Bargain hunters discovered Freecycle.org which originated in the United States and in September 2009 it was launched in the United Kingdom. The freecycle network today has over 4,858 different groups with in excess of 6,789,000 members around the world. At its roots is the philosophy that it is a non-profit making movement of people who are giving and receiving items for free in their own towns and cities.

Freecycle is about finding people who have items they want to give away to people who can use the items for free. The Freecycle goal is to keep usable items out of landfills. One of the key elements of freecycle is that it encourages us to get rid of junk that we no longer need and to promote community involvement in the process. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

Six Live Ducks, Four Chickens  All From Freecycle

www.Freecycle.org

A friend of mine regularly uses a www. freecycle .org and recently he was given six live ducks, four hens, paving stones and a shed which he had to dismantle and remove. It’s all free to a good home  with freecycle and you can save hundreds of pounds.

Everything posted on freecycle must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. All you need to do is simply post an email to your group saying what you are offering, be it a chair, table, computer, fax machine or chickens. After that it is up to the giver to choose who should receive the gift from all the email responses. The lucky person then sets up a time for collection. Everything given away on freecycle is free.

Free-cycling is a bargain hunters dream it means they can acquire items for free without paying any cash. In other words they get to save their money and if you are frugal and thrifty then this will appeal to your very core. Its like free cash, it’s not even cheap money, it’s free. What a bargain?

Search Freecycle First

If you are looking to acquire something then you need to post a Wanted Message and you may well find a group of members that have what you are looking for. You need to alert the group that you wish to receive a certain gift/item and then wait for a response to see if you have been lucky. If you have then the giver will contact you and arrange collection.

Search the internet and you will find many other freecycle websites – Manchester freecycle, freecycle .org, Gumtree and many more – in your local area. They all stipulate that everything you advertise must be free to the buyer – whether it’s an old sofa, dining table, unwanted CD’s or even a few hours free labour in someone’s garden. If you find something you are interested in simply reply by email and the deal is done.

Before I forget my friend who introduced the concept of freecycle to me drives a brand new Mercedes C220, CDI and he and his wife shop at Aldi, Lidl and ASDA! He sold the shed he was given on e-Bay and got £63 – cheeky!

Leave your experiences and comments about  freecycle below.

Incoming search terms:

• freecycle
• gumtree freecycle
• freecycle ipad
• www freecycle org
• gumtree freecycle manchester
• top freecylce bargains
• gumtree freecycle org
• gumtreefreecycle
• why use freecycle org
• how does freecycle make money

Ever bought clothes or products that you have used once or twice and then become bored with and you have then shoved it to the back of your wardrobe or put it in the garage? Well now you can go online and search out the many Swap shops around.

Let's go swap shopping today!

Here is Swapz.co.uk who claim to be the biggest and the most original direct swap website where anyone can swap anything with anyone. It’s free to join and you can start swapping straight away. To discover more go to  www.swapz.co.uk/ to start swapping.

Swap Shopping is a great chance to get rid of all kinds of unwanted but re-usable items and/or pick up something useful. You will be surprised what people are swapping  - Antiques, Art, Automotive, Books, Cars and Vans, Comics & Magazines, Business, Office & Industrial, Clothing & Accessories, Collectibles, Computing, Consumer Electronics, Dolls & Plush, DVD, Film & TV, Hobbies & Pastimes, Home, Garden & Family, Jewellery & Watches, Mobile & Home Phones, Music, Musical Instruments, PC & Video Gaming, Photography & Optical, Pottery, Porcelain & Glass, Properties, Sports gear, Stamps, Tickets & Travel, Toys & Games.

First you find what you want and then you make an offer to swap something for it. It can either be a straight swap one item for another or you can do a swap with an item and cash or you can offer cash to swap. You can also place a request for any item you are looking for that you would like swap. This tip is certainly a useful money saving tip and is on a par with the recent article about the Government Car and Van Scrappage Scheme.

Armed with this information about swap shopping you should now feel confident to buy a new dress in the knowledge that you will be able to swap it in the future for something just as amazing as your original dress. This could mean that you only ever buy a new dress once and then swap it over and over again. What an amazing solution to updating your wardrobe, if only it was this easy? If your looking for how to save money fast then look no further than swap shopping for money saving ideas.

Your thoughts and comments are very welcome. Just click on the comments button below and leave your thoughts and views.

Incoming search terms:

• shopping pictures
• money saving tips car scrappage
• let's go shopping
• lets go shopping
• money saving swaps
• pics of shopping
• pictures shopping
• shopping images

Everybody want to know where they will get married, where the reception will be, who will design Kate’s’ wedding dress, who’s invited, who will make the cake, where they are going on honeymoon and who will pay for the big day? Any designer or supplier asked by the happy couple would drop everything to be involved.  Unlike Prince William and Kate most couples will be looking for some tips to save money on their wedding day. The average wedding is thought to cost around £20,000 today.

