2021 Frugal Living Challenge

RainbowHippie

@Marghirl i'm in awe of your knitting skills! I'm a crocheter but sadly not very useful for making socks/warm clothing, i have never managed to get the hang of knitting. Must have another go this year!!

zafiro1984

RainbowHippie said:

I'm another one who uses half dishwasher tablets, and have never noticed a difference. I also use much less than the 'recommended' amount of laundry liquid - 

Happy Monday all xx

Thanks RainbowHippie for the laundry tip, much appreciated. Hopefully all the different small ideas gleaned from this thread will add up to a reasonable saving.

I've read your eBay experience/ideas - thank you, that's helpful. Its a new venture for me, I'll see how it goes. Hopefully it will yield some money as well as getting rid of loads of unwanted items that are too good to throw away. I actually found some Le Creuset casserole dishes that have never been used - we changed the kitchen colour in the old house, they didn't match so never got used - I actually feel a little ashamed at the throw away lifestyle I used to live before retirement. 

Marghirl

RainbowHippie said:

@Marghirl i'm in awe of your knitting skills! I'm a crocheter but sadly not very useful for making socks/warm clothing, i have never managed to get the hang of knitting. Must have another go this year!!

I am equally in awe of those who crochet. I can manage basic squares but that is about it!
I am going to try the half dishwasher tablet. I use vinegar instead of conditioner in my washing machine. It is cheaper as I can buy it in five litre containers from Costco for about three pounds. It is a natural softener and it also helps to keep machine clean. I also use a combination of vinegar, salt and washing up liquid as a weed killer for my paths. Don’t pour it where you will grow plants but it is great for paths. It has no chemicals, can’t be used if you have pets and starts to work in a few hours

Marghirl

Sorry, can be used if you have pets

zafiro1984

Marghirl said:

I use vinegar instead of conditioner in my washing machine. It is a natural softener and it also helps to keep machine clean. I also use a combination of vinegar, salt and washing up liquid as a weed killer for my paths. Don’t pour it where you will grow plants but it is great for paths. It has no chemicals, and starts to work in a few hours

Thank you Marghirl; can I ask:-
How much vinegar do you use per wash?
What is the ratio of vinegar, salt and washing up liquid you use as a week killer? I have quite a large veg/fruit plot plus polytunnels. I'm reluctant to use some of the commercial weed killers but this sounds ideal.

Thank-you to everyone who posts money saving tips. As one supermarket says 'Every little helps' in my case hopefully saving money. 

AnimalTribe

RainbowHippie said:

I'm slowly catching up! @zafiro1984 I've not read the last few pages yet so a lot of this might have been said already! Just to add my penny's worth re online selling -

Ebay can be useful to benchmark the value of used items 

Good advice. I would add that it's worth checking if something is saleable before junking it. For example, I recently sold an empty M&S biscuit tin from 2012 that I'd previously used to store sewing thread for a £3 profit, an ancient phone charger (no phone), and an ancient branded food processor bowl (no processor) both for £10 profit. Not much but it adds up, and it saved things from landfill that the charity shops wouldn't use.

AnimalTribe

Sweetlittledaydreams said:

I don't know much about making jam but could you reheat it and mix in more water and let it reset? Would that work to make it less thick or would it ruin it?
one last thing, how do you all keep yourselves motivated if you're not surrounded by like minded people? 

Thanks Sweetlittledaydreams I'm not sure it would work, but I'll try it with a small amount, it's better than throwing it out.
I don't think you can stay motivated 100% of the time and I, like most people have the odd splurge, but I don't worry about it. My best motivation for saving money is recognising that I've done a bit to save the environment - something not bought, something saved from the bin. My best motivation for making extra money is to have a spreadsheet where I list the item sold and the profit I made and a separate account, each time I make some extra cash I transfer it to my 'extra' account and watch the account grow.

joedenise

@AnimalTribe - could you just reheat the jam and then use it as a sauce for a steamed pudding or ice cream?

-taff

or do as above, heating gently, add a bit of water to loosen it and make jam tarts...

p00

joedenise said:

@AnimalTribe - could you just reheat the jam and then use it as a sauce for a steamed pudding or ice cream?

I reheat in the microwave if jam is too thick. It is then useable on toast or baking. Dont over heat it as it burns easily.
p00 x