How much do you spend on aluminium foil and cling film?

Former_MSE_Andrea

Update September 2017

We started this poll a couple of years ago but the topic's always relevant. Tell us how much using tubs saves on foil and clingfilm. Have you heard about beeswax wraps? This wax paper discussion on the Old Style MoneySaving board may help give you some ideas.

If you're interested in more ways to save money with re-usable products read our Recycle Week Hub.

Join in!

Back to the original post...


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7-13 September is #ZeroWasteWeek. We're working with several organisations to highlight how much you could save by re-using and recycling. See the full Zero Waste Week info.

We'd love to know how much you spend on household items and whether you'd save by using re-usable versions. This thread's all about cling film and aluminium foil. How much do you spend on them and how much could you save by using re-usable tubs instead?

What to do:

Step 1: Use our Demotivator to work out how much you spend on aluminium foil and cling film PER YEAR!
Step 2: Vote in the poll to tell us how much you spend on it.
Step 3: Work out how much you'd save by using tubs instead (eg buying a cheap four-pack in a pound shop plus washing-up costs based on your own personal usage)
Step 4: Post in the forum thread below to tell us how much you think you'd save per year by using tubs instead

Ben84

I bought some of those reusable stretchy silicone covers for bowls. They're not as stretchy as the advertising claims, but the three sizes in the set fit a decent range of the bowls I have. Saves some cling film, but I still use some for other size containers. I don't much use tin foil. Just once in a while to cover a cake so it doesn't brown too fast, which I tend to save and use again a few times. As for tubs, you can save ice cream tubs and other food containers to store things in the fridge/freezer. Most people put these things in the bin, so maybe no need to buy them at all?

zeupater

Under £5 per year

Usually have rolls of both in a kitchen cabinet along with greaseproof paper, but they only get used when necessary and therefore last absolutely ages .. I'm talking years here, probably well over 5 and possibly closer to 10 ...

... as you may have guessed, our household isn't really a major player in the 'disposable society' and already takes re-use & recycling pretty seriously so don't need to buy any more tubs - as such, there's likely no saving possible by not purchasing cling film or aluminium foil, just added expenditure elsewhere ...

HTH
Z

System

We use a lot of foil for cooking and were spending quite a bit during our weekly shops.... Then I discovered Costco! Now buy our foil and cling film from there.... I pay around £15 for one 200m roll of foil but it lasts forever!! Or so it feels anyway. I won't have to buy another until next year! At asda I'd pay around £3 per roll and have to replace every couple of months. So for us, it works out cheaper. The cling film I paid around £7 for but barely use it so I can see that lasting us a long time too!

Something which I hope to buy to replace food bags and cling film are wax wraps. There is a company I follow on Instagram called Honeybee wraps, they're based in Aus which is a shame.. but they sell homemade wax wraps which you use to wrap sandwhiches in, cover pots, bread, veg.... anything really. They're reusable too! I really want to get my hands on them!! x

diamonds

laurenpurdy123 wrote: »

We use a lot of foil for cooking and were spending quite a bit during our weekly shops.... Then I discovered Costco! Now buy our foil and cling film from there.... I pay around £15 for one 200m roll of foil but it lasts forever!! Or so it feels anyway. I won't have to buy another until next year! At asda I'd pay around £3 per roll and have to replace every couple of months. So for us, it works out cheaper. The cling film I paid around £7 for but barely use it so I can see that lasting us a long time too!

Something which I hope to buy to replace food bags and cling film are wax wraps. There is a company I follow on Instagram called Honeybee wraps, they're based in Aus which is a shame.. but they sell homemade wax wraps which you use to wrap sandwhiches in, cover pots, bread, veg.... anything really. They're reusable too! I really want to get my hands on them!! x

http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_125468/goodbye-clingfilm-hello-bees-wrap.html

Tomsupersaver

£5-£10 per year

laurenpurdy123 wrote: »

Something which I hope to buy to replace food bags and cling film are wax wraps. There is a company I follow on Instagram called Honeybee wraps, they're based in Aus which is a shame.. but they sell homemade wax wraps which you use to wrap sandwhiches in, cover pots, bread, veg.... anything really. They're reusable too! I really want to get my hands on them!! x

I have something similar to the Honeybee wraps and find them so useful. You can wrap anything and everything up and it certainly keeps it fresh for a lot longer! I have heard you can make this yourself - in fact a quick search led me to a website called MyHealthyGreenFamily which as a tutorial on how to make! I would post the link but as a new user MoneySavingExpert doesn't trust me yet!

I don't know about you, but whenever I use a big wad of cling film I feel a bit guilty - so much waste! If that does sound like you, these are definitely the perfect solution! I won;t be going back to clingfilm any time soon, that's for sure!

michaels

£5-£10 per year

Here we use plastic tubs and a glass lidded dish for (re-)heating stuff (heating / microwaving plastic worries me re the chemicals). However clingfilm appears to be an integral part of the females' hair care routines?

PasturesNew

Under £5 per year

I use foil quite a bit ... no cling film. Annual spend on foil's never any more than 60p. Probably closer to 30p (one cheap roll).

I use/reuse it where possible and begrudge tossing it out when it's beyond redemption.

Unfortunately, about 3-4 years ago, I appear to have bought a roll on several shopping trips ... so ended up with about 4 rolls of foil ... still working my way through them. Will probably run out in about 2018.

I mostly use foil in cooking. For sandwiches/food I've mostly always used plasticware.

Andypandyboy

Is this really an important issue?

Tomsupersaver

£5-£10 per year

Andypandyboy wrote: »

Is this really an important issue?

It depends how you look at it... if its just you, it won't make much difference. If 10,000 people change their habits... then it could make a real change. Everything you can do, you should do, and this is such an easy change of behaviour that to me it's a no brainer.

kazwookie

I have a roll of both, but goodness knows when I bought them, poss about 10 years ago..............really dont use either