Frugal brainwaves that you're ridiculously proud of

[pineapplebryanbrown]

I'm stupidly happy with myself for thinking this one up. I have a fitted sheet that I hate because it's bobbled, the bobbles annoy me so much I was going to throw it away.

I turned it wrong way round, et voila! No bobbles! It's very addictive this penny pinching isn't it?

I got free magazines for a year by getting a subscription to a glossy worth £4 in the shops for £12/year (£1 a mag) with free gift. Sold the free gift on ebay to get my £12 back. Voila free magazines.

I take home any paper napkins I can get my hands on and top up the tissue box, which has no tissues in.

Buy cheap disinfectant, 90p alitre. Put a capful in a spray bottle, and dilute with water.
Spray bottle either an old multi surface spray bottle, or buy one for a few quid.

And you'll have disinfectant spray for about 4p :)

I use the Tesco value Dettol equivalent.

I use the cats(old) water to water the house plants.
I strung a washing line over the up-ended vent hose on the tumble dryer,(string up the hose and tie onto the washing line) and place the jeans over this.
Clip washed jeans to a hanger and hang on a nail in the wall behind the back of the fridge overnight to dry.(the motor is always on and is always a bit warm)
As soon as you have used the kettle, put the next 2 cups worth of cold water in. The still warm element takes the chill off.(saves electric)
Water in the kettle overnight comes up to room temperature.(saves electric)
Charity bags go inside out and house the recycling for kerb collection.
Baby bottle tablets soak in water to cover chopping boards overnight. A cheap box lasts for ages and even tomato stains come out.
A cheap plastic bin or two, by the bath collects used water to flush the loo.
In summer, feed your cat meat after the sun goes down, gets eaten promptly, less waste( and no damn flies too)
Keep an empty clean 4 pint milk container by the kitchen sink. Every time you run the hot water, the first few seconds of cold water goes into the container. Use this to rinse off your sudsy dishes/water herbs.
Use a slow cooker as much as you can. My electric bill was cut by £10 a month and my gas bill, £15. I wasn't using the oven/grill/george foreman/sandwich/electric gobbling, small appliances.
Buy 240 nice teabags when they are half price. I had 800 on a shelf at one point.
I thrill when each utility bill is less than the year before. Thrift and economy are admired in this house.
Watching the thread with interest.....

Ooh, some great tips here! I use the washing up water to water the garden (no room for a dishwasher ) and I am an avid purchaser of reduced yellow sticker meat and fish.

Guntree

Saved hundreds if not thousands. Picking up a bread maker for £10. this morning.

I use those bags as bin bags and don't care.
I do fill up and donate when I can but I probably get four or five a week through the door.

I don't buy dishwasher tablets anymore.Use powder because it comes in a box and trying to cut back on plastic as well as save money.I put it into a reusable storage container with an old spoon and put a small amount in each wash.Everything still sparkling.
Also haven't bought bin bags in months.All our bins have a plastic inner.Just chuck straight in wheelie bin and wash out with hot water and a bit of disinfectant.Again saves money and cuts down plastic waste.I have charity bags saved if I do need a bag.
But reduced peppers,chilli etc and chop and freeze.Saves time and money.

Batch cooking has saved me a fortune this year.
Cooking whole chickens rather than buying breast or legs (I KNOW it's the mythical MN chicken)- but with only two of us at home I really can get several meals out of a chicken!
Better use of the freezer for bread and crumpets.
Switching from Tesco to Lidl.
Using bars of soap rather than shower gel - better for the environment too with less plastic waste.

Do the bin men not mind you using charity bags for the rubbish?

I'm going to try dishwasher powder, have never used it. How much can I use?

If you shop online, take heed of the guaranteed dates on food. If the website says 5+ days and the item only has 4 days date (for example), whinge about it with a photo and they usually refund you for the item and let you keep it.

In fact, always whinge about everything. I got a £25 supermarket voucher today for whinging about a packet of crisps.

Always tick allow substitutions too. If they substitute something they usually give you more/better for the same price.

Not a massive saving, but a filter coffee with milk is only 49p at Pret a Manger if you bring your own cup. Felt like a nice treat stopping for a coffee while I was in town today..

I had an old laundry hamper in the boot of the car for weeks awaiting a trip to the skip. I also had a need for a hanging rail for the kids clothes when I'm sorting laundry, and I'd decided to take up embroidery. In a weirdly symbiotic moment of genius, I retrieved said hamper from the boot, salvaged the heavy linen for embroidery practice, and now use the collapsible frame to hang my kids clothes! I feel all smug every time I use it now! 😁

I keep a freezer bag for tomatoes. If I have half in a sandwich, the other half goes in the bag, likewise any that are a bit wrinkly. They are roughly chopped and frozen and go into the next pasta sauce I make.
Old bananas likewise for banana cake. Strawberries slightly past their best made into compote, portioned and frozen. Carrots peeled, sliced and frozen. Feed the freezer, not the bin.
Recently I have not purchased bread or meat at full price, but yellow stickered from the supermarket near closing time and frozen.

Re dishwash powder I use an old dessert spoon and almost fill it level.Seems enough to get things as clean as a tablet.
I will also use similar amount in a sink full of hot water and leave for a while tovet the stains out of my composite sink.Tip from the kitchen installer but I'd check depending on the make.Comes up like new.

Also no more cleaning spraysfor this and that.Use lemon,soda bicarb or vinegar for various things.Soda crystals clean sinks and drains for a fraction of those drain unbungers.Hot water and a bit of Ecover fluid which I can make last for ages.Ive never believed all the products marketed are necessary anyway.

I do the freezing tomato things too! You can make marinara sauce in a sc so I’m going to try it because you can make it into pizza sauce or pasta sauce.

Freeze celery in tubs, it’s the missing taste ingredient in soups and sauces. In my case along with talent and interest.

fluffy good to see you!
By default, when we came back from holiday last year, we had to buy washing powder rather than tablets & we've never looked back. It goes so much further and costs less than tablets. Need to do the same with the dishwasher now.

Hi North!

When I have opened a jar of pesto I put the rest in an ice cube tray and freeze and take out cubes as required.

That's a good idea re the pesto. Just had to chuck half a jar which pained me.

I waver between dw tablets and powder. I find the powder not as good. I've also gone back to fabric conditioner as vinegar was leaving the clothes really hard (line drying).

Dryer balls instead of fabric conditioner. You can also use them to make washing liquid/powder go further as the fabric gets more agitated and so gets clean better. Or so I've read. Sorry, not a very scientific explanation. It seems to work though.
I very rarely use the dryer, i can almost hear it it using up my precious electricity. I use the line outside, or hang clothes from the Kitchen Maid which I have put up in the upstairs hall, on the basis that heat rises.
I love Yorkshire tea, and you can actually get 2 decent cups out of 1 bag. But if I'm making, the first cup with the fresh teabag is mine! Chef's privilege..