Great 'Make it last longer' Hunt

Fruball

For vino drinkers

Take the bag out of the wine box and tip up for an extra glass, and for the last 3/4 glass snip off a corner to get the remaining wine left.

There is always LOADS more than you think in there

Fruball

When you buy your fruit, put half in the fruit bowl but put half in the fridge so it keeps fresher for longer.

I found I was always throwing away the odd bit of fruit but now it keeps for ages and we always have fresh grapes

bluflashlite

PRINTER INK:
If you have a colour printer, you'll realise that the black cartridges are far more expensive than the colour ones, so save money by using the coloured ink instead whenever you can get away with it!
For example, if you're typing a letter, try changing the font colour to blue in your word processor - in some cases this can actually make your letter more effective, simply because the colour is less mundane than usual and therefore grabs the reader's attention. :cool:

PETROL/DIESEL:
I always fill my tank to the top and log the mileage, zeroing the trip meter every fuel-stop. I also record the price paid and how many litres I've put in, as well as the price per litre.
This way I can check I'm not being overcharged as well as closely monitoring the actual consumption between fill-ups by working out the miles per litre.
Once I know the average usage of the vehicle (remembering that fuel use is usually more economical on long trips than it is on short trips) I am able to see if there's any marked increase in consumption.....if there is it's a clear warning that the car needs attention, such as a leaky exhaust or radiator that I wouldn't otherwise have noticed.
At that point I take my car to the mechanic for a health check because cars respond better to early intervention just like people do!

INTERIOR DECORATING:
I'm saving a fortune on gloss paint. Having stripped the woodwork bear and varnished it instead. I only have to worry about redecorating the walls, because apart from the odd touch-up here and there, the varnish keeps it's fresh appearance much longer - especially on the staircase!
Yeah ok, it took me a heck of a long time paint-strip and sand it all, _pale_ but the effort is worth it when visitors admire the natural woodwork while I'm saving money AND helping the environment by no longer using any oil-based paint products! _party_

SOFTWARE & UPGRADES:
While we are all using our computers here, I save a small fortune on software and upgrades by getting all mine free of charge. What's more, if one of my programs should crash, the rest of my pc/programs keep on running just fine, so that I never get a whole system crash.
How do I do it?
Simple - after Microsoft Windows corrupted ALL of my files one day, :eek: I vowed to boycott what I consider to be a corporation with WAY too much manipulative power over us thrifty pc users - so I converted my pc to a Linux operating system instead!
Take a look at www.ubuntu.com (the best package I've found so far) to find out more. They even have a version geared especially for children to use, complete with educational games....and IT'S ALL FREE!!!!
:beer:
STALE BREAD:
Just as a closing thought, my favourites are making Bread Pudding or Bread & Butter Pudding (yummy!).
But lets not forget the one all the kids love best - rename it "Duck Bread" & go visit your local duck pond!

geniusmum

If you have to use non-rechargeable batteries, when you think they are dead try rolling them around in the battery holder with your finger to slightly alter their position. If this doesn't work, try taking them out and putting them somewhere warm e.g. on a radiator for a couple of hours. This will give a them a boost.
Another tip for these frosty mornings. We fill a couple of empty lemonade bottles with hot water and place one on the car dashboard and one on the parcel shelf about 15 minutes before we go out. Hey presto--- defrosted windows with no drain on the car battery.

oliveoyl

Lipstick

When you've used your lippy down to the bottom, use a brush to carry on using it for ages... the actual lipstick usually carries on quite a way down the applicator.

SueC_2

timnicebutdim wrote: »

:exclamati When using loo roll, help save the trees and use both sides. :eek:

On a more serious note, if you have a water meter use a butt to water the plants, and if you have a mobile phone and a car, charge your mobile phone in your car ([strike]as it's free![/strike])

Charging the phone in the car is an interesting point - presumably it takes power from the battery, and therefore fuel is used to re-charge the battery. I wonder whether using car fuel, at ever increasing prices, is actually cheaper or more expensive than good old fashioned electricity. :huh:

HuntersAngel

When buying bread products (especially barm cakes or crumpets) in plastic wrappers with cardboard, remove the card board and if possible store the food in an airtight container. The cardboard absorbs moisture and makes bread go stale quicker.

Rather than buying special foods to feed wild birds, use bread that is no longer fresh (but not mouldy), and egg shells. (They like it really)

Buy 'eat me keep me' bananas from large supermarkets (I know Tesco sell them). Buy the time you've eaten the ripe bananas, the green ones will be ready to eat.

Suzy_M

If it's yellow let it mellow!!!!

Splash infection then you'll bellow!

Beachcomber371

HuntersAngel wrote: »

When buying bread products (especially barm cakes or crumpets) in plastic wrappers with cardboard, remove the card board and if possible store the food in an airtight container. The cardboard absorbs moisture and makes bread go stale quicker.

Rather than buying special foods to feed wild birds, use bread that is no longer fresh (but not mouldy), and egg shells. (They like it really)

Buy 'eat me keep me' bananas from large supermarkets (I know Tesco sell them). Buy the time you've eaten the ripe bananas, the green ones will be ready to eat.

Regarding using bread for feeding wild birds I must point out that bread is not very nutritious and wild birds cannot survive on it alone especially in Winter they need the fats and oils found in nut and seeds. So therefore it is difficult to economise with bird foods and even some cheap peanuts contain aflatoxins which can kill birds. But you can feed them fat used from cooking meat and left over meat scraps/chicken carcases etc.. also uneaten fruit, apple cores etc. are all excellent.:)

Georgiabay

Free samples of face creams, shampoo etc. always contain more than you can use in one go so I keep a few small empty pots that I use to squeeze the contents into and then cut the sachets open completely and wipe out what's left with my fingers to use straight away. It's surprising how much you can get out of them.