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THE credit crunch is biting but you can ease the squeeze if you take a few simple steps.

Here Sun cheapskate TIM SPANTON shares his expertise, with 33 great ways to save money now that prices are rising at 3.3 per cent, the highest rate for more than ten years.

But be warned – there are some tips here even miserly Ebenezer Scrooge might be ashamed of taking up.

Remember, if you’re feeling the pinch, laughter is the best medicine – and it’s FREE.



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1. Use banana skins to clean your shoes. The inside of the skins contains potassium, a key ingredient in commercial polishes.
Finish off with a soft cloth. Oils in the banana will even enrich the leather in your shoes and help them last longer.

2. Collect old slivers of soap and squeeze them together to make a new bar.

3. Never buy the first round in a pub. If you go drinking once a week and always get to the bar first you will end up buying dozens more rounds more a year than a person who always buys the fourth round.

This is because drinking sessions often end after an odd number of rounds.

4. Have a lie-in and do your grocery shopping at the end of the day. While the early bird gets the worm, the late shopper gets the bargain.

Greengrocers and market stallholders often sell fruit and veg for a fraction of its normal price at the end of the day and supermarkets cut the prices of items near their sell-by date late in the evening after the post-work rush.

And don’t forget to BOGOF — take advantage of store offers such as Buy One, Get One Free.

5. Use the large screw-on tops from bottles of fabric conditioner as egg cups (give them a good wash first).

6. Get on your bike. Half of all car journeys cover three miles or fewer.

There is no reason why most of us can’t manage a distance like that with pedal power.

7. The netting that oranges come in can be saved and makes an excellent scourer for washing up.

On the subject of washing up, sell the dishwasher and get the kids to do the chore — yes, make them earn their pocket money.

8. Buy postage stamps in bulk, before the prices go up, which we all know they will.

9. Got designs on saving money on clothes? Then seek out some high fashions and value for money staples in your local charity shop.

You won’t be labelled cheap, it’s become a trendy way to shop.

10. Don’t buy bottled water, just fill old bottles with water and keep them in the fridge and refill after use.

It’s far cheaper, just as healthy, and you don’t waste water by running it until it is cold.

11. Clean windows and mirrors with a tablespoon of vinegar mixed in a pint of warm water. It also makes a cheap, effective mouthwash.

12. Always use a teabag at least twice. Simply leave it in the cup longer for each subsequent brew after the first and it’ll taste tea-rrific.


13. Paint your walls, it’s a lot cheaper than using wallpaper.

14. Mix milk with equal amounts of water to go on your breakfast cereal. You will soon get used to it.

The slight difference in taste is very small and soon won’t be detected at all.

Also, make your own muesli. Buy your favourite ingredients separately then mix them in a sealable bowl.

15. Watch telly in bed in the dark. You’ll save on heating and lighting costs and if there’s a sexy show on, you might even get a bonus cuddle from your partner.

16. Save the TV Mag from Saturday’s Sun instead of buying a listings mag.

17. Buy generic medicines rather than brand-name ones and save up to 90 per cent.

18. Get off a stop early if you commute by bus or Tube to save cash.

19. Car pool. Websites such as nationalcarshare.co.uk allow you to register for lifts with other members.

20. Use old CDs as drinks coasters.

21. Mayonnaise is a fine hair conditioner, adding shine.

Give hairdressers the brush off if you want blonde highlights — just brush lemon juice into your barnet and let it dry in the sun.

22. Store soap among clothes to make them smell better and repel moths.

23. Join your local public library and borrow books, DVDs and CDs for free.

They’ll probably have a good book of money-saving tips you can loan . . .

24. Buy Christmas presents in the sales after the holidays and keep for a year.

25. Transfer olive oil to a salt shaker so when you use it the oil comes out more slowly and you don’t overpour.

26. With modern detergents you can wash all your clothes at just 30°C.

27. Shower instead of bathing. To save even more, shower with a friend.

28. Don’t buy top sheets and a blanket to replace a duvet in the summer.

Simply put away the duvet and use the cover as a double sheet.

29. When eating out, look for the food equivalent of drinkers’ happy hours.

Many pub chains have two-meals-for-the-price-of-one offers.

30. Energy-saving light bulbs pay for themselves many times over by lasting longer and using less electricity.

31. Recycle kids’ clothes by pooling the ones they have grown out of among neighbouring families.

32. Use smaller plates for meals and eat slowly. You’ll feel just as full.

33. Stick tights or stockings in the ice compartment of your fridge overnight. The cooling helps them last longer.


link her:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/money/article1310596.ece