I've been buying bulk 130 wash, washing powder packs, and dispensing into a smaller container in the kitchen.

The saving is nice, but storing the big box is a pain. It can also clump together under the weight, making it hard to pour after a while.

I've been looking for a cheap set of containers, but everything I've seen, costs several times more than the saving I'm making.

Does anyone do anything similar? Found any other solutions?

We use impulse sealers at work and they're great for sealing a standard medium duty (200 gauge/50 micron) poly bag so I was considering getting one for home to help freeze batch cooking we do but even the smaller 8" cheaper ones are large industrial shaped things and with a smallish kitchen we dont have a huge amount of worktop or storage space.

So while I was looking I also came across vacuum sealers where most of them also have a sealing strip which can be used on its own, separate from the vacuum function but after trying to read up on reviews and comparison sites I am now lost in a circle of different vacuum bag types (round bumps, triangle bumps, single sided, double sided) and whether one system will take any other systems bags, or even if I can use the sealing strip to just close up a standard non vacuum poly bag like the ones I have at work.

Honestly as much as the vacuum side of it goes, I probably would be sealing a basic poly bag more than using the vacuum function, but also I can see the benefit of having both for different use cases just with the added expense of £10 or £15 a time for specialist vacuum bags rather than a 1-2p a time for a poly bag, buying into eg a cheaper vac system that can only use expensive branded bags would work out more expensive in the long run.

However also I didnt just want to throw money at an expensive vac unit and find it also needs special bags or didnt seal standard polys.

At this point I could be grateful for anyone with some insight or experience across this technology. Thanks a lot.

I find that there are lots of things I'd really like to do until I think about the time and money cost and work effort it would take to be able to do those things and then its just not really worth it or 50/50.

These days I get more enjoyment out of saving my money and seeing it grow than I would from the experiences I could get from spending it.

This can be great for wanting to be frugal and save money but can also be a bad way to live because often I don't want to do anything because it would cost money. I don't even feel like I'm depriving myself because those things I could spend money on aren't a net positive over what they cost so I'm not better off for spending the money.

I'm wondering if anyone here can relate to this issue and your thoughts on it?

Any brand but apple the only thing I want most of all is a large battery 🤣

Hello My old Bosch second hand dishwasher has just broken. It did well - 5 years for £40. Its final act was to dishwasher water out the bottom of it. Im going to buy a ‘new’ dishwasher. What other discounts and options am I missing? Curry’s etc with topcashback Curry’s etc outlets on eBay Local shops selling graded stock

Is there a cheaper option I’m missing? I’d rather not buy properly second hand again after some bad experiences and no longer having an easy way to transport it properly

Am I missing any obvious discounts

Thanks

Hey fellow frugals- my partner and I are looking to take our 2 year old and her 3 sisters to the Aquarium for the day. The oldest sister is 18, so it would be 3 x adults and 3 x children (though the 18 year old is also provably diagnosed with autism which may entitle her to a discount?). Any advice grately appreciated, it's so expensive but we're really keen to go.

with summer soon approaching, myself and my gf are trying to find some low cost, enjoyable day trips mostly consisting of walking , hiking, sight seeing , would quite like to see a water fall and maybe see some markets. I live in Plymouth but willing to spend money to drive far as my car is very cost-effective. Any added details or cheap / free parking / overnight parking nearby would be incredible. I’m really trying to experience the world this summer, regardless of being broke.

Thanks in advance !

I usually buy cheap jeans which rip after a few months. Was wondering whether it would make more sense financially to buy one really good pair instead of 4/5 of low quality .

Hi all, I hope i ask in right place.
There is my plan and my vision of my lifestyle in UK:
Rent room about 300-400£(bill inc);
Food probably 150£? (nothing fancy and semifinished, simple but nutrition foods, no eating out);
Of course, I leave a reserve for hygiene products, bus, and so on. Probably 50£?
So is it possible to live to 500-600£ in month?

Why I need to live that cheap? My plan spend all of my free time for video editing, and make money from it. I already have some skills, just need to make some projects for good portfolio.

And according to my calculations I can work only 50 hour a month and its will be enouh to living.

