Money Saving Tips

[betsy10112000]

Originally Posted by cinderella

Tried your tip on the 'money off coupons' however I'm mainly getting sites for the US (i.e. dollars). Can you provide website details that you visit?

Many thanks for sharing these tips!

hi if you want a list of some of the sites i have found just send me a quick pm with your email address and i will send you the links

[glowmama]

This link was sent to me and I was dubious - but you get a full money back guarantee so I thought what the heck. The website says you'll save 15% to 27%, but I have to say that my husband and I have found a 10% reduction - still good. You can get them on www.fuelsaver.ie, the price is in dollars but there's someone here in Ireland distributing because we got ours four days after purchase with an Irish postmark. We've noticed benefits ... may be worth a try.

[glowmama]

Originally Posted by bluecurlygirl

That's a good one actually. Also, we're a curly family (hence the name!). My sister spent a fortune on a bottle of stuff in the hairdressers to spray on her daughters hair in the morning to detangle it (I think it was €10 for a small bottle - may have been more). I couldn't believe it. I bought a bottle years ago, it's for spraying plants and it cost less than a euro. I put a squirt of conditioner in it and top it up with water. Shake the living daylights out of it every time it's to be used and hey presto - much easier to brush. Of course my sister didn't believe me and continues to buy the expensive crap. Some people think you have to spend big money to get the results (and a hairdresser told me the stuff she's buying is the same as what I'm doing anway!). So a way to save money and to stop kids with curly hair screaming (or at least not quite as loudly!).

Wow! Your sister should listen to her big sister!

[glowmama]

Has pigsback.com been mentioned for food vouchers? By the way, petrol is 84.9c in Clones, Co. Monaghan. There seems to be a bit of a price war there between the two petrol stations out the Monaghan road. If yous are in the area, it'd be worth a visit.

[bluecurlygirl]

Originally Posted by glowmama

This link was sent to me and I was dubious - but you get a full money back guarantee so I thought what the heck. The website says you'll save 15% to 27%, but I have to say that my husband and I have found a 10% reduction - still good. You can get them on www.fuelsaver.ie, the price is in dollars but there's someone here in Ireland distributing because we got ours four days after purchase with an Irish postmark. We've noticed benefits ... may be worth a try.

Hi there,

Went to the link there. Was it hard to install? Has it cut down on your emissions do you know (or does anyone here on jt know how you'd check that). Also, if it's being supplied from Ireland then surely they should give you an address for claiming your money back if it doesn't work. It'd be a pain in the ass if you had to send it back to the usa. Quite good price though. Would love to hear more info on it. Has it made your car run smoother?

[bluecurlygirl]

Originally Posted by glowmama

Wow! Your sister should listen to her big sister!

Who said I was her big sister!?!? Size is irrelevant (or so men would have you believe anyway). Anyhoo, back to subject.

[kiara]

Originally Posted by bluecurlygirl

That's a good one actually. Also, we're a curly family (hence the name!). My sister spent a fortune on a bottle of stuff in the hairdressers to spray on her daughters hair in the morning to detangle it (I think it was €10 for a small bottle - may have been more). I couldn't believe it. I bought a bottle years ago, it's for spraying plants and it cost less than a euro. I put a squirt of conditioner in it and top it up with water. Shake the living daylights out of it every time it's to be used and hey presto - much easier to brush. Of course my sister didn't believe me and continues to buy the expensive crap. Some people think you have to spend big money to get the results (and a hairdresser told me the stuff she's buying is the same as what I'm doing anway!). So a way to save money and to stop kids with curly hair screaming (or at least not quite as loudly!).

Are you talking about 2phase? I love the smell of it but it's ridiculously priced! The salons make a fortune from products and the majority of salons give commission to stylists/improvers/even juniors for products sold so they will always push them on you! Still I love that 2phase lol, Kiara x

[bluecurlygirl]

Hello Kiara my little pet, you caught me before going to bed. Long drive to the coldest town in Ireland (birr!) tomorrow. I don't know what it's called. But it's ridiculously priced when you think you can make up a litre of stuff for a couple of cent (one decent squirt of conditioner and water - which is free for now!) And it still smells good and it conditions your hair.
Anyway, night night jt. Sweet dreams.

[kiara]

Originally Posted by HappyHunter

Nicely put indeed and I totally agree



Yes I do barter, like for instance last year I spent time searching for a shed for a friend who is a tiler, I managed to get a shed for him and he did some tiling for me.

I also sorted out his laptop which is to be paid for by more tiling.

I have actually bartered with people around the world, some of my own formulations of natural creams for something they can send me - exchange of energy :)

The idea of babysitting and pet sitting is a good one :)

rowing our own organic veg and fruit is in the pipeline this year.

Also I'm not sure where I read the idea of creating vouchers as gifts. My 18 year old niece had no money to buy gifts for her parents and siblings this Christmas so I suggested she create a book of vouchers for each of them.

