Sneaky ways to save the pennies

looby-loo_2

Sitting here in candle light (candles bought at a carboot)

Hung the shirts and blouses on the line on hangers, brought them straight in and into cupboard without ironing

Booked a haircut at a the local college. The students are doing their exams so should be OK.

wendy+5

cwp500 wrote: »

Just to recap; How does your mum know?

What does dad do for a living? and if hes a builder would you eat sarnies that he made?:eek:

I have no idea! Although her hands were very tough...;) and her sarnies were fragrant! Dad was never a builder.

shellnapier

Andy_Hamilton wrote: »

I live in a new build mid terrace house, I noticed that if I turned my heating off I can pull heat from both sides and it even gets to 20 degrees (comfy). It's now set to 15 degress just to keep the chill off the house "just in case".

I buy toilet rolls in the biggest packs but always feel slightly embarrased at the till.

I use Lynx and only tried asda own brand when I did an online shopping spree and seen the prices compared next to each other. Now, I'm not bothered what brand as long as it smells and lasts.

i dont know if any 1 has tried asda however my boyfrend likes lynz, but one day we was in asda in a rush n he couldnt ifnd lynx n i just picked up asda one, not sure what it called, black and blue anyway, ment ti look like lynx, and he took it home, and its STINKS! honestly maybe just the kind we picked up but it does stink, its vil!

Uniscots97

shellnapier wrote: »

i dont know if any 1 has tried asda however my boyfrend likes lynz, but one day we was in asda in a rush n he couldnt ifnd lynx n i just picked up asda one, not sure what it called, black and blue anyway, ment ti look like lynx, and he took it home, and its STINKS! honestly maybe just the kind we picked up but it does stink, its vil!

Tesco seem to be copying the Lynx too. Their Congo shower gel (88p) smells like Lynx Africa just not as strong. when OH is running low I'll get some and see if he likes it. Has anyone tried the Tesco ones?

bridle

A good money saving tip is when you or the kids want a treat in the lunch box you can buy a pack of chocolate cake mix from the supermarket for 35p add 1 egg about 12p and you buy 100 pack of small cake cases 28p that allows you to make 12 cakes for about 50p thats less than 5p a cake its a great treat and best of all very cheap.

looby-loo_2

sorry if this is repeat

we have a new combi boiler in the loft, a long way from the downstairs taps. By the time the water runs hot the hands are long washed and dried so I have trained everyone to only run the cold if just running water for a quick swill - as the hot is cold anyway in the frst few seconds.

I have covered the hot tap handle with and empty yoghurt pot to act as a reminder not to use it, ie to help us break the habit.

(Of course for proper hand washes they use hot)

Tiger_greeneyes

sparklygirl1 wrote: »

Please tell us how to make them............. Would love to know.

I've only just seen this I copied the below from a blog I found online. I'm pretty sure the lady who's blog it is is a member of MSE

Recipe

Epsom salts
250g Bicarbonate soda
125g Citric acid
Fragrance/essential oil (bath bombs are the only time I use fragrance oils as they are a wash away product)
Powder Colour (optional)
Rose water/witch hazel or plain water
Lovely things to decorate it!

So, to get started we need to mix our two main ingredients. I use a recipe of two parts bicarbonate soda to one part citric acid. You can go with a higher amount of bicarb if you wish however the bath bomb won’t be quite as fizzy. I mix the two powders in my old Magimix food processor (well you cant throw a Magimix away!)

Once the two powders are completely mixed you can add your colour. I only use powder colours as its easier to mix them in. Remember to use only a few grains of colour as the pigment is very strong. To make a pastel bomb I just coat the tip of a teaspoon with colour and mix it in.

Mix the colour in well and add a couple of squirts of fragrance oil, mixing as you go. After this, add the fragrance oil just one squirt at a time until you have the desired smell. I find I only need two or three squirts as anymore and the bath bomb gets too oily.

Now its time to add the rose water/witch hazel or plain water. Again add this one squirt at a time and mix well. What you are looking for is a hardly damp mixture that just holds together when squeezed in your hand. Think wet sand!

I like to use a mould but you can make pretty bath bombs just by shaping the mix in your hands. If using a mould, tightly pack the mix into one half and overfill it so the mix is spilling out. Do the same with the other half.

Now sandwich the halves together firmly. Do not twist the mould. Simply push together and wipe off any excess mix that is spilling out of the mould.

Leave the mould to set for about twenty minutes and then carefully peel off one half. I like to leave the other half of the mould on overnight so the bath bomb doesn’t sink at the bottom.

Decorating your bath bombs. Its lovely to experiment and personalise your bath bombs. Use dried flowers or leaves from your garden, just make sure they aren’t scratchy or irritant to the skin. You can also buy little tubs of glitter and jewels. These look beautiful and the children love to see them floating about in the bath and coating their skin, hey I like to see them floating about in the bath and coating my skin! Make sure to buy cosmetic grade glitters and not craft glitters. The lovely items can be placed into the mould before you pack it or simply added to the mixture. A single rose bud looks beautiful or add little jewels for a special occasion.

For a real treat I make moisturising bath bombs. These are made by grating shea or cocoa butter and mixing it well into the dried mixture. The butter melts into the warm water and moisturises your skin. If making bath bombs with oil remember to take extra care as the bath could become slippy. These creamy yellow bath bombs are made by adding a little bit of grated shea. You can melt the shea and use as an oil if you prefer.

Uniscots97

I started buying the cheaper stock cubes rather than the crumbly oxo ones. I decided to experiment a bit as they are more like a block of paste. Instead of using 1 whole stock cube when cooking pasta or rice (this is based on cooking for 4), I cut the stock cube in half. No difference in taste at all and my stock cubes last longer!

cwp500

unixgirluk wrote: »

Tesco seem to be copying the Lynx too. Their Congo shower gel (88p) smells like Lynx Africa just not as strong. when OH is running low I'll get some and see if he likes it. Has anyone tried the Tesco ones?

Its unfortunately true that with ASDA you get what you pay for. Another tip is to buy the large litre bottles of "bath creme", which is basically handwash in larger bottles but a fraction of the price (even though it is to all intents and purposes identical).

Decant the "bath creme" into shower gel or hand wash bottles and try that.

Boots own brand smells really good and is very cheap.

Uniscots97

cwp500 wrote: »

Its unfortunately true that with ASDA you get what you pay for. Another tip is to buy the large litre bottles of "bath creme", which is basically handwash in larger bottles but a fraction of the price (even though it is to all intents and purposes identical).

Decant the "bath creme" into shower gel or hand wash bottles and try that.

Boots own brand smells really good and is very cheap.

I did this with the Tesco Value bath creme, its 20p (I think) for a litre bottle. Its has a nice clean smell and lathers up nicely.