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Burgers cooking picture via Shutterstock

Poll: Will the horse meat controversy stop you from buying beef burgers?

An inquiry has been launched to find out why 10 beef burger products tested positive for horse DNA. Does this turn you off buying beef burgers?

YESTERDAY IT EMERGED that a number of beef burger products, on sale at various supermarkets across the country, tested positive for horse DNA.

The products, produced by two Irish plants and one in the UK, were on sale in Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi and Iceland.

Out of 27 beef burger products analysed, 10 tested positive for horse DNA with one sample from Tesco found to have 29 per cent horse DNA relative to the beef content.

An inquiry has been launched to trace the source of the horse DNA and Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said yesterday that it is thought the DNA was present in imported products that are put into the burgers, like binding agents.

So we ask: Will this stop you from buying beef burgers?


Poll Results:

No, not at all (1980)
Only in the affected stores (1677)
Yes (1409)
I'm not sure (1055)

Related:Horse meat inquiry: contamination was likely ‘accidental’>

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164 Comments
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    Mute Shane Leonard
    Favourite Shane Leonard
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:54 PM

    1)Dont buy shite you dont need.
    2)stop drinking smoking and gambling.
    3)set up a direct debit savings account.
    4)be grateful for what you already have !

    296
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    Mute Aaron Miller
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:07 PM

    Otherwords live like a peasant nobody

    48
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    Mute Filimín Uí Briain
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:55 PM

    I did most of these things in the last year or so, I really don’t live like a peasant! Actually I’m doing better now than in the boom!

    97
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    Mute Shane Leonard
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:13 PM

    dont knock it till you try it. Did it last year and buying a new car soon.

    64
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    Mute Jamie Leask
    Favourite Jamie Leask
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:26 PM

    Disconnect your doorbell from the electricity and check your door every 2 minutes. Substantial savings to be made over the course of a year.

    237
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    Mute Melissa O Shea
    Favourite Melissa O Shea
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    Jan 13th 2014, 8:42 PM

    Brilliant, you could also save on gym fees by getting plenty of exercise by doing all that walking back and forth to the door :)

    33
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    Mute Denise Houlihan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 10:52 PM

    And you won’t have time to watch tv with all the exercising you’ll be doing so sell that on DoneDeal and save a fortune on electricity to boot!

    15
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    Mute Trevor Baker
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    Jan 14th 2014, 8:22 PM

    Great idea, then unsubscribe from Sky UPC you won’t get a chance to watch tv, then stick the tv etc on Donedeal for an extra few quid !! I’m off to disconnect the doorbell

    1
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    Mute Andrew Deegan
    Favourite Andrew Deegan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:37 PM

    Ring your friend and hang up. They see the missed call and ring you back.
    Only butter one piece of bread in a sandwich.
    Pick cigarette butts up off the ground.
    Steal drinks on nights out.
    Turn condoms inside out for a second shag.

    203
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    Mute Begrudgy
    Favourite Begrudgy
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:48 PM

    Give this man a TV show.

    80
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    Mute Karen Forde
    Favourite Karen Forde
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:58 PM

    I actually had a friend do the missed call thing for years. And always during working hours so that I was definitely not going to answer. Untik one day I was on leave, answered the phone and copped on.

    49
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    Mute Alan Kelly
    Favourite Alan Kelly
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:46 PM

    1. Have your butler jump up and down in your waste bin. You can get more in that way.

    2. Have your blacksmith shoe your horses every other week.

    3. Ask your butcher to cut up road kill you find.

    189
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    Mute Ann-Marie Wallis
    Favourite Ann-Marie Wallis
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:03 PM

    My biggest saving tip is stay away from Penneys, it’s nearly impossible for me to go in there without spending money. The Cineworld ticket is a good idea but avoid the rip off popcorn…Crouching Tiger, Hidden Taytos…

    181
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    Mute Dee4
    Favourite Dee4
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:10 PM

    dont sit in front of me making loud rustling noises with your crisps or Ill flick you with my over priced popcorn ;-) . Cinemas are bad at providing savoury foods, if Im of a mind to I bring in a sushi platter as a treat.

