Bumper ~old Style Saving Thread~

Bambywamby

Wanted to make an easy access BUMPER old style thread... please keep adding...make do & mend, waste not want not and all that old style jazz:T

*Freeze candles they will burn slower therefore lasting longer (according to my OH)
*Use cotton wool soaked in white vinegar to remove Limescale from taps. Wrap around taps, cover with cling film, leave over night and limescale will then just wipe away.
*Don't use cotton wool & nail varnish remover to remove nail varnish.
. Cotton wool will soak up excess amounts of remover. Use an old sock. The texture of the sock does as much of the removing as the nail varnish remover & wont soak up loads of liquid like cotton wool.
*Dont buy cotton wool balls or pads - its very expensive. Buy a large roll or wad. You get more for your money.
*Soak pasta for an hour - you will rehydrate the pasta and it will only need cooking for 2 minutes - instead of the usual 15mins.
*Use banana skins to polish leather shoes.
*Scrub potatos and peel. Use peelings by coating in a small amount of oil & salt. Then bake for 40 mins. They make nice crispy skin like roasties. (Dont forget to use all other oven shelves to cook other foods at the same time. Freeze what you dont use straight away.
*Use the inside tea leaves of used teabags for putting in potted plants.Its great nourishment.
*Leave peeled orange skins in the bottom of waste paper baskets and bins they smell delightful and absorb pongy smells.
*Use a little egg cup of coffee granules in the fridge to absorb bad smells.
*To save your heating bills in winter - wear a wooly hat in the house. 80% of heat is lost from the head. Ensure all drafts are blocked up - heavy curtains up at windows, sealant around windows that are not double glazed, use letter box brushes on gaping letter box, use draft excluders at doors and check your loft insulation is in decent nick and turn off radiators in rooms that you are not using.
*Use witch hazel as an astringent/toner/for muscule sprains/spots/shaving cuts. Its about 89pence a bottle from the chemist and has hundreds of uses.
*Use a peg to seal any bags of half used foods to stop them going stale quickly.
*If you use Ebay and are auctioning female orientated stuff - dont let your items go off between 7 - 8.30 pm. This is soap time and you will lose alot of potential customers as alot of ladies are watching TV at this time.
*Shop, shop and shop around. Never assume the big supermarkets are the cheapest.
*Why drive when you can walk/cycle?
*Encourage the kids to eat fruit and veggie strips (carrots, peppers, cucumbers etc) rather than sweets & crisps. They are cheaper and better for them.
*If any product is in your home and it contains water - you can water it down to go further. This includes vinegar, ketchup, washing up liquid, fabric softner, moisteriser, fruit juice, milk, milk shakes, shampoo, conditioner, household cleaners etc
*Put nail varnishes in the fridge for storage - they will last longer and not go gloopy & thick.
*Make sure the boot of your car isn't full of junk. The more weight your car carries the less petrol it uses.
*Check your tyres are fully inflated. If not you are again using more petrol than needed.
*Always keep your MSE brain on hand. Think before you throw anything away. Can you reuse it? Recycle it? Give it to a friend? Give it to charity?
*Dont feed your pets human snacks and junk. You will keep them healthier, at the correct weight and less likey to need costly vet intervention.
*Keep all envelopes, junk mail and scarp paper for notes/telephone messages/shopping lists etc
*When you have heated soup/stew up and there is some left. Pop it in a thermos flask. It will keep it hot for later and will save you having to heat it up again.
*Pop soggy/past its best cereal in the microwave for 30 seconds. It will remove any moisture from the food and restore it back to its crunchy best.
*Always try syupermarket ownbrand food & goods you will be presently suprised.
*Make your mascara go further - pop the tube into a cup of hot water. Leave for 2 mins, take out and use. Your mascara will be back to its best and you will get to utilise it right to the bottom of the tube.
*Always check Ebay for cut price, top of the range cosmetics.
*Dont buy books - use the library.
*Always check charity shops - alot of their stuff is brand new at a fraction of the price.
*Make perfume last longer by spraying it on your clothes rather than yourself. Throughout the day you will sweat it off. Ewwwww
*When getting a prescription - always ask the pharmacist if they have a cheaper alternative of the same drug.
*Buy thinner sliced bread, you get more slices per loaf.
*Use clove oil on skirting boards, chair & table legs and anywhere else you may want to fend off chewing puppies and cats from scratching.
*Mix cheap coffee with a more expensive brand. The cheap coffee takes on the more expensive taste and aroma.
*Get dirty shirt collars clean with a squirt of shampoo left to soak on the marks. Shampoo is designed to cut through human grease.
*To make a cheap hair conditioner more effective, leave in your hair - pop a carrier bag on your hair, then a towel and leave for 30 mins.
Rinse as usual for soft, shiny hair.
*Make your wine last longer - add cheap lemonade for a fizzy spritzer.
*Get more movies for your money. VHS videos are dirt cheap in charity shops now as nobody wants them BUT they are just as watchable. You can have a movie evening at your home with popcorn and curtains closed, lights off from as little as 10pence per movie.
*Petroleum jelly (vaselene) can be used instead of bees wax, lip gloss, shoe polish, hair wax, nail & hand cream, Moisteriser on very dry areas (heels, elbows & knees), eyelash conditioner, removing too tight rings, rubbing on feet to prevent shoes from rubbing and waterproofing babies bottoms.
*Get rid of cordless phones. They cost continually as they are always on recharge and people will find it to easy to sit on the couch in comfort chatting on the phone for ages. Put your phone in the hallway - you will keep calls short & sweet. (So will your teenagers)

Fairy22

Wow, now that is impressive !, thx, x

superdog_3

If you unwrap soap and let it dry out for a few days it will last longer

Dustykitten

Thanks - some great ideas

Re cotton wool. Un roll the roll and leave it somewhere warm like the airing cupboard or over a radiator it will double in size. Store fluffed up in larger bag than the roll - you can do this with just a section (say A4 paper size).

mennie

Use Cheap hair conditioner instead of shaving foam

• Go to the supermarket at 3pm on a Sunday as they are pricing everything down.

• Sign up to every supermarket/shop/petrol loyalty card going even if you don’t use it very often it costs you nothing.

• Save the £1 stamps for xmas so that your xmas shop doesn’t blow your budget.

• Try and buy in bulk and even split the bill with your friends when things are BOGOF

• When buying loose Fruit and vegetable check it doesn’t have too much excess weight i.e. stalks, leaves, skin etc. Don’t use a bag this adds 1p every time.

• Check out fixture ferrets for the latest BOGOFs

• Pad mince out with peas, sweet corn, lentils, barley and oatmeal.


• Try the value ranges.

• Use cheap bath foam to fill your hand soap dispenser.

• Don’t go shopping hungry

• Meal plan for the week and stick to a rigid list

• Go around with a calculator

• Make your own soups with veg that is on the turn and freeze.

• Use shredded paper for Hamster bedding

• When staying in hotels always take all the coffee, sugar, tea toiletries. They are included in your stay.

• Grow your own herbs on your kitchen windowsill. A bag of seeds is the same price as a packet of fresh herbs – or take cuttings from a friend

* Always cut Cleaning cloths and Make up remover wipes in half

* Cut open all tubes when they are finished to get the last bits out.

Pink.

What great lists!

Here are a few other threads that might give you more ideas:

Great Tips... one liners

Obvious tips

Double Duty

Pink

Edit: Just found another one, Old style things that 'only you' do...

Aril

Thanks for all the fab tips. Must have taken you all an age to type it out for us.
Aril