Where do we go from basics?

Uniscots97

TravellingAbuela wrote: »

When I was a little girl my mum and grandma used something they called Black Magic for cleaning. It brought glass, mirrors and wood up a treat. They mixed it up themselves and then put into individual bottles. The bottles had to be shaken before each use as the contents separated. Does anyone have the "recipe" for Black Magic or can even remember their grans using it? I can remember there was methylated spirit in it but not the other ingredients. Can anyone help jog my memory?

I think its metholated spirit and linseed oil. My great gran kept a household hand-written recipe book from the age of 17 and this was in it. I did write a while ago that I was considering publishing it but have never gotten around to it. Will need to look up the exact recipe, I'm sure i posted it before will need to look back through all my posts

Uniscots97

Found it:

One of the recipes was for homemade furniture polish:

1 part vinegar
1/2 part linseed oil
1/2 part paraffin

TravellingAbuela

Thanks for looking unixgirluk. I am not sure that is the "recipe" my grandma used for Black Magic as I don't remember the linseed oil at all. Although paraffin is ringing a bell - I recall my grandad getting despatched with a large metal container for something and wonder now if that was the paraffin? So my recipe is now Methylated spirit, paraffin and ???? what else. I can't imagine it would be linseed oil as that would surely make the windows and mirrors greasy?! Though perfect for wood! You have reminded me that I have some of my mum and grandmas food recipes stashed away so will have a rummage through just in case the Black Magic one is amongst them. If so I'll post again!

pelirocco

budgeteer wrote: »

I have become so aware recently of the deceptive marketing that goes on. I walked down the aisles of my supermarket recently and thought - all this stuff! No one really wants it or needs it - we only think we do because of clever marketing. Can you imagine what would happen if we all got wise and all made our own laundry gloop, shampoo, bread, batch cooked and cooked from scratch, grew some of our own food, used cotton handkerchiefs instead of disposable, stopped buying magazines, started making our own clothes, made small gifts instead of buying them. and so on, and so on? Would there be any NEED for supermarkets at all? I used to think there wouldn't be time for doing all these things, but in fact they're very satisfying and enjoyable - much nicer than spending time in front of the TV (More marketing)

There would be even more unemployment ?

silverleaf79

sparrer wrote: »

I couldn't agree more. My cleaning cupboard, which pre-MSE was packed with must-haves, now has 6 cleaning products - Stardrops, 5 litre container of ordinary brown vinegar, soda crystals, economy sized box of very cheap washing powder, eco bleach and a large tin of lavender furniture polish which I've had for 4 years and not even halfway through.

Now if only I could just find a substitute for the vacuum cleaner, floor mop and bucket and iron...a lady who does, maybe?

That's my next step, I think, simpler alternatives to cleaning/washing products. If anyone has any good links to cleaning stuff for me I'd be very grateful as it would save me some research time! I keep meaning to look up how to make some kind of cleaning spray for my worktops and "washing powder/liquid" for clothes.

musharoom wrote: »

I love the idea of making my own bicarb shampoo, I'll be giving that a go next I think. Went off the idea of shop bought chemically over loaded hair products a while ago and tried the shampoo bars from Lush instead, only prob with them is the price, not ideal for money saving!

With slow cookers- I think I'd be too paranoid about leaving something like that on while I'm out at work, I never go out if the electric oven is on, my OH thinks I'm a little OCD when I switch off all my appliances at the plug (but then he is the least moneysavvy person that I know!) It would be a great time and money saver to have one though I think. Can anyone put my mind at rest or recommend where I could buy a reliable relatively cheap one that won't burn the flat down?!

I know, Lush is EXPENSIVE! I find the perfumes they use a bit overpowering as well to be honest. I'd love to know how you get on with bicarb... the only thing I don't like about it is that I miss nice-smelling shampoo and lathering up, but I'm getting over it lol!

I've never heard of a fire or anything like that from a slow cooker or electric oven if that helps!

[Deleted User]

pelirocco wrote: »

There would be even more unemployment ?

Society would certainly have to make some adjustments, but as we need less money for stuff, we might all be able to work less hours making money to buy stuff.
Maybe time could be spent focusing on building our families and communities etc.

ceridwen

budgeteer wrote: »

Society would certainly have to make some adjustments, but as we need less money for stuff, we might all be able to work less hours making money to buy stuff.
Maybe time could be spent focusing on building our families and communities etc.

Hmmm....I hae me doubts on that...as housing is so expensive and the more over-populated the country becomes then the more expensive housing will become. Rent or mortgage is where most of us see most of our money vanishing to. Also with the overpopulation comes the cramming more people into the same space - and therefore new housing getting tinier and tinier gardens and therefore less and less room to grow our own food.

So - I'm the first one to agree with "doing it all ourselves" as far as possible - but I have to say that the money we save by doing this isnt going to be able to go to improve our quality of life, nor are we going to be able to work less hours (ie as it will still take the existing number of hours just to keep up). I see it as much more likely to go on just "maintaining our existing position" I'm afraid.

<...goes off to check the state of the "barricades".....:rotfl:> (aka my daily inspection of the garden)....

My own personal feeling is that I'm not having more money available or could give up some hours at work because of the Old Style things I do - I really am doing these things just in order to "maintain my position". I had certainly expected that doing these things would mean I would be able to "improve my position" - but that isnt happening....

mardatha

One of the first things would be that the supermarkets reduced their over-inflated prices sharpish! so we would score there, even if only temporarily

Uniscots97

ceridwen wrote: »

My own personal feeling is that I'm not having more money available or could give up some hours at work because of the Old Style things I do - I really am doing these things just in order to "maintain my position". I had certainly expected that doing these things would mean I would be able to "improve my position" - but that isnt happening....

I know what you mean, I do all the 'other things' (OS, make my own stuff, grow veg, surveys, clicks etc) to help me pay off my debt quicker but with other prices etc going up and the changes I've had in my circumstances over the past 2 years its just not happened. If anything I'm using the vouchers I get from surveys to buy basics (toothpaste etc) and the money saved from growing my own veg is swallowed up on the prices of everything else going up, fuel included (I work too far to be able to cycle or walk). .....But I will persevere, I will pay off my debt one day (hopefully a lot sooner than my DFD of 4 years away), I'll keep doing clicks, surveys and growing my own veg and hopefully life will work out as it would be nice to have a family of my own before I'm too old! (mid-30's now, delayed due to no job!).

gentlepurr

Morning all! Yet another great thread, thank you OP its been a pleasure reading it, amazing how, even after being an mser for all these years you can still find new ideas.

I'm in the category of already buying basics and shopping at 3 o clock on a Sunday for the RTC etc. I had to have an operation in April and knew i wouldnt be driving for a few weeks so i stocked up for a siege, lol, in early April. How shocked was i two weeks ago to see how much the prices had gone up yet again, from April to mid May, - its bloody scary!!

Anyway, its just me and ds (18) at home, but im sure im not the only one that still finds herself cooking as much as we used to when the family was bigger, the problem is, its not the cooking it, its the fact that we now eat, somehow, between two of us, what i used to cook for three....:o so this last week ive dug the SMALLER DINNER PLATES out of the back of the cupboard, hopefully we'll both lose a few lb's too.

gp xx