Which thrifty thing do you do that you're surprised that no one else does?

[Sizeofalentil]

Basically, that

I'm always surprised when people don't bulk buy things (toilet paper, store cupboard staples etc) or only buy name brands. How much tastier can a posh tinned tomato really be?

Dh is mortified when I reuse bath water to water the plants or make my own cleaning cloths from old pants. But he does love a charity shop bargain (most of his coats are from there).

What are your favourite thrifty tips or what thrifty things are you surprised that other people don't do?

[MissLadyM]

If you have a library card you can download Pressreader and read a huge selection in UK and international magazines & newspapers free. I've saved a bomb with this. They even have back issues! I'm evangelical about it!

www.pressreader.com/catalog

[Meckity1]

Re hankies - I read somewhere that a 60C wash will kill most germs with modern laundry powder. You can get laundry disinfectant that works on 99.9% germs (that's the claim, anyway) at 40C. I suppose you could even soak the hankies overnight in zoflora and water before a normal wash. Biggest part of the expense of a wash is heating the water, so the lower the temperature, the less expensive the wash.

Unfortunately when I have a cold my nose runs a lot. I mean, really a lot. I can go through a large box of tissues in eight hours, and that's seriously damp and yucky tissues. It's embarrassing. I use tissues or I'd need to use a bedsheet.

[pineapplebryanbrown]

My sister has a posh B&B and she gives me all the toiletries the guests leave behind. I do sometimes dream of a new bottle of something.

[CheddarandCrackers]

Cheddarandcrackers
Lidl bakery is amazing though- their sourdough is to die for!

Yep, agreed!

[pineapplebryanbrown]

My Mum and I have a pact that we don't buy anything without checking the other one has surplus. Just in the last week I have given her a single duvet, 2 single duvet covers, a dressing gown and body oil. She's given me 2 pillows, a pan and hand cream. All of which we would have had to buy.

[pennycarbonara]

Cut open nearly finished tubes and bottles to get the last of the shower gel, toothpaste. A very posh family we knew when I was a kid did this for everything, and we did for a few things. Also, keeping bottles stood upside down so you can use the last bits. I am always surprised when it's described in tips for being economical or green, or when people put the bottles upright again (very irritating) and that it isn't as normal in some areas as I always thought it was.

[mydogisthebest]

Me and DH are vegetarian so eat lots of lentils, chickpeas etc. Our favourite food is indian so we cook a lot of indian meals at home.

We do a large shop about every 4 months or so to an indian supermarket to stock up on lentils, chickpeas, paneer cheese, spices etc. They are much cheaper than other supermarkets and sell things like lentils etc in much larger quantities. The silly little bags in Tesco etc last 5 minutes in our house. Spices are much cheaper too and we get a really big bag of onions often for £1.

[Plummydevon]

Cheddarandcrackers
Lidl bakery is amazing though- their sourdough is to die for!

[Plummydevon]

Definitely shopping at Aldi rather than Sainsbury’s. Then Waitrose for meat and random bits that Aldi doesn’t stock. Aldi nappies are great too.

I think a lot of this is also what you prioritise, I had a new car because we got an amazing deal on it compared to a second hand one and we didn’t live near any family at the time with two young children it meant that I didn’t want to risk breaking down and being stranded and having a random large repair bill!

I buy lots second hand too and a lot less than before, partly because it feels better environmentally too. Plus I have two boys so clothes easily pass down too.

For me it’s about being less wasteful rather than missing out on things I enjoy, like the cinema ( but go on a deal) or holidays and nice food- so not scrimping for the sake of it but not spending unnecessarily. We have basic tv and share a Netflix’s with my family and we don’t have take always etc, but I can’t fit bulk buys anywhere in our house it’s a Victorian terrace with no storage!! Unless I resort to filling my loft with loo roll maybe....

[CheddarandCrackers]

In Lidl yesterday. A 1.5kg bag of bread flour was 59p. In Tesco, it costs £1. OK not everyone wants to make their own bread, but it's a considerable saving!

I find Lidl to have a minimal selection to choose from, but if you're looking for potato salad, for example, it doesn't matter whether the pot says Lidl, Tesco or Waitrose, as long as the contents are tasty!

(I actually prefer the texture of Lidl’s, but that's by the by)

If people like pp’s claim to dislike Lidl that's their prerogative but don't knock a cheaper shop just because it's cheaper.

