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

beckstar1975

I spent the weekend folding our spring/autumn king-size duvets (for some reason we have loads of them ) origami style and stuffing them into single duvet covers, so the kids now have snuggly winter duvets on their beds.

I also chopped our mattress topper into 2 single ones for them too as the springs have stared poking through their mattresses and can't currently afford new ones - and their beds are so much snugglier. Shame the weather's got warmer and they're currently boiling at night

[Deleted User]

Hmm. This not washing clothes thing? Not cool if you ask me. Surely no-ones that skint they have to wear dirty clothes?

Fruball

[quote=[Deleted User];47941617]Hmm. This not washing clothes thing? Not cool if you ask me. Surely no-ones that skint they have to wear dirty clothes?[/QUOTE]


Nobody is saying they wear dirty clothes - thats the point - they aren't dirty after wearing once so they wear them again.

I wear jeans a good few times between washes. And if something still looks clean, and smells clean then I don't wash it - I wear it again another day

You really could try learning a few tricks from here (rather than mocking) and then you really would be able to afford that trip to australia

Carriannelouise

givememoney wrote: »

Why use wipes for children. We used to use a damp flannel in a polythene bag to take out with us.

.

I bought re-usable bamboo cloths they're naturally antibacterial and super soft for little madam just sling them in the wash and wet with water with a drop of baby lotion or bubble bath in for instant baby wipes cost me £20 for the original lay out but we've been using them for 14 months and they are brilliant think of the money saved! x

beckstar1975

Carriannelouise wrote: »

I bought re-usable bamboo cloths they're naturally antibacterial and super soft for little madam just sling them in the wash and wet with water with a drop of baby lotion or bubble bath in for instant baby wipes cost me £20 for the original lay out but we've been using them for 14 months and they are brilliant think of the money saved! x

Ikea flannels are ace and £2-99 for 10 - much chaper than purpose made wipes but any kind better than disposables

MarilynMonroe_2

GreyQueen wrote: »

I started doing this a few months ago. I mean, you can get 4 pints for £1 from Lidl or Iceland or buy milk at 45p for 1 pint or 86p for 2 pints. It's a burden on small households.

How I manage the milk supply is to wait until I'm almost out of milk then buy a 4 pinter. I decant half into 2 x 1 pint plastic milk bottles (leaving some space for the liquid to expand as it freezes) and freeze in upright position. Use the rest and unfreeze the single-pinters as needed.:D

It won't make me rich but it helps make me a bit less poor.....;)

Arent they only 2litres the milk at Lidls?

welsh_mummy

sheepie wrote: »

One of my more embarrassing habits is using my daughter's dirty muslin square (which she sleeps with, catches milk dribbles, and she likes using to clean things with) to wipe her snotty nose! It's going to go through the wash anyway, saves using a tissue and she much prefers it! Don't think I'm all that embarrassed about the other things I do!

I do that with my son's sookie top - much to my husband's disgust!

MarilynMonroe_2

welsh_mummy wrote: »

I do that with my son's sookie top - much to my husband's disgust!

I just use my sleeve, I'm not proud
years ago I used to babysit for a neighbour and their little girl would tell me off for wiping the bench with my sleeve, she'd tell me theyve got cloths for that!

Aceface_2

I've loved reading everyone's confessions - I confess I do quite a few of them! Watering stuff down - milk, washing up liquid, shampoo etc; cutting/washing j-cloths; reusing foodbags; carrier bags as binliners; freezing odds and ends; swiping discarded newspapers/magazines on trains. My embarrassing habits include:

I get really excited when I get a letter with an unfranked stamp.
I keep the ribbons that you get on primarni pyjamas for gift wrapping. You know the ribbon in clothing you loop round your coathanger to stop them falling off? I snip them out and use for gift wrapping.
I decant value brand sauces into brand bottle (washed inbetween times!). Have been known to thin out brown sauce with vinegar.
Play free online bingo. Biggest prize might only be a few pennies but you never know, I might turn those little pennies into a big win!!
Accepting cast offs. Our tv, phone and bedroom suite are all preloved. At one point my living room resembled my mum's circa 2000 as I inherited all furnishings after she had a refurb!
I've asked for doggy bags in restaurants.
Recycling not only giftbags but gifts.

Most of things I do I wouldn't even have considered as money saving or embarrassing, but just 'what you do'! Maybe life is too short, but life is harder when you are skint, so if I can lessen that through my wee moneysaving habits, then I will.

Ebenezer_Screwj

Too numerous to mention but here is a selection : Our local chip shop sells very generous portions of chips, we microwave the leftovers next day and they are just as good, we re-use envelopes that have unfranked stamps on them, we save unused packets of sugar/salt/sauces from cafes, restaurants and hotels, we have found accidentally dropped potatoes/carrots/onions after the market has closed, we re-use Christmas paper or make it out of magazines, we make postcards from cereal boxes, we always ask for doggy bags in restaurants, we keep shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, creams from hotel rooms, we scavenge anything remotely usable from skips, we exchange anything unwanted with allotment owners for vegetables, we haggle over practically every purchase we make AND on Good Friday we attend a church service and receive free coffee and hot cross buns. None of this is embarrassing to us, we merely keep down the cost of living and look forward to our holidays . . . . .