Old style things that 'only you' do...

nuttyrockeress

I'm sure that we aren;t the only one's who do this but mum and I if we buy magazines, we read them first then pass to each other, then mum passes to her neighbour, who passes to her daughter and I have also been known to drop some at the hospital waiting room too.

Also, an me, OH and DSS are National trust members, we get 3 handbooks. We pass these on to friends (recently we had a new person come to work at our offices from the US) I gave him a handbook to use and introduce him to all the lovley properties in the area - he is now a NT member.

kedi7uk

I do many of the things already mentioned.

I prefer filter coffee to tea and use the filter and coffee twice. I also reheat coffee in the microwave if I haven't had time to drink it.

If I'm frying onions, or making a soup base, I cook enough for 4 meals then take out and freeze the extra. Not only that, when I put stuff in bags for the freezer I'll fold over or use an elastic band to separate out portions so I only have to defrost what I need and I save on bags!

Another idea for those elastic bands - I use them to keep trailing cables and wires tidy.... roll up the excess and keep in place with a band.

We've made a storage box out of the old slats from a wooden bed, a computer table from the bed end and a bit of kitchen worktop someone was throwing away, but my mum was a classic - she saved old ice-lolly sticks - strung them together and decorated them with felt-tips to make a curtain for the bathroom. She even shredded some old bread bags (white and red they were) then knitted them into a new bag.... looked pretty good too until the red dye stained her blouse! :rolleyes: She made a draft excluder from old bits of materials stuffed with socks and used her old tights (washed of course) to strain gone-off milk to make cheese.....

I'm sure if I keep thinking there will be much much more!

GeDink

Oh I'm loving this thread! If you'd of asked me at the start I wouldn't of been able to think of anything, but reading through I've found myself laughing and thinking 'I do that!' It's good to know I'm not alone.

Only thing I can think to add is using your old toothbrushes to clean round taps and in the grouting. Can't do this when my 5 yr old is about though as she goes and gets her new toothbrush to help me bless her.

My hubby is constantly coming home with 'bits' or taking something apart to save the parts for something else. So much so that his mates have rechristened him Steptoe!

Sarahsaver

As for reusing toothbrushes, if you have an electric one with a worn out head it is great for cleaning brasswork such as intricate doorknobs etc.

What's the weirdest thing so far then? And if you are reading this Martin what's your 'unique' moneysaving habit?

Great thing about this is that we all may have thought we were a bit bonkers but there are loads of us about! Safety in numbers!

lindsay_g_2

I always cut off the cable and plug from electrical things that have broken down and keep them to use again. Then about three years later I realise I'm never, ever going to use them and I throw them away, in the plastic carrier bags I've recycled from the shopping rather than buying bin bags...

SusanCarter

lindsay_g wrote:

I always cut off the cable and plug from electrical things that have broken down and keep them to use again. Then about three years later I realise I'm never, ever going to use them and I throw them away, in the plastic carrier bags I've recycled from the shopping rather than buying bin bags...

I used to work as a science technician in a secondary school. One of the physics practicals involved learning how to wire a plug. We used to cut off plugs from broken equipment to save buying so many plugs specially. Could be worth seeing if your local secondary school would like them.

Raksha

On the toothbrush theme - when my old electric toothbrushhead is looking worn out (long after the 3 months they are supposed to work.....) I use it for the taps and other niggly bits.

buxtonrabbitgreen

33 years ago when only terry nappies were available there were paper liners you bought to catch the solids. I used to wash these and hang them out to dry. Then they used to do 2 or 3 goes. It made my sister laugh. In fact i think at 21 I was more old style and poorer than I now am. I didn't have a car, so I had one of those baskets on wheels to walk to town to get shopping, I may have been a laughing stock, but I wasn't proud and i wasn't in debt either. Probably because credit cards hadn't been invented then. All my furniture was second hand, and the dining room suite is still going strong, although on it's 3rd set of second hand chairs and has been back in fashion since! I made all my childrens clothes out of scraps of preety flannel that my dad used to buy for dusters for his cleaning business. But still not as economical as some young friends I had who boiled a kettle in the morning and put the rest of the hot water in a flask for the rest of the day.

EagerLearner

SusanCarter wrote:

How do you get virgin olive oil and brown sugar for free?

I don't - I just make sure I use what olive oil I have with the brown sugar when needed, to multi-use those 2 products for both cooking and beauty... I worked out if I bought one bottle of olive oil and bag brown sugar JUST for beauty for a year - this'd cost £5.50 = £0.46 a month.

But as I use the olive oil & brown sugar I already have in the kitchen... it's prob not even £0.02p a month :beer: - practically FREE... :j

I have put 'recipes' for these beauty tips on the Freebies thread... :T

jomary85

I use old microwave turntable for board games e.g. Scrabble to turn the board around to face the player. Old tights I cut the legs around in 1" strips and use for plant ties in the garden Any more ideas for tights?