Stealth money saving is what I call the little things that I do to save money that my family don’t know about.
For example, Mr Frugal would never, ever eat Quorn. For no particular reason – just because he doesn’t like the thought of it.
But…. he actually eats Quorn mince at least once a week as I add some to anything that I use minced beef in to pad it out a little bit because Quorn mince is cheaper than minced beef and you really can’t tell that you’re eating it when you add it to something like I do.
So I’ve been thinking about what other secret money saving I do and I’ve come up with this little lot:
- I always squish toilet rolls a little bit so they don’t spin as easily when you go to pull some off. I started doing this when Master Frugal was little as he used to pull loads off at once and I’ve done it automatically ever since.
- Mr Frugal likes to use branded washing powder (even though I’m sure that Value would be just as good) so to counteract the extra we pay for the washing powder, I use about a third less than the instructions say.
- My family are cereal snobs and *think* they only eat Kelloggs Coco Pops or Frosties. What they actually eat is own brand cereal but I take the inside bag from the own brand box and transfer it to the Kelloggs cereal box on the shelf when they’re not looking.
- Tea bags are another thing that I buy own brand and pretend are branded. This one was unintentional as I started buying own brand ages ago but as I always put them straight into the tea jar, Mr Frugal never realised that they weren’t the same ones that he’s always had. It was only after a few months that I realised he didn’t know the difference so I’ve never bothered putting him straight.
- Grated carrot is a great way of hiding vegetables in food for children so whenever I make my ‘plain’ tomato sauce which we freeze and use for pasta sauces etc, I always add in some grated carrot.
- When the kids think I’m being a super cool mum making them smoothies, it’s actually because the fruit I’m using is on it’s last legs and is just about to go bad.
- I regularly buy things on sale throughout the year that I plan to give as presents to the kids for birthdays or Christmas. I only buy things that I know they’ll like but they don’t know that they’ll like them until I point it out in the Argos catalogue or tell them how fun it looks if we see it in a shop. Nine times out of ten, they’ll end up adding it to their wish list and think I’m a great mum for getting them what they’ve asked for.
Do you do anything sneaky to save money?
I buy chicken livers (a few pennies a pot) and squish them very finely into mince dishes. It enriches the flavour, bulks it out and gets more protein into the kids without their knowledge
I've been trying to find ways to save money in my household. It seems like we are earning less and less but the cost of living get higher and higher. If you're looking for more help to save, check out these two articles. http://www.infobarrel.com/Save_25_Money_Saving_Ti… http://www.infobarrel.com/Save_25_More_Money_Savi…
At the age of 11 years l became a migraine sufferer, l have learnt over the years what and what not to eat, and processed food is like poison. Cheese, choccy, coffee after 5pm a definite no no, also white bread. I prefer not to eat meat but do bulk mince for sauce etc with grated carrot, no one has ever noticed. My attacks are now few and far between, but l do however suffer from the migraine flashes which render me unable to see until l medicate, this is bought on by watching TV plus using the laptop, also by hunger. A slice of toast and 75 mg Aspro relieve the symptoms within half and hour. Your boot sale advise is amazing and l have copied to mail to others. Enjoy your family life it is a great part of your existence. I have 3 wonderful sons and their families so all the hard work paid off 😀 ps l have now reached 69 successfully ha ha. xx
relieve
These are great tips, love how you switch the cereals and they have no idea-amazing what a difference packaging makes!
I know what you mean – it;s the packaging we pay for really!
The Quorn mince idea is a brilliant way to make a meal go further without any complains, lets hope he doesn't read this blog and discover your secrets!
Lol It's a good job he doesn't read it – he just pretends he does but he never seems to notice when i say anything about him 😉
I cant actually add anything to this but i already most of the same sneaky things you 🙂
Ha ha it's good to be sneaky isn't it?
I love these ideas!!!
Ha ha I bet you do them all x
I don't have children and DH is almost as frugal as me and very proud of my food savings, so it's a lot easier for me. I did think of porridge oats in bolognaise; I pre fry mince, onions and other veg, bung it all in the slow cooker, add tomatoes and a couple of handfuls of oats. A quick stir and when it's cooked for a few hours, you can't see the oats but they give a lovely creamy texture to the sauce.