Great 'Embarrassing MoneySaving tips' Hunt

Minette23

Fellpony wrote: »

:jI take great delight in re-using carrier bags (cheap supermarket ones) as bathroom bin liners.

Doing this also makes me feel really happy for some reason!

Another embarassing thing we do...

Our shower takes ages for the water to heat up so whilst it's heating up, we collect the cold water in a bucket and then use it to flush the loo/give to the animals/water the plants/whatever really it's just tap water. That's not really embarassing though, i thought our guests wouldn't like this doing this, but everyone thinks it's genius!

My OH also built a 'dry toilet' in the garden where he does his business, weather permitting (i.e. not when there's a foot of snow). So no water used, just a bucket and some wood shavings. Also saves on air freshener for the indoor loo. We haven't told the neighbours what the 'new little shed' really is though.

Confuzzled

kdakin wrote: »

If you thought you were getting something special for your expensive shampoo purchases - forget it.

Personally I have never believed the shampoo adverts and use the cheapest that smells OK and produces a creamy lather. It seems I was correct, because this article from the Daily Mail circa November 1st 2010 (dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1325389/Luxury-shampoo-Its-just-hogwash.html) as much as says so (so it must be so!).

Personally, I use Palmolive "naturals" anti-dandruff - for about £1.19 a 400ml bottle - it works fine for me.

i'm inclined to agree with you here for most shampoo. i will say some conditioners out there really ARE better than other (aussie 3 minute miracle springs to mind) however the best and cheapest deep conditioner you can get is mayonnaise!

i had very very badly perm damaged hair in the early 90's and a hairdresser took pity on me and told me this little secret and i've been using it since!

all you need to do is apply mayo to dry hair (or mist lightly if you feel you need to) really work it in and then cover your head with either a shower cap or some plastic wrap. you may want to rub some vaseline around your hairline before you start as this will catch any drips later. then you leave it on as long as you can stand it, the longer the better!

i've found after and hour or two it starts to itch but that might be me. once you can't stand it anymore wash it it really well with medium warm water then rinse with lukewarm to cool water, DO NOT rinse with hot water! rinse til it's gone, and a light shampoo if you still smell it then air dry.

your hair will be soooo smooth and silky and shiny! this is far more effective than mousses or hot oil treatments etc and can be done a few times a month if needed. the only word of warning is if you are having your hair permed don't use this for at least a few weeks afterwards as it relaxes the hair considerably and may weaken the 'take' that the perm has on your hair.

i just buy the cheapest mayo i can find (HAS to be the full fat kind, the 'fat' is the point!) in fact, i used to keep jars in my bathroom but you can imagine the responses THAT would illicit from guests :rotfl:

edited to add: if you don't use the entire jar at one go (my goodness you would need really long hair to do that! ) then carefully clean the jar of hair and label it VERY CLEARLY and put it in the fridge til next use... you don't want someone putting it on their sandwich if you've had your hands and likely hair in it from earlier use!

Cinders2001

Minette23 wrote: »

My OH also built a 'dry toilet' in the garden where he does his business, weather permitting (i.e. not when there's a foot of snow). So no water used, just a bucket and some wood shavings. Also saves on air freshener for the indoor loo. We haven't told the neighbours what the 'new little shed' really is though.

Hehehehe!!!!

curlytop12

7roland8 wrote: »

Yes I agree - just look at how people now love 'vintage' and 'retro' fashion and bags etc.

Oh one guilty thing I've done - ordered DVDs as gifts and watched them first! I know the cellophane has been removed but to all intents and purposes they are 'new' and in a great clean condition. i'm stuck home ill anyway so if I can get bargain items (from grab-its here) then watch before gifting its a double bonus. Only give to one or two who I know wouldn't mind though.
But I did had audio books for Xmas which I think had been pre-heard - but I enjoyed and will !!! on to someone else anyway - so no problem.

very kind of you to check they were in full working order before giving them!

kitschy

Note to self: Do not read this thread whilst eating your tea.

Mice_Elf

There are some great posts here, but I find it funny that these are potentially thought of to be embarrassing, when just a few years ago it would be part of daily life.

Unfortunately we all have so much more now, be it time, money or just consumables, that frugal, or sensible living has fallen by the wayside in a large way. We are all doing our bit to claw it back, though.

