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What have you never bought or no longer buy because you think it's a waste of money?

488 replies

Zipps · 31/07/2023 22:17

Dog accessories - they have a coat for the depths of winter but that's it.
Bath bombs - completely pointless.
Many kitchen gadgets.
Clothes/shoes that aren't a perfect fit.

OP posts:
NobodyWantsToHearThat · 01/08/2023 13:47

Fabric conditioner
fresh fruit juice
yogurts
magazines

OsirisservesAnubis · 01/08/2023 13:53

hoopyloopy2 · 01/08/2023 13:47

We use kitchen roll as napkins most mealtimes. I know I should probably use cloth ones & wash them but that feels like a lot of work. Do others go without altogether or use something else? Would mean sticky hands everywhere otherwise. Maybe we are just messy eaters 🤔

I use cloths. They just get thrown in the next wash, they don't need any special washing or anything and don't take up much space in the laundry.

Floatlikeafeather2 · 01/08/2023 14:27

OsirisservesAnubis · 01/08/2023 06:08

Do you think people who don't use kitchen roll put grease and oils down the drain?

No and that's not what I said, as you well know. It's what I buy kitchen roll for and the only use we have for it. I don't know how other people deal with their grease but I imagine a lot of people do the same as we do. How do you deal with them? I also imagine quite a lot of people (note, not all) think nothing of putting fat down the drain or fat bergs wouldn't be a problem.

Ladyoftheknight · 01/08/2023 14:29

Pancakebatter · 31/07/2023 22:31

pour it into a coconut shell and give it to the birds! Mix some seeds and nuts into it before it sets.

This is possibly the worst advice MN has ever seen. Please don't give fat or oil from cooking to birds. If in doubt, don't feed them anything.

SunRainStorm · 01/08/2023 14:37

hoopyloopy2 · 01/08/2023 13:47

We use kitchen roll as napkins most mealtimes. I know I should probably use cloth ones & wash them but that feels like a lot of work. Do others go without altogether or use something else? Would mean sticky hands everywhere otherwise. Maybe we are just messy eaters 🤔

It's no more work than any other piece of laundry. Just throw them in with your regular washing?

TightPants · 01/08/2023 15:20

Shower gel - we use bar soap now and as a pp said, feel much cleaner for it.

Fabric softener. After reading it contains animal fat, and the strong smells that I can’t stand, I use white vinegar in the softener drawer instead. It’s great for towels and no smell of vinegar at all.

Heinz products. M&S ketchup and mayo are great and a quarter of the price.

Rollawaythestone · 01/08/2023 15:25

OsirisservesAnubis · 01/08/2023 06:11

Silicone spatula! No residue. Scrape the spatula on the side of the bin, again no or virtually no residue - no more than on knives, forks and plates anyway!

Any very greasy plates get a wipe too, though we don't really eat much that's very greasy anyway. The very little residue is too much for me. Genuinely nearly traumatised by my first 30 years of married life battling a septic tank (it wasn't one of the naice plastic bottle type people have these days, but an ancient, concrete, three chambered one), followed by 10 years of mains drainage that frequently became blocked because of what other people flushed away - don't get me started on baby and other types of wipes that "no one" ever flushes. They do. Anyway my brand new drains will not knowingly be sullied by me and if a sheet of kitchen roll is necessary 3 times a week, for my peace of mind, I will live with the guilt and frivolity of that.

VinEtFromage · 01/08/2023 17:20

Secondwindplease · 31/07/2023 23:23

Messes I use a dish cloth or microfibre and pop in the wash.

Grubby stuff just stays grubby or gets a proper wash.

Draining/straining I use an old linen napkin and wash.

Leaves I have a salad spinner.

I’m not being sanctimonious about it, just never used kitcheb roll and wouldn’t think to even if it was sat out on my kitchen counter. Don’t remember it as a child either but we were pretty broke.

@Secondwindplease

well, they're all good options.

