Lots more Sneaky Ways to save the pennies

exlibris

We have been in this house for 40 yrs and are on the 2nd carpet. We weren't to happy with the one we inherited but it was good qualityand lasted even after we changed the fireplace with a rug over the hole where the hearth was. A second refurbish about 20yrs ago saw its demise as it was showing signs of wear. Its replacement is wearing a bit but will not be replaced until it is essential. They don't make 'em like they used too!

louise3965

This is random but it works (on horses as well as humans)! Dissolve 2 soluable asprin in a bottle of cheap shampoo and that will cure dandruff. Honestly!

mummyfrugal

Following on with the hair dye, i do use commercial stuff, but my friend told me that when you just need to touch up your roots to buy the same shade and pack as before but only to mix a small amount of the solutions together in a separate bowl - check you get the ratio right as it isnt 50/50. (pound shops sell these fab haircolour bowls and brushes in a set sometimes which are great for mixing the solutions in) and then use what you need, discarding any mixed solution you dont use - make sure you dont keep any mixed solution. You can touch up loads of times with one box of hair dye but eventually you have to go the whole hog again!

(PLEASE NOTE: you should NEVER store mixed solution due to it apparently being able to explode, to be safe only ever store the solutions separately in your home).

violetposy

Love the thread! Just adding my two pennorth about dyeing - I have always done this and love it! I have a big stock pot (bought in a sale of course) and do my dyeing on the hob. I find it much cheaper and you can control the process, and more importantly do several lots as the dye gets weaker.

I put aside things which I want to dye and then when I have a batch I start off with the things I want darkest, then when they have had the full time take them out and put in other items. You have to keep stirring but I find it quite enjoyable and it's great to see how everything turns out. I often use navy blue dye, as it means the whole batch turns out in the same colour 'family' if you get my drift..... eg white turns to blue, pink turns to purple, green turns to dark greeny blue, etc, and everything seems to go great together!.

I bought Dylon in larger quantities than the small tins, can't remember where from, some craft supply website a few years ago - will post if I remember.

jakes-mum

Thank you everyone for the wonderful tips, am going to try the dye one on my sons school shirts which he manages to stain within minutes of getting out of the packet and I cant move for love nor money (they are all white, and school allow white or blue polo shirts)

My sneaky tip is that i take all the t'shirts that 9 yr old DS has grown out of and use them as nighties for 2 yr old DD
Best thing is she loves her 'special presents' from her brother

Patchwork_Quilt

If making biscuits, use a slightly smaller cutter. Sounds a bit mean, but people will still have two biscuits each and there will be a couple left in the tin.

jakes-mum

Patchwork_Quilt wrote: »

If making biscuits, use a slightly smaller cutter. Sounds a bit mean, but people will still have two biscuits each and there will be a couple left in the tin.

this really made me LOL, I do the same thing when I make my hubby welsh cakes as he always grabs a good 5 -6 at a time and would eat the entire box in an evening using my big cutter :eek:

Mags_cat

My parents moved into their current house when I was 11 so that's ::koff koff:: nearly 30 years ago.

The carpet down in the lounge, hallway and up the stairs was one of the multi-coloured, top quality, 1960s specials. Ugh. Never showed the dirt, though - you couldn't *find* it!

My dad is very firmly in the "it's not worn out, it stays" brigade, so the horrendous carpet stayed until July 2007 and "The Flood". They don't live anywhere near a flood plain, despite being on the outskirts of Worcester, but the local drains were blocked, and five houses in the village were flooded out. Knee high sewer water is not something I wish to experience again...

When they eventually got back into the house (about Xmas 2007), the one good thing my mother was able to smile about was her brand new carpet. She picked a plain, pale colour though - so now she moans about having to vacuum it. :rotfl:

Aril

A few small thoughts from this week

1. When you've had a pair of rubber gloves go keep the good hand. If you end up with two for the same hand like I did just turn one inside out.

2. At the moment I'm finding it cheaper to buy a small baguette rather than buying bread rolls for burgers etc.

3. When putting cheese back in the fridge make sure it's either in a lidded container or wrapped properly....this is having found 2 pieces of cheese with a dried surface this morning [so yes I'm going to have to start taking my own advice:D]

4. This is a very daft one really- we bought a new to us reused car this week. It came without mats so we've had to buy some...it's now got that new car smell :D
Aril

Uniscots97

I refuse point blank to buy the boxes of 'cheesy pasta' (can't remember who make them but they come in a red cardboard box). Apart from the fact its almost a £1 a box (and a box is per person!), I personally think they taste vile. Instead and this has fooled a lot of people I cook macaroni pasta as normal (I will use quarter of a veg stock cube in it whilst cooking to give it some flavour), drain it, put it back in the pot, add a splash of milk (not a lot needed) and use Value cheese slices torn up and thrown in and I stir over a low heat until it melts.

I find one cheese slice is enough for a small portion per person or if its dinner portions between four people I'll use about 6 slices mixed in. Sounds mad but it tastes great. The Value cheese slices are about 50p for ten slices. So cost roughly for 4 people for dinner is (Aldi/Lidl macaroni per pack is 79p), less than a £1.