Lots more Sneaky Ways to save the pennies

happydays89

Uniscots97 wrote: »

I love this thread, its kept me going over the years (10 to be precise!).


When washing clothes on a quick wash the spin can still leave a lot of water in the clothes, I give them a wring out in the sink before hanging them up to dry. It means I'm not spending the extra (on electricity) for another spin or longer wash and faster spin.

I have a spin dryer next to the washing machine,I re-spin all washing when it comes out of the washing machine so it dries very quick and there is less moisture when drying clothes inside during winter which can cause mould which isn't good for your health.I wish I could wring out the clothes but I have painful thumbs and find it impossible.

VfM4meplse

Anne_Marie wrote: »

I am terrible at wringing out clothes, always have been, and age is not helping now, so it's an extra spin in the machine for me am afraid.
I always used to do the hand washing and rinsing out of smalls on holiday, and hubby did the wringing out.

I'm another who is using the extra spin a lot these days, esp with bedding.

If you do have a mixed wash it's worth counting in the delicates (undies in particular) and fishing them out again before the rigorous spinning commences, as it will ruin anything vaguely fancy. Either that, or stick to sensible cotton smalls.

Caterina

Re.: saving water, I stand in a washing bowl while having a shower so the water collected is used to flush the toilet. When I wash my hands in the sink I do it over a container so that water too is used for the toilet.

Only two of us at home so the dishwasher takes a long time to get full, but I soak the dirty dishes in the water used for veg washing, so they are not caked solid when they are in the dishwasher, then I run it every 3 days or so.

Laundry: bedding and towels every couple of weeks on full, hot (60 degrees), otherwise everything washed on quick economy wash, probably one load every 10 days or so. DH's martial arts suits are what use our machine the most, as he goes twice a week and they need washing after every use. They get the short programme, one wash per week, tiny amount of bio detergent to remove sweat but they aren't dirty as such, so they are washed at 30 degrees.

We have mugs of water in the bedroom overnight but if the water does not get drank I put it in the kettle in the morning for our tea.

In summer I use the veg washing water to water the plants and flowers in the garden, especially if it hasn't rained and the rainwater butts are running low, or are empty.

I do use the extra spin because when it doesn't rain I dry outside, but on rainy days I put everything on the upstairs banister, doors and clothes horse so I don't want too much damp in the house. I would rather pay a little more electricity and not have damp in the walls, or having to crankup the heating just for the laundry. Sometimes I have the clothes horse in the living room when we have the wood burner on, as the room gets really hot. But with this mild weather we haven't put it on much.

VfM4meplse

Caterina wrote: »

We have mugs of water in the bedroom overnight but if the water does not get drank I put it in the kettle in the morning for our tea.

Not sure I would want to do this even though it's being boiled: water that is left for hours can get very bug-y. I'd probably use it to water my plants instead.

Don't your clothes end up smelling woody btw?

bizzylizzy

I use the left-over water from the night to top up the dog's water bowl - I reckon that if she drinks happily out of muddy puddles and revolting ponds then a bit of stale water won't hurt her!

Anne_Marie_2

I would think that boiling the water would get rid of any nasties. I just don't like the idea of water lying without a lid on it....we get all sorts of creepy crawlies, so bottle of water and plastic tumbler for me in the bedroom. I did use to take a glass of water until my neighbour told me she had found an earwig in her glass....yeugh!

Wonder if it's an age thing taking water to bed, never used to do that when I was younger?

Uniscots97

I think we're just more aware of the effects of being dehydrated as we get older Anne_Marie

Anne_Marie_2

Think that you have a good point there Uniscots97.
Must admit it's easier to take water to the bedroom, so that I don't have to go downstairs to get some in the middle of the night. The tap water is not suitable for drinking.

Caterina

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Not sure I would want to do this even though it's being boiled: water that is left for hours can get very bug-y. I'd probably use it to water my plants instead.

Don't your clothes end up smelling woody btw?

I reckon the boiling takes care of any bugs, and it's our bugs anyway! The only time I don't do this is if our cat sneaks into our bedroom at night (he does it sometimes, if we open the door to go to the toilet, and we only find out when we find him asleep on our bed in the morning!) because he has the habit of drinking from our mugs if we don't stop him! In that case the water goes to the plants and the mugs in the dishwasher instead of just a quick rinse.

No the clothes don't smell bad, we have a large loading machine, 8 Kg and I never fill it stuffed. I tend to use eco detergents but if any of the clothes are really dirty (eg allotment jeans) I wash with bio detergent. Hanging them outside also helps, even if they don't get completely dry, then they get aired indoors, they keep the fresh scent of outdoor dried clothes, which I love.

FunBrum

I'm house sitting for a few days so saving the pennies by showering and washing my clothes at the house, with the owners permission of course.:)
I'm also going to be cooking meals here and using their WiFi. It's a mutual arrangement, they get their house and garden taken care of and I get free range of their house for a few days. It's a bit like a barter system.:D