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?

I also cut holly and Ivy from the garden or local fields to wind along my banisters and dress the table at Christmas. Scatter on a few pine cones et voila!

This is an eccentric one. I don't throw tea bags into the food bin as the bags don't compost down. I open up the used tea bags and pop the contents into plant pots in the garden.

Alway have a shopping list, buy the larger bags of spices from the world food aisle and decanter in to labelled jam jars. Fraction of the price of the little spice pots. Budget supermarket own brand whenever shopping. If you’re cooking from scratch why pay £2 a tin of tomatoes instead of 39p! Etc. Clothes pegs to keep crisp bags fresh. Grow your own fresh herbs as much cheaper. I’ve also been know to forage nettles, berries and elderflowers for cooking. I also make my own kefir smoothie as much cheaper than shop brought.

Reuse gift bags - my side of the family (parents/ cousins/ aunts etc) has the be reusing the same christmas gift bags for years now. They just go round in circles until they fall apart. New name gift tags added when needed by just tying them to the handles with a bit or ribbon or string.

We also tend to swap things like shampoo and shower gels with each other - I have sensitive skin so often use something a couple of times and realise it’s not working for me so pass it on to someone else rather than chuck it out. I’ve also been passed stuff this way because people don’t like the scent etc.

When my DD was a toddler (and would still wear dresses) I would buy the £2.99 jersey dresses from H&M (you know the ones they have every year with the various prints and patterns). Once it got too cold to wear them out I would use them as nighties - only works if you have a child that isn’t too cold at night - mines was always too hot so they suited us fine. Fine for late summer and autumn.

Jeans and school trousers that get holes in knees get cut into shorts for summer - I do have a sewing machine so that helps but you can just use that iron on wonder web stuff and it does a pretty decent job at holding the hem in place.

I have also previously dyed towels that had gone a bit grubby looking (white are bad for that) or that have the hair dye stains in them. Just pick a machine dye darker than the original colour. (I went with a mid grey to dye white and lilac towels that had been ruined and looked washed out. Much cheaper than buying nice new towels.

I have made draft excluders from old pillows and a dressing gown that had developed holes (can be done by hand if you don’t have a machine). Recycles and helps keep heat in so double win. You also need to weigh them down on the ends so a doubled up zip lock baggy full of rice on each end helps them stay in place. You don’t have to stuff them with old pillows too - any old fabric will work, even stuffing it with carrier bags will work. Ditto the outside casing part you can use any old clothing / sheets/ towels etc you have.

Not sure if this counts but I decant frozen food quite a lot into reusable tubs (I save the plastic takeaway/ ready meal tubs for this purpose) just cut out the bit of cardboard with cooking instructions and the bit with the use by date and add it inside the tub with the food. Makes stacking food in the freezer really easy and because there is more space I can stock up in offers. Also solves the problem of the bag of peas spilling out over the bottom of the freezer drawer when you are digging around trying to find stuff.

"I thought getting shoes reheeled was just a normal part of life? Are there really people who throw shoes away just because the heel has worn down?" My neighbour (who's always moaning about being skint! We're not friendly but she's very loud and I hear her talking to another neighbour frequently) I spotted as her bin wasn't fully shut had thrown out perfectly good black boots with a very slight wear on the heels. They would even probably have been gladly accepted by our local charity shops.

I then heard her moaning about "having" to spend at least £60 on new boots every 1-2 months - so yes there are definitely people this foolish out there!

Hell if she has a recognisable wear pattern she could even get heel protectors put on when she first buys them.

Though to be honest if I paid £60 for boots and the heels wore like that in a month I'd be bloody returning them!

Think a few posters could do with watching "eat well for less" most of the time people CANNOT tell the difference between their usual branded preference and the next price level down. You're falling for advertising!

“Eat well for less” often folk correctly detect swop and decline substitutes
By all means try own brand,but it doesn’t render one a profligate spender if they buy branded items

I use brown water (run off from hand washing cups and dishes) to rinse out yoghurt pots etc for recycling.

If I eat out and get given paper napkins, I take any unused ones home to wipe down oily pans and plates, which I throw into the food recycling bin. The pans and plates are then much easier to wash and I don't need to use as much hot water to get them clean.

