whats the most os thing you have done ? 10 March 2011 at 6:46PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Old Style MoneySaving 69 replies 21K views

bluebag

Ive taken to boiling the kettle once in the morning and filling a big thermos with it to save endless boilings of the thing for my endless brews.

exlibris

I use the shortest wash for everything except undies. I miss the twin tub for washing things like dusters - they used to go in on their own at the very end. Now I use them till they are mankey and then throw them. I must say that they are suitable rags before they become dusters & floor cloths so they have probably earned their keep anyway!

sistercas

my tumble drier broke last summer and i havent replaced it , saving money and energy I shant get another one now

i also do the thermos thing , i bought a pump dispenser thermos with tesco vouchers last year , its great when im at home, tea on tap

System

ive just read on netmums that someone only uses soda crystals and fabric conditioner to do their washing ,its costing a fraction of the cost for "normal" powder.

System

bluebag wrote: »

Ive taken to boiling the kettle once in the morning and filling a big thermos with it to save endless boilings of the thing for my endless brews.

I do this but OH wont !

cyclura

I use cloth nappies for my children, it saves a fortune as I am only paying for a couple of extra washes a week rather than anything up to £15 per week on sposies plus its greener.
We now have our own chickens for the eggs and meat and we have started up a new veg plot so we hopefully only have to buy the stuff we cant grow.
All my washing is air dried rather than tumble and I no longer buy 3 loaves of bread a week, I buy one and make 2. I bathch cook and freeze aot more too.

System

i would love to have chickens but i think my neighbours would kick up a fuss , ive been on ebay and ordered a load of rhubarb/celery seeds and a hazel tree [free nuts eventually] ive also ordered a lot of bluebell seeds just because they look lovely !ive set my spring onions /strawberry/tomatoe seeds and ive been given pea pod plants and a couple of more established tom plants.
we have a fairly big [ish] garden so this year we hope to redo it including raised beds .

cyclura

chickens are great, we are lucky though as we have a small 3/4 acre plot attached to our garden which we have use of (owned by our house landlord luckily) and the chooks plus poly tunnel and veg plots go in there. We are in the process of securing a part of it for 3 piglets too which should make an excellent veg plot once they go to slaughter its just saving for the leccy fence thats taking an age :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

probably easier for me as I live alone but I too fill the thermos with my kettle ful thats boiled up one a day,I also wait until I the last thing at night before I do the dishes I don't own a dishwasher or tumbledryer so thats not a problem I use my Remoska most of the time instead of my big oven and my SC is used to make soups,stews and almost anything I can find that will go in it. I streeetch out meals with soup starters OR a pud for afters, and if I'm cooking mash will always cook extra to freeze in ice-cream sized scoops .Virtually the only veg binned is the peelings ,I don't bother with composting them as I do very little gardening my one expense in the summer is a chap who cuts my lawn for me.He can't work because of MS but is still very mobile and its a few bob extra for him.I recycle as much as I can and make all my own cards for Christmas plus various presents as well.My children have always called me Frau Frugal so its second nature to me.I too use soda crystals in my washing plus white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner.I clean the windows insides only - as I have a chap who does the outsides-with vinegar and bits of the 'free newspaper' that comes through the letterbox.Its amazing how you can save such a lot with a little bit of foresight.Sainsburys 10p shower stuff gets watered down into hand pump dispensers for handwashing.
I have so many things that I do that it would be a month of Sundays writing them all down but I can live on very little really and have a good and healthy lifestyle.
Pick and freeze berries when in season, to eat when not, IYSWIM
I don't compromise on washing up liquid though I only use Fairy as it lasts longer than the cheapy stuff.
The way I live enables me to have two holidays a year one in the spring and one in the summer I also can afford to treat my seven grandchildren without it breaking the bank.

System

my dwarf apple + pear trees have just arrived i forgot about them .id like to think possibly this year but def next i can grow a lot of what we use.