Do you wash all your cloths/old linen napkins etc with your clothes?

I don't & by the time I have enough to do a load the oil/stains would be 'set in'.

we used to have a 'floor cloth' when I was a child, I don't know which wash it used to go in, but it was never smelly or horrible, even so, my mum wouldn't have washed it with our clothes. i must ask her.

( she lives overseas, or I do depending how you look at it!,) we do have some odd phone calls!)

Willmafrockfit · 01/08/2023 17:39

we didnt have kitchen roll until i left home, i dont spose it was of common usage. we did have napkins.
dm used to boil all sorts in a saucepan, hankies, mainly

VinEtFromage · 01/08/2023 17:46

StrawberriesSW1 · 31/07/2023 23:27

How do you use dish soap for other areas including bath? How do you use the acidic toilet cleaner elsewhere?

@StrawberriesSW1

i have a bottle of dishwashing liquid in the bathroom, for the bath/shower I just squirt it onto a cleaning cloth. Hose down the bath/shower then clean with the sponge/cloth & rinse it all down with the shower head.

sink/sides, much the same except squirt a small amount into the sink, wipe everything then rinse.

I just use dishwash in the kitchen & hot clean cloth to wipe off. Very occasionally a stainless steel cleaner on the sink, taps, drainer, but when I've run out it's highly unlikely I'll replace it. Now I have a water Softner, fairy liquid does the job just fine.

i use a little bit of bleach/miltons in mugs with tea marks, but that's all really.

Zipps · 01/08/2023 17:57

Do people use cloths for toilets though? I use disposable still. I chuck my kitchen cloths in the dishwasher don't want bits of food in my washing or to put on a separate wash.

OP posts:
heartofglass23 · 01/08/2023 18:04

A new car /pcp
A new kitchen or bathroom
A dog
£100+ trainers
Most beauty treatments
Coffee
Fancy shoes
Bags
Weight watchers etc

DancingFerret · 01/08/2023 18:09

taxguru · 01/08/2023 11:11

Car leasing. Never done it, never will. A very expensive way of having a car.

We've always bought new, nearly new or ex-demo, either by low interest dealership finance or outright from savings. Then keep the cars until they literally fall apart or something huge happens, like an engine blow. Currently we have one that's 15 years old and another that's 8 years old, both cost us nothing other than yearly service/MOT and the occasional new tyre, new brake pads, spark plugs, battery, etc - basically just service schedule items and wear & tear. We got a previous one up to 195,000 miles before the engine blew and that was my stupid fault in that I knew it was leaking water, but I forget to fill the radiator before a long motorway run and inevitably the engine blew - if I'd filled it up, like I knew I had to, it'd have gone on for a lot longer! We've never had any of the major repairs/replacements that you so often hear trotted out as reasons for never having old cars, such as replacement engines, gearboxes, clutches, etc - I'm sure most of it is down to bad driving! The biggest expense we ever have is replacement timing belts but again, that's a service schedule thing, so you know it's coming and it's cheaper to have it done at the same time as a service!

Getting a new car and keeping it for only 3 years is a mugs game and a complete waste of money. It's just vanity wanting a car that's never more than 3 years old, and you pay through the nose for that.

Modern cars last an average of 13 years, and that's taking in to account the ones that have premature ends due to accidents or ultra high mileage, so a pretty average car, doing average mileage, careful driving etc., can easily be expected to last 20 years.

We keep records of our expenses and total costs (exc fuel) of our 2 current cars are less than £100 per month, over the life of the car, including the purchase price less current part exchange value, servicing/repairs, MOT, insurance, etc. If people want to pay £200/£300/£400 per month to lease a car, that's up to them, but they need to be honest and accept it's for vanity of having a new car, rather than because it's cheaper!

Amen to that; my 20-yr-old BMW has saved me thousands over the years...and it won't be changed until it's obvious it's going to cost hundreds in repairs. (MOT next week; fingers crossed.)

