Sneaky ways to save the pennies

larmy16

I get a lot of nearly full hair products from my local charity shop. Today I got some Toni and Guy styling creme for dry hair and a completely new leave in conditioner from Avon. They were only 50p each. Last week I bought a new duo eyeshadow - again 50p.

I also got a new hoofer (for pushing back cuticles) for 75p. They have a few shelves devoted to new and nearly new stuff - lots of candles, diaries and heaps of body lotions (which I am too lazy to use), but its surprising what you can find.

miggy

Olliebeak wrote: »

Is it possible to buy the ingredients that your bunnies DO eat - but separately so that you can 'mix your own' - bit like mixing your own muesli?

We used to have a cockatiel that would NOT eat the yellow dried corn that made up a large proportion of his standard feed. He found that he could 'fire' these out of his bill and did so very frequently at our dog - WHAT A SHOT!

Thank you for all the replies, everybody! I'm going to have to reply separately as I haven't got the hang of quoting more than one person at once (if it's possible?)

Olliebeak, I can buy some but not all of the ingredients separately... sadly not all the favoured ones are available on their own, while the rejected pellets are. I also supplement the feed with sunflower seeds, raisins and other treats in bad weather when I reckon a few extra calories would come in useful. They still leave the pellets and oats till last but I throw them (pellets and oats, not rabbits) on the lawn where the wild birds get the oats and the earth takes back the pellets in no time.

I love the mental image conjured up by your parrot firing seed at the poor dog. I am keeping quiet about it in the prescence of my animals, though, in case they get ideas.

miggy

Magentasue wrote: »

When we had rabbits, they would pick and choose but they would eat all of a feed that was molasses coated. Tried every type before we found that one. We used to give them porridge in the winter when there wasn't so much grass around. In the summer, they ate much less of the commercial food and we did feed a lot of greens - at that time Asda used to give away free bunny greens. Not sure if they still do but we get free leaves from the market now for our hens.

This page has a lot of interesting info and suggests that commercial food isn't essential if they have access to grass and hay.

Hi MagentaSue, I've avoided the molasses-coated feed in case it leads to tooth decay - but if you haven't had problems then maybe I'm worrying in vain? It's certainly worth bearing in mind in case one of them is under the weather and needs to eat better.
How did you get them to eat porridge?! I tried ours on porridge oats and they turned their noses up at it. Do you cook it with water or how do you do it?
Thanks for the link, it's full of good stuff. Our rabbits get time on the grass nearly every day, and they get odds and ends of veg, apple cores, fruit tree trimmings etc, but I think, having read the article, that I may need to go easy on the white bread.
I will keep the link for future reference, and maybe at some point it will enable me to ditch the commercial rabbit food and custom some of my own choosing. Meanwhile at least they have more variety for the time being.

miggy

cafelady wrote: »

Our guinea pigs were leaving all the pellets in their food. I asked the man who runs our local pet shop and he advised feeding them less as they are fussy eaters. We cut their food down and now they eat it all. Don't know if this would work for rabbits also?
quote]

Cafelady, thanks for this. I am too soft: if I see one of the animals sitting there with a bowl full of bits it is avoiding, I assume it is hungry and feed it some more! I don't empty the bowl between each feed, though.

I have my guinea pigs and rabbits in together (not something that always works but one pair were given to me already bonded and are very good together and the other rabbit adopted a stray gp which was later given us by the former owner) anyway, I have them in together so what one doesn't eat, the other sometimes will. Not the pellets though! I think it may be because they get a lot of fresh grass and the dried stuff might be a bit dull in comparison.

I will try cutting down for the smaller animals - they waste a lot by rootling through for the good bits and spilling the rest! Someone ought to invent an animal form of those bibs with a pocket at the bottom to catch bits!

miggy

calleyw wrote: »

Easy answer don't buy the mixtures just buy pellets.

Hi Calley, I think you will make me very unpopular with my animals, lol! I can just imagine their reaction at first, but maybe they would get used to it if they had to. As I think I just said, they prob don't like the pellets because they get fresh grass most of the time, but then again they eat any straw I put in for bedding so they must like dried grass in some form.
I hope your bunny lasts a good while yet even if it means you have to get losts of BOGOF food.

Magentasue

miggy wrote: »

Hi MagentaSue, I've avoided the molasses-coated feed in case it leads to tooth decay - but if you haven't had problems then maybe I'm worrying in vain? It's certainly worth bearing in mind in case one of them is under the weather and needs to eat better.
How did you get them to eat porridge?! I tried ours on porridge oats and they turned their noses up at it. Do you cook it with water or how do you do it?

Didn't have any problems with tooth decay - they do have pretty strong teeth so I imagine it's uncommon.

I used to have a 'rabbit box' for veg trimmings etc and, as the children were small then, there were often left over cereals, porridge, baked potato etc. When it was time to get them in, I'd put the box in the hutch so they were used to a variety of scraps. I'd avoid anything too processed, sweet or salty but they didn't leave much!

The porridge was made with water or milk - sometimes I'd make some for the kids and deliberately make too much, otherwise just water. I did have one rabbit who had babies and I weaned them on to porridge and weetabix so they were raised on it but their mum loved it too.

The other thing I would do is save any stale bread or crusts from the kids' plates. After dinner, when the oven was cooling down, I'd put them in on a tray to dry out like rusks. They loved those. Would often buy reduced wholemeal loaves and do a tin full.

No rabbits now, just chickens and they love porridge too!

Uniscots97

orchid-96 wrote: »

Can you still get milk of magnesia :eek: takes me back to my childhood, but I can't remember why my parents used to give this to me!! but I hated it.

Yep, Tesco's, Morrisons, Asda and all chemists have it. I tend to buy the shops own brand and it works just as well

Uniscots97

Zed42 wrote: »

I find that adding a dash of dijon mustard .... means I need to use less cheese in a sauce .... delish and good for the waistline and the pocket!

Dijon mustard is great used in a low fat white sauce. I use half a vegetable stock cube in with the pasta I'm cooking then transfer some of the stock to another pot to use as the base for my white sauce (instead of butter), add a little flour, a little milk, a little water and keep stirring until smooth then add about half a tsp of dijon mustard (if making enough sauce for 4) and stir, it gives the sauce a really creamy rich texture without the calories!

bonsibabe

Hi everyone

I have just spent all day reading all the posts and have gotten some really good tips for saving money!

My DH loves the ironing water that you can buy in the supermarkets but I find it too expensive for something that is just water with a little extra added to it.

I have a condenser tumble drier and empty the water into a clean bucket after I have used the drier. I filled up one of the ironing water bottles with the water from the drier and it worked a treat! DH was well chuffed and it saves a blooming packet as he uses the iron every day!

After all, I use fabric conditioner and the water smells of that when it comes out of the drier.

The left over water I use to water my little trees in the back garden and they are coming on a treat.

If there is any left I pour it down the toilet, makes the loo smell lovely!

D xx

CoD_2

if i'm making a white sauce for a lasagne or macaroni cheese i don't add any cheese, i do add a big dollop (technical term there) of wholegrain mustard as i'm adding milk to the roux, it makes it really tasty, cuts down on adding salt, means no cheese in the sauce and i then just sprinkle a small amount of cheese on top. or breadcrumbs if we're low on cheese. I also don't do the onion with cloves/ a bay leaf celery/ carrot thing as it takes time/ power/ oil