money saving- tips/ ideas

[hope07]

Hi Ladies- Decided to change my loyalties re supermarkets! Used to do it all at Asda, but found I spent loads and never seemed to get enough for the week, so thought I'd try a change...so done my weekly shop at Lidl today, spent £61 and got loads and food, and exspensive stuff like loo rolls/ wash powder/ coniditioner/ olive oil and a fair bit of meat- Sure the same at Asda would have been over £100-
They have an offer on loo rolls 20 for £4.99.
They also do free range large chickens for about £5 which I thought was fab value.

So thought I'd start a money saving thread, as its always nice to share where bargins and deals can be found!

[Kasha]

Good idea!
We usually do about half our shops at aldi, as they are not great on the vegetarian side at all! So we get the basics we can at aldi (plus some of the other fab things they do as they have themes, last week it was mexican so got lots of fajita spices and tortillas in now!) American this week (the steak seasoning is gorgeous apparently) Aldi nappies are pretty good as well, and if nowhere has a deal on huggies or pampers, i usually get a pack. I dont like the wipes tho.

I'm always on the look out for bargains and go in for a lot of BOGOF and so on, i have finally after many yrs, persuaded my hubby about the pros of bulk buying haha So whenever I'm in a supermarket I always look for the special offers for washing powder, comditioner, shampoos etc...all the non perishables, even if i know I don't ned them, and I can honestly say I have not paid normal price ffor anything like that for years, except for the odd bottle of shampoo for me or the girls (i have sensitive skin so I can't buy just anything unfortunately!)

Quality Save/Home Bargains are always worth a delve as they often have some end of line stuff. I make sure i go in everytime i am in town. You just have to watch the expiry dates if buying food items but I've never had a problem.

Morrisons have a baby event on this week (not sure when it finishes)

Sainsburys have a deal on pampers sensitive wipes, 2 packs of 6 for a tenner. They also have huggies wipes on BOGOF

[noodles1609]

How about earning money back and vouchers on your purchases - if you shop online you can get good cashback from sites like quidco (http://www.quidco.com/user/465328/) or join a shopping panel like shop and scan (http://www.volunteer4panels.com/) - they send you a clicker to scan all your shopping for weekly points, they start you off with a tenners worth, and you can earn another tenner every 9 weeks, or sooner if you scan your receipts in too. I've just joined on referral from my mum - she got enough vouchers in 4 months to decorate 3 rooms!

[Pink Cadillac]

Hi ladies
Not a foodie one I'm afraid, but a good one!
www.cosmeticsfairy.co.uk are just fab; they have 1000's of make up/beauty items for less than 99p! /For example, a full size Rimmel lippie is 25p)(This includes Maybelline, Loreal. Urban Decay, Boots, Barry M etc). It's free delivery over 15 quid and they deliver within 3 days usually. I honestly thought it was too good to be true at first til I ordered a few times, most of the stuff has been discontinued and is wholesale.
They do gift sets too, all heavily discounted.
Fab for presents; this Xmas I bought 50 items of makeup for my mum and put them in a hamper. In Boots it would've cost an absolute fortune, it cost me 45 quid and she now has enough makeup to last years lol
Here's the direct link to the under 99p page:
http://www.cosmeticsfairy.co.uk/99p-or-under.html

Happy make-up'ing!
Amy
xxx

[SilverLining]

For the likes of soap powder, fab con, toilet rolls and dog food, we always go to our local cash n carry. They do fab offers and the sizes are huge! Not everyone can join one so it won't benefit all. I also try to get all my toiletries, nappies, wipes and medicines from Boots. I use their reward card and can quite easily save up over £100 in points a year. The same with Sainsbury's and their reward card. Most stores reward schemes can be used in other stores or online so check on the websites. A couple of month back I found out I could join my nectar card to eBay. So as I was getting bargains, I was also getting more points!

I also join all the mother/baby clubs and get vouchers sent through for numerous items each month. I won't use all of them so will happy send them on to anyone who might benefit from them.
I used to always check money saving experts site and find loads of bargains and codes for items. There is also a bit type thing that will tell you the cheapest place for any item you are wanting to buy. There is a thread on there for freebies too which is always nice!

Just a little tip for all those retail savings and offers, having worked in retail for 12 years, 99% of the stores end their promos on a Tuesday and new ones start Wednesday. Also, try to do a before price check if items are on offer as it may look like you are saving money but really you aren't. I think the only promos that you benefit from is the bogof but only if you already use that item.

[Kasha]

Just a tip to watch what you get from pound shops as they arent always good deals believe it or not. It pays to know how much you can expect to pay for similar things elsewhere!

[Pink Cadillac]

Just butting in again with another website

http://www.everything5pounds.com

A fab site where you can get any item of clothing/underwear/bags/shoes for just a fiver each. It's really good stuff and arrives quick too.
xxx