So here are a few frugal tips worth considering.

Wedding money saving tips for the Bride and Groom

• Instead of buying a new wedding dress why not have a wedding dress made for you this can often work out much cheaper than a designer dress. Have a look on eBay or in a Charity shop. Often the larger charity shops have a designer rail and the clothes that are donated are often in pristine condition as are the clothes on eBay.
• A wedding list is a great way of asking your guest to give you a gift that would help you both enjoy your wedding day; like a bouquet of flowers for the bride, a cake for the reception, the bridesmaids dress, the wedding car, the honeymoon holiday, etc. Today most people will have lived with their partners before marriage and will already have a house, a mortgage, a toaster, a kettle and microwave.
• Church weddings are expensive, the vicar will want paying for the church, the choir, the heating and the bell ringers and you may not even be religious. Church weddings are seen as very yesterday for some couples and are not modern and trendy. Registry office weddings are for quick weddings. Popular venues for weddings are beach weddings in the Caribbean, a capsule for twenty people on the London Eye or a marquee at home in the garden.
• For the Luncheon Reception after the marriage service you could ask the guests to bring a plate of food for a cold buffet and everyone could bring a bottle or two and some beers. You could always provide the sparkling wine for the toast and the gifts for the bridesmaid, the best man, the brides’ parents and the grooms’ parents.
• You could always hold your evening reception at home, the local pub or at a friend’s house. Some couples have even met all their friends and families at their favourite night club and they shared their night with other club revellers.
• After having saved money on your wedding day you could splash out on your honeymoon night in an expensive hotel with a four poster bed or you could both fly off for a week’s sunshine honeymoon after the luncheon reception saving you money on not having an evening reception.

Whatever you decide remember it’s your big day and you don’t need to follow tradition. But remember to discuss your plans with each other.  It’s your family and friends that you invite that will make your wedding a day to remember and not how much it cost.

Why not leave your thoughts, experiences and comments below about how to have a great wedding on a budget whilst saving money.

Incoming search terms:

• money saving wedding tips
• saving for a wedding
• money saving bride
• wedding tips for groom
• wedding saving
• wedding money saving tips
• saving for a wedding tips
• tips on how to save money for a bride
• wedding dresses rail
• bride money

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Are being mugged by your utility provider?

How to save electricity

Everytime I pay my utility provider it feels like I am being mugged for cash as the cost just keeps rising.  It often feels like my home is a supply station providing free gas and electricity to the all the homes in my area when I look at my gas and electricity bills.  Dick Turpin at least wore a mask when he was robbing. So faced with increasing utility costs I started to investigate how I could reduce my gas and electricity costs. Here are my findings.

Government Grants website

Start by using the Government Grants website which provide a source of information for UK grants for gas central heating, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation. Government grants from 40% to 70% are available to homeowners and tenants for loft and cavity wall insulation. These grants are funded by the utility companies and are non-refundable. These grants will not be around forever and once the funding that has been allocated is exhausted they will finish. They also offer a solar heating grant of £400 towards the cost of installation of solar panels which cost around £4,000 depending on the size of your home. If you do not meet their eligibility criteria for free insulation, then grants from around 50% are available for loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, so you can still achieve a massive saving on the normal cost.

The Governments’ Energy Saving Trust Website

There are grants available to help us implement energy saving measures and help reduce our carbon foot print. The Governments’ Energy Saving Trust website provides grants and they have a wonderful search tool to help you find grants or offers that are available for you in your area. All you need do is complete the questions asked on their search for grants and offers page. You will then be presented with a list of providers offering discounted prices or grants in your area. This is a brilliant site and is packed with great advice and help for reducing your energy, saving money and reducing your carbon dioxide emissions from your home.

The future looks good!

What Savings can I expect from loft and cavity wall insulation?

Our homes lose 35% of their heating through the walls and 25% through the roof. At the Governments Energy Saving Trust website they have an Energy Saving House where they show you a full range of energy saving measures. For example by insulating the loft and having cavity wall insulation with a grant you could reduce you’re heating bills by around £365 a year and reduce your home’s carbon dioxide emissions by up to 1.5 tonnes.

You can complete their online Energy Savers report which allows you to understand your homes energy efficiency performance to reduce your energy use andbe more efficient. The average cost seems to be between £225 to £249 for either cavity wall insulation or loft insulation depending on the size of your home. I did discover that B&Q the DIY store was charging £199 for either cavity wall insulation or loft insulation depending on the size of your home. If you are over 70 years old you can receive loft insulation and cavity wall insulation for free from the Energy Saving Trust or the Government Grants website.