    43
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    Mute lb
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:46 PM

    Watch T.V through the neighbours window, having a ladder to look through the bedroom window saves the need for the internet. Eat only what nature can provide ie cows, badgers, crows, mushrooms, grass etc. Catch lifts everywhere hanging on to the back of jeeps, buses etc whilst on your skateboard a la Marty Mcfly. Remember what Bosco said “possesion is nine-tenths of the law” so basically thieve what you like. Live in a cave or nice ditch.

    126
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    Mute Catherine Sims
    Favourite Catherine Sims
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:06 PM

    Do a “Fiscal Fast” This is not my idea but one I saw on extreme cheapskates. Basically for one week every so often you commit to spending no money or if that’s not possible as little as possible. So you use up what food is in your house. Take packed lunches and flasks or tea or coffee to work. When your petrol runs out walk or use a bike. Don’t eat take aways or eat out . Free entertainment only so no cinemas or pubs or such for a week. You could do your own DVD night with home made snacks. Don’t but clothes make up or visit a hairdresser or a barbers. No newspapers or magazines no wine .
    Now some people need to use public transport to get to work so you can’t cut that but anything you can cut to the bone for a week then you need to do it. If you do this even once every two to three months you could be surprised at what you could save. Extreme cheapskates take it too far for my personal tastes but you can still do a fiscal fast without making a holy show if yourself to the outside world.

    107
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    Mute Aaron Miller
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:08 PM

    ^^^^ I don’t want to live on this planet anymore ^^^

    64
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    Mute Dave Mc
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:35 PM

    Shower in work, the gym or on site after foorball if the options are available. Electric Showers are a ‘gas gusselers’

    95
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    Mute scaldbag
    Favourite scaldbag
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:44 PM

    EMIGRATE!

    73
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    Mute Melissa O Shea
    Favourite Melissa O Shea
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:00 PM

    When the water charge comes in I intend showering at the gym every day, though now you say it, it might take the esb bill down if I started that now :)

    22
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    Mute Melissa O Shea
    Favourite Melissa O Shea
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:20 PM

    Check under the price in supermarkets for price per kg. I used to always try to work out if bigger or different brands were better value and this is fool proof.

    82
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    Mute Giz
    Favourite Giz
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:06 PM

    And make sure the special offers are actually worth it – quite often they aren’t.

    48
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    Mute Silver Fern
    Favourite Silver Fern
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:13 PM

    The two best pieces of advice so far. It’s not cheaper to go 3 for 2 if you only need one ;)

    85
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    Mute Melissa O Shea
    Favourite Melissa O Shea
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:51 PM

    Yeah once I went to buy the Eco friendly refill pack for the coffee and looked at the price per kg and it worked out dearer. Stupid really. Sometimes there are big whopper jars of stuff that work out dearer than buying 2 smaller ones to the same weight. In Tesco at the moment it works out cheaper to buy 4 chocolate Freddo bars than to buy a pack of four. Usually when u see multi pack you think better value, but you have to be clever because that’s not always the case

    53
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    Mute Dee4
    Favourite Dee4
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:57 PM

    put your credit card on DD, only mugs pay them interest

    78
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    Mute Silver Fern
    Favourite Silver Fern
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:05 PM

    Or better still cancel them and use visa debit, it’s cheaper to book flights ect if you use a debit card instead of visa.

    52
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    Mute Pauric Mcgowan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:59 PM

    Aldi..haven’t you seen the adverts..

    72
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    Mute 8X6o6qTf
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:20 PM

    Ahh sure I’m aldi, aldi, aldi all the way now. (Shudders)

    30
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    Mute Dave Hogan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:00 PM

    LOL. You wanna be some loser to do that kettle one. Saving hot water in a flask . Sad.
    Advising people to drink cordials in a pub instead of fizzy drinks! What about the fella running the pub.

    63
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    Mute fm
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:56 PM

    The cordials one is a great idea. Sometimes I don’t drink and drive my friends to the pub-I don’t spend much and the pub gets money from my friends buying pints, win win!

    53
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    Mute molly coddled
    Favourite molly coddled
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:53 PM

    Bought a gadget from one of those cheap home shopping catalogues that was dropped in my door a few years ago.
    Its a gadget that compacts all the leftover bits of soap and you end up with a bar of soap.

    Voilà.

    Hairy soap !.

    (Two in one, an exfoliant and soap).

