Money Saving Tips, or How to Live Respectably on a Pittance

marko93 wrote: »

You can't actually be serious?

i can't. but that was hardy the most unrealistic thing i said

dr.quirky wrote: »

For anyone who likes a drink, Home brew. dead easy, seriously cheap and smugly satisfying to drink something you made yourself. have a look on http://www.homebrewwest.ie/index.asp there are other irish sites you can order off too but that one was closest.

Theres a homebrew store in Maynooth above Donatello's

I could genuinely write the book on this. In my 2nd year we were the ''poor students'' that so many others claim to represent.

Tip: If you have only 20 quid in the bank, but need more, don't fret.

Advice: ATMs take about 5 minutes to update your balance. So here's what you do.

1. Go into the bank and withdraw 20 quid.
2. Leg it outside to the ATM, and withdraw it again from there.

Now you have 40 quid to last you however long. You account will go into overdraft, but at least you'll have money to buy food with in the immediate short term.

1) Learn to cook! Not just heating up jars of sauce. Learn to make sauces,stocks,soups etc and it will save you a fortune. Youtube vids of Ramsay, Marco Pierre White etc are great for this

2) Calm it down on the drink. Drink in clubs and pubs is ridiculously expensive so get hammered on Perlenbacher (6.50 for 6 500ml bottles in Lidl, actually very tasty) and then sober up just enough to get in. Then top up with a shot and your done for the night

3) Tesco is not always cheapest and the quality of their veg is ****. Lidl is usually much cheaper

4) Free condoms in the health center

5) Salami and Chorizo sausages are very economical. You can get loads of meals from €4 and they are very versatile and delicious

Could also write a book on this as a Maynootian and ex-student. Good times in that college, on a shoestring!

1. Get Dentalux toothpaste in Lidl Straffan Road for 67c. Toothpastes have basically the same active ingredients and Colgate is just a branding scam. Get five packs and that's your toothpaste for most of the year.

2. Get the aldi super six vegetables, you can usually get baby spuds or sweet potatos for less than a euro. Google recipies, bung them in the oven with some meat, chuck some olive oil on, stunning roast for about a fiver. Split it with a mate and you have it for around E2.50. Lidl do good meatballs for around 2 euro. Supervalu are doing 2 Salmon Darns for E3.00. You can usually get a chicken for E5.00. You'd save a fortune eating in.

3. Get a job behind the bar in a pub. Usually if you're friendly enough you'll get a free pint or two after work.

4. The Newtown Inn is good for watching sports and chilled pints, lots of TV's. The bar can be a bit full on, but lounge is nice. And pints of Tuborg are really good and fresh as it's cheap and constantly being poured, they only cost E2.90.

5. SuperValu (Glenroyal) and Londis both do fresh dinners prepared by their butchers, which basically you just bung in the oven and heat. In Supervalu you can get the likes of a Roast Pork or Roast Chicken dinner with all the trimmings for E10.00, at a push it will feed three - E3.33 each, zero effort to cook. I think Londis dinners are fresh on Mondays and Thursdays (evening) and cost E6.99, not as good value as Supervalu.

6. SuperValu do own brand Twix and Mars bars which taste better than the real thing. In the chocolate aisle. The Snickers are not nice though. They cost E1.13 for five, massive saving, zero difference.

7. Do the Roost quiz on a Tuesday night, winners get a free round of drink for the table, very competitive though and prepare to be humiliated if you're caught with a phone on at the table!

8. Tescos do shower gel for 39cent. Get five of em, last a couple of months. Same for shampoo.

9. Go on Jumbletown.ie to get free stuff for your student house.

10. Use three.ie prepay for mobile fone, never spend more than E20 a month, no limits internet, as far as I know you can tether it to your laptop for free internet when you're at home but I don't think this is allowed, so perhaps not! ;-)

11. Bank machine at Maxol can be slow to communicate with bank, sometimes will give you E20 then another E20 when you don't have it, but doesn't do tenners.

12. Lidl is generally cheapest for booze in Maynooth I reckon, but deals change week to week.

That's all for now lol!

aaabbbb wrote: »

Theres a homebrew store in Maynooth above Donatello's

news to me! Thank you for this information, will check it out!

marko93 wrote: »

Although I wouldn't have the slightest clue how to do this. It looks extremely interesting!

Did Einstein have the slightest clue about a theory that reconciles the laws of classical mechanics and electromagnetism when he was born? fewk no, but rest assured that home brew is many measures easier than that.

DB21 wrote: »

Also, it's weird you posted that seeing as I was tweeting earlier about getting a homebrew kit :L

tweeting about it wont get you brewing! just do it! pm me or FB if you're unsure, it really is dead easy!

Eric Cartman wrote: »

ive my first larger brewing right now 10 litres of deliciousness coming soon

I fully look forward to a tasting my good man!

Woodward wrote: »

4) Free condoms in the health center

and the Union !! afaik


Also these thoughts/comments on homebrew make me reconsider trying to set up a home brew society. Is this a ridiculous idea?

dr.quirky wrote: »

Did Einstein have the slightest clue about a theory that reconciles the laws of classical mechanics and electromagnetism when he was born? fewk no, but rest assured that home brew is many measures easier than that.

GOD DAMMIT MAN! You've won me over. Just need to save a few more pennies to get a decent starter kit.


GOD BLESS YOU QUIRKY.
Also, yes, please do set up a home brew soc/club!

yoursaviour1989 wrote: »

Marko93, it's actually fairly simple, just step-by-step instructions.

I'll have to look more into it! Just wanna make sure I get a good kit, don't want to be stuck brewing ****e beer.

Danny2580 wrote: »

7. Do the Roost quiz on a Tuesday night, winners get a free round of drink for the table, very competitive though and prepare to be humiliated if you're caught with a phone on at the table!

The same people win it every week and they are the workers in the bar. I'm convinced they are told the questions before the quiz. There's no way that they can know every answer every week.

12. Lidl is generally cheapest for booze in Maynooth I reckon, but deals change week to week.

I never liked their selection in there but know that they are very, very strict on ID. I was in there with a friend a while back and he couldn't get served because I didn't have proper ID with me. I was sitting 20 feet away but they saw us together. It's completely over the top to be honest.