Money saving ideas

[oldsaltoz]

G,day all,

the forum heading Money saving tips was not what i thought it was:

So here is your chance to relay your best money saving ideas to all the other readers of this fantastic wealth of knowalage.

My contribution:

When using epoxy resins, avoid over use of harsh environmentally unfriendly chemicals by using white vinegar to clean up your tools, you will need a lot less (if any) acetone, also note that a roller that has set hard can be cleaned with a heat from a blow lamp or gas flame.

So, what is you money saving ides, and please avoid hijacking the subject, you could save a small fortune from just one good idea.



<hr width=100% size=1> Old Salt Oz /forums/images/icons/cool.gif Growing old is unavoidable. However, growing up is still optional.

 

[AndrewJ]

you can use white vinegar also to clean up that 5200. For some reason it seems to get everywhere and the best
thing I've found to clean it up is vinegar, as long as it's not hardened, as opposed to some of the more expensive solvents.

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[richardandtracy]

If you're really dedicated to saving money, sell your boat and crew for someone else.

Cynical? Maybe.

Regards

Richard.


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[richardandtracy]

Real Money saving ideas

When you buy stuff from a shop, take a look at the car park before going in. If it's half full of white vans, it'll probably be the cheapest local place for whatever it's selling. Conversely, if there are no white vans, and quite a few 4x4's or MPV's - go elsewhere. White van-man's business depends on getting keen prices, so let him do the price research for you! Saves money & time.

Regards

Richard.


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[Guest]

Holders for just about all ...

Mug holder - Car shop. The type that is a fold-up ring fitted to a flat plastic plate ready to double-side adhesive to dash.

GPS bracket - Universal Mobile Phone holder, and f you have the 12V / data cable make sure holder has cut-outs to let cable pass.

Waterproof bag - freezer bag with zip-lock .... suits all GPS / GSM etc.

General window / hatch struts - Caravan shop window stays

Ventilator grills for hatches etc. - Caravan shop

In fact 90% of cabin stuff comes cheaper for basically same articles from Caravan shops.




<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
Bilge Keelers get up further ! I only came - cos they said there was FREE Guinness !

 

[sjohn_gibson]

Danbouy
Salvaged suitable length plastic pole (approx 20mm dia) from scrap yard, two 2 litre plastic Pepsi bottles (cut off bottoms and then joined end to end). Slide onto pole and fill with expanding foam (donated by nieghbour), cast a suitable lead weight (salvaged from builders roof flashing). SWMBO provided flag. For holder on board use a short piece of 4 inch drain pipe and a couple of tie wraps . Finally, some household white undercoat and gloss.

Marina Shop price £100 my cost £0 + 2 hours of my own time.

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[tcm]

Re: Real Money saving ideas

1. when paying anyone large amounts of money, especially another company, lop off a few pence or even a few quid from the required amount, as though a computer has worked out the VAT in a different way, but which is also legal. Note: with rounding, an invoice for several vatable items which total £100 quid need not be exactly £17.50 Lots of people seem to do this, the gits, and the accounts department daren't ring up for three quid so it has to be written off.

2. Go mental with any bank about "management" or bank charges. They all have a slush fund for these, and it's entirely discretionary.

3. Ask for monster excess on insurance policies to reduce premiums. They won't pay in full anyway, there's always a fight, so at least you know where you are. You only need insurance for ridiculous lunatic amounts of claim like hundred of thousands, not a thousand quid or so.

4. At home, move your electric supply billing to the gas company, the gas bill to the electric company, and indeed sign any old thing that turns up on the doorstep, according to swmbo. Then nobody seems to be able to keep track of anything, it seems, and it's all free.

5. Tune the car radio to a talk/news station. This has the effect of slowing you down to listen to what is being said, hence saving fuel. Buying a convertible car also slows you down even more, because of the racket of the wind above 80mph, and reduces depreciation.

6. Never service a car once it is out of warranty. Just change the oil. However, if it is a ferrari (which it could be if you have saved loads of moeny) make sure you get a service from a real ferrari garage, otherwise the flippin thing is worth much less, or nothing. But if it isn't a red ferrari, ignore this - it's not very saleable and you have not saved any money.

7. On a boat, just before leaving it for winter, or a long period, smear the GRP with any old polish, but don't buff it up. This protects it from the sun and rain. Hose and rub it off on your next visit.

