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

pennineman

apple_mint wrote:

Our (diesel) car has one of those computer readouts which tells us how many miles per gallon you are using and how many miles until the next refill of the tank. We started driving at a steady 55-58 mph and now we are refilling once a fortnight rather than once per week. We are getting urban figures of 53-55 mpg and steady motorway figures in excess of 60 mph. I wish we'd started doing this a couple of years ago

. . . . . .and you've never been caught by police radar as you pass through a 30 m.p.h. zone?

apple_mint

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

apple_mint

Only get into a 30 zone in the last few hundred yards before work ... and you wouldn't want to go any faster there :rolleyes:

eastwoodnymph

What a hoot, so many of us doing similar things, and some very clever ideas, there's hope for the planet yet! I've not got many frugal additions

I save the poly bags that come wrapped round the supplements of weekend newspapers - use for food or for dog poo bags

I have a log flame effect electric fire, looks like a woodburning stove, just have the flame effect on only, and it makes me feel warm whilst I fantasise about one day having the real thing. The first (free) logs are already maturing nicely in the garage, and I've a piggy bank fund started.

I recycle bits from greeting cards people send to make home made cards - using wee sticky spacers to create 3-d effects - much cheaper than in shops

I have had such a laugh reading everyone's ideas, good on all you water-savers, water is something up here in Scotland we have more than enough of.

I don't envy those of you in hosepipe ban and water metering areas..... when I was a child, my family lived in the Middle East where drinking water was treated with great respect as a precious resource; bathwater was desalinated water - thought it was totally astonishing when I had my first bath in this country, and it was full of drinkable water!!

EagerLearner

stilernin wrote:

Surely it's very cheap for the birdies.....? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Great ideas everybody.

Do you mean cheep for the birdies

dorsetmiss_2

devoncat wrote:

When the wicks of candles get too short to burn, he breaks up the wax and drops it in new candles--he even scraps the edges of tealight tins to get the last bit of wax.

I do that too....and when those big candles burn down so much they are practically unusable I melt the remaining wax and make new candles...even make new wicks by feeding a bit of string through that silver thingy you get at the bottom of candles

stilernin

EagerLearner wrote:

Do you mean cheep for the birdies

Funnily enough I did, but realised too late that I'd mistyped.

If the truth were known, I'm trying to get used to single vision contacts with budget reading specs on top after being used to varifocals.

I am still perservering!!!

phizzimum

was it on this thread that someone recommended making a body scrub with olive oil and brown sugar?

whoever it was I just wanted to thank them...tried it last night and my skin feels lovely, and it saved me from making an expensive order with Lush!

Blazeparadox

I use clean cardboard packaging for shopping list, and go shopping on the way home from work too.

I use old Douwe coffee jars (from my aunt) as storage jars for lentils etc.

When I get a ladder in tights, I cut the bad leg off and pair it with another good one legged pair. Nice and warm on the back in winter.

I scrape out the ends of lipsticks (same colour) and put in a small pot and use lipbrush to apply in house.
Do same as others with toothpaste, last bit of soap etc.

Also buy Spec Offer/BOGOF fairy and dilute same with All purpose in a spray bottle.

Use washing powder to soak oven shelves and BBQ metals in. Come up at treat and so easy too. But recently purchased Ecoballs (brill) so will have nothing for this soon! any more suggestions.

Probably loads more, but so used to doing them they don't come to mind straight away.

:T Cool posts, had loads of 'notes to self' reading them. Thanks

Quasar

A real cheapskate taught me this one years ago and have done it ever since.

Instead of folding the end of sellotape back on itself so that you can find it, stick a suitably sized button to it, so that wee bit can be used and you don't waste any. Now this is really scraping the bottom of the barrel, right?

Not so for me. I use a lot of sellotape as I'm always sending out bulky envelopes (I'm a market researcher), so I reckon I've saved a lot over the years.