which is cooling down, normally just a quick run around with the washing up brush and the saucepan is clean.

Wow love all the useful tips will have to try some of them............cheers

i am using the paper potatoes bags brown inside layer to cover school books comes up well when ironed! would also use it for posting parcels.

If anyone mentioned that before, sorry for repeating ;)

What i find very useful when shopping is:
1. plan your meals for whole week
2. make shopping list based on your meals plan
3. do your main grocery shopping once a week.

Thanks that you reduce your spending on grocery and better use products you bought (e.g. if you buy minced meat you can use it for spaghetti and meat balls, or mushrooms for sause and pizza etc).

Tips
 

Hi,

When ironing smaller items like pillow cases, table napkins, serviettes etc, iron them three/four at a time...ie, layer the items on ironing board & as you iron, heat will be transferred " down the pile". As each item is finished, the next item will take less & less heat.

Even if you only have one portion left over after a meal, do not bin it - cool & freeze it. If you manage this a few times a week - you end up with several meals & no effort!