Sneaky tips to fox anti-OS husband

Zed42

Aiming for the long term prospects of your relationship ... I would start to educate rather than fox ... although I still think that there are foxy places to be had

My DH was definitely a label watcher and not a reality checker .... 20yrs later, he's good

However, things like buying shower gel rather than bath gel (same formulation) he still struggles with, so I buy it and transfer it to a shower dispenser ... yes, ok, that's about the full extent of my foxing! But it does irritate me that shower gel is literally twice the price for the same bath formulation.

Feral_Moon

PasturesNew wrote: »

If you bought less stuff and used it up quicker .... he'd not have stuff to think about throwing out!

You can't change his behaviour, but you can change yours.

But having a well-stocked store cupboard can save money in lots of other ways as you can make just about anything with leftovers or odd scraps of meat and veg to hand. Not having the ability to do that means either going to the shop or buying a take-away. I couldn't cope without a store cupboard and if my OH did what OP's has done I'd chop off his hands


OP, either decant stuff into tubs, jars, bags etc or put padlocks on the cupboards so he can't get in there :rotfl:

AnnieO1234

On the education side of things here, I'd talk to him about the differences in use by and sell by as others have suggested. Try this experiment, get some milton sterilising fluid (others exist!) add 30ml to 5l cold water and stick all your fruit and veggies in there as soon as you buy them (wash first). Leave for two minutes then rinse and dry. This means all the packaging is in the bin and you've extended the shelf life of the product greatly.

On the tricking side of things how about a compromise? For example, baked beans for potatoes or toast could be Heinz but if they're just for adding to a stew etc, use basic/value lines. Try to bulk buy anything your DH or you don't want to compromise on (for me this is things like t roll and k roll). Agree with a PP about the shower gel/bath gel thing, learn to decant.

Another trick I've seen talked of for ketchup would work with some toiletries too. Experiment with dupes of your OHs shampoo for example, just decant into his regular bottle. Once it's used up, either ask him if he's noticed a difference (maybe on pretext of a new formulation?) And then tell him truth.

Good luck! Xxx

barneydee_2

I have never taken much notice of dates & my oh is pretty good to just cut mold of cheese use the sniff test for other things however when my eldest dd lived at home she was for ever throwing stuff away but since she has left home & is shopping for herself her attitude has changed I think she has become more frugal than me lol
She hardly uses supper markets where she lives off green lanes near manor house the a lots of Turkish supermarkets and independant shops so she buys as & what she needs on a daily basis I wish there were more places like that where I live
Dee x

kboss2010

The only way I found worked was getting my OH to live on his own for a while (drastic, I know but he moved for work).

His mother is lovely and very generous to us but infuriatingly she refuses to buy anything but "the best" (I mean like she won't step into £ shops, everything has to be brand new from JL, the other day she was discussing getting her 1st car and when hubby suggested buying her a small second hand VW or Ford she pipes up "I sort of fancied an Audi A1, they're about the same price, right?" - OH and I rolled about laughing - seriously, she has no clue about MS!) - of course her son had picked this up too except we can't afford to do that. He's only been "cured" by living on his own for a while.

I should probably say that I, too, was a total brand snob until I went to uni. When I suddenly couldn't afford to go out because I was spending a fortune on premium brands I soon stopped. OH still thinks I'm mental refilling the expensive Molten Brown hand soap dispenser with cheap pink hand wash though lol.

Good luck!

savingqueen

I was talking with a friend the other day about food shopping. She said something like "you know when you throw out what's left in the salad drawer before you go shopping...." Err no I don't do that unless on the rare occasions it is unfit for consumption.

Anyway back to OHs. Mine is frugal about lots of things and like me improving over time however there are some things he is fussy about. Can't think of them all but the cheese thing comes to mind - I just cut off the mould and use the rest.

My tip re packaged fruit/veg - just take it out of the wrapper. I find grapes, toms etc keep better without sweating in plastic and no date . I wrap cucumber and celery in tin foil (out of the plastic first) and it lasts for ages. Potatoes and onions are kept in a special bag in the cupboard.

If things are looking slightly past their best or OOD - can you freeze them before DH gets to them? Most things can be frozen. Tinned/dried stuff - can you stash away in a hideaway and get them out to cook with when he is not around?

The best long term solution is education though - lots of good advice given. Small steps and give it time. Maybe an incentive would help. Like if you can save on food waste one week, put the extra money aside and after a sufficient amount has amassed treat you and DH to something and tell him how you got the money.


edit: had another idea. Is your DH up for a challenge? Can he buy a week's' shopping one week and cook and you do the same the next week
(you can then use up lots of DH's leftovers) and see who spends the least and who makes the nicest meals?
good luck
SQ

SCFC1961

Quote She hardly uses supper markets where she lives off green lanes near manor house the a lots of Turkish supermarkets and independant shops so she buys as & what she needs on a daily basis I wish there were more places like that where I live

Miss living there myself too

sweetilemon

Could you maybe meal plan to reduce wasteage? I do feel a bit " don't do as I do do as I tell you" as ive just thrown out a bag of lettus, most probably will need to throw potatoes, carrots, yougurts etc. The shops are so far, I buy YS and if I don't meal plan end up throwing things out and buying from takeaways. It just depends how much time I have to plan the shop & meal plan, when I do it def pays off!

Working_and_Scheming

I cross through the dates with a black permament black marker pen.

pandora205

A few more tips:

Menu plan if possible. If not, don't cook what you fancy - cook fresh food first starting with foods that have the shortest life.
Be creative with leftovers - make soup and stir fries. Freeze left overs.
Shop infrequently and when needed not on a set day. How long can you go without buying food?
Choose a random food from the back of the cupboard or freezer that's been there for a while. Plan a meal around it. The internet is your friend!
Don't just eat favourite fruits - Use up those oranges and apples.
If food is thrown away, compost plant material.
Calculate the cost of the food wasted in a week and multiply by 50 (to give an annual wastage). How many hours would you have to work to pay for it?