Little ways to save

HOLsale

maryb wrote:

mix good washing up liquid half and half with ultra cheapo - it's rubbish on its own but is perfect for extending expensive stuff. A bottle works out at about 30p maximum for really nice thick effective washing up liquid

you can do the same thing with the cheap 39p/litre shampoo from tesco's and lidl. i mix these half and half with 69-79p 400ml bottles of tesco's etc and they work very well indeed

i also use the cheap shampoo watered down by 1/3 for liquid handsoap. i buy a bottle of generica stuff from boots (39p i think) for the bottle, water that down and use it then do my cheapy mix in it til the pump dies then start over again

cheap shampoo watered down by 1/3 makes great bubble bath too and you can use it on your dishes if you are desperate for washing up liquid

another thing i do that really saves a lot of money is to save an empty washing up bottle and remove the label (so i don't mix it up with the new one) usually i use one that just has some soap left at the bottom. i add maybe 1/6 of my new bottle to the old one then mix in hot water, shake really well, let the suds die down then fill it up the remaining way and shake well again. this mixture then goes straight onto my sponge when i've got something really greasy or plastic so that these items get just a wee bit extra soap to get them really clean. this is also good if you've got a wee bit of onion smell on your hands etc, just a tiny squirt is enough to clean them. also you can squirt this mix into a dish that needs to soak, then add some water and set that aside. dh always uses way too much soap for this kinda thing which is why i started doing this


you can reuse plastic carrier bags for the freezer. i wrap my items in one layer of plastic wrap then put them in a carrier bag. this may get twisted then folded over itself again then tied and into the freezer... the plastic wrap is foodgrade so that's ok but i save on having to use several layers of plastic wrap this way

bread bags are brilliant for reuse, especially if you are going on a picnic as you can use the bread to make sandwiches then put them all right back in a bag that is exactly the right size for the bread
i also use bread bags to store things in the freezer. mince i great because you can put a chunk of it in the bottom of the bag, twist the bag, fold the bread bag ends over the chunk of meat again then tie shut!
they are also great for storing chunks of cheese, covering small dishes of items in the fridge etc carrier bags can be 'lids' as well if they don't touch the food

i also save my butter wrappers in the upper compartment in my fridge door. these are then used to butter pans. i always butter my muffin tins so these really come in handy!

HOLsale

Quasar wrote:

Cut all dusters and floor/dish cloths in four. Each section is quite adequate for the task and saves you loads in the long run.

i bought one of those mops with the spray bottle in and the pads you have to add onto them. (half price of course!)

i bought it because i knew i'd clean the floors as often as i should! once the spray bottle emptied i added my own mix of cheap malt vinegar (17p pint from lidl) water and a bit of watered down soap mixture) this works much better than the original stuff anyway

as for the pads. if i only have the one clean and dry then i will mop as much of the floor as i can then go rinse it out under the bathroom tap until it runs nearly clear, then it goes back on again usually i only have to do this once.

but what i usually do is to rinse them all out til they run clear(ish) then let them dry and then use them again. after this use they do in the washing machine (NOT the dryer though!) and they can be used like this many many times so a box of 6 for £2-3 (sales sometimes) has lasted me for 7 months now and going strong. I have never found another mop that i actually liked and i'm happy to use this one so i'd say that's a bargain!

many many many items for the kitchen can be washed and air dried for using again

as for the towels being cut up, i do this. whenever a towel starts fraying badly at the edges or starts wearing holes in it i cut it up for use as face cloths and cleaning cloths. when dd was still in washable nappies we had some cut up as emergency boosters for her nappy! the thin kitchen towels are actually very good for this purpose and we regularly use one of those cut up along with a normal booster for her night nappies

remember too that cotton wool and linen can go on your compost heap or you can make paper from them (has to be shredded first) so don't please throw them away!

louise83

Good thread, this!

I find that the little ways of saving are my way of expressing my commitment to a Money-Saving lifestyle on a day-to-day basis, almost a way of maintaining mental discipline so that when the opportunity to make a bigger saving comes along (often thanks to Martin!) I grab it.

Things I do include:

If I have to go out for one thing I try to do as many other jobs as possible. This arose out of agoraphobia but it means less diesel used and less wear and tear on the car (I have read that most of the wear in an engine takes place in the first few minutes of driving, before the engine heats up properly).