If I boiled some water in a kettle and have some left over, I use the hot water to pour over dirty dishes to get the worst of the muck off. I can then rinse off the dishes with cold water from the tap.

You can probably see a pattern to the above ...

I do much of what has already been mentioned but just wanted to add for the benefit of other posters about receipt apps - I use Shoppix and Receipt Hog. All you do is take a picture of your receipt and upload it onto the apps to earn points which you exchange for vouchers. Only takes a couple of minutes.

I tend to buy all black socks for my son so if one gets a hole in then I can just bin the one rather than the pair as I've plenty of others to match it with.

I do like a bargain but I find some of these tips utterly joyless.sorry
I don’t want to store Costco amount of Ariel,rice,or toilet paper
Hell I will single use a tea bag for the unbridled abandon of it

I do laugh when the Eat Well for Less brigade swear it’s their usual brand and it turns out to be Aldi. I know I’m a bad person.

Yes admittedly that is funny,I love EWFL. It’s the amount spent,I’m incredulous

.lipstick. I think it’s about taking some ideas that you could make work. I don’t use teabags more than once or bulk buy either but do many other things. There are some good ideas in here but if it’s not your thing there is no need to read on.

Red threads work by the cross section of opinions,variously agreeing & disagreeing
That includes acknowledging what one may,or may not, have a preference for
So,no just because something isn’t my thing doesn’t mean I immediately stop posting

Thanks to pp who mentioned cleaning the bathroom with washing up liquid. I’ve just done this and it’s worked a treat-the chrome is much shinier than usual plus, wait for it, it was Magnum washing up liquid from Aldi 😂

I may have misunderstood your tone .lipstick. I just don’t think it’s necessary to call some people’s choices joyless.

Do you plan to go back in the thread and similarly upbraid other posters
Unsurprisingly I’m not the first to make such an observation
And it’s permissible for me to not agree with all posts or recommendations

You just seemed a little condescending. There’s every chance I’ve got that wrong though.

OK, so to bulk buy I need what, between 500 and 5,000 for a car? And then about 300k for a big house?
That would NOT save me money.

I can understand people who use a teabag more than once (though I don't myself) because one bag is too much for one cup unless you are making really strong builders tea. Who decided the amount of tea in a bag? That's one thing where they could reduce the portion size and I wouldn't mind!
Being thrifty isn't joyless. I don't see what so joyful about throwing money about or being wasteful of the planet's resources. There again, I'm glad that other people do fritter their money - or else there'd be no bargains to hoover up.

If that’s your opinion,it’s not up to me to disavow you.
Equally I find you bumptious in instructing me not to read on

"The 'bog roll mountain' as you put it lives under the bed, so takes up no room at all and we live in a smaller than average house."

Ha! Under the bed takes up no room?
It takes up the space of what is already under the bed. In my case, things I actually have to have with me all the time.

Lipstick I don’t think I gave any such instruction. Shall we move on now?

By bulk I mean 48toilet rolls,5litre Ariel and 5L comfort.i don’t store huge amounts
Bulk buying it relies on having the disposable money to buy upfront to make saving
If cash is tight you don’t have the spare to buy bulk

Quidco is always good,and it’s effortless

For cleaning, if it can’t be done with washing up liquid and/or flash (one bottle Lara forever, gets diluted into a spray bottle for work surfaces and used in a bucket for mopping) it’s a really unusual stain or job.

I’m off to Aldi next week as I need toilet paper and wash tablets. I used to buy powder, but the children never adhere to dosage advice, whereas they understand the tablets theory.

I try and make my own packed lunches most days to avoid the likes of Pret etc. Also meal plan and write a shopping list.

There's a huge difference between business and economy flights IMO - better food, customer service, a reclining bed, breeze through check in and security, freebies in the lounge beforehand... Though I don't see much of a difference between business and first. We use cash back credit cards and get thousands of airmiles each year towards flights.

I'm not convinced about driving a banger after a bad experience with a previous car. My 2-yo car is brilliant and so reliable. Having to take a car for repairs is incredibly costly both in time and money. People driving nice new cars are not all just trying to look flash.