8. For a boat you keep overseas, don't use official guardiennage, find a little bloke and pay him cash. Tell him to clean the boat only once, before you turn up again.

9. If you employ anyone, make a list of all employees, categorising them as 1) frightened if they moved to a competitor 2) would have to replace them if they went and 3)wouldn't mind too much if they left. Fire everyone in the third category immediately. The other two groups are already having to compensate for the ineptitude of this group, but are too professional to let you know, or, they think that working alongside a bunch of tosspots is perfectly normal, which it is in most places.

10. If you run your own car, go more gently around roundabouts: the tyre wear varies in proprtion to the seventh power of your cornering speed.

11. In america, ask for cocktails with "no ice". Separately, get some iced water or just some ice. This halves the bar bill. Or, doubles the effect for the same price.

12. Blokes: buy expensive shoes, perhaps £200 -£300 quid. They last loads longer, and can get repaired for years and years. However, they are a bit uncomfy for the first few months.

13. Buy leather-covered office chairs . This is a long-term saving as they still look good after ten years, instead of looking shagged out after two or three years. Also, everyone feels very important. The same applies to leather coats.

14. On a powerboat, try not to wrap up too warm, don't wear sunglasses, and have frequent showers. This will make you feel a bit cold, as though you are belting along even when yiou are only just planing at 16-18knots, hence massively saving fuel.

15. Practise saying "How much?!!" and say this anytime a price for anything is quoted. The price seems to come down immediately, even before any negotiation.

16. Stop imagining that tips make service staff in restaurants or taxis like you. They don't like you, or at least, they don;t like you more or less dependent upon the tip. Most times you will never clap eyes on them again. Leave them the change from the nearest quid. When presented with "open" bills with an ambitious space for the gratuity (on top of the 12-17% service chrge for chrissakes) just sign your name over the whole thing in very large flowery writing, oblitering all the spacves where yiou used to dutifully write things in whilst feeling a bit guilty or done over. The service staff rarely receive your tip, especially in decent restaurants where waiters are sick of survival wages and need a proper salary to get a mortgage.

17. Depending on swmbo's personal preferences regarding fur, take her for a weekend to Madrid and buy her a fur coat where they are £2-£3 grand instead of £10 grand in the UK. This sounds like a whole heap of loot but she will never ever buy another coat: decent but ordinary coats which only last a year or so cost several hundred quid, so you will be ahead after about six years.



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[jhr]

Making Restaurant staff like you

In relation to point 16.

The late Nubar Gulbenkian used to introduce himself to waiters by plonking down a large denomination bank note on the table and saying "That'll be yours at the end of the meal - if you earn it".

Apparently he always got very good service!

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[Heckler]

my old man always reckoned that he could save a fortune by not giving change, he was a china merchant
stu

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.beneteau-owners-association.org.uk

 

[MainlySteam]

Re: Real Money saving ideas

Nothing much I can disagree with in all that TCM as is a solid summary of good practical advice.

But I could add a small extra to Point 16 Tips in that when presented with 'le addition', with a place inviting a gratuity to be written in, one should, if the service has not been satisfactory, enter a negative amount in there and deduct it off the total.

Perhaps others do that already.

John

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[Evadne]

Re: Real Money saving ideas

I must say I am impressed by the depth of TCM's financial knowledge, but must disagree with point 4. Electric and gas companies employ so few numerate and/or intelligent people these days that if you change companies, the old one will continue to send you bills. Do this several times and you will have parallel billing that runs into the thousands. Their only function is, it seems, to send out bills and collect the money. You should get your power direct from the maker, and invest in some aerogens and solar cells.

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[tcm]

Re: point 4

i agree. Except that swmbo apparently signed up for several doorstep deals that moved the supply from one to another, to another, and eventually back to where it started, but which perhaps still had a file or a database field that said "moved billing to..." so the upshot was that when we sold the house they told us in no uncertain terms that we had no billing through them. in the old days, no payment meant you get cut off - these days the billing might have moved elsewhere, i supose?

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[AndrewB]

LMAO! Great Stuff.

But I'm going to quibble with no 15. Never suggest that something is overpriced. Praise it like crazy, but sadly it's just beyond your worldly means. Do they have one that's a bit shop-soiled perhaps? Something on your old one? Make sure the readies you pull out are exactly 20% below asking. Take a kid or two along: cutesy to distract, or tantrums so they'll want you sorted asap. Play the sympathy angle like crazy: and SWMBO probably won't object to being pushed around the boat show in a wheelchair either.

