Little things you do because actually you're a bit tight...

[theevildead2]

I put a bit of milk in creamy dressings to get the last bit out.

I will cut toothpaste tubes to squeese last bit out.

By bannana that are on death's door for 50p to chop and freeze for smoothies and make in to loads of bananna bread to freeze for snacks.

I try all these things, well most of them.. but my DH always catches me and complains! i've tried cheaper buscuits, ketchup, beans, bread, cereal etc and swapping to branded packets but DH can genuinly tell when i've done this!

if he see's a new pkt in the fridge, ie carton of milk, he CANNOT use the opended one, same with butter, bread etc. and there is absolutly NO give on bbdates or useby dates in this house.. he binns the lot! (yesterday he binned a whole pork joint as it was dated 15th, it was going to be yesterdays tea!!)

he spends hours sniffing his cothes if i dare to use anything less than fairy or such like on his clothes, it drives me mad so i have to relent..

we're not minted or anything,are ok financially but i just don't seem to be able to get my money saving ways across to him! he tells me to stop being cheap when we don't have to!

Thisisanicecage I agree with the idea of being green as a luxury, my extremely working class parents have been recycling etc for over 30 years, they had a composter (or upside down bin with a hole cut in it) before most people knew what they were. I must admit I was a bit embarrassed at school at being a bit different though and I rebelled when I first left home by throwing a tin away in the 'normal' bin, I felt so bad

What a waste celebmum - as long as you cooked the pork through and it had been stored Ok then it would be fine - even today would be OK. Why do people se the bb dates as so black and white - leads to massive waste.

If the cheaper stuff is not good then we don't bother - often the cheaper stuff is the same as the more expensive but packaged better etc (draw line at cheap processed meat stuff).

You all scare me! I want to roll on the floor and cover myself in Waitrose organic products, Godiva chocolats and fluffy clothes from Antropologie.

Only thing is I can't afford it. Grrr

Seriously celebmum he throws out food that isn't past its sell by date. DH is the complete opposite, I have to admit I'm not the best with meal pre planning so we are quite often left with out of date milk or black bananas. DH sulks if I dare to throw them out as he claims he is going to eat or drink them, but from experience I know that he won't and they will then decompose in the fridge or the fruit bowl.

I totally agree nigella.. its my pet hate about DH. his twin is exactly the same! i joke that its cos their mum gave them out of date/cheaper stuff when they were young so now they go OTT!!!

i once (8yrs ago) offered him and his bro a cornetto, they were actually morrisons own versions and they have never let me forget this either of em! its always brought up when i ofeer DH or BIL anything.. 'oh its not homebrand is it!?!?!' idiots..... i'm wound up now!

Think it was just past its sell by date...

I'd have killed him Celebmum. I am hyoer cautious about food safety but would always add a day to BBdates for meat.

It's not 'cheap' to not waste food. I would invest in a milk jug and a butter dish.

hyper

I refuse to buy sweaters every year because I reckon I could 'knit one cheaper'. I freeze, every year, never knit one, and it probably wouldn't be cheaper these days anyway :)

oh yes - my mum also runs the hot water tap and saves the water until it turns hot. only she keeps it in a bottle on the side. that bottle is used to fill the water filter, which in turn is used to fill another bottle which is kept in the fridge for cold drinking water. the number and configuration of bottles and water in their kitchen confuses me every time i visit!!

toilets only flushed after a poo, never just after a wee.

she gets in the shower and gets wet. switches the shower off and soaps herself and then switches it on again to rinse.

she won't make phone calls before 6pm unless it is an 0800 number.

she keeps her mobile phone switched off to save electricity.

she refuses to use a tumble drier ever - even though she owns one! she will run in and out, in and out all day long hanging clothes out and picking it in again!

and she sends everything second class. even when it is a large letter size and needs a large size stamp on it. so i have to go to the post office and pay £1.30 every time she sends a card to the DCs as she puts the wrong stamp on it.

oh and the cards - made herself. pictures cut out of the daily mail and stuck on pieces of paper. to be fair, the DCs love them but ... well, you know...

