Sneaky ways to save the pennies

Unity

gravitytolls wrote: »

Did you know you can clean the glass of a woodburner/stove with ash? Mix ashes into a paste iwth water, rub over the glass, and rinse off with a wet cloth. Cheap and effective.

Thanks for this, but I just wanted to mention - please make sure you only use wood ash for this as coal or coke ash will scratch the glass, even if you don't notice it at first - you will over time:eek:. It's an old trick but a little wood ash on a damp cloth works wonderfully:).

squelchy69

I never use just one shelf of the oven. If the oven is going on I make sure its packed out. If its lasagne for tea, I'll cook chicken for tomorrow. I squash in as much as I possibly can so the oven is only used once. Not sure how much gas it actually saves but I feel better for doing it it!

Great tips on here BTW.

Jo x

purplevamp

Aril wrote: »

I am now saving the ziplock bags that the cheddar comes in eg Cathedral City and washing them out. They're being used either to put sarnies in or to store other cheese. Saves on clingfilm and rubbish:D
Aril

This is a great tip. I re-use the ziplock bags from my childrens' lunches, that's if they don't throw them away at school :rolleyes: . They wash really well and one bag can last for ages. I've also got some pringle holders and years ago cadbury mini rolls were doing free rigid plastic boxes to put your mini roll in. They're perfect for putting h/m cakes in as well, just cut them to the right size.

auntyn

Re wrapping sandwiches etc I do what my grandmother did I save the inner waxed bag from crereal packets open them out, quick wipe and dry, fold and store saves on greaseproof paper and foil!! and form of recycling!

niksyg

Mooloo wrote: »

This sounds like a good idea, as by the time I go to put things in the freezer there is never quite a portion left and it tends to end up in the bin. !:cool:

Brilliant idea!!

I normally try and make enough so there is plenty left over but hungry OH goes back for seconds and then the remainding 'tomorrow's lunch portion' is tiny! Also, if there is none left because you gave already taken out the saved portion I guess you're less likely to eat more, have seconds, and so better for your weight!

FairyElephant, you're a blummin genius!! :-)

piglet6

Yep, dishing up the "leftovers" first is definitely the way forward...

We were very much in the school of "seconds" and over-eating. The scales are very much a testament to that!! :rotfl: Its very easy to have a second helping - particularly since we have been following OS rules things have been so yummy that we have had no problem finishing a second portion and eating that little bit extra! :rolleyes:

Now we cook extra, but dish up the extra portions (freezer portions or lunch for the next day) first. Then we know that whatever is left we can eat, and when its gone, its gone!!!

(And it always does go...!! )

(And the leftovers are always lovely, too - we just have to dig them out first... To be honest, we don't really notice a lack of seconds...we always allow for generous portions - its just a question of keeping things "real"!! )

Piglet

Olliebeak

If there's not enough left-over for a full-sized second portion, I still save and freeze it. Comes in handy as a topping for a jacket potato for lunch .

Mine are all in margarine tubs. Different sizes depending on whether it's a jacket spud, single or double sized amount. Don't forget to label the container before freezing though.

pink_numbers

Make your own bath bombs. You can make them for pennies, and they make great (cheap) presents. I managed to cover lot of work related presents with my home made bath bombs last christmas.

I buy 5kg bags of ingredients, and of course, you can also use the ingredients to clean your house.

I use cheap moulds too, yoghurt pots, seeding pods (great when you're making huge batches) and IKEA is selling great ice cube moulds in cute shapes (hearts, stars, fish, flower, etc.) for £1 each.

marri_lou

pink_numbers wrote: »

Make your own bath bombs. You can make them for pennies, and they make great (cheap) presents. I managed to cover lot of work related presents with my home made bath bombs last christmas.

I buy 5kg bags of ingredients, and of course, you can also use the ingredients to clean your house.

I use cheap moulds too, yoghurt pots, seeding pods (great when you're making huge batches) and IKEA is selling great ice cube moulds in cute shapes (hearts, stars, fish, flower, etc.) for £1 each.

How do you do this? Can you tell me more please? :j

pink_numbers

It's really easy, as long as you use a good recipe and follow it properly. The only part that you have to be careful is the adding liquid content.

I've used this recipe over and over, it's the simplest one I've found, and works well. (No, I'm not in anyway associated to this website, apart from spending lots of my money on it!).

There are lots of videos on YouTube showing you how to make it as well, which helped me understand it better as I am more of a visual person.

Hope you have fun