Sneaky ways to save the pennies

Primrose

Diverting to a different type of saving, if you use a shredder to prevent identity theft, don't forget to keep the cutters regularly lubricated to prevent them seizing up and burning out your motor (which you will find is impossible to repair, involving you in buying a new shredder). The stationery shops sell expensive sealed lubricating sachets to do this but you can do it cheaply by smearing a little 3 in 1 oil (or even cheap cooking oil) over a few of sheets of scrap paper or old envelopes and running them through the shredder. Make this a regular practice at the end of each month to keep your shredder well maintained.

OrkneyStar

Just thought of one when I was hanging up the washing (indoors on airers taking advantage of storage heaters of course ), don't buy cloths. Just cut up old towels/tea towels. I find they clean better and don't give off so much fluff as so many shop bought cloths.

beautiful_ravens

Primrose wrote: »

Diverting to a different type of saving, if you use a shredder to prevent identity theft, don't forget to keep the cutters regularly lubricated to prevent them seizing up and burning out your motor (which you will find is impossible to repair, involving you in buying a new shredder). The stationery shops sell expensive sealed lubricating sachets to do this but you can do it cheaply by smearing a little 3 in 1 oil (or even cheap cooking oil) over a few of sheets of scrap paper or old envelopes and running them through the shredder. Make this a regular practice at the end of each month to keep your shredder well maintained.

I bought a pair of shredding scissors - they have normal scissor handles but have 5 blades (like these: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KAMASA-SECURITY-SHREDDER-SCISSORS-FOR-SHREDDING-PAPER_W0QQitemZ350140013550QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_BOI_Office_Equipment_Supplies_Office_Equipment_ET?hash=item350140013550&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318). Also good for making that paper 'stuffing' for crafty gift creations like baskets full of soaps and stuff.

Patchwork_Quilt

Just thought of something that we used to do when we all wore rubber gloves to do the washing up -

I'm left handed and tend to puncture my left hand glove more often than the right.

A friend who is right handed used to do the same, with the right hand glove.

So, sometimes she would give me a bunch of left hand gloves that she had left over and sometimes I would give her some of my right hand gloves. It was better than throwing them away.

ickle_me

just a couple of things we do (sorry if they are repeats!!!)

• save vegetable peelings such as carrot/parsnip, and the bottom of the stumps off cauli/broccoli and cabbage etc, and 'cook' in the potato water (whilst still hot). Use to bulk up dog meals!
• keep coffee grouts and use them either in your compost or as a slug deterrant by sprinkling around your plants
• if you receive cut flowers (or splurge out and buy some!!), a day or 2 before they are past their best, remove the heads and dry in your airing cupboard. Add to pine cones (sourced from local trees) and add a couple of drops of essence and you've got your own potpourri...!!
• If you have a wedding to attend, don't throw your drooping flowers away - dry the petals and use them as confetti - cheap and environmentally friendly!!
• Use hot water from cooking veggies etc to pour over flying ants nests in the summer - safer if you have kids/animals than the powder

I've taken to 'collecting' the little packets of butter when we go to somewhere like the Harvester. Use 1 for breakfast, and it 'rations' how much butter you use:D

Cook mince, and bulk up with grated carrot, mushrooms, peppers - make enough for 2 or three meals. You can have spag bol one night, then use another portion to make cottage pie, and the 3rd - add some kidney beans and chilli powder and have chilli con carne - all of these can be frozen for a later date too:j


Cleaning brass? Use cheap cola. Put coke in your washing basin, and allow brass item to soak for 20 minutes or so - they come out gleaming!! a bottle goes a long way and is cheaper than a tin of brasso!!


Also make the most of your cut flowers by putting them in some cheap lemonade rather than water - I got my mum some flowers a while ago and they lasted nearly a month by doing this:T

Beki

This is probably something that most people do, but we go to the library.

Today DD took out 6 books (which to buy new would have cost over £40), DS took out 2 books (which would have cost almost £15)
And i took out 3 books (which would have cost around £35)

We can keep them until 10th feb, and if we're not finished with them by then we can phone through (or do it online) and renew them at no additional cost

They've also ordered in 3 books for me which they didn't stock (for 75p - 25p per book), which would have cost me around £40 new.

I was going into town anyway as had to go to the post office, so the library trip didn't really cost me anything other than the 75p for ordering the books.

shegha

Primrose wrote: »

Diverting to a different type of saving, if you use a shredder to prevent identity theft, don't forget to keep the cutters regularly lubricated to prevent them seizing up and burning out your motor (which you will find is impossible to repair, involving you in buying a new shredder). The stationery shops sell expensive sealed lubricating sachets to do this but you can do it cheaply by smearing a little 3 in 1 oil (or even cheap cooking oil) over a few of sheets of scrap paper or old envelopes and running them through the shredder. Make this a regular practice at the end of each month to keep your shredder well maintained.

We use all our shredded waste as rabbit bedding, saves loads and if anyone wants to try ID theft after it's been in their cage.....good luck to them:rotfl:

Primrose

We have a problem rationing butter consumption in this house (at least one of us does!) . I'm thinking of using all those little empty aluminim type containers that candle tea lights come in, cleaning them out and using them for butter portions.

Katkin_2

I have spent a delightful 4 days solid (dont tell the boss:shhh: ) reading this thread. Thank you for all the fab tips. Just wanted to tell you about my butter making last night. I successfully made butter whilst exercising on my Xmas pressie of a vibrating exercise plate! Held the jar between my legs and let the machine do all the work while I clasped and tensed. Butter and muscles in 10 minutes.

Only problem was......DH came in and fell about as I'd left the curtains open and the whole street could see me with a jar between my thighs!!:doh:

He defo is not into OS but I am trying to convert him. He actually went round turning unused lights off last night and layed the fire on Sunday instead of putting the heating on. He thinks I am mad by squeezing the toilet rolls and goes round unsqueezing them, but hasnt caught me adding lentils to anything yet. When he asked what they were in the lasagna at the weekend I told him they were carrots! Just got to invest in a SC now as we freecycled mine two years ago.

Please keep them coming.

Olliebeak

Primrose wrote: »

We have a problem rationing butter consumption in this house (at least one of us does!) . I'm thinking of using all those little empty aluminim type containers that candle tea lights come in, cleaning them out and using them for butter portions.

I'm not sure about using tea light holders, BUT one place that I worked in used 'castor cups' (the things that you put under castors on furniture so that they won't mark carpets/laminate floors etc) for individual portions of butter/jam/marmalade/honey etc for breakfast time.

This type of thing: http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0159396