Sneaky ways to save the pennies

pixie1

Doesnt really save a lot but i cant contribute with advice much on this board i thought i would share it anyway

I always by andrex, something i wont compromise on and i always buy the large packs and re-use the plastic draw string bag they come as a bin bag for my peddle bin in the kitchen.

Pix
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mummyfrugal

just remembered another tip... if anyone has little kids with asthma/breathing problems, a chemical-free and cheap way to get rid of dust mites is to put their pillow in a plastic bag and pop in the freezer for over 24 hours - you can do this with their little stuffed/cuddly toys. It kills off the dust mites and a few other nasties that might be lurking in there! For the mattress you can use a steamer - its worth buying one as it will pay for itself over the years - you can also use them on worksurfaces, toys etc (even on the loo - but I dont do this cos I cant clean something else when its been used on the loo no matter what they say), great for cleaning the grouting on the floortiles in the kitchen which get really mucky cos of the cat and again everything is practically sterilised without chemicals.

Another thing that pays for itself are those washable door mats, I got two of these and they are great, they last loads longer and after a shake outside they go in the washing machine (with a small dash of stardrops) and are dried out - then they are like having new mats again.. and the hallway is loads cleaner as the dirt clings to them... well worth the money.

Also with dishcloths, you can put them in a bowl of shallow water and microwave them and this nukes most germs out of existance - better than breathing in all those antibacterial sprays! and quicker than boiling them up in a pan.

While im on here, my mother has problems with ants in her compost bin, she has tried over the years lots of tips, flags underneath etc, even using ant powder - which we dont like as you end up breathing a lot in yourself! but nothing has worked, does anyone have any ideas of how to get rid of them?

Also while im on.... if like me you have had bad hayfever the last week, dry your clothes inside the house as this limits the pollen on them (but i still give them a quick shake outside to get rid of the dust).

Another question i wanted to ask (its great on here cos someone nearly always knows the answer...) is can you put straw/hay and guinea pig droppings in the green collection bins? or are they an attraction for rats? as they almost always have a bit of guinea pig food mixed in with the hay etc and I dont want to have to spend over an hour picking it out!!!!! ewwww, I just wanted to know if officially you can put all this in the green bin or not, or am i breaking the rules?

sorry to have gone on so long..... im feeling chatty and no one else is awake at 7am in my house!!!!

arhino30

mummyfrugal wrote: »

Another question i wanted to ask (its great on here cos someone nearly always knows the answer...) is can you put straw/hay and guinea pig droppings in the green collection bins? or are they an attraction for rats? as they almost always have a bit of guinea pig food mixed in with the hay etc and I dont want to have to spend over an hour picking it out!!!!! ewwww, I just wanted to know if officially you can put all this in the green bin or not, or am i breaking the rules?

sorry to have gone on so long..... im feeling chatty and no one else is awake at 7am in my house!!!!

I telephoned our local council who supllied our green bins, and was told you can put in the hay/sawdust/droppings of any NON meat eating animals ie hamsters piggies rabbits into our green bins. Hope this helps
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ampersand

mummyfrugal wrote: »

..............While im on here, my mother has problems with ants in her compost bin, she has tried over the years lots of tips, flags underneath etc, even using ant powder - which we dont like as you end up breathing a lot in yourself! but nothing has worked, does anyone have any ideas of how to get rid of them? .........

sorry to have gone on so long..... im feeling chatty and no one else is awake at 7am in my house!!!!

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Boiling water over ants/antholes, also sugar and borax in jamjar lids[or similar]are the OS get-rid-ofs.

ellawood

the boiling water works well

FairyElephant_2

mummyfrugal wrote: »

While im on here, my mother has problems with ants in her compost bin, she has tried over the years lots of tips, flags underneath etc, even using ant powder - which we dont like as you end up breathing a lot in yourself! but nothing has worked, does anyone have any ideas of how to get rid of them?

I have the same problem - and also with them moving in to some of my larger pots - they have killed a couple of nice patio plants by nesting in the pots!

Boiling water doesn't seem to work in the compost bin - probably doesn't get down far enough to get the nest I guess, and I have not had any success with powder either.

TBH I can just about cope with them in the compost, if only they would stay there! but I reckon they will just move into the border before too long....and anyone knows a way to stop them nesting in pots I'd appreciate it!

FE

oystercatcher

I haven't tried it myself but my Mum was advising me that cornflour can be used instead of ant powder. Apparently they eat it and then it swells up !! Not nice for the ants but at least no nasty chemicals for any humans or pets.

[Imagining exploding ants all over the patio!! ]

purplevamp

larmy16 wrote: »

Apologies if this has been already posted. You can make a nice light liquid foundation by mixing your regular one with equal parts moisturer. Much nicer for the summer months if you do need to cover your skin for any reason. Also makes your foundation last a lot longer.

I do this with mine as my skin can get very dry and looks "flaky" if I just use foundation, (very attractive :rotfl:). As I'm quite fair I find the light foundation is too pale and the next shade up is too dark, so I mix the two together, saves wasting 2 perfectly good foundations. Also when trying a new foundation ask at the counter if you can have a small sample. I do this and normally they oblige - the last time I was in Bo0ts they put some in a film canister from the photo counter!!

Another thing I do is if I see the creamy yoghurts whoopsied I buy them and pop them in the freezer, turns into a lovely ice cream! But then I put everything in the freezer - my DH said if it's not nailed down it's probably in there!!

rosemary54

FairyElephant wrote: »

I have the same problem - and also with them moving in to some of my larger pots - they have killed a couple of nice patio plants by nesting in the pots!

Boiling water doesn't seem to work in the compost bin - probably doesn't get down far enough to get the nest I guess, and I have not had any success with powder either.

TBH I can just about cope with them in the compost, if only they would stay there! but I reckon they will just move into the border before too long....and anyone knows a way to stop them nesting in pots I'd appreciate it!

FE

i had flying ants indoors a couple of times,I just hoover them all up :j can take a while

also had ants in a pot and watched for half an hour when they all emerged and flew off very spectacular,don't usually bother to do anything to them when they are outside tho emptying the pot of eggs does encourage birds to eat them sometimes

angela110660

arhino30 wrote: »

I telephoned our local council who supllied our green bins, and was told you can put in the hay/sawdust/droppings of any NON meat eating animals ie hamsters piggies rabbits into our green bins. Hope this helps
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Just wanted to say that the hutch contents of our GPs get emptied into the compost bin and very fine compost they make too!!