As there is only me in the house and the house is all-electric, it is rarely worth turning the immersion on to heat hot water, so I just heat what I need in the kettle. The hot water tank is in a bedroom, so the water in it is considerably warmer than the mains supply even when the tank isn't heated, and so I always use the 'hot' tap to fill the kettle for things like washing up. If I accidently heat more water than I need I stick it in a thermos for later like Calley.

I always switch everything off at the plug rather than leaving it on standby. This includes things, like the microwave and video, with clocks- I have a perfectly good wall clock. Of course, I always switch lights off if I'm not in the room and all my bulbs are Energy-Saving.:cool:

When I have a shower I leave the plug in, and let the trapped warm water release it's heat to the house rather than running out into the sewer. I do the same with hot washing-up water.

I fill gaps in the freezer with crumpled newspaper or plastic bags- I've heard they hold the cold in when the freezer is opened better than air (its an upright freezer and the cold air tends to tumble out and be replaced by warmer air).

I have Economy Seven electricity with a slightly slow clock which means that it currently comes on at about 4am and stays on until 11am. I try to do as many 'electricity heavy' jobs (e.g. hoovering, ironing) in this time window as possible. I have timers on the washing machine and tumble dryer so they come on at 5am if I'm using them. (I remember the day I first really read my electricity bill and discovered that Economy units are half the price!)

There are probably others I do automatically now. It's very interesting to hear others' ideas.

Louise

Chipps

On the rare occasions we have chinese I wash up those lovely plastic containers: they make great boxes for sewing stuff, are just right for storing pencils in, they fit neatly in the computer desk. In front of me are 3 of them: one has its lid on and contains elastic bands (including the ones from broccoli), stacked on top of that box is one with no lid. It acts as a tray for a collection of film canisters, each of which is labelled - they contain things like paper clips, drawing pins, safety pins etc. The 3rd box is also lidless & is exactly the right size for a neat stack of paper - junk mail & other scrap paper (with at least 1 clean side of course) all A4, torn into quarters (A6?) which just fits the box perfectly for an endless supply of notepaper.

whiteguineapig

am hanging my head in shame here after reading this thread !
i hereby promise to try harder as i don't do anything like this but i think i'm learning

HOLsale

louise83 wrote:

Good thread, this!


If I have to go out for one thing I try to do as many other jobs as possible.

i do this too. when we lived on skye this was an absolute necessity as portree, the main town was 60 miles round trip!

these days i only use public transport. because most weeks i work away from home 2-3 days my employer(s) normally pay for my travel (or i can at least claim it against my taxes) so i always buy a day pass for the bus for £2.30 and then i do all those things i wouldn't be willing to spend that much money on to travel! today i went to glasgow to pickup a large amount of lego (i sell it on ebay) I could have paid £9 to have it shipped BUT i was able to pick up 6 audits in glasgow for today each one with it's own generous (to those on public transport) travel allowance! i manged to take the bus to the train station, take the train and get a taxi home (it was 14kgs too much to carry up all those steps at waverly ) AND eat my lunch out for less than the money allotted plus i'll get my fees and the money i will make off the lego! most days i'll suggest that if dh and i already have bus passes that we can go out and do something free for the evening like a favourite but distant park or go up to activities in princes street gardens etc (we could walk there but 4 mile round trip at the end of the day with a tired 4 year old isn't much fun, especially when it's raining!) we'll also go to supermakrets beyond our normal reach for 'clearance raids' if we have day tickets

I always switch everything off at the plug rather than leaving it on standby. This includes things, like the microwave and video, with clocks- I have a perfectly good wall clock. Of course, I always switch lights off if I'm not in the room and all my bulbs are Energy-Saving.:cool:

same here. the cooker is always turned off at the wall after use for safety reasons. the dvd, vcr and tv are turned off completely. as we do not watch broadcast tv and only watch dvd's and videos we don't have to worry about it messing up the clock! the computer and monitor always get turned off completely as does the printer. i also have the monitor on an 'eco friendly' setting and our fridge is on the eco setting as well. i am forever turning our enrgy efficient lights off behind my dh though grrrrrrr
the shower only gets turned on at the wall when needed and it is electric so it only heats the water we need. i have the hot water heater come on for 3 different 1 hour settings and this keeps us fairly well since we don't normally take baths, only showers. our flats come with the heat paid but i don't like it stuffy in the house so i keep them on at a low setting anyway.

