Sneaky ways to save the pennies

mummyfrugal

Hmmmm seems a lot of peeps not happy with charity shops. I have had good and bad experiences with them, I think it depends (sadly) on the staff there. I once was in a shop (we have 5 nearby shops) and this volunteer was so busy checking out stuff for herself she didnt see someone waiting to pay - in that same shop I once waited about 6 minutes at the till - I had enough because they were just chatting about someone (not nicely) in the back so I left the stuff by the till and walked out. That shop is not well run really, they don't have much stuff in because the volunteers seem to be bagging stuff for themselves.

Others are brilliant, but it must be hard for some of the volunteers (especially when they are 'out of touch' with fashions and makes) to price up clothes. Some things I agree are a little pricy, but then some things sell too cheap so it works out in the end. But it is all for charity and the shops are making funds rather than a profit.

I agree with whats said about ebay, its kinda got so big its turned into a monster!! and I found it quite sad that some staff were making money out of charity - really that kind of stuff should be sold online by the charity for the funds to help (not to line the pockets of staff taking advantage - In my mind that is morally wrong)!!!

Getting back to money saving, I found out that if you microwave your kitchen cloths and sponges it completely sterlises them without having to use the anti-bacterial stuff (which is no good for you anyway), put your cloths and sponges in a shallow bowl of water and microwave it - watch out when you take them out!!!

To clean your bath without chemicals use half of a grapefruit (great if you eat these anyway for brekki) and put salt on it and rub your bath gently, it smells great - you can also use lemons (but I don't have them except at christmas for drinkies).

I know this is a bit of an odd tip, but I just had my boiler replaced and needed to re-tile around it, so the engineer had pulled some tiles off and he told me to soak them in hot water and all the adhesive will go soft, so I could scrape it off, so I tried it and it worked!, the tiles are now adhesive free and drying off ready to be retiled and with a bit of new grout no one will ever know they had been off the wall!!

Also if you use those additional stain busters, like vanish etc, go to Poundland and buy their oxy stuff in a small tub, it works just as well and costs a quid.

If you have anymore tips, please keep posting cos I need to save loads more money!!! Does anyone know how to get the dashboard of your car shiney without using that expensive stuff you can buy????? mine looks yakki now!! and I'd be grateful for a cheap way to do it.

wizk1

I switch off the kettle as the water inside is just about to bubble vigorously. It saves about 10 seconds of unnecessary boiling, which isn't much. But over a month, I've saved the equivalent of another couple of boils.

hilary1

mummyfrugal wrote: »

Does anyone know how to get the dashboard of your car shiney without using that expensive stuff you can buy????? mine looks yakki now!! and I'd be grateful for a cheap way to do it.

I do ours with those shoe polish sponge things you get for just wiping over any colour shoes from the cheap shops. Easy to hold and because they are sponge you can squeeze them in anywhere virtually.

x

OrkneyStar

I buy conc. fabric conditioner (I like the smell and have not got any essential oils yet!), but halfway down I dilute it again with half water. Smells the same, works the same, and saves me buying more for a while!

FairyElephant_2

Icewytch wrote: »

I`ve noticed one disturbing thing among charity shops. Quite a few of them are refusing to take clothes in anything over size 14! A friend of mine handed in a few bags of extremely good quality designer clothes and was told to take them away as they `wouldn`t be able to sell them in that size`!
It`s also happened to other friends too.
Not only does that demean the person kind enough to donate to charity, but shows imo that more shops are buying into the ridiculous size 0 image and catering to that. :rolleyes:

The charity shops round our way (as well as having got more expensive ) don't have many +size clothes...as an 18/20 meself, I can hardly ever find anything in my size!
The only thing they seem to be good for is baby/kids stuff - my best mate got loads of stuff for my DGS very cheaply.

OrkneyStar wrote: »

I buy conc. fabric conditioner (I like the smell and have not got any essential oils yet!), but halfway down I dilute it again with half water. Smells the same, works the same, and saves me buying more for a while!

I have a giant fabric conditioner bottle which I got on offer ages ago - now I buy smaller bottles in Lidl and pour them into the big one and dilute it straight away - lasts ages longer and no-one has noticed a difference yet!

BigMummaF

Have to agree with Fairy Elephant on the +sizes. being of that persuation myself I find it more than irritating that we are being excluded from yet another avenue of fashion :mad: It's bad enough some people think we must have plenty of money to fund our out-of-control eating habit that makes us the size we are, so can obviously pay well over the odds for complete tat just to avoid wearing potato sacks....mind you, they'd probably look a damned sight better

Thing about charity shops selling new items--IMO--is that if I am buying said item anyway, at least I can also support a good cause in the process. Take, for instance, the lovely fleece throws & covered hot water bottles I saw in PDSA....

Has anyone else found the 'shopping around' really hard going of late? You clock the prices in stores of a particular area, visit a neighbouring area the next day to compare, but when you go back to the cheapest alternative...it's shot up by silly amounts in that short space of time! Are there a few MPs with major shares in shoe leather or something rubbing their sweaty little palms with glee as they watch us poor souls wander around?

Olliebeak

Regarding the +sizes in charity shops:

It's quite possibly that because +sizes are so expensive to buy that people hang on to them for longer to get their moneys-worth out of them. Also, they tend to be more 'classical' in style so don't date as easily as 'street fashion'.

My local charity shops do sell quite a lot of +sizes and even have separate rails for them, but I can never find anything that appeals to me personally. I'm very tall anyway, as well has having a big bum, arms and boobs . One of my bugbears is larger size clothing that has skinny sleeves :mad: - for God's sake, I'm big all over not just bum and boobs - manufacturers please take note! I'm also not keen on these tops that seem to cut off way too short - I need a longer-length to cover that bum of mine :rolleyes:.

So until the designers come up with stuff to suit ME - I'll continue to adapt patterns to make my own :j - at least, that way, I can be sure of the fit.

Gina_of_course!

Oh my god! I actually got to the end of the thread.... Its taken me days and days.. but well worth the read.

I have loads of new tips to put into practice... and to sit smugly about.. especially the squashing of the loo roll... I have done that for about 20 years and the amount of people who think its silly... (sticks tongue out to them ;-))

During cold nights when I regularly have a hot water bottle I water my plants with the used cold water, its done in a rota as I have seven to water so it works out well.

ceridwen

Icewytch wrote: »

I`ve noticed one disturbing thing among charity shops. Quite a few of them are refusing to take clothes in anything over size 14! A friend of mine handed in a few bags of extremely good quality designer clothes and was told to take them away as they `wouldn`t be able to sell them in that size`!
It`s also happened to other friends too.
Not only does that demean the person kind enough to donate to charity, but shows imo that more shops are buying into the ridiculous size 0 image and catering to that. :rolleyes:

Hmmm....that must be summat peculiar to certain areas then.....stuff is there in all sizes in my local charity shops from what I recall....

OddjobKIA

I have a diff prob with clothes..

I have a 38inch waist ( getting smaller) but jean and trusewr manufactures think that with a waist that big my legs must only be 26inch..

I wear 36inch inside leg and trying to get 36 36 jeans is nigh on impossible..



use tea lights at night while watching telly cheaper than a side light..