Hard Times

I'm pretty sure we've covered this somewhere but if this thread works i'll make it a sticky to see us all through.

What frugal devices are we using to get ourselves through these hard times?

 

what do you mean by device ? :o

see now i can ask silly questions

 

Making my own baked beans and bottling them. Actually it costs far more than a nice sensible can from Aldi but it's part of my Polish Grandma C1935 theme.

 

I had to make a choice recently on a new winter coat or my seeds for this years planting, I could have had both but with cash flow tight at the moment, I thought it better to hold back and go with one or the other.

The seeds won of course! My logic was, we're heading towards spring now, the coat can wait until next autumn. Got to get my priorities right.

 

Any recipes for toilet cleaner when you cant afford the real stuff?

 

vinegar and bicarb mixed in empty loo leave over night then give a good rub with brush

vinegar will work on its own but works better with both

Grannie swore by it she grew up in service !

 

vinegar costs more than toilet cleaner .... a bottle of thick bleach only costs 55 pence

I run a cleaning company as well as a gardening company .... for toilets, the cleaners prefer thick bleach to all the other fancy stuff such as toilet duck etc ...

the only other good one is the domestos or harpic that guarantees to remove 100% limescale (tesco has it's own cheaper no-name brand) .... but you only need that when there are brown limescale marks .... once those are removed, use cheap thick bleach

the cleaners also prefer using flash (the one with bleach) to clean the kitchens and bathrooms

as for window cleaner, mr muscle (the green stuff) is better than windowlene and the others

the only stuff that removes limescale from shower doors is limelite (the liquid one, and not the spray) ... they also use that to clean stainless steel kitchen sinks and taps

as for tilled floors, they prefer using cheap tesco disinfectant (the green liquid stuff that you mix with water and that smells like dettol) ... they also spray flash (the one with bleach) on the tiles before mopping

they also say that the eco friendly cleaning chemicals such as ecover are a waste of money, as they are not effective ... and they say cillit bang is a rip off

 

One tip I can definitely give is sign up to your local Freecycle/Freegle group, you'd be amazed what you can get for nothing, stuff for the garden, household items, you name it, you can get it :thumb:

Also if you're having a clear out of items that you don't want but are still in reasonable condition don't just chuck them, bundle them together and sell them on Ebay as a 'Mixed Item lot ideal for Carboot Sales', you don't make a fortune but in this day every little helps.

Don't be afraid to try some of the 'cheap' self branded foods from supermarkets, if you read the labels, sometimes the small print will say for example "made for Tesco by Heinz" so they can't be that bad :D

 

I use a cleaning spray made from white vinegar, dish soap, water, and zoflora. Love it!! Cuts grease, cleans, helps keep limestone down, and smells nice!

 

Use the super cheap denture tablets in your toilet! Plop 2 in overnight then give a swish in the am.

 

Household Uses for Borax

Found some borax under the sink, will try the cleaner when it stops bubbling.

 

hmmmmm, cillit bang


Cillit Bang - JAKAZiD ft Barry Scott [Nukleuz] - YouTube

 

Getting my hair cut on the cheap. Lots of salons are offering introductory rates with new stylists - usually a spotty youth fresh out of college. Good value if your nerves can stand it.

It means £15 a throw instead of £25+. Seeing as my hair wants cutting about 5-6 times a year it's a definite saving.

 

Sheal, get on Ebay and you can have 3 new coats for the half the price of one shop-bought one. I know, I've just done it, and two of them were brand new as well. I'm planning to get most of my seeds on Ebay as well.