New cars are very seductive, but unless you have money to burn they're a mug's game - especially when it comes to leasing. Friends of ours are fretting about taking their leased Kuga to Scotland this year because they're close to their annual mileage limit and apparently going over that limit will incur extra charges. Madness...

VinEtFromage · 01/08/2023 18:12

Zipps · 01/08/2023 17:57

Do people use cloths for toilets though? I use disposable still. I chuck my kitchen cloths in the dishwasher don't want bits of food in my washing or to put on a separate wash.

@Zipps

I use disposable cloths on the toilet rim, which then go in the rubbish, not the toilet! I have a stash, when I've run out I'll need to find an older bloke who still wears y fronts. They're the official toilet cloth I believe.

I'm not sure what I'll actually do, because they're not welcome in any of my established washes, and I'm not keeping enough of them
'hanging around' to make up a wash.

what do others do? I suspect things I'm not comfortable with.

VinEtFromage · 01/08/2023 18:22

Ameanstreakamilewide · 01/08/2023 09:46

@00100001 The trouble with that is that cloths covered in cat wee, etc, have to be washed pronto, and I might not be ready to put some washing on for one cloth.

Kitchen roll for the win.🥇

@@Ameanstreakamilewide

what wash would you put a cat pee cloth in with?

id only put it in with other cat pee cloths & thus it would have to wait around ages for there to be enough to put a wash in (and that's not happening) then I'd want to clean the machine...

paper towel for the win!!

Ameanstreakamilewide · 01/08/2023 18:23

Exactly, Vin.

You know the score, my friend!

VinEtFromage · 01/08/2023 18:24

Zipps · 01/08/2023 09:50

Ooh these are good apart from the house insurance one!
I'm using up paper napkins left over from a party three years ago instead of kitchen roll at the moment. So that's another thing - party napkins.
Also stopped Christmas and birthday cards except for elderly relatives.

Just be careful what you use them for, they're not all dye safe!!

OsirisservesAnubis · 01/08/2023 18:28

VinEtFromage · 01/08/2023 18:22

@@Ameanstreakamilewide

what wash would you put a cat pee cloth in with?

id only put it in with other cat pee cloths & thus it would have to wait around ages for there to be enough to put a wash in (and that's not happening) then I'd want to clean the machine...

paper towel for the win!!

In our house it would just go in with whatever wash was going in next!

VinEtFromage · 01/08/2023 18:33

OsirisservesAnubis · 01/08/2023 11:07

  • Cat sick/ toilet stuff I use loo roll
  • small spills I use a cloth, usually a cut up muslin or cheeky wipe
  • drying off a cleaned surface I'll usually let air dry, if I absolutely can't, then I'll use a tea towel/ cloth which will then be used to wipe up a spill or wipe down a different surface in a bit, or clean up cat food. (I call these second use cloths)
  • don't tend to have an issue with greasy food so can't comment on that one. Pancakes don't need separating in this house!
  • a damp cloth works well for cut flowers
  • I have a specific lint free cloth for windows, was my grandma's
  • I sneeze in to the crook of my arm, then wash it.
  • nosebleeds/ cut fingers etc I use loo roll or a cloth

I don't really buy cloths for the purpose either, I reuse old t shirts, muslins and towels.

I didn't grow up with kitchen roll either so maybe that is why?

@OsirisservesAnubis

loo roll - you need more if it, it's not as robust - and why do you think using loo roll is any better than
using kitchen roll?

you clean up cat food with a tea towel??

OsirisservesAnubis · 01/08/2023 18:47

Zipps · 01/08/2023 17:57

Do people use cloths for toilets though? I use disposable still. I chuck my kitchen cloths in the dishwasher don't want bits of food in my washing or to put on a separate wash.

Yep, I use a cloth for around the loo (seat, cistern, outside of the loo) and a silicone loo brush for in the toilet.

I don't get bits of food in my washing machine, I shake the cloth out in the bin and rinse in the sink (which has a strainer in).