UPD: realy need to update post for clarifying.
I dont expect live in London or fancy big city. For now.
I have savings for any extra situation (aropund £2700)
I'm not in a position to think about entertainment like netflix and others.
Clothes - I belive I can found some good stuff in secondhand. If you dont have some shops like House, H&M, Cropp.
Sure I expect to spend extra for first time for some house stuff like dishes.
And sure I can work some extra time for necessary stuff. I'm wondering how much it would cost to live without entertainment and ennecessary stuff.
And thank you all for answers. Anyway UK seems to mee most affordable place with english language and i will give it a shot.
UPD.UPD: How much work do you have to do to have enough for a cheap room, bills and food?
I think many people have this plan: work in any job and in same time study what you like and can bring good money. Is it possible work 4 hour a day and other time learn and base another career?

Will try to be brief.

Got my latest bill from British Gas and my electric energy useage has almost tripled. Noticed last month that my smart meter display stopped showing electricity usage so British Gas asked for a reading which I provided.

We are not using more energy.

These are the figures shown as energy used by our meter. The increase seems crazy. We have disputed the amount with BG and an engineer is booked. Anything else we should look out for? Our habits haven’t changed to account for this difference.

Mar 2023 124, April 2023 124.2, March 2023 109,

Mar 2024 142, Apr 2024 356, May 2024 456,

Has anyone got recommendations for a nice holiday for a week or two with wife toddler and dog? Pre child we camped a lot but for more than a few days with the toddler is quite hard work.

If anyone has abroad suggestions the dog can stay home with the family but uk based we like to take him with us.

My friends want to go to New York next year - any tips on doing it without breaking the bank?

just wondering if there's anything cheaper than the 6.99 6GB on uswitch?

what's the cheapest deal anybody's seen around?

(not interested in switching to a different provider)

Specifically their in-brand AM Shoe range which is usually leather. I've been eyeing up a pair of their leather Chelsea boots for £54 but not sure how the quality holds up. The store is ofc on the budget side of footwear choices, but I don't want to be spending more than like £70 on boots, so not sure what other good value options there are.

Hi all,

I don't actually have OCD but I spend a lot of time cleaning and I spend a fortune on bleaches, chemical cleaners, wipes etc etc.

I was wondering if it was worth buying a steam cleaner over all these chemicals is a bitter idea. Some of them range from a few hundred quid to a £50 handheld one.

Has anyone else swapped products for steam cleaning, have you got any recommendations? Or am I spending money with no way of saving?

Not concerned about electrical use - I'm on octopus agile so prices are generally below the price cap if not free or paid if weather is good.

Also any recommendations for cheaper but effective cleaning products would be great. I bought a years worth of tablets for 17p each at Costco when they were ~24p a wash in supermarkets but they'll run out soon.

A bit of a rant but also asking for genuine advice.

Is there a way to get a good pair of shoes at a price affordable to a student? If anyone has a story of a good bargain they found I am very interested in hearing it. I'm hoping there is some secret discount that I haven't discovered yet lol But seriously any recommendation is appreciated, brands or shops that you think are worth looking at. I'm not very informed on the subject.

So the obvious first step is to look at used ones but I haven't had any luck finding that online. I've been lucky before and found a pair of karrimour running shoes for very cheap in a charity shop, but since the inner padding has started to wear off its given me blisters, and they've become painful to use.I'm keeping an eye out for any similar bargains, but I've put my running and gym sessions on hold until I find something, it's becoming frustrating that I cant just walk into a normal shop and buy a pair I like, I feel I'm missing something and finding affordable proper shoes shouldn't be this hard?

I know good shoes are an investment and all but when funds are tight has anyone found a cheat code?

Annoyed at myself for not thinking of this sooner, but industrial Blue Roll is far cheaper than kitchen towel. £25 for nearly a kilometre of the stuff from Screwfix.

They’re not recyclable so only use where washable cloths aren’t appropriate, but they’re made from paper that’s been recycled about seven times already, and you can compost them.

So it looks like there's some good deals on package holidays to Spain etc, but the transfer costs from the airport to the hotel seem to be around £60pp (family of four) regardless of bus or private hire vehicle (yes they charge per person for a taxi) can I just fly in with the family at X Spanish airport and pay for a taxi that's less than £240 for a return hour long journey?

