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

Confused_Jo

I keep loo rolls, cover one end with newspaper and fill with compost for starting seedling off. Especially good for peas, beans and corn.

I make and jar my own pasta and curry sauce in large batches so I have a ready meal that is preservative and colourings etc free.

I use bread bags for sandwich bags.
If the carpets look like the need a good clean, I borrow a friends Dyson. I have a hoover but don't need to pay for an industrial strength one.

For a nice luxurious soak in the bath, I put a handful of oats in a pop sock and hang over the tap while the bath fills.

I buy multi purpose cleaner and then put in a sprayer watered down, well it says multi purpose so use it for that. Bathroom, kitchen floors etc

I keep parmesan rinds in the freezer and add to home made minestrone soup for flavour.
I crumb stale bread and freeze it.
I make sure I go to the supermarket on the way home from work so I don't make a special trip.

A lady working in M& S recommended for white bras that have gone grey use a cold water dye. Not tried it yet but intend on doing this with clothes that have stains.:T

I hang up shirts straight out of the washing machine so there is less ironing.

I add the stuff from the rabbits hutch to the compost bin but any little poos that are left on the floor can be added stright to plants as fertiliser.

Exfoliator gloves are much better and cheaper than pots of the fancy creams.
Reuse junk cds as bird scarers around the veggie plot.

I reuse pots and plastic bottles as min green houses and planters.

My OH drew the line when we refitted the bathroom. He slipped with a lump hammer that he was using to take the skirting board off and hit the outer skin of the toilet. He wouldn't let me plant it up in the garden!

SusanCarter

I'm confused. I don't understand how it's cheaper if it is something you use for cooking too. Surely you still use up the same amount? Or do you put it in your cooking after you've used it for "beauty"?

Chipps

Other uses for old tights:
What about putting a piece over the end of the vacuum cleaner tube to pick up very small objects which have dropped behind a cupboard or whatever?

ps. all my plants are tied up with strips of old tights, too!

beachbeth

This has been an interesting thread! I always empty my hoover bags out into the dustbin and this way they get used quite a lot of times before they disintigrate! My hoover, by the way, was bought in 1985 and still going strong (touch wood).

I always turn my sauce bottles upside down to get the last bits out and quite often cut up plastic tubes of shampoo/conditioner etc to make sure I get every last bit.

Ive always hated kitchen bins. Its just something else to keep clean and I think they smell awful if you don't keep them empty anyway. I have a kitchen sink, drainer and an extra smaller sink in the middle (don't know what the proper name is) and just put my supermarket carrier bags in the middle bit for all rubbish and peelings. I then put the full bag straight in the dustbin and replace with another plastic bag.

Im another one who hoards sauce sachets but only when its getting near holiday time so that I can take them abroad with me (some supermarket cafe's actually charge you for these though!). I also reuse stamps if they haven't been franked. (Someone I know is so fed up with the postman leaving elastic bands everywhere that she is collecting them up and is going to post them to the sorting office!!!)

Chipps

(Someone I know is so fed up with the postman leaving elastic bands everywhere that she is collecting them up and is going to post them to the sorting office!!!)

Our local BBC radio station were doing that a while ago!
Maybe postage would be cheaper if Royal Mail reused its elastic bands & didn't have to keep buying more!
Our postman is a bit tidier.... I found one of the bands in our green wheelie bin (green compost waste) sitting on top of the grass clippings!

halloweenqueen_2

Mum used to keep the bit from tissue boxes you reove to get the tissues out for lists and cut up boxes from cereals and tea bags for lists and kids to draw on.
Use the insides of cereal boxes those shiny bags for either using for sandwiches or cutting discs from for the burger maker.
She would also put water into the empty washing pwder box and give it a swish round incase there were a few grains left!

thriftlady_2

Tissue boxes, that reminds me - I use empty tissue boxes as plastic bag dispensers.

Smashing

jomary85 wrote:

Old tights I cut the legs around in 1" strips and use for plant ties in the garden Any more ideas for tights?

Cut off half the length of one of the legs, put oats and a couple of drops of lavender oil inside, tie a knot in the end and chuck it in the bath. It's very good for ezcema - especially if you then use it as a washcloth type-thing.

tawnyowls

SusanCarter wrote:

I just put about six stones I collected from the beach into one of those bags for laundry tablets (my mum had millions of them because she used to get one with every box of persil tablets). I use about 1/8th of the liquid I would otherwise. It doesn't get the mud stains out of my husband's work clothes (he's a gardener) but tbh nothing does so I just give them a little rub of soap and the occasional soak.

I'd be a bit worried about this, because surely the stones would eventually nick the drum and possibly cause it to rust? A safer alternative would be to stick in a few tennis balls (pack of 4 from, where else, the pound shop!)


The bit about tissue boxes reminded me - I cut up yogurt pots into triangular bits and use them as plant labels. I also use old tights to tie up large plants.

Smashing

Yogurt pots are good for glue/poster paints and saves making the sink manky washing out pallettes.

Toothpicks are good mini javelins for a hamster too.