2022 Frugal Living Challenge

FrugalThymes

@kiloranbay I absolutely love the idea of trying on a new personality as a method of habit building! That's fantastic!

@Jellytotts watering down conditioner, of course! I don't know why I haven't thought of that. I stopped using shampoo 2 years ago and just use conditioner (to tame the frizz a bit, it works!) but it's always very thick and gets used up quickly. I'll be trying that, thank you!

We did a bit of a spur of the moment carboot sale this morning; sold lots of retro consoles and DVDs and made about £300. I looked up prices of everything beforehand and we didn't get top dollar but very much more than we had paid. I think the 6am head torch buyers thought we didn't know what it was all worth and jumped on it, but I was honestly happy to free up the space, make twice what we paid and let them do the work to sell it all individually for a profit. If that's how they're making a living, have at it, I've already tried once years ago and it was so arduous! 

There's a lot of household stuff left so I'm going to try selling some on Faceb market place and then give away/donate everything after that, either on Oli0, FB or charity shops.

I'm currently stalking the Oli0 app as a lot of the collectors are picking up best before today AND tomorrow's date groceries so there's a good chance of being gifted some nice things. 

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

We went to the big city shopping yesterday.  I have 9 family birthdays between now and the end of the year, and although we dont go mad on birthdays I do like to get something to wrap up, and it made sense to go to some of the bigger shops to do a stock up.  DH also got jeans and socks that he really needed.

Tea last night was mostly from a Too Good to Go box, and today we went to my parents for Sunday lunch which is good.  I ordered heating oil earlier this week and I dont actually know how much it's going to be because the phone line wasnt great and I didnt hear what they said!  We have money in the emergency fund it we need it.

It's definitely cooling off here but trying to avoid having any heating on for a while longer if we can.

ZsaZsa

Soontobeoap said:

My DH loves black shorts. We usually buy them from sainsbury but are thinking of getting better quality ones in future as they seem to lose colour and gain a wierd purply brown hue after several washes.

This week I bought a packet of black machine dye for £8.00and used it for a navy and a black pair of shorts and an old faded black t shirt. They all look like new now. Much cheaper than buying new ones. I really wish that I had taken before and after pics. I am so impressed and better still so is DH. 😂

“Colour catcher” make laundry sheets to help maintain dark colours in the wash. (Supermarkets, wilko etc have them) Might help to delay the need to dye 😊

gill5blue

London_1 said:

I too use a bar of soap, but then I also save the end bits and remake them into new bars .As I use the same soap all the time (dove) it suits me and I have zero waste

JackieO xx

Hi JackieO,
How do you make them into new bars. I've previously thrown them away , but would like stop doing that.
gill5blue

annieb64

I have a sisal soap bag that I got from a wholefood shop in Brighton which I use for soap scraps. 

leftatthetrafficlights

gill5blue said:

London_1 said:

I too use a bar of soap, but then I also save the end bits and remake them into new bars .As I use the same soap all the time (dove) it suits me and I have zero waste

JackieO xx

Hi JackieO,
How do you make them into new bars. I've previously thrown them away , but would like stop doing that.
gill5blue

Just melt the bits in a bowl over some hot water then pour into a container once it has cooled slightly - I've used old yoghurt pots/butter containers etc previously so I can just cut and peel them off if it all gets a bit stuck! 😉 

As @annieb64 said, you can just put the scraps in a sisal bag/old sock/tights secure the top and use like that - they soon mush together into one clump 😁

cuddlymarm

Hi guys
i just squash the sliver of leftover soap against the new wet bar. 

Primrose

gill5blue said:

London_1 said:

I too use a bar of soap, but then I also save the end bits and remake them into new bars .As I use the same soap all the time (dove) it suits me and I have zero waste

JackieO xx

Hi JackieO,
How do you make them into new bars. I've previously thrown them away , but would like stop doing that.
gill5blue

I remember my mum doing this during the war and post war austerity and I tried it myself. She would put all the tiny soap pieces i to a tiny dish with a wide mouth and pour over THE TINIEST  amount of boiling water to liquify the sop bits and let them all gel together.

when everything had hardened off, a wide necked dish would enable the new bar to be edged out with a round ended knife. 

chanie

cuddlymarm said:

Hi guys
i just squash the sliver of leftover soap against the new wet bar. 

I do this as well.  Although, I was bought a couple of fancy bars of soap for my birthday and I don’t want to squish my current everyday soap into them 😂.

Siebrie

"@Jellytotts watering down conditioner, of course! I don't know why I haven't thought of that. I stopped using shampoo 2 years ago and just use conditioner (to tame the frizz a bit, it works!) but it's always very thick and gets used up quickly. I'll be trying that, thank you!"

@FrugalThymes If it's just against the frizz, maybe it's even better to put a bit of conditioner in a spray bottle, and dilute it with water, so that you can just spray it on every morning before you brush your hair?