Buy reduced cakes at my local coop, got some for 10p a pack yesterday normally £2.

Cut all of our hair but that's a cheat seen as am trained. Although friends are amazed I can do my own

Decant cheaper handwash. Don't use cheap w'up liquid though as think it's false economy, tried it.

Did a painting for one of my friend's as a gift (she did love it though plus got her other stuff) Did one for another friend waiting for verdict, and oh she will say

lots of other stuff but ds1 wants poota so have to go.

PMSL at 'it's not homebrand is it?'
Do they seriously think that eg Bird's Eye is a higher quality than Sainsbury's?

If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down! Makes all the difference on a water meter.

I too re-use the fruit and veg bags as sandwich bags.

Best before dates don't mean it will kill you if you eat if later.

Having our own chickens and selling the eggs to friends and family.

Re-using wrapping paper and labels every Christmas.

Lots of great ideas on here - thanks ladies!

WishIWasRimaHorton I do that when I have a shower. Always have sice I was a teenager. I think it just seems really wasteful to me to have water running down the plughole whilst I'm lathering my hair. And I wouldn't want the water to wash away all my lovely shower cream whilst I'm washing.

girlynut - but when there are 3 adults and 2 kids in the house, when i take the DCs down to visit, that could be a LOT of wee and toilet paper before someone does a poo! plus DS won't wee on someone else's wee. don't ask me... he's 4!

narkypuffin - maybe it's me that's odd then. but don't you get cold?

No. I'm Northern

If you want to save water and still flush try a hippo- something that sits in the cistern and means less water is used for each flush. You can get them free form a lot of water companies here

Regarding best before dates- my XH always used to say:
"It says 'best before', not 'poisonous after'".
I still don't trust them though

YuleTideD0G DH and I say Shelf of Shame! It's a regular email from me: "nothing planned for tea - meet in Bo's at SoS?"

Agree about washing up liquid - anything but Fairy is a false economy. Which says so! Same with meat - use better but less.

Most of us are over-insured - check every policy, reduce duplication and make sure you comply to the letter with conditions. Boring but necessary.

Lots of the above. Freecycle, own brands etc.

at the people who get away with 16/18 degrees on the thermostat - DH was brought up in one of those houses where everyone walked around in t-shirts in the middle of winter and the heating was at balmy mediterranean level. I can just about get away with 20. We visited his mother last on a warm September day and she had just put the heating on to get rid of the chill.

Also blag blag blag - work the angles with your friends and what they can get for free through their work (legally natch). Pass it on.

Also I laugh in the face of Best Before dates. Is it mouldy? Does it smell off / of ammonia? Is it a funny colour?

If not, it'll be fine

I buy cheap own brand bubble bath and decant into hand wash bottles. 2 Lites bottle costs about 40p and it refills the hand wash several times over.

I use washing liquids rather than the powder and dilute the bottle. I bought a huge 84 wash Persil on special offer from Tesco ages ago and I'm still using it now. Must be well over 100 washes by now.

I buy all wrapping paper and Christmas cards in the Jan sale. I must have overdone it a few years back because I wrote some cards out last night. On the back it says 'These cards can be recycled in your Boots store until Feb 2005'....I'm hoping the neighbours don't notice!

My SIL used to have her thermostat at 22. Seriously. Then she had DN and got a temperature thing for the nursery and it's never been above 18 since.

Another thing which is very boring but supermarkets are bastards at getting us to spend money on things we don't need.

I have a list of basic products and what the cheapest price is per amount by supermarket so I don't get distracted by what looks like a special offer but is in fact not that value for money.

I also know exactly what everything should be. What with all the special offers / bogofs / promotions it can be difficult to keep track of what the base price of everything is. I told you I was boring.

The thing to watch is buying in bulk - supermarkets will call things value packs but in fact they are the same price or more expensive than the normal size. Iceland has a GREAT VALUE 4 pack of tuna for £3.00 - singles are 75p. My local Budgens sells 750g cheddar for £9 a kilo and 400g cheddar for £8. Go figure.