Things I do include turning off the kettle before it reaches boiling point for our coffees, so that it's more of a drinkable temperature sooner. My OH has an asbestos mouth, but I prefer it cooler.

We have cherry, blackberry, raspberry & blueberry bushes / trees in our garden & when they are in full flow, I freeze the fruits individually & then bag up, for use in Smoothies / pies. I would like to get into Jam making.

Any Sunday roasts we have are used the next day to finish off most of the meat in a curry & then they are boiled to make a stock & soup for the next day.

My mum & I occasionally go to the farmshop & buy big bags of onions / potatoes / carrots etc as we then halve, as there is too much for each, but half a bag is plenty & cheaper than buying the equivalent from supermarkets.

I've cut down a 6-pinter milk carton to make a handy keybox for all car & house keys to be dropped into when we come home.

When we had a long journey ahead of us (8+hours) in the car, I filled up 1-pint milk cartons with milk, froze them & then they not only kept everything else in the icebox cold, but by the time we reached our destination, had defrosted enough to put in a restorative coffee!

When the loaf of bread has finished, I use the bags to put OH's sandwiches in for his packup.

I also try to make far too much for evening meals, so that I not only get a portion for the freezer, but I freeze smaller portions for OH's packup again. He tends to have his sandwiches for breakfast & then the frozen meal as lunch. He leaves the house at 4:30, so needs something for breakfast & it's cheaper than waiting until 7am & buying breakfast in the work's cafeteria.

I try to buy joints or whole chickens, as opposed to portions as they last for far more meals.

I buy cheap casserole beef or pork & put it in the slow cooker. Makes the meat very soft.

I bulk up meals with Ready Brek or instant mashed potato to make it go further. Also add lentils & pulses.

I save the netted bags oranges come in, scrunch them up & they make good scourers for pans and cleaning out the sink.

When I was pregnant with my DD 6 years ago, a friend bought me a pamper pack which included a shower gel that had a convenient hanger on it - this now gets refilled from bagged / cheap shower gel as they don't have hangers. The bottle is still going strong!

Old supermarket bags become handy wastebin liners for the kitchen waste, bedrooms & bathrooms. I'd love a composter but don't really have the room in our garden at the moment.

Old fish food tubs are excellent at keeping "bits" in, like screws, nails & bolt for the garage or pins. One has even become my wild bird food scoop as it's just the right size to decant enough bird food from the sack to fill the feeder.

The water that comes out of the tap before the hot water comes in is used to water the plants or fill the water filter.

Can't think of any more at the moment, but am sure I will!

kdakin wrote: »

Also, I particularly enjoy aromatic crispy duck and frequently buy a whole duck from my supermarket (especially when they are being promoted at about half price - £5 per duck), a cucumber and some spring onions and make my own. In my takeaway, a quarter aromatic duck costs around £10 and feeds two. This way a whole duck can feed four easily for around £7-£8.

The only ingredient I have difficulty with is the pancakes - I buy these uncooked from the chinese takeaway who usually supply me with two packets (of 10) for £1. If someone knows which supermarket sells these, please post on here as I have never found them. On occasions I have bought mexican wraps instead but they are a bit too bulky

We use lettuce leaves instead of pancakes. Both of my children love it like this & my daughter even wants it for her birthday meal!

charlie-chan

I would like to inform the residents of Derby that the Tesco Metro has ran out of produce bags therefore if you came to try and get some for your lunch, you won't be able to get any :rotfl:

mrs-stressed

livalot wrote: »

This is a good and very enjoyable thread. However can someone please tell me why it has not been moved? Since most of it is all about recycling and reusing items surely it would get a better response from other recyclers on The Green & Ethical MoneySaving Board.

Recycling and reusing items is not only oldstyle it applies to everybody on the moneysaving website, so this thread should be moved to give everybody a chance to see it. Hope others agree.

I absolutely agree. This thread is just getting silly now as it is just mstips and not alot else - apart from the weeing in the garden which I though most men did anyway.

Not an enjoyable thread anymore I'm afraid to say.....

Savannah02K

as in taking toilet paper from public loos to use as tissues in your bag????? What, have these peeps never heard of bacterial infections? We all have a certain immunity to our own poo bacteria but loads of other people's poo bacteria, I think not. Ridiculously unhygienic. I'm all for saving costs but not when it endangers health.

Athome1

Looks like the germ warning in the last post has killed off this thread:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Come back everyone, germs don't worry me!:D