I’m having to return from Edinburgh to South Wales due to a family death. Where it’s such short notice I’m struggling to see anything under £200. I don’t have a railcard (only two together) but am able to get one for the journey as I’m 27- providing I can get it in time for the travel. Unfortunately I don’t drive!

I’ve looked from Edinburgh/Glasgow to Cardiff/Bristol (this is the expensive bit, after that it’s not a huge amount on the train) and it’s eye watering. It might get to the point I can’t afford to go- any tips? 😭

Edit to add: I’m happy to get a coach if needs be but would rather it be for a portion for the journey and not all of it, as I’ll only be going for a night

Hello guys, do you know of any cheap phone insurance company?

Edit: Thank you all so much for your replies.

I've just had my kitchen tap replaced in London (north London around Camden) I bought a new tap separately, and the replacement costed around 430 pounds. I'm fairly new to this country and I'm curious, are those prices expected? Apart from that, any advice on how to get the right price in services in the UK?

I love chilli and spicy food. I have unintentionally found a frugal saving. I go through alot of chilli flakes (cheaper than fresh for me) usually get the big bags from an Asian supermarket but I was shockingly out and sent my child to pick some up from Tesco. They came back with a small jar of Bird's Eye chilli flakes. They create the heat and flavour with half the amount. Why I didn't consider this before is on me. So for anyone else not thought of it. Give it a go.

I’m in the market for a new washing machine, and a company called Ebac offer a free 7 year parts and labour warranty on their machines! But looking them up, they don’t really have a very good online presence; the reviews on the website read a bit fake and reviews on Amazon, trustpilot seem to be either amazing or terrible. Does anyone have any experience with these washers?

I’m looking to book a hotel in city of London. I thought booking in advance would be wise to save money but I’ve noticed the price is almost £100 than a day before or on the day reservation. I also don’t have the option of paying on the day without there being an extra charge.

I suspect a lot of these high end hotels are mostly unoccupied so I was thinking to risk it until the week before for an event coming up. I figured this may help me dodge the inflated price. Has anyone tried this before? Or is there a way to just make the booking cheaper?

I also thought about getting a basic room and asking to be upgraded but I have seen a few reviews for a particularly hotel saying staff recently have started declining unless there’s something with the room and you make a fuss.

I’m keen to save an extra £100 if possible so any replies would be great!

I’m menopausal. And I’ve had a few too many 😂! I’m hungry. It’s midnight! I could have ordered a takeaway for almost £15! But I went for the WAY cheaper option! Cheese toastie in the sandwich toaster.

ALDI brown bread 2 slices = 10p (ALDI) Margarine = 7p per portion Cheese (Sainsbury’s brand) = 35p

And so there it is. A filling snack for less than 55p (took 8 minutes to make)!

Yep. I rarely get takeaways (maybe 8 times a year?) but cheese toasties are the way forward! 😄

Hi all - last year I bought a vacuum cleaner which appeared to be good from the reviews, and was quite cheap. Spoiler: it was shite and basically did not work on carpets. Anyone have a recommendation on a good value vacuum cleaner which is not extremely expensive but also does a good enough job?

Thanks!

Hi there,
I am an expat, not earning a high salary but I tend to live in cheaper countries. I have family to visit in Swindon, and am wondering if cheap accommodation exists? I tried using spareroom, and I find prices of £550 for a room remote area or not great condition. I imagine that these are the prices nowadays, but perhaps I am missing a trick.
Anything else to do to find something cheaper and decent?
Thanks :)

Planning a holiday for my wife and our little girl this summer, and planning to take the Brittany Ferry from Portsmouth-Bilbao.

Just wondering if there is any benefit to booking the ferry crossing ahead of time? They don’t seem to sell out, the prices seem stable, and I’m just aware that with an infant anything could happen and we could end up needing to cancel the trip or whatever.

(Just to pre-empt the “this is too long a crossing for a baby” comments. I will be going solo on the ferry and my family will fly over with a grandparent once I have arrived).

Currently offering 34% back on car insurance policies until end of today! Most others are £25-30 cashback?! Not sure if it’s an error or not but 34% would save a fortune

Need to park for 4 days tomorrow, best price is £120 mid stay!

Am I missing something? Is there a cheaper option or website?