Friday, January 18, 2013

Some Of My Thrifty Hacks


We’ve all watched, or at least heard of, Extreme Cheapskates.  I am happy to say I am not a part of that club.  I know that the show sensationalizes things a bit and therefore, it is not a good representation of the majority of us penny pinchers. 

I strongly feel that any money saving measure that makes those around you profoundly uncomfortable, puts you or others at risk, is illegal, immoral or unethical, and requires lying or deception should not be practiced.  Wouldn’t you agree? 


That being said I thought I would share some of my “extreme” thrifty ways: 

·         I tip bottles upside down to get out every last drop.  I will even use my finger or a rubber spatula, depending on what it is, to scrape out every last bit. 

·         I flatten my toothpaste tube to squeeze it all out. 

·         I laminate my thin soap sliver to the new bar so I can still use it up. 

·         I patch shoes together with Shoe Goo to get a little more mileage out of them. 

·         I refill my hand soap dispensers with cheap dish soap from the dollar stores. 

·         I re-use my coffee grounds before I put them to the compost bin.  Then I use them again by adding the compost to my garden.  I described this in my Thrifty Coffee Habit post. 

·         I re-use my tea bags by adding more hot water to my cup and steeping.  I usually get three cups of tea from one bag.  Then I put my bags in the compost bin. 

·         I wash and reuse quart, gallon and two gallon size Ziploc bags. 

·         I dye my leather coat when it starts to show signs of distress. 

·         I add water to shampoo and soaps to get more mileage out of them.  I actually think the shampoo works better thinned down a bit.  It definitely seems to lather nicer. 

·         I use rags instead of paper towels and I now use cloth napkins instead of paper ones. 

This is a sample of what I do to save on expenses for my family.  What kinds of things to you do?

You may also enjoy revisiting this post.

 

5 comments:

  1. Here I thought I was the only person who turns bottles upside down to save every last drop. I also keep empty plastic containers and use them to share food with friends and for art projects. Toilet paper roles are great for wrapping gifts and, again, art projects. --S--

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    1. Good to hear I have a fellow tipper. I save my Cool Whip and sour cream containers to send home leftovers with friends.

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  2. A sampling of my extreme thrifty acts:

    Paper towels are rarely used any more. Getting my husband to use small absorbant pieces of fabric was the final step. Now I keep a basket of these scraps right at hand.

    Clothing items due for the trash are cut into small pieces for one-time use cloths.

    I save buttons from all clothing items before discarding them. Any usable parts of worn out purses like clasps from the straps are saved before the purses are discarded.

    When I buy fabric the price tag is pinned to the cut for the cashier. I keep the pins for sewing when a shorter than normal one works best.

    After draining out the bottles of shampoo, dish detergent, soft soap or lotion I set them upright for a few hours then carefully cut the bottle near the bottom to wipe out the last bits. If it is dish detergent I next drop the bottle bottom into my dishpan and run water directly into it for a wealth of suds. Likewise I wipe the cut off bottom of the shampoo bottle with my wet hair to secure the very last of the shampoo. There is a surprising amount left in those.

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    Replies
    1. These are great ways to save $$. I love that you reuse buttons and save the pins. I like to do that too. An old shirt makes a great grease rag in the garage.

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  3. From FriedasFarmhouse:

    Great tips! I also like to re-use tea bags & coffee. I like to put the coffee grounds in my compost or directly in my garden (in the areas I am letting rest for a season). I like to use aloe vera from my plants for a facial & even eat wild dandelion greens in my yard to boost my liver. Those probably sound strange, but they work for me! I also buy almost all of our clothing, shoes, decor, houseware, etc used & rarely buy any of that new. Well gotta run gal! Hope you are warm & well~

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