When I have a shower I leave the plug in, and let the trapped warm water release it's heat to the house rather than running out into the sewer. I do the same with hot washing-up water.

when i shower i leave the plug in and dd will have a quick bath in the other end sometimes. i always run very hot water for my dishes and then fill the sink up and let them soak for a few minutes (so the water does the work) i use my wash basin to rinse (always cold water) then they air dry. however the remaining water that is inevitabley left over often still very warm gets used to soak any dishes that have stubborn stuck on bits or to soak labels off bottles etc. those dishes then just need a quick clean in the next load

HOLsale

whiteguineapig wrote:

am hanging my head in shame here after reading this thread !
i hereby promise to try harder as i don't do anything like this but i think i'm learning

don't think of this thread as something to make you feel ashamed, think of it as something to make you feel inspired! :T

we didn't learn these habits over night you know, it takes a long time to pick up this many useful habits! you'll eventually just get in a mode of thought somewhere along the lines of

'hmmmm i wonder if i could use this for...' before throwing things away or
'gosh, i really can't see paying that much for this, how can i make it cheaper' etc you'll get there, don't worry!

and also realise, even the best of us on here waste money on some things some times, we're only human

[Deleted User]

I have a small plastic container that I bought years ago from Bettaware into it goes all the tail-end scraps of my soap bars and a small drop of water eventually this becomes filled and I get a new bar of soap ever so often.As I always use the same make of soap it just seems like a freebie.
I always turn the t.v. off at the plug as our local fire brigade advised us old codgers that a lot of fires start with 'stand-by t.v.sets over-heating.
I read my own gas and electric meters and give the reading on-line and get a rebate from Seeboard energy of around £5-6.00. per quarter for the two Thats a saving of over £25.00+ per year.
I still haven't put my central heating on yet as I had my house insulated last year and it just doesn't need any extra heat just yet.
My 7 grandkids all save their ketchup portions for their Granny as we all go on holiday in a caravan in August, and it saves taking bottles along. I have a clear plastic box half filled with the 'free sugars,ketchup,pepper & salt from McD's.
We also save all of our Tesco points tokens Last year it paid for the food for the caravan for myself ,my daughter & son-in-law and the five children for a week in Caister.
I always go to sunday lunch at my youngest daughters as I am now widowed, and what ever's left of the joint she always gives to me as she knows I will make some individual shepards pies with it for the freezer.
I save my Boots points up throughout the year to buy my Xmas cards with as well as Xmas.
I always buy my Xmas wrap in January as they are usually selling them off cheap.
My late ma-in-law used to save the lining from the loose-tea packets and use it as draining paper for Chips or fried fish.
These are all things that I have done for years as I was brought up in the austerity of the post-war years and recycling was a nessesity not a way of life.Make do and mend was all too common.
I never throw out an old tea towel because it has worn out in the middle ,they make excellt cleaning cloths and will once cut up and hemmed boil up a treat.

apple_mint

Our old T shirts are cut up to make dusters and cleaning rags (great when you are decorating or working on the car)

I only go into town once a week now for bits and pieces (going to the bank, things from Holland & Barrat etc.) - it stops me window shopping and spending on thing I hadn't meant to buy, plus saves the bus fare or car parking on a weekly basis (used to pop into town for just one item :eek:)

We always take packed lunches to work (OH often has a portion from the meal made the night before) or take a sandwich with us if we are going out and we know we will need a meal during the trip.

I use the library rather than buy fiction books (saves space in the house storing paperbacks, which means I can buy recipe books at car boot sales )

frosty

whiteguineapig wrote:

am hanging my head in shame here after reading this thread !
i hereby promise to try harder as i don't do anything like this but i think i'm learning

some of the things I do to save money I have been doing for years,but there are lots of things I have picked up on here.
like only putting half a dish washing tablet in the dish washer,I buy Heinz baked beans then when no one is looking add a tin of cheap lidl beans to them :eek: ,lidls tom sauce is in the heinz tom bottle,I know its devious but they refuse to eat cheap rubbish :eek:( their words not mine)I think a lot of lidls food is very good, it just goes to show that a lot of people shop with their eyes and are convinced they are getting a better product if they buy a named brand,my list is endless with the things i substitute for other products :rotfl: I WONDER IF MY FAMILY WILL EVER NOTICE? :eek: