501 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY

AUTHOR : PAMELA DONALD



This book is actually giving us many ideas and tips that we can use specially at the recession time. It teaches us about how to give ourselves occasional treats out of the money we’ll save by adopting these 501 suggestions for living better on less.

A). Home Maintenance.

1 . Equipment

— Protect them by rubbing the metal parts with a coating of petroleum jelly then rolling up in brown paper. Label the package.

— Ladder- the wooden ‘combination’ type is probably the best investment as it can be used as simple steps or a triple extension, or converted into scaffolding and used as a pair of trestles to support a plank.

— Hiring equipment – Ask about weekend rates when hiring tools. They often work out at only fractionally more than a daily rate –enable you to get maximum use of the tools.

2 . Materials

— Don’t buy plaster to fill tiny holes and cracks – use toothpaste instead. When set hard it can be sanded down, if wet finger hasn’t done a good job of smoothing it previously.

— Don’t use an expensive anti-condensation crystals to absorb the moisture. Just use a salt or charcoal. To dry out a damp room, divide 900g of coarse kitchen salt among four tins and place each one in a corner of the room. When the salt is saturated with moisture, dry it out by sitting the tins on a warm stove. The salt is ready for use again when dry.

3 . Painting

— Cheap brands of paint are actually a false economy as you will usually need more of the paint to get good coverage. Buy the best you can afford and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for preparing the surface
beforehand.

— To increase coverage and make paint go on better, stand the tin upside down for a few hours at room temperature before using. Make sure the lid is on securely first. Enamel paint will thin down and so go further and give a better porcelain-like finish if the tin is left in a bowl of hot water for half an hour.

4 . Cookers and Hobs

— Bicarbonate of soda can be used as a ‘sealer’ on a newly cleaned over. Spread a light film over the surfaces using a damp cloth to make cleaning next time.

— Stains on a ceramic cooker top will respond to a soaking in hot vinegar. Leave it for at least 10 mins before wiping off. Repeat as necessary.

— Cooker tops will be easier to clean if salt is sprinkled on spills as soon as they occur.

B). Dealing with the tradesman.

1 . It really does pay to have a knowledge of DIY skills, whether you intend to do the job yourself or get someone to do it for you.

2 . Find a good honest tradesman, preferably by word of mouth and stick to him.

3 . Although it is normal to be asked to pay something in advance for materials, never pay-up front for labor. Have the work priced item by item and pay as you go along, then if for any reason you wish to discontinue
their services, you both know exactly where you are.

C). Saving energy and recycling.

1 . Don’t keep switching fluorescent lights on and off when you leave the room if it’s only for a short time. These lights use more energy to relight than to stay lit for short periods.

2 . Domestic appliances-to switch off electric cookers before the end of cooking time. This is not recommended for bread, cakes and other items where cooking items and temperatures must be exact, but works well for roasts and casseroles.

3 . You’ll cut the cost of running your freezer by 10% if you defrost it regularly (at least twice next a year). To make defrosting easier next time, after defrosting and cleaning and before filing it up again, rub glycerin on
the inside surfaces.

4 . If you use a variety of battery-operated tools and equipment, invest in nickel cadmium rechargeable batteries which can be recharged up to 1,000 times (equivalent to around 4 years) as opposed to ordinary zinc chloride type which have a life span of 100 hours.

5 . Listening to a battery-powered radio for just two hours a day costs you forty times more than if you plugged it into mains electricity.

6 . Don’t throw away the plastic mesh bags used to package supermarket fruit. Roll up and use as scouring pads.

7 . Use dampened newspaper to clean windows with.

8 . Newspaper can be turned into environmentally friendly plant pots which can replace the more expensive peat variety.

D). Shopping on a budget.

1. Do the shopping list.

2. Forward planning is the key to big savings.

3. Buy an own-brand products.

4. Only go food shopping on a full stomach so you won’t pile up the basket with extra mouthwatering snacks.

5. Chicken portion are more expensive to buy per an pound than the whole chicken and boneless, skinless fillets are the most expensive of all.

6. Economize by buying washing-up liquid in large economy sizes. Decant into smaller containers for ease of use.

7. When deciding which type of appliance to buy it’s worth considering the running costs as well as the purchase price.

8. Never buy any item where the cost of a repair is out of all proportion to the amount you are being asked to pay. Also check whether you can still get spare part for it.

So, basically what I’ve learned from this book were how to reduce or eliminate bills and manage / organize my homes. This knowledge will revolutionize the way people look at money; for instance nearly everything can be recycled. For e.g; use soda-pop can tabs for picture hanger, make a coffee table from an old window, door or board and so on. This books is actually will also help to do a bit for the environment by resourcefully making the best of what we have and not cluttering our life with waste.