    61
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    Mute Tom Smith
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:46 PM

    Cut out biscuits

    48
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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:50 PM

    Unions have ordered nationwide strikes for things like that.

    18
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    Mute Ahippo
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:13 PM

    If you can do €50 this week chances are you can do it every week to Christmas and then you will have 2500 by the new year. Stop buying Lotto tickets and if you must have a flutter do it at the bookies. Make your lunch at home and take it to work – last night’s left overs might be enough. Walk don’t drive and buy yourself a granny shopping cart – you can’t buy what you can’t pull and what you can’t pull you don’t need. Brew your own. Bake your own. Cook your own. Baked beans made at home from scratch are cheaper and taste better than anything out of a tin.

    43
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    Mute Aaron Miller
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:48 PM

    if it takes someone a year to save 2500 im sorry but by god that is pathetic

    12
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    Mute lunadoran
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:18 PM

    Ah Aaron that’s a bit harsh, some people have absolutely no extra cash

    192
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    Mute jeuceventura
    Favourite jeuceventura
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:26 PM

    If you look strategically at saving, I should add over-saving, it is bad for business especially small businesses. This will only prolong the recovery period if a lot of people do it. My advice – reduce expensive debts where possible spend i.e. Credit card, and spend wisely and locally, there is plenty of good value out there

    40
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    Mute Johnnyi Harlyknewya
    Favourite Johnnyi Harlyknewya
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:36 PM

    It’s killing small business. The solution with all these articles is cutting out a coffee and sambo… There are better ways to save.

    You’d wonder the point of living here if you are on permanent student mode?

    22
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    Mute Maggie
    Favourite Maggie
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:25 PM

    Poop at work .saves toilet paper ..

    40
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    Mute Hank Schrader
    Favourite Hank Schrader
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:08 PM

    Cancel Sky.. But buy a monthly cinema pass? Think the monthly cinema pass will end up costing way more than your Sky sub.. Don’t need to drive or get a bus to my couch and pop corn costs way less at home.

    39
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    Mute Davin Lynch
    Favourite Davin Lynch
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:19 PM

    Just get a cheap internet deal which eliminates both those.

    50
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    Mute BD
    Favourite BD
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:19 PM

    1, 2, 3 thejournal.ie just log on and save money…

    38
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    Mute Simon Eales
    Favourite Simon Eales
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:24 PM

    If you’re fit and healthy, ditch your health insurance. You don’t need it.

    31
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    Mute Johnnyi Harlyknewya
    Favourite Johnnyi Harlyknewya
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:40 PM

    People haven’t a clue how little it covers. They’re buying the fluffiest product of all.

    The advertisements are getting ever increasingly cynical and desperate: “You don’t love your kids if you forgo insurance” It’s sick!

    Thankfully it will be a thing of the past in 3-5 years.

    19
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    Mute Liz Potts
    Favourite Liz Potts
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:00 PM

    Tescos and a few other shops (not lidl or aldi),have a bargain bin section where they have to sell off meat or fish or fruit veg Etc cheaply cos that particular day is its use by date…. The veg Etc will keep for a few days and the meat/fish can be used that day or frozen ASAP when u get home…. It’s all still perfect but legally they have to sell it off that day or bin it once it approaches the use by…. It’s a cheaper way to get perfectly good food.

    29
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    Mute Clíodhna
    Favourite Clíodhna
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    Jan 13th 2014, 11:22 PM

    Tesco and Dunnes normally reduce it two days before the best before great for expensive cuts of meat have gotten fillet steak for €2 in Dunnes ;)

    5
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    Mute Noel Fitzgerald
    Favourite Noel Fitzgerald
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:10 PM

    Use your debit card wherever possible instead of a credit card. That way you can keep track of what you are spending easier and you can only spend what you can afford. It saves on interest charges on your credit card and surcharges if you are booking online because some websites charge a higher surcharge for using a credit card rather than a debit card.

    23
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    Mute Giz
    Favourite Giz
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:05 PM

    Yeah – but then you get hit with bank charges for the use of the debit card.

    Maybe spend on the credit card and download an app for logging your expenses. Then pay off your credit card in full every month.
    You don’t get charged per use of the card, and if you’ve paid it off in full every month, you don’t get charged interest either.

    45
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    Mute Adrienne Lyons
    Favourite Adrienne Lyons
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:49 PM

    Live out of your freezer for a month

    22
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    Mute Damien McCoy
    Favourite Damien McCoy
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    Jan 15th 2014, 6:25 AM

    Tried that – was too cold, so we moved back into the house.

    1
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    Mute R Neuville
    Favourite R Neuville
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:04 PM

    €500 p.a. LPT saved.
    Tell the Revenue that your Local Property Tax is a “loan”.
    You will get it back when the law is repealed.
    —————————————————————
    $300 p.a. Bin charges saved.
    “Give up your ol’ bins”.
    Use black bag compressor at your local petrol station for €6/bag.
    or find a bin partner with an exemption!
    —————————————————————-
    €700 p.a. Car Tax saved.
    Only €56 p.a. for classic car tax.
    Plenty classic cars available in UK because they dont have the daft Irish car tax system. Donedeal ads.
    “141 and 142″ are not green jersey anyway … €1.5 billion sent out of our economy every year .. jobs, jobs!
    ——————————————
    €500 saved in oil fill.
    Fit a solid fuel stove.
    ——————————————-
    €2500 p.a. saved in no smokes.
    No smokes … it wont kill you but will kill the taxman.
    —————————————–
    €250 p.a. parking charges …
    Shop out of town. Free parking.
    —————————————–

    20
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    Mute Mrs P Lyons
    Favourite Mrs P Lyons
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    Jan 13th 2014, 3:48 PM

    I always buy Patricks marching season shoes in the sales but I’ve saved on washing powder for the fleg so it balances out in the end

    19
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    Mute Mark O'Hagan
    Favourite Mark O'Hagan
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    Jan 13th 2014, 6:38 PM

    Use a clothes airing rack instead of a tumble drier. One tip to improve cash flow to have a few extra bob for Xmas is to pay the mortgage over 11 months instead of 12. It might save high fees on credit cards.

    18
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    Mute Niall O'Malley
    Favourite Niall O'Malley
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:50 PM

    Emigrate.

    18
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    Mute Ryleigh kane
    Favourite Ryleigh kane
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    Jan 13th 2014, 4:25 PM

    This article is 13 days too late.The journal editorial staff could do with a bit of downsizing based on its performance.I suppose they may have decided to reduce the days in January we can apply these savings to be ironic,which is ironic really.

    15
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    Mute Ryleigh kane
    Favourite Ryleigh kane
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:34 PM

    22 red thumbs….the ass licking brigade are out in force today.Sheep…..bbaaaaaa!!!!!!!1

    13
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    Mute d
    Favourite d
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    Jan 13th 2014, 7:35 PM

    If your breasts are too big try wearing a knapsack. It might not save you any money but at least you won’t fall over.

    11
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    Mute Cian Byrne
    Favourite Cian Byrne
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    Jan 13th 2014, 5:10 PM

    Or get another job. .

    9
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    Mute Paul Walker
    Favourite Paul Walker
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    Jan 14th 2014, 7:34 AM

    Don’t throw out those old Corn Flake boxes. Fill them with toilet paper and Sellotape them together to make an excellent mattress. Or use empty Flora containers as galoshes for the kids. Save money on cold Winter nights by unplugging the freezer and leaving the contents outside on the doorstep.

    And finally, my wife and I saved €20 last Saturday by jogging behind a taxi to our favourite restaurant!

    9
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    Mute Solomon Mac Eoghan
    Favourite Solomon Mac Eoghan
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    Jan 14th 2014, 3:57 AM

    i save on pricey toilet paper by using an old flannel cloth and just give it to my wife to stick in the wash every now and again.

    4
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    Mute Cao Rainy
    Favourite Cao Rainy
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    Jan 15th 2014, 3:24 AM

    Here is my tip. Most coupon queens or kings are extreme couponers. Yes, you need much time and effort to clip and stack coupons. If saving a lot money, it’s worthwhile. Yet, many turns out to be time-consuming without getting valid coupons. With tons of coupons sites online, I found some of the best like HalfDiscount, HotUKDeals, VoucherCodes.

    2
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    Mute byrondenis
    Favourite byrondenis
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    Jan 14th 2014, 1:13 AM

    I despise cheap people they simply have no class

    2
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