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Re: point 4

Aha, well I got bullied into signing over to N Power, remember that name N Power, I told them 2 weeks ago when I finally sorted out a right mess after 2 years that I would name and shame them wherever I could; their attitude was well that's up to you Sir!

Signed over, they didn't tell my old supplier, so DD continued to old company, they kept losing my new DD forms I sent to them, (others in work had same problems, decided they did this as a ploy to run you into arrears in order to make it difficult to leave). Told them to stuff it and I was leaving, they sent me a paying in book for Giro Cash, and a final demand. Refused to pay as I was still paying old supplier for gas. Spent months talking, shouting, pleading with inept minimum wage telephone operators out of school.

Finally got offgas involved, unable to determine switch over point, got refund from old company, but now have to pay full bill after six months, which is far more expensive as account runs into arrears in Winter and balances in Summer. Again try to close account and move, wont release account as I apparently owe pennies, even though have just recently paid up over telephone.

In February this year pay up over telephone and again try to move account, finally start to get some action in April from N Power sending me closing invoice to allow account to be moved over. £115.00 for two months usage, estimated. Bearing in mind DD was set at £12 a month before all this started. Refused to pay as this would mean I was also heating 3 houses either side of mine for two months. Last month received bailiffs letter, I have never been in arrears in my life, spent nearly 4 hours on telephone again getting passed from desk to desk and talking to inane computers, told off for swearing at them.

N Power said this was a figure negotiated between themselves and new supplier, paid by switch there and then in order to rid myself of this. Four days later get summons from N Power for non payment of bill, dated the day after I paid on telephone. Called them to tell them I had just paid what the f* was going on in their two bit company, ‘Oh sorry sir it was a mistake’, got hung up on by N Power mid rant, bearing in mind I had stopped making sense and was sounding like a turrets case by this time.

I have now sorted out the mess, I vow never to move again to save 0.5p per unit, oooh £10.00 per year.

If you are happy with you payment disappearing each month, leave it well alone, Do NOT go over to N power, ever!

Rant over.



Oh, Tcm, if she wants to wear fur, let her fight it off the animal bare handed, then she earns it !


<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk/TC_IrishCruise_2003_00.html>Irish Cruise</A>

 

[tcm]

Re: fur enough

ok. But i can't agree that she should have to fightem barehanded, as she would go on and on about the graze on her arm for this bit, and how the big one for the collar gave quite a fight and so on, we'd never hear the end of it




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[jimi]

Re: point 4

Know a few people with similar problems .. I've always tell the telesales to sod off as I'm in the middle of a messy divorce case cos my wife's just run off with the postmistress .. you never hear from them again !

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[andyball]

Re: LMAO! Great Stuff.

we're forced to employ the wheelchair gambit at sbs every year....never got us anywhere much, except some champagne from the Fairline chaps while listening to their really very good singer who entertained for more than an hour from the back of a squadron-marvellous!. Of course you do get in cheaper too, & every little helps.

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[andy_wilson]

18. Always....

...arrange coinage and notes in pockets and wallets according to value of imminent purchase.

Having praised the product and sales personage to the hilt and closed the deal, produce entire contents of pocket or wallet only to discover a 20% shortfall. If that old ploy doesn't work, continue rummaging around to miraculously produce further 10% from deepest recess / back compartment.

Only when faced with the alternative of walking out empty handed do you find the balance from lining of jacket.

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[richardandtracy]

Re: Real Money saving ideas

Me oh my.
And I thought I was a tight wad!
I've definitely learnt something today.

Can't take advantage of the 'tips' idea, as I never go anywhere where one might be expected.

One tip I can suggest - which I learnt the expensive way off a couple of tennants who lived in a house kept to provide me my 'old age pension'. Don't pay rent, credit cards or any other bill and move every 9 months. The courts take 2 months to find you & about 8 months to get their act together. By which time you've moved (no forwarding address) and the process can start again. After 2 similar tennants, I sold my pension & voiced some rather unprintable views on the legal system & honesty of sponging scum. When I contacted the police about them - they were well known, but always moved before convictions could be brought. I can't afford to continue pursuing them.

Regards

Richard.



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[tcm]

Re: Real Money saving ideas

ah, tho i thort the idea was LEGAL ideas, not naughty illegal ones. which i don't know anything about, ahem.


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