Lots more Sneaky Ways to save the pennies

tattycath

On the grocery challenge thread someone suggested breaking dishwasher tablets in half - I have to say, I have actually tried this and the pots were still clean using only half a tablet. So that doubles the length of time a box of dishwasher tablets lasts.

I haven't bought flash w!pes for ages, but I found a few in a packet at the bottom of the cupboard. They were bone dry. I decided that I would try to use them instead of them wasting. I moistened them a little with ordinary tap water and they were perfectly useable and cleaned my sink and tiles really well.
Obviously since using this site I tend to use star drops etc.

Frugalsod

Open your curtains if they face the morning sun as it will heat the room as the sun rises, and without spending a penny. You could also pull them closed as it stops heat loss out when the sun goes down.

mioliere

I'm not sure if I've posted this tip on this thread before. I cut sheets of kitchen roll into quarters and store them in a box on the worktop. They are really handy for when you just want to wipe a knife when making sandwiches, and for other things where you don't need to use a whole sheet.

mcculloch29

Not sure if I've posted this either but here it is again.
If you colour your hair at home, if it is chin length or shorter and not especially thick, go for one of the 'old-style' colourants that have a metal or plastic tube of colour and a plastic bottle of developer.
Aldi's 'Carino' colours are all like this, as are the Wilko own brand and the poundshop ones, if you can find them.

Rather than pouring the tube into the bottle as per usual, measure out half the bottle of developer and half the tube of colourant into a plastic bowl and mix with a plastic utensil. I bought a set of hair combs and a bowl for a quid in the pound shop that make applying it a breeze.

50 ml of mix is enough to treat your hair unless it is very thick or longer than chin length. If you seal the bottle and tube carefully they will keep for months. I got sent some colour to trial free, so my half bottles had remained in storage since last November. I used them with no problems yesterday.

A note of caution, you cannot mix up all the mix and keep some for next time, that is dangerous. Make sure you keep the box and the instructions so that you have everything together and know what it is.

kboss2010

I refill an old molten brown handwash bottle with the same colour cheap handwash so I have a lovely expensive looking set (fyi people will often sell their empty bottles on ebay for 99p).

anyone got a cheap transparent pink handqash/shower gel they can suggest?

Uniscots97

Kboss most supermarkets sell pink grapefruit shower gel quite cheaply

kboss2010

Instead of buying fat quarters of fabric for crafting I buy curtains, pillowcases, clothes and bed sheets from charity shops. It's also a bonus if you can buy lined curtains as you get the patterned fabric and the lining for the same price.

I've often found Disney themed duvet covers (Cars, Finding Nemo, Toy Story etc.) for a few pounds. Disney fabric is really expensive to buy new.



- handbag made from an old tartan skirt, stuffing from an old pillow and some felt scraps, cost me less than £5

Eenymeeny

I'm another charity shop fabric fan. Washed fabric is actually better for vintage-look quilts in my opinion.
I've just made a cover for my sewing machine out of a charity shop tablecloth which matches my room perfectly! (and lined with an old fleece which was starting to look a bit past it:o)
Lovely bag by the way

sparrer

I was lucky enough to find a burgundy duvet cover in a cs for £3 which I took apart and lined my burgundy bedroom curtains with. It definitely keep the light out when I want a lie-in
I also found three pictures in the cs for £1 the set. I painted them blue to match the bathroom (already had some paint left over) and framed Greek-style pictures cut out from a holiday brochure.
I keep all the ends of tins of paint for touching up in small glass jars from mustard, mint sauce etc, and put a circle of cling film on the top so it doesn't form a skin. I keep them all in an old biscuit tin in the shed.

Uniscots97

Try to keep make-up brushes/sponges/applicators as clean as possible as if they haven't be cleaned for a while you'll use more make-up (it gets stuck on the brush etc) than actually goes onto your skin. Make-up brushes etc can easily be kept clean by washing them in warm soapy water (you don't need special brush cleaners etc), rinse well and let them dry naturally.