Lots more Sneaky Ways to save the pennies

good_advice

I have had my washing out on the line for x2 hours this afternoon.
It half dried in the small wind. Love the washing on the line, something about outside air.
The washing is now on the clothes horse. and will be totally dry by morning.
No costly tumble dryer, no electric.

katkin

I've started freezer bags for leftover veg and a peelings one that I intend to use for stocks, soups and to add body / extra to casseroles etc.

Waste nothing!

Bobarella

dianasnan wrote: »

I do this with all liquid products such as fabric conditioner, washing liquid, shampoo, washing up liquid. just stick it in a small cup to keep it upright or let it drain directly into the washing machine dispenser.

I was re-reading the frugal zealot- Amy Dacyzyn and she said that some housekeepers do all their laundry with the dregs that drain to the bottom of the washing liquid bottles but are discarded as being 'empty' by the householder.
Don't forget that anything in a pump lasts much longer- my shampoo and washing up liquid last at least 6 times as long. keep any decent old pump bottles for re-use.
And a basic cheap set of funnels are invaluable for decanting liquids.

Ive only recently 'discovered' Amy but I love her. Have read everything on her I can find. But I don't have the books yet. I am not decided on splashing out as people say a lot of it has become dated (last updated in 1996) what say you?

Bobarella

@Katkin - I do that too.

Today I saved a bag that some sweets had come in to use as an icing bag if I need one. It's the ideal shape as it's triangular tapering into a point. I try to reuse everything within reason.

grunnie

Bobarella wrote: »

Ive only recently 'discovered' Amy but I love her. Have read everything on her I can find. But I don't have the books yet. I am not decided on splashing out as people say a lot of it has become dated (last updated in 1996) what say you?

Amy's book The Tightwad Gazette is very dated and also very American but it is probably the only book I would never part with. It has saved me a fortune. I also recommend Steve and Annette Economides books but they are also for the American audience. They have a website and their emails are worth getting. Their books America's Cheapest Family and Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half will save you loads.

Aril

Use men's razors and razor blades much cheaper than ladies's ones. I don't need a pink razor:D

Try Jeff Yeager's channel "The Cheap Life" on youtube [free to subscribe] Lots of frugal tips there. He's written books too but might aswell start with the freebie ones!

Arilx

Brambleberry

I'd second grunnie, I'm a total Dacyczyn/Economides fan.
The best thing about the tightwad gazette is that she teaches you the skills to evaluate your thrifty methods, even if the examples and articles don't exactly match your lifestyle and culture.
I've learned to consider what things it is worth my time to do by taking into account my approximate hourly wage and comparing the savings/time taken to that. I don't earn £36 an hour, so until I do, it is always worth the "hourly wage" of the 1 second it takes to pick up a penny!
I use a budgeting method based on Americas Cheapest Family's, and it works very well, without the need for several bank accounts.
All the books are a fascinating insight into American culture too. Reading some of the sections from America's cheapest family will make you very grateful for the NHS too!
Having spent a total of about £45 buying the complete tightwad gazette (in 2003) and the two ACF books in more recent years, I reckon the ideas from them alone have paid for the books about 100 times over already.

sparrer

A simple idea but can be quite a saving - instead of buying an eyelash brush use an old mascara brush, just wash it out and let it dry. It's just as effective at separating lashes as a shop bought one - I saw one at £19 more than I spend on food in a week!

mcculloch29

I have the Tightwad Gazette and this is what I said in my review on Am@zon in 2011:

"This book was published at the end of the last century, and some of the material is ten years older than that. It's unashamedly North American in its outlook, with no references to European material.

Yet for all that it is still a goldmine of nuggets of advice on how to live frugally.
The nature of the newsletter format means that the tips and hints on saving cash are scattered through the book at random, but a very good index makes tracking them down easy.

This is back to basics old-style money saving, and none the worse for it. Yes, it's out of date in many ways with so much of it pre-dating the Internet- but much of the advice here will never date. A money saving recipe for pizza sauce, for example, will still be current in twenty years time.

Worth getting - and the sheer size of it makes it a good buy. It's a BIG book!"

babyshoes

Aril wrote: »

Use men's razors and razor blades much cheaper than ladies's ones. I don't need a pink razor:D

But if you want, or already have a pink razor, you may find the equivalent men's blades (i.e. same brand with similar or same name) fit and work just as well as the more expensive pink ones - best of both worlds!