Spill the beans ... what's the most embarrassing MoneySaving thing you do?

EmsyD

Oh heck, I'm gulity of making spicy soup from KFC bone stock! :eek:To make it worse I also freeze wine or beer left overs from the bottle to use in stews.

I also use unfranked stamps from any eBay or Amazon market place purchases and reuse envelopes.

Save all plastic packaging from clothing purchases online to use to package my eBay items. I save bubblewrap and air-cushion type packaging as greenhouse insulation too.

Collecting any coins I find whilst walking the dogs, the change soon adds up!

Using toilet roll tubes as planters for my veggies and cuttings as well as a toy for the hamster.

Speaking on gardening, I cut blastic bottles to use as cloches and use the bottom cut offs to plant shallow rooting veg (I also plant those by cutting the bottles in half lengthways), use fruit containers, egg boxes etc to plant seeds in. My other half thinks I'm crazy! I compost as much as I can but I've not been brave enough to try using urine as a compost activator though

I always cut open tubes of toothpaste, moisturiser etc to make them last longer but if I accidently squeeze out too much foundation and I can't get it back in the tube, I put it into a bottle of light day moisturiser and mix it up to get my own tinted moisturiser. This also works if you buy the wrong shade.

My boss takes the tea/coffee sachets from hotel rooms and brings them to work when he flies anywhere to save on buying the drinks in the office. I tend to do the same when away on business now!

I save all the containers if we've had a chinese or indian takeaway and use them to freeze meals in. If there are any leftovers they get frozen.

I buy bones or pigs trotters from the butcher and roast them myself with whatever I'm cooking for a cheaper treat for the dogs (under supervision of course) £1.20 for two pigs trotters vs £1.50 per trotter from a wholesalers!

Reusing gift bags and sometimes the wrapping paper, oh and making tags from cards.

I'm now going to calm myself with a cup of tea now I've got those off my chest!

mioliere

I cut sheets of kitchen roll into four, and keep them in a container next to the roll itself; they are really handy if you just need to wipe something small, like a knife when you are making sandwiches. I got really fed up of wasting a whole sheet unnecessarily. I use about half a roll for this; you still need the full-sized sheets for some things.

If I buy fruit and veg from the supermarket, I tie the bags loosely so that I can untie them easily to re-use.

I add soda crystals to soap powder, use vinegar as fabric conditioner, and cut dishwasher tablets in half.

purpleweasel

Frugal wrote: »

The first condoms were lengths of sheep guts tied at the end with a knot :eek: AND they used to get washed out _pale_

These were used to avoid embarassing diseases when visiting ladies of the night than to prevent patter of tiny feet - though i imagine it would save money on doctors' bills not to mention the (financial and/or other) disadvantages if the missus found out!

dibuzz

18 years ago I had 2 boys and my friend had 2 girls. We were both pregnant and due within 3 weeks of each other and joked if we had the same again we'd swap babies!
We were delighted when she had a baby boy and I had a girl so instead of swapping babies (obviously we wouldn't have really done that) we swapped all the baby clothes we had saved which meant our new babies had lots of lovely "new" clothes and we hadn't spent a penny.
The embarrassing bit was walking to school with 3 binbags full of clothes under the pram then walking back after we had swapped, I'm sure people thought I was homeless and an old woman outside the shop gave me a £1

FriedFish

Millie2008 wrote: »

Not how the Malmiason chain see it- the shampoo, etc in their bathroom says "take me home" (or similar) on it

Thanks for the tip. Next time I run out of shampoo I shall book a room in a Malmai(?)son hotel.

FF.

andyg9053

Theft requires dishonesty...........

If you hold an honest belief that the hotel left items for you to use and keep then it is not dishonest.

Teabags etc can never be reused by the next customer once opened so no dishonesty, Bathrobe, towels sheets etc will all be washed and reused so that would obviously be wrong to any normal person so that is dishonest.

arachne

When I was still living with my parents and had newly passed my driving test, my Dad used to make me drive one car down to Sainsburys while he drove the other behind, fill up my car with petrol then drive forward so he quickly took my place and filled his car from the same pump before it registered as a second car so he could then use only one petrol money off voucher despite having filled two cars. Please note this was in the days before pay at pump so I had to go in and explain to the real-people cashiers what we were doing so I could drive off and leave him to pay.

Now THAT is embarrassing (I don't think he does it anymore because my Mum refuses to go with him).

Bella56

pitry wrote: »

Actually, although I agree with you with less detergent and I do most of the stuff said on this thread, I disagree with the above.
30C doesn't kill most germs and bacteria. Back in the day they suggested to wash baby's reusable nappies at a minimum of 60C.
Although most of my stuff goes in at 30C, pants, sock and cotton underwear/pjs and kitchen sponges and clothes go in at 80C. E-coli dies at 71C.:

I only run a hot 60 wash after illnesses like colds for sheets, cloth nappies, underwear. Also once a month to clean out the empty washing machine. Otherwise more like 30 or 40.

I think there is way too much stressing about "killing germs". Back in my mum's day, bleach was used for EVERYTHING. Laundry, general cleaning. Mum still uses antibac products for handwashing, cleaning, etc. I don't think it did our immune systems any good at all.

Denando

FriedFish wrote: »

Thanks for the tip. Next time I run out of shampoo I shall book a room in a Malmai(?)son hotel.

FF.

I used to travel for work and often stayed at the Malmaison. I always took all their (very nice) toiletries home and, while I used their shampoo/conditioners, I can't use soap, so I sold those on ebay!

I've always been fascinated by mixing lotions and potions together and after getting a supply of extra discounted body butter from the Body Shop (on an MSE tip) I found it a bit thick so I experimented with mixing it with thinner and cheaper body lotions/E45 lotion. Now I've invested (I hope that's the correct term as I haven't worked out the finances) in some raw shea butter and various essential oils so I can create my own lotions. Also a good way of using up hotel stuff that's maybe not up to the quality you want to use 'neat' - nothing ever gets wasted, it's all mixed in somehow.

I shall be trying out the homemade moisturiser next (thanks for the recipe)!

But other than that, I am proud to say I've not learned many new tricks from this thread.

louise3965

Not simple as. The tea and coffee are there for me to consume. The kettle/dressing gown/hairdryer/duvet/bed/trouser press are there for me to borrow.

FriedFish wrote: »

Of course it is!

Where, otherwise, do you draw the line? The tiny bars of soap? The sachets of shampoo and shower gel? Or perhaps the towels...or the bathrobes...the electric Kettle or all the bed linen?

Come on, you might try and justify your dishonesty by telling yourself that it is "included in the price of the room", but there is no justification because... TECHNICALLY it is THEFT. Simple as.