And it all goes in the same wash.

OsirisservesAnubis · 01/08/2023 18:50

VinEtFromage · 01/08/2023 18:33

@OsirisservesAnubis

loo roll - you need more if it, it's not as robust - and why do you think using loo roll is any better than
using kitchen roll?

you clean up cat food with a tea towel??

Yes, I clean cat pee up with a cloth!

Loo roll is better than kitchen roll because kitchen roll contains plastic, it's what makes it more robust. Loo roll also decomposes much much faster and is better for the environment.

I only use loo roll as a last resort. Cloth is number one in our house.

AsterixAndPersimmon · 01/08/2023 18:51

VinEtFromage · 01/08/2023 17:20

@Secondwindplease

well, they're all good options.

Do you wash all your cloths/old linen napkins etc with your clothes?

I don't & by the time I have enough to do a load the oil/stains would be 'set in'.

we used to have a 'floor cloth' when I was a child, I don't know which wash it used to go in, but it was never smelly or horrible, even so, my mum wouldn't have washed it with our clothes. i must ask her.

( she lives overseas, or I do depending how you look at it!,) we do have some odd phone calls!)

@VinEtFromage why wouldn’t you put the washing cloths you’ve used let’s say in the kitchen in the same wash than clothes?

I mean, we wash underwear with general clothes even though they are just as likely ‘contaminated’ with faeces as a cloth used to clean the outside of the loo (inside is cleaned with the toilet brush here Shock).
im not sure why you need to separate them?

RampantIvy · 01/08/2023 19:08

hoopyloopy2 · 01/08/2023 13:47

We use kitchen roll as napkins most mealtimes. I know I should probably use cloth ones & wash them but that feels like a lot of work. Do others go without altogether or use something else? Would mean sticky hands everywhere otherwise. Maybe we are just messy eaters 🤔

We don't use napkins as we don't get messy.

Chickdaft · 01/08/2023 19:36

Same re car leasing. Reminds me of the days in the late 70’s/80’s of when ppl used to rent a tv for a couple of pounds a week. Last car was still going at 17 years old (bought at 8 months old). Current car is 8 year old and I still think of it as new! I’d be petrified leasing a car that cost basically new what my entire house did in 1993 at a young age.
Febreeze….why? It’s just masking a smell very temp? Wash it!
Heinz anything as so many good alternatives (depending on your tastebuds),though I will concede to hellmans mayonnaise.
Expensive plants, when so many are cutting down big versions (and dumping) the same kind. Cuttings root easy and grow fast. Ask them for a wee cutting and root them in your windowsill.
3 weekly nails
Sauces for Thai, etc when you can get pastes in a tub that last yonks in your fridge and just need a little bit at a time and add your own twist to flavours.
white sauce for a lasagne when it’s so cheap to make (YouTube it if a novice cook)
Probably loads of others if I take time to think about it. Guess being over 45 and trying things out let’s you see where you wasted loads when younger and not so sure if what to do? 🙄😊

AGovernmentOfLawsAndNotMen · 01/08/2023 21:41

Time40 · 01/08/2023 10:44

@ConfusedByThisShit I mean that I don't have either type of insurance, structural or contents. If everything exploded/went up in smoke, it would be horrible, and a massive hit, but tbh it wouldn't wipe me out. I could start again.

@Plankingplanks Everyone who knows says it's mental. It would be if I could be left destitute, but that can't happen. I've done this for a very long time, and nothing that needs an insurance payout has ever happened to me. It's very unlikely that a wipe-out fire or something similar will ever happen. But I agree with you that it's a totally mental thing to do if you can't cover it if things go wrong.

We don’t insure either.
We had a £20,000 quote for house insurance and contents.
We dropped the contents and they dropped fire and flood bringing it down to £8000. But what the hell were they actually insuring.
So we don’t bother now.
If it all went up in smoke we’d start again.
As it is we ve taken a huge risk but now ,after 12 years, we ve saved £240,000