Old central heating boilers are inefficient

Changing you’re a central heating boiler that is over ten years old will reduce your gas bill as it is thought that these older central heating unit are only 70% efficient. This means that for every £1 of gas that you buy your old unit wastes 30pence of the money you pay for your gas. Add some heating controls taps to your central heating radiators and they could help save you a further 17% of your heating bill when fitted with a condensing boiler along with an upgraded heating control and you could be looking at a total reduction of as much as 40% of your heating bill providing a saving of £275 a year depending on the size of your home.

How to reduce your monthly utility bill

Here is a list solutions that are available to help you reduce your gas and electricity bill. The grants and discounts available will vary according to the size of your home, your location, your annual income and your age.

• Consider a portable Wireless Energy monitor to control your electrical wastage
• Grants for gas central heating depends on age and benefits being claimed
• Grants and discounts for loft insulation from £199
• Grants and discounts for cavity wall insulation from £199
• Grant of £400 towards the installation of Solar panels
• Replace existing light bulbs with Energy Saving Lightbulbs, they cost around £2 per bulb and you could expect to reduce around £45 before it needs replacing. These bulbs use 80% less electricity and will last ten times longer than a standard light bulb. Count the number of bulbs you need and see the savings.
• Update your Central heating unit if older then 10 years. Consider either a condensing boiler along with an upgraded heating control unit or replace it with a Combi Boiler as this will do away with a conventional hot-water storage cylinder and water tanks in the loft. Costs from £2,000
• Add heating controls tap to all your radiators, they cost from £7.99 each
• Switch Utility providers for a better deal.
• Switch your gas and electricity providers to a duel fuel provider if you have not already done this for further savings, save around £115
• Pay your utility bills monthly by direct debit for a further discount from your provider.
• Switch to an online account with your utility provider. You can now read your gas and electricity meters monthly and update the information for an accurate bill. This will prevent over billing from estimated assessments of your usage.
• If you are on a coin operated meter for your gas and electricity then consider switching as you are paying a premium for this facility.
• Switch off all light switches and plugs when the appliances are not in use.
• An estimated £910 million is wasted in the UK every year by people leaving televisions, computers, TV set-top boxes and radios on standby.
• Use a timer to turn your central heating on and off as required.
• Consider switching to Energy Saving Recommended household appliances as they could cut your energy consumption by up to a third compared to your old appliance. Obviously only do this as you replace broken or old appliances.

For further ways of reducing your gas and utility bill then you should visit the Energy Saving Trust website where you will find a mountain of further money saving ideas and help.

Wireless energy Monitors
If you’re serious about cutting your electricity bills, then fitting a wireless energy monitor should be your number one priority. Even though we all have electricity meters in our homes, they’re no use hidden away in a cupboard outside only to be read once or twice a year. You need to know how much electricity your home is using at anytime of the day or night.  A wireless energy monitor will show you instantly how much electricity you’re using twenty four hours a day. Its reported by the manufacturers that you can save up to 20% off your electricity costs.

Furthermore, the Government are convinced that these ‘real time energy monitors’ will enable consumers to make genuine and sustained reductions in their energy usage habits that they intend to incorporate them into the proposed ‘Smart Meter’ roll out due to complete in 2020. This proposed upgrade to metering of energy in the UK is good news, but 2020 is a long way ahead. However, you don’t need to wait for one of these new Smart Meters to be installed before reaping the energy saving benefits of a wireless energy monitor. There is a good selection of wireless energy monitors available which can quickly and easily be added to any standard home electricity meter, so you can start making savings today.  The prices of these monitor systems starting from just £24.95, the payback period for an average household should be considerably less than a year.

Anyone can reduce their Gas and Electricity bills

Anyone can reduce their Gas and Electricity bills by at least 20% following the sixteen ways listed above. Unfortunately, like most things you need to spend some money to make these reductions; but the rewards will return each month. By implementing a few of these thrifty ideas at home you will reduce your gas and electricity bills in the future. You are probably thinking I cannot afford to make all these changes. Start with the changes that cost the least and then work your way through the list above. Remember by making these changes you will not only save money each month but you will be helping our planet HOME by reducing your carbon dioxide emissions.

Your thoughts, experiences and comments are welcome. Just CLICK on the green coloured COMMENT bar below and Leave your thoughts or experiences today!

Incoming search terms:

• how to save money on gas central heating
• central heating tips to save money
• best way to save on gas central heating
• central heating money saving tips
• alternative fuel resoures
• electricity
• gas money saving tips
• FRUGAL TIPs
• best ways to conserve electricity
• how to save money on your gas bill

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts