That last half inch....?

valk_scot · 13 September 2011 at 9:03AM

Does anyone else get as compulsive as me about using up that last half inch in the bottom of a jar of jam or bottle of hair conditioner? My family think it's very funny that mum will spend time in the morning scraping out the inside of the mayo jar for a last two sandwiches rather than open another jar that day, or that conditioner/shampoo bottles get turned upside down to get another hairwash or two out of them. I even rinse tins of food out with a tablespoonful of water to get the dregs out to add to the pan of food and yup, I do that thing with a teaspoon of vinegar in the ketchup bottle to get the last drop out too.

Now as I said, my family think it's funny that mum is such a skinflint. I just laugh back at them and say it's moneysaving. But then I got to wondering...how many other folk do the same? Am I really that mean?????

JulieGeorgiana · 13 September 2011 at 9:09AM

I do most of that. I don't put vinigar in ketchup or open toothpaste tubes (I think open toothpaste is unhygenic), but all shampoo goes upside down, I open my washing gel packs, scrape the jars empty, and always rinse my tins with a little water to get all the stuff out! I put washing liquid in soap dispensers, but rinse them to get the last drop when empty, same with hand soap. Oh and I open mayonaise/ketchup squeezy pots to scrape the last bits out!

My family don't think I'm odd or different or a skinflint, just sensible. I never thought of it as being cheap, just frugal.

Maggie_Bob · 13 September 2011 at 9:13AM

I keep a tube of handcream on my desk at work (the air conditioning seems to really dry my skin), and I can usually make it last an extra week by cutting the top off (when the cream stops squeezing out) and just scooping some cream out with my finger.

I completely believe in getting every last drop out of jars and tubes - my Dad once told me that Mr Hellman's (or whoever) claimed they made all their money from the sauce that people don't use - ie the excess on your plate and left in the jar!

Need2bthrifty · 13 September 2011 at 9:14AM

I'm with you Valk_scot, spatula's are great for getting the last of the mayo out of the jar.

Bottles are upended on top of the replacement to allow the dregs to run in and I have been known to cut tubes of toothpaste, face/handcrean in half to scrape out what always sticks to the inside of the tube :rotfl:

I just see it as setting a good example your kids will appreciate your efforts one day

MRSTITTLEMOUSE · 13 September 2011 at 9:27AM

You pay for it,so you may as well use it.
I do it with everything I can.
Maggie Bob I'm with you on the hand cream thing

.
I've even got some specially designed jar scrapers I bought from Lakeland very cheaply some time ago that does the scraping job extremely well.
How sad is that.
Seriously though why waste stuff.

MaggieBaking · 13 September 2011 at 9:46AM

My mum uses the lakeland scrapers and things their marvellous. I'm not one for scratching to get the last out of things, I don't use many jars and I'll use water to swill the last of some cheat sauces or shampoo.

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/1864/Jar-Busters

MaLarkin · 13 September 2011 at 10:00AM

Yes to all the above, my family think it's funny.

Only thing that worries me is that I might go a bit extreme if I was living alone. One place I used to live had an old fashioned indoor market and a man (not homeless) used to go in every day and pick up the bit of sandwiches etc from the cafe. Always refused if someone offered him money or to buy him a sandwich. Just said he couldn't stand waste.

Did he start by upending bottles I wonder?

lostinrates · 13 September 2011 at 10:10AM

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

(I think open toothpaste is unhygenic), .

t bh, its going in my mouth, which as well as being pretty yucky in its own right, flaps open enough to pick up anything a tube of tooth past cut open might.

a cut open tube lasts me at least a week, sometimes more (I'm not very strong to squeeze last dregs out...) but.....I do put it in a tupperware anyway!

JulieGeorgiana · 13 September 2011 at 10:28AM

lostinrates it's a good point, but I have always been funny about toothpaste and brushing teeth (I can't be in the same room as someone else!). After suggesting to my OH a year ago about cutting open toothpaste he is the one who does it and uses it, I kind of freak out and chuck it...

It's my weird thing and I accept that

Margaret52129 · 13 September 2011 at 10:34AM

We as a family always do this. We have a challenge on who can get the last squeeze of toothpaste out! Don't go that far to open it though!

When my DD2 was at uni - her flatmates were amazed at how much she got out of the finished (to them) jars/tubes etc! They were all from pretty monied families (one of whom even had maids!!!) so if they needed something they just got it - scraping out jars etc was simply something they had never done, whereas my DD2 knew that every penny she spent was hard earned and not to be frittered away by waste.

Reverbe · 13 September 2011 at 10:56AM

MaLarkin wrote: »

Yes to all the above, my family think it's funny.

?

would they think it so funny if the money was coming out of their pockets??:cool:

TBH ma I cant stand to see the waste either. I reg walk past KFC as it is nexxt to Tescos and the amount of food waste there is shocking.. esp when you think that a burger costs what I spend on several meals.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

That last half inch....?

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free