Great 'Make it last longer' Hunt

AnneHills

My husband has been doing this for ages - I think he heard about it on the radio.

Apparently metal has a 'memory' and when a razor blade is blunt, it is not really, if you leave it for a while it will straighten out and will become sharp again.

I think soldiers in the first world war were issued with a roll of 7 razors so that they could use each one in turn and by the time they got back to the first one again it would be sharp

black-saturn

If you use concentrated fabric conditioner top it up with water when you use it and keep doing that until you think the mixture is about half and half but still use the same amount in your washing and you won't notice the difference.

When brushing your teeth you literally only need a pea sized blob of toothpaste on the brush.

My boyfriend reckons razors last longer if you always shave downwards with them.

I was forever buying new batteries for the kids toys and things around the house until I bought a battery charger and a selection of difference sized rechargeable batteries. The charger was £14.99 and you can buy some sized batteries in Poundland. I started this 4 years ago and havn't bought a new battery since then so I think I must have saved something!!!

Gem_84

Not wanting to sound like a flashing beacon for Staples since I work there, but if you buy ink with us and recycle the empty cartidges you get a pound voucher off a new one a and a pound goes to childline.

Also, USB batteries! Once it goes flat you plug it into your laptop/desktop and recharge it. Great for on the go, and not bulky of fiddly like plug in (to mains) chargers.

Larumbelle

Hi!
I have come to this thread via Martin's newsletter. He mentions batteries... well, as Blacksaturen points out, you can buy battery chargers and rechargeables so cheap these days they can literally pay for themselves in two or three uses.

If I ever do have to use non-rechargeables, I find that just because they are 'dead' in a digital camera or MP3 player doesn't mean there is no power left in them. They will still power a remote control or clock for ages, I never use new batteries in either of these.

Also, with any cleaning fluid, from washing up liquid to shower gel to bathroom cleaner, I find that I use a lot less if I put the cleaner on the sponge, not the item to be cleaned.


Candles and make-up both last longer if you store them in the fridge.

Toilet paper and kitchen paper are both more absorbant if you keep them in the airing cupboard or by a radiator, meaning you can use less of them.

Keeping tyres at the correct pressure, windows closed wherever possible, air conditioning switched off, and excess weight down (i.e not carrying round stuff you don't need that journey) can help your fuel consumption.

helen_dalmation

MoaningMyrtle wrote: »

If you use any tubes of products eg hand cream or hair gel, when you think it is finished, cut in in half and you will be able to scrape the rest out.

I always cut the top off tubes and use that as a new lid - many products have enough left in the tube to last for a few more days & creating the new "lid" stops stuff drying out
:beer:

TinyMolly

potfish wrote: »

Or you could do as I do and charge at work - then it's really free

It's not free - you're just steeling someone else's electricity!!

blu-k

My mum saves broken pegs - she'll get two broken ones and join up the two unbroken halves to make one usable peg.
To save loo paper, give it a squeeze before you put it on the holder, to make the inner tube an oval rather than a circle - it doesn't roll off as easily so you unconsciously use less!
I'm sure I'll remember more of these and post more - my mother is a moneysaver (some would say a tight*rse) from waaay back!

reehsetin

i have a very large box full of nail varnishes, with all of them when they 'dry out' or get thick, i stick some nail varnish remover in there give it a shake and theyre absolutely fine to use

the nail varnish remover tends to evaporate quickly though so if you leave it for even a few mins it gets a bit thick again

jock500

When your shaving gel seems to be exhausted run the aerosol can under hot water for a couple of minutes, there's always some left!

ailuro2

when rinsing out the Dolmio jar for recycling, tip the extra into the pot- the extra water will evaporate by the time it's cooked, and you waste none.

Add the broken cornflakes from the bottom of the box to the new box.

The thing about razors 'straightening' - if you looked under a microscope at the blade I think you'd find there were small bits missing from the edge, making it serrated like a saw instead of a smooth like a knife edge. Always dry your razor too- rust will kill off the sharp edge too.

MY dh has had his electric shaver for years, has only replaced the foil head once, so it works out a lot cheaper than buying 'wet' blades all the time- they have to be one of the most overpriced items we all buy. £6 for 4 little pieces of plastic with a few slivers of metal in them?:eek: