The Money Saving Thread

Jesus, eco mode today was a long wait. Which reminds me I should put the other load on now because that 4 hour wait is excruciating.
I will however abide with this from now on unless some sleuth can tell me otherwise.

Fill up by eating Styrofoam peanut packaging rather than throwing them out. They're a bit like wotsits but without the flavour.

Someone mentioned an Amex card, if you use it a lot and have the patience to take advantage of all the offers they can be pretty good value. I was considering taking one out purely for their Airport Lounges, ideal for long haul flights. Covid put paid to that plan.

Those cheap overnight tariffs are coming back thanks to smart meters. We have one from octopus that’s cheap from midnight to 4;30am. Ideal for charging the car.

I mean I haven't sat and compared the energy meter after each use, but yeh I'm pretty sure it's accurate. Do some Google searches. 90% of the washing machine's energy use is on heating water, the motor and spinning is negligible. Longer washes mean slower heating and less water overall to heat, hence less energy used.

Nowhere near as silly as it sounds but yeah there is a time and place for it so maybe not suitable for most.

Essentially that's why we are in Alicante, the market was in the toilet and the wages were the same which meant we could afford to buy a house. Had it been Barcelona or San Sebastian then there would of been no chance without locking into a long term mortgage. As it stands after nearly 10 years we can afford to pay off the mortgage right now should we choose to.

It's also why parts around here are like little Britain/Europe. Those fat northern pensions tend to go a lot further over here. We would of moved somewhere anyway but the timing was very useful for us.

And to be fair you don't really need to move countries, generally if and opportunity comes up for a change of scenery you should grab it. Smaller country towns and rural areas can offer a drop in the cost of living too.

Potentially, but 30% (as an example figure I've seen flying around online) less energy for EVERY wash? That's gotta save some energy over time.

I've just said to my wife that we need to do the same.

I also said my eldest doesn't need a brand new rucksack for a weekend duke of edinburgh expedition when I've got a good one in the attic. The expedition is costing £200 already which is crazy (and the reason I didn't do DoE as a kid). I don't like being "that guy" but we don't have much spare money and what we do have need for things like carpets (thread bare) and curtains (missing or been here since we moved in) and rewiring. 

I've just put a load of washing on with the super eco mode. Doesn't even seem to heat the water which I'm sure will work well!

Eco does take a bloody long time though. I can have a load washed and through the tumble dryer in that time if I use a quick wash.

If that doesn't appeal to some, for those with kids they can be a free activity (as long as you don't buy them specifically) as they dissolve in water so it's a bit like magic the first time. Granted it's a one shot thing, and they have to be young enough to give a shit, but that's my only tip (and a shit one at that)

Chuck some soda crystals in too if you're in a hard water area.

We'll all be darning socks soon. Good grief.

Try and avoid tumble drying too, very uneconomical. Ideally line dry but a clothes horse inside with a window open (shut the room door to minimise heat loss in winter,) is more efficient.