Sneaky ways to save the pennies

got-it-spend-it

unixgirluk wrote: »

I love the Molton Brown Naran Ji liquid soap and then found the Bayliss and Harding sweet mandarin and grapefruit hand wash (1.79 semi-chem) is almost the same so guess what I use?

Ooh I second this. The Bayliss and Harding one is great- Sainsburys also do it for around the same price.

Speaking of bathrooms, we've recently totally made over ours for less than £75. We didn't replace the suite- just gave it a good old scrub but we've re-painted, replaced the cupboard doors, got a new mirror, new soap dish and dispenser and some new white baskets. It looks so much fresher that people think it is a new bathroom but cost us a fraction of the price.

niksyg

I recently did a big clear out of clothes and rather than just sending it all to charilty I tried to use as much of the fabric for other things.

I made a draught excluder out of a pyjama leg stuffed with bubble wrap that was given to us by a friend, just had to sew the ends up. I used the other pyjama leg to make a carrier bag tidy.

I had a pair of shorts that I made into a peg bag. All the left over bits of cloth have gone to OH as he is a mechanic and so always needs rags.

It's so satisfying reusing old items and making them into useful stuff for our house!

I love this thread, thank you so much to everyone who has given so many helpful hints!

Uniscots97

niksyg wrote: »

I made a draught excluder out of a pyjama leg stuffed with bubble wrap that was given to us by a friend, just had to sew the ends up.

I cut up old t-shirts, socks etc to fill my draught excluder that way I can wash it when it needs it.

DdraigGoch

Just a sneaky way to make the handwash go further - beware, it involves buying something else first! - if you buy/legally obtain! a pump handwash which held/holds FOAM handwash you can reuse it with your favourite handwash, suitably diluted and it makes about 10 - 15 bottles for one [same sized] bottle of ordinary handwash ....

Just put about an inch of your favourite in the bottom of the re-used foam handwash bottle, top up with warm water, agitate gently and, voila, foamy favourite! It works brilliantly with shampoo which the children [teenage usually] have "gone off", that bubble bath you never quite get around to using, etc etc.

Hope this helps

DG

rhiwfield

At breakfast opened a tin of Borlotti beans instead of baked beans.:mad:
Neither OH nor DS2 like these, or identifiable onions, but they have got used to me bulking up stews which is ok as long as they cant see the offending ingredients or be able to identify them by texture!

So as well as the usual potatoes, browned mince, carrots, chicken stock and seasoning this stew had as well:
80g of rehydrated soya mince mixed with gravy browning
A puree of softened onions and borlotti beans
A cupful of value porridge oats

In a big stockpot it made 9 portions for under £3 and they tasted fine!

Lesley_Gaye

DdraigGoch wrote: »

Just a sneaky way to make the handwash go further - beware, it involves buying something else first! - if you buy/legally obtain! a pump handwash which held/holds FOAM handwash you can reuse it with your favourite handwash, suitably diluted and it makes about 10 - 15 bottles for one [same sized] bottle of ordinary handwash ....

Just put about an inch of your favourite in the bottom of the re-used foam handwash bottle, top up with warm water, agitate gently and, voila, foamy favourite! It works brilliantly with shampoo which the children [teenage usually] have "gone off", that bubble bath you never quite get around to using, etc etc.

Hope this helps

DG

I read somewhere on here about grating up unwanted bars of soap, dissolving them in water and using the liquid as handwash.

Having noticed a 4 pack of unloved and long unused Shield soap in the bathroom I thought I would give it a go.

It was all going well until it came to the dilution. Every time I diluted it down, it still set completely solid. One bar of soap is now filling a 3 litre bottle and needing to be diluted some more, plus a 2 litre bottle of solution diluted enough to use.

To get the liquid in the 3 litre bottle dilute enough to use in a handwash dispenser, I have had to use 1 part solution to a further 6 parts water.

So once I have diluted it fully, I now have 3 litres x 6 = 18 litres of handwash. Plus I have about 2 litres of fully diluted liquid handwash ready to go and stored in the bathroom.

A total of 20 litres from 1 bar of soap! Wonder if all bars of soap dilute down that much. I think I might even buy a lovely bar especially.

If I use all 4 of the bars of Shield, that would make 80 litres of handwash - I'll never have to buy it again!! Bargain!

purplevamp

Lesley_Gaye wrote: »

I read somewhere on here about grating up unwanted bars of soap, dissolving them in water and using the liquid as handwash.

Look at EagerLearner's blog on liquid soap making ( amongst other great tips)

Lesley_Gaye

purplevamp wrote: »

Look at EagerLearner's blog on liquid soap making ( amongst other great tips)

thanks purplevamp. I try to note things down when I see them otherwise I can never seem to find them again!

mummyfrugal

I know this sounds really tight (but every little helps) I switch my combi boiler off in the morning before setting out, and I found out the other day that if its just been switched off and you run the hot water tap warm water comes out because although its switched off the water runs through the inside of the boiler and gets heated. I know its mega frugal but now i switch it off earlier knowing that i can still go to the loo and wash my hands in warm water before setting off.

I also use stardrops for all my cleaning, it does the carpet stains, diluted in a spray bottle it does the bathroom, a spray bottle again for the kitchen, it does the drains and can be used for the washing machine (ive got washable mats which go in the machine and a good squirt of stardrops makes them mega clean and you dont need washing powder (and it does it just as good on an economy (less than lukewarm) wash. For the hob I use Astonish if you buy one tub it will last you a couple of years and is great for the upvc as well and all those jobs that other cleaners cant touch! (please read lable tho)

I also buy bigger packs of cheese and cut these up into three and freeze two of them - they are ok when defrosted and great for emergency packed lunches that I make late sunday night.

I also have 3 fleece blankets on the bed at night, saves putting heating on when you are not awake and is far more comfy!!

I read newspapers online (more up to date anyhow) and go to the library for books.

Please keep putting more tips on, im subscribed to this so I get an email every few days and its better than reading the whole lot in one go!!

One last tip - when the weather is bad is the best time to go to the supermarket later and get the bargain reduced stuff because no one wants to go out in the snow!

take care, and keep being frugal!!!

niksyg

Lesley_Gaye wrote: »

I read somewhere on here about grating up unwanted bars of soap, dissolving them in water and using the liquid as handwash.

Having noticed a 4 pack of unloved and long unused Shield soap in the bathroom I thought I would give it a go.

It was all going well until it came to the dilution. Every time I diluted it down, it still set completely solid. One bar of soap is now filling a 3 litre bottle and needing to be diluted some more, plus a 2 litre bottle of solution diluted enough to use.

To get the liquid in the 3 litre bottle dilute enough to use in a handwash dispenser, I have had to use 1 part solution to a further 6 parts water.

So once I have diluted it fully, I now have 3 litres x 6 = 18 litres of handwash. Plus I have about 2 litres of fully diluted liquid handwash ready to go and stored in the bathroom.

A total of 20 litres from 1 bar of soap! Wonder if all bars of soap dilute down that much. I think I might even buy a lovely bar especially.

If I use all 4 of the bars of Shield, that would make 80 litres of handwash - I'll never have to buy it again!! Bargain!

That has made me giggle so much!

I just have images of a frenzied attempt at rebottling the ever diluted soap with bubbles going everywhere!! Ha! thanks for cheering up my day - being at home 2 days in a row because of snow is starting to annoy me, especially as it's all melted!