She had the following in the voucher books she created:

For her mom:

Foot massage x 3 vouchers
Shoulder massage x 3 vouchers
Make over x 3 vouchers
House cleaning x 3 vouchers
Brother sitting x 3 vouchers
Car cleaning x 3 vouchers
Yard Cleaning x 3 vouchers

For her dad she had vouchers for Poo patrols, dish washing, cooking, car cleaning and so on.

For her brothers she has vouchers for cleaning their rooms, play time, football playing, story reading, and so on.

For her sister she had Girls afternoon, make overs, room cleaning and other similar promises.

The idea is they give her a voucher when they want to claim the offer.

When they visited me they were full of chat about the gifts she had given them and all agreed they were the best they had received :)

This idea can be used for birthdays also.

My teenage sister gave me a voucher for two free nights of babysitting for xmas, great idea! I hope I get another for my birthday :)

[glowmama]

Regarding www.fuelsaver.ie - the company is in Fermanagh. You can see this at the bottom of the page.

[SantasLittleHelper]

There on eBay for only 5.95 - looks like the same kind of thing. There giving a 30 day money back guarantee. Think I'll grab one.

http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...m=270338617058

[xmillyx2007]

Originally Posted by gillo

Hi betsy, this all sounds brilliant especially the internet shopping but I'd love to know how you pay for stuff on the internet without either a credit or laser card. I'm really curious to know, it would be brilliant to do this. Recently, on a trip to Scotland my husband and I tried to rent a car and simply could not do it without a credit card, (we got rid of ours a year ago), none of the companies would even accept laser cards. It was so frustrating, so I'm really interested to know how it's done. Thanks, gillo

Hi Gillo, I do not own any credit cards myself, i do have a lazer card and a paypal account, but my partner also has a 3V card it works excatily the same as a credit card you just order it online on 3V.ie and they post it out to you within 5 working days normaly. All you do is whenever your buying anything via the internet you top this card up with the ammount you need and it gives u a ref no to print in where you normaly print in ur credit card number, expiary date ect... There is a small fee for this card though like any credit card, but the thing i find good about it is that you cannot over spend because you can only spend what you put on it, excatily like a lazer but you can use it for everything, well everything i've tried so far, like stuff on ebay, trips to england ect... You just top them up in most shops...
Hope this is off interest to you, regards Milly.

[xmillyx2007]

Originally Posted by erica

For budgeting and money saving advice, check out the Money Advice and Budgeting Service MABS website, www.mabs.ie . You can use their budget spreadsheet to calculate outgoings. If you find yourself in financial difficulty, you can make an appointment with a trained money advisor. The service is free and confidential. They can help you to negotiate with your creditors to come to an acceptable and affordable repayment plan.

For those on very low incomes or totally dependant on social welfare, the Community Welfare Officer can offer help, in the form of an Exceptional Needs Payment for many different things. They can also help with grants for First Holy Communion and Confirmation expenses.

Family Income Supplement is a payment made to families on low incomes, where at least one spouse is in employment of 19 hours or more.
FIS income limits in 2009:
From January 2009, if you have: And your family income is less than:
One child €500
Two children €590
Three children €685
Four children €800
Five children €920
Six children €1,030
Seven children €1,160
Eight children €1,250

So if you have one child and your income from is say, €400
you would qualify for €60 FIS.

It's important to be aware, that no matter how little you may qualify for, you will still get a minimum of €20 each week.
Check out www.welfare.ie

If you are a single parent, you can claim an additional tax credit. If your child lives with your ex and spends only part of the week/weekend with you, you are still entitled to claim the allowance.

Hi Erica,
I just read your tread and am very interested to kow how this works my partner has no work at the minute so we are currently on bennifts, But he get his son from a previous relationship at the weekends, either friday till saturday or saturday till sunday. He pays maintenance of 60 euro a week and as i said were on bennifts so were struggling to make the payments each week but have to as its court order. So does this mean he can claim for his son too? As 60euro a week is crippling me... regards milly...

[kiara]

Originally Posted by xmillyx2007

Hi Erica,
I just read your tread and am very interested to kow how this works my partner has no work at the minute so we are currently on bennifts, But he get his son from a previous relationship at the weekends, either friday till saturday or saturday till sunday. He pays maintenance of 60 euro a week and as i said were on bennifts so were struggling to make the payments each week but have to as its court order. So does this mean he can claim for his son too? As 60euro a week is crippling me... regards milly...

If 60euro was court ordered when he was employed he can appeal it now that he's not, kiara x

[xmillyx2007]

Originally Posted by kiara

If 60euro was court ordered when he was employed he can appeal it now that he's not, kiara x

Hi Kiara
Yes it was ordered when he was working, Don't get me wrong i belive everybody should pay for there kids i'm not saying anything like that but if your struggling to keep your head above water there should be some leyway...
He is in the process of trying to come to an agreement because neither of them want or need the hassle of going back to the courts.(but they can't agree on anything) So looks like there will be a trip back and soon. Milly.