WHATS NEW IN PENNY PINCHING. in 2016?

If you are a seasoned penny pincher then it's really hard to find something new that really is the bees knees!

I always get excited when I see articles on saving money to just find the same old stuff being recycled! I suppose the longer you do it the less chance there is of actually finding any new little gems.


So here's a call to those folk like me.......exactly what new have you discovered in 2016 !

Mine is as follows....


WATER
We saved 40 euros on our annual water bill despite having had a drought. That was down to less toilet flushing.  You know the  saying.......if it's yellow let it mellow.....if it's brown flush it down.

TOOTHPASTE
We used half as much toothpaste than in the previous year.......and that's .nothing to do with the number of times we cleaned our teeth. We changed to buying a particular type of tube of toothpaste.

One with a smaller nozzle!

Simple as that! You reallly do only need a pea size amount of paste but with most tubes it comes out at  the speed of the TGV. SMALLER nozzles are more controllable. One tube now lasts over 2 weeks instead of 1



Most of the money saving ideas are for small amounts. What about major savings ..... often this involves investing a lot before you get anything back which is not really an option for most of us.

What I would love is.......in the future....

All roof tiles on new houses were solar panels...... a replacement scheme for older houses

Local councils/ Mairies had centres with electricity generating bicycles and we could all go along and  do our bit! Along with Recycling centres that generated power for the community thereby saving money on local taxes.

Parks planted with perennial fruit and veg.

Any other suggestions!

FRUGAL FEBRUARY

We are just coming to the end of February and to the end of what I call Frugal Feb. This is the month when I really try to spend as little as possible on the weekly shop .

WHY FEBRUARY?

Most people make their cut backs in January after the mad spend of Christmas when money can be a bit tight or perhaps it can just be a New Years resolution to control your spending.
However I find January great for bagging bargains and deals here in the French supermarkets.

YES........SUPERMARKETS........AND WHY NOT?

January sales are not just for department stores and clothes shops.

Supermarkets must hate January....everyone has overspent and over eaten and the last thing people want to do is buy more food! So......

THEY HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO ATTRACT YOU IN,

You will find loads of special offers, deals and discounted foods so it's a good time to stock up on those bargains.

This year LEADER PRICE  were offering 10 euros off a 50 euro shop. I collected vouchers from the publicity papers and saved 30 euros.  Of course you have to use the vouchers separately so if you have  to travel a long way to the supermarket you have to weigh that up against any savings. Hubby and I just had separate trolleys for the first two vouchers so we only had one more visit to use the third.

I usually stock up on things like toilet rolls, tinned stuff, soap, cleaning stuff....generally the long life goods....and if you've got enough of that you can always get an extra bottle or two of wine to fill up your wine cellar!

FEBRUARY is a great time to take stock of what you have in your freezer.......and use it up.
Plan your meals round what you have left and use up all those single portion meals you saved.


The result is then......

CHEAP SHOPPING MONTH
CLEARS OUT FREEZER FOR CLEANING
HELPS YOU PLAN WHAT YOU NEED TO GROW MORE/LESS OF FOR THE SEASON AHEAD
USES UP THINGS BEFORE THEY GO OUT OF DATE

If you like the idea of having a frugal month but are not sure if you can manage it......FEBRUARY as the shortest month is the best time to try!