Cheapskates and proud of it!
Every year there are dozens of newspaper, magazine and blog articles dispensing free advice on how to save money in tough times. These are not necessarily the best pieces of advice, but are always highly entertaining - if only to see how far some people will go to save a buck or two. Justmoney put a few of these together for you - use them, don't use them... either way they'll provide food for thought.
Water & Electricity
With municipal rates climbing at an alarming rate, trying to find ways to save money on them makes complete sense. Sensible suggestions on this topic are usually to do with saving your water usage - taking a shower instead of a bath, turning off the tap while brushing your teeth or maybe even watering the garden at night to avoid excessive evaporation. Pushing it is when you take the suggestion to "flush every now and then" or to "wash your body and your clothes in the shower at the same time".
When it comes to saving electricity, fitting more efficient light bulbs can save you on the power usage. Heaters are big users of electricity or gas, so instead of firing up the heater at the slightest hint of cold, consider wrapping in a few extra layers instead and see if that works for fighting off the cold. The most cheapskate advice we've read about saving money on electricity? "Visit friends and family as often as possible during winter. Then you don't have to cook for yourself and can keep the lights off the entire time you are out of the house..." Yes, it might save you some money, but good luck in saving your friendships when you pop round for dinner three days a week...
Cleaning Products
We all know that cleaning products are expensive items, so saving a few bucks on them might just put you right. Depending on how dirty your house is, this homemade cleaning concoction might just do wonders for your budget as well as your dirty countertops.
Combine white wine vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice. Then just repeat "Martha Stewart" in your head as your wonder around the house cleaning everything in site...
Shampoo and shaving cream are both expensive bathroom items. Get that little bit more out of them by immersing them in hot water when they seem to be empty - you'd be surprised at how much more you can get out when you really try.
"Wash, rinse, repeat?" You must be joking- these are tough times people - one round of hair cleaning is good enough -you'll double the lifespan of your shampoo and conditioner!
Pushing it a little...
Charging your cell phone at work is probably something you can get away with, charging the rest of your household appliances may be pushing it a bit too far. Yes items? A cell phone, possibly your digital camera battery. No items? Electric toothbrushes, razors, children's toys and anything else that might require an additional bag to sneak them into work.
Our favourite money shaving tip!
Trawl the Internet long enough and you'll find so many money saving tips that the line between bright and bizarre will begin to blur. But one sneaky little money saving tip you just have to love has to do with toilet paper of all things - hardly a massive expense to most of us, but something that seems to run out faster than you can imagine.
The theory? Squash your toilet rolls before you place them on the roller at the wall. This way, your kids won't be able to roll out meters of the stuff at a time and you'll suddenly find yourself making the loo roll last a little longer. Granted -it's not the world most enormous saving, but you have to love the ingenuity of the idea.
Got any really original money shaving tips for us? Send them to us at editor@justmoney.co.za and you could see them in one of our next newsletters.