[woodcutbirds]

Lidl does fabulous fresh baked croissants for a fraction of the price of Sainsbury's. Great champagne for a tenner and roses for £2 too. Lidl is perfect if you want treats without spending too much. I'm less keen on their basics and agree the fruit and veg aren't always great.

[CasanovaFrankenstein]

I do quite a few of these without thinking that they are particularly thrifty, but then I’m always horrified when people bin good stuff instead of selling or donating.

Problem with some things such as taking tea bags and then asking for hot water, I guess if too many people do it, places will start to refuse!

[redspider1]

I love Aldi. I cook from scratch and don't buy brands so it makes sense for me. Great fresh produce for a lot less. They are able to do it because they don't do aisles of choice so bulk buy from suppliers. This benefits me because I am in and out in under 30 mins and only buy ingredients to cook, not processed foods. Occasionally I go to another supermarket for fancy ingredients for a particular recipe but these days that is rare.

[BeckyAnnLeeman]

I don't have an Aldi near me so have no idea what their food is like.

Lidl isn't a one stop shop for me but do I like:

duck breasts (not crazy about the beef and chicken I've tried from there)
parma ham/serrano ham/smoked salmon/various anti pasti
bucket of greek yogurt
padron peppers
cheese
portugese custard tarts
pantry stuff like oils and vinegars and various baking bits and bobs

[Beautga]

Marks and Spencer have started doing their own budget range.I brought a tin of their tomatoes for 35 pence dont know what they are like but will after tomorrow as having them for breakfast on toast.They have also done their own budget sardines 45pence and tomatoe sauce 65 pence

[Amibeingdaft81]

I can never find anything in Lidl or Aldi I want to eat!

What like fresh meat, fish, vegetables

It’s edible that’s for sure (although some of the fruit....). But it simply isn’t like marks or Waitrose. There’s no escaping that truth!

And yes you absolutely pay for the difference. In some people’s eyes it’s not worth the difference or it’s a non issue because they can’t afford the difference anyway.

But in my eyes - it most definitely is worth the difference

[redspider1]

I can never find anything in Lidl or Aldi I want to eat!

What like fresh meat, fish, vegetables?

[Peperpiperpickedwrong]

I can never find anything in Lidl or Aldi I want to eat!

We’ve just had delicious ribeye steaks, jersey royals and sugar snap peas for our dinner from Aldi. They do the same meat and veg that everywhere else does but with the advantage that most of their fresh stuff is British.

[Peperpiperpickedwrong]

Cloudtree well I had no idea the library did that. I just logged on and they do allsorts- thanks.

[MoonstoneMagic]

Ah, well I didn't know this. Unfortunately the process seems incredibly complicated. The apps are a nightmare and my laptop won't download them.

[Cloudtree]

How do you read magazines and papers for free online? I thought you had to subscribe to most papers

Through the library. I read loads of magazines online through the library. I get an email notification to tell me that the ones I like are out and I just click the link. I currently have Gardeners World Magazine waiting.

[TheClitterati]

access free audio books via the library - check with your local library as to what ap they use, sign up & free audio books and digital copies of magazines.

I get all titchy about water reuse at this time of year too - I carry bathwater down stairs to water the garden. I wish there was a direct link between my bath & the water butt

[TheClitterati]

I'd never take advantage of others or steal things, but sharing tools with a neighbour is a good idea if it works both ways and I really wish there were community tool libraries so you could have local free access to things like drills, hedge trimmers, ladders etc, perhaps for paying a modest monthly membership fee. But there would probably be issues about liability and some people would treat the tools badly and send them back dirty/broken/blunt etc.

Absolutely this - and sharing is very eco friendly too. We don't all need our own strimmer etc. My neighbours have everything needed to garden and are always saying to me "please borrow from us, don't buy".

I love this ethos, I do borrow tools etc from them, and make sure I give things back promptly. Community tools banks sound great but I've not seen one.

[bliminy]

A spare freezer is a wonderful thing until you either have a power cut or it fails. Both happened to me last year...

[stucknoue]

The only thing I owe money for is my house. If we can't afford it we go without. I slept on an air mattress for a month, a mattress for 2 months and after 3 months bought a bed frame! All my first furniture (other than bed) was from a charity shop or hand me downs. I don't understand people who choose new on credit