FOR FUN... what random things do you do in your home to save money/make things last longer?

[tiamariaxxx]

OK so at tea time my lovely husband has been teasing me because he thinks its strange i water down the washing up liquid once its near the bottom i fill it half way so that its not very runny, nd then he thought it was even stranger that weve got 2 full bottles in the cupboard... Even if i only get 2 more usage out of it its still saving isnt it?

I also water down the fabric conditioner and some other cleaning products.

I also try to re-use towels wherever possible i know people think its minging but you can imagine how many towels a family of 6 go through it would be a wash a day just for them if i didnt

Probilly other stuff aswell i do but cant think atm

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Yes petal/fucking my mum always had loads but she never said that she thought towels were excessive- she used them the same way. I had honestly never realised until MN that people didnt use a fresh one each time.

[NearTheWindmill]

My lot have colour coded towels. Bath and hand towel each. They go in the wash weekly.

In the main loos though I have little piles of flannels which are enough to dry one pair of hands and they get washed straight away.

[FuckingWankwings]

Come to think of it, I remember the cupboard always being piled high with threadbare towels when I was a child. Maybe we changed towels after one use too?? I can't quite remember.

Anyway, it clearly didn't get 'handed down' as now I'm a grown-up I only have a few and use them basically until they find their own way to the washing machine

[youretoastmildred]

YoureBeingASillyBilly - was your mother a WOHP?

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Yes she still is- when we were small she left the house at 6am and had a washload hung out or in the drier before she left every morning.

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

I do beleive she has a red cape in her wardrobe.

[delilahlilah]

Yy, Altinkum, where on earth do you find a market with prices like that?? I thought I did well by shopping at closing time for reductions!!

[janmoomoo]

Maybe Altinkum is referring to a "normal" market rather than a posh farmers market? Lewisham high street market is excellent for really cheap fruit and veg, you can get a ton of stuff there for pence.

Can't believe that people would only use a towel once! Mine are washed once a week, and left to dry on the heated towel rail inbetween.

I do break dishwasher tablets in half if it is not a very dirty wash.

[youretoastmildred]

Gosh. (at ybasb's mum)

I was wondering why people water these liquids down, instead of just using tiny amounts, and then had a dawning realisation that this is how to deal with the problem of Other People. LIGHT BULB!

[SundaySimmons]

I ignore all use by dates on food and use my common sense to decide when food has gone off or about to turn.

I grate Lush bath Bombs into little containers and use a small amount per bath as you only need a small amount to make your bath highly scented.

[Elliptic5]

I always cut tops off of tubes, hand cream and foot cream can often last another week even with daily use.
I always use a steamer to cook veg as they can all be cooked at once.
I try and use the woodburner rather than oil central heating, especially as we have lots of our own wood from the number of trees that have come down here in the last couple of years.
I make my own bread and cakes etc but I'm not sure it's much cheaper as people seem to eat loads, I also grow virtually all my own veg, but again not sure how much cheaper it works out but it is healthier.

[fledtoscotland]

When washing liquid is running out I store it upside down for a day and shove the cap into the washing machine. Is usually enough for a whole load despite seeming empty. Usually store sauces (tomato/brown) upside down to get it all out.

[Passthecake30]

The kids share a bath, I top it up and jump in after, then
Dp tops up...wouldn't work another way as he is a grimy dirty builder.

Does eating the kids leftover count?

Also freeze scraps, cut tops off moisturiser and water down fairy. Plus am constantly turning down thermostat when I am not being watched!

[ParenthoodJourney]

I do the makeup foundation thing and scrape the edges till the bottle is clean!

Also last summer I cut up 3 old pairs of jeans and made them into shorts !

[morethanpotatoprints]

I rinse out jars of sauce, bit of water to get the last bit out.
cut open plastic tubes and bottles, you can get at least 2 servings extra from doing this.
I too add water at the end of washing up liquid and it has been known to last a week

[Back2Basics]

Oh parenthood we must be long lost sisters I do the old jeans into shorts to!

[PrimalLass]

I make 'mash' using baked potatoes then save the baked skins for another day. Pop them back in the oven and cover with cheese. Better than peeling the potatoes and throwing the skins out.

[PrimalLass]

Definitely Poundland/world. I bought
1kg bags of Tilda rice there - it is £4 in Tesco

[IDismyname]

I use my overlocker to re cycle old t shirts into dusters... In fact you can just use scissors...

My DH and DS are both very brand aware. I decanted cheapo chocolate spread into a Nutella jar for quite a while before I was outed. Ditto golden syrup into a Tate and Lyles tin!

[Ememem84]

I decant cheaper brands into brand jars. Have lovely bottles of Molton Brown handsoap in the kitchen and bathroom. Filled with carex.

we only shop for food when we have nothing left. This has meant that we have had to get really creative with dinners.

I swore that I'd not buy new beauty products until I'd used up everything I have. Hence why I'm currently rocking turquiose liquid eyeliner instead of my usual black.

[thankfeckthereischocolate]

Not only do i do the shorts thing for me, i turn winter schooltrousers into summer shorts for dd.

She has a pair of leggings that she first wore as long leggins, then clamdigger, then cycle shorts and finallyas pj bottoms.

It helps that she is skinny as a rake, only her legs seem to grow!

[NaturalBaby]

1 tea bag for me and DH.
Use less detergent & softner than recommended.
Use the dc's muslins and burp clothes instead of hankies and tissues. I even have one in my bag even though my 'baby' is 3.
Use the dc's bathwater (when they've all finished and got out) to shave my legs.
Empty kettle into a thermos after filling my mug so there's a mugful for my last cup of caffeine at the end of the day.

[DuckSongRocks]

altinkum I don't know which farmers markets you go to and get all that meat for £15 - seriously???!! Good on you if you can, that would be at LEAST double at my local market. Quadruple that at the posher butchers and perhaps just double if buying cheapy meat at the supermarket.

Amazed.