Living the Frugal Life (Semi-lighthearted) ?

LaGoulue

Absolutely correct, my husband was a chef and always said rice should be cooled down quickly if not used right away, and put in the fridge. He said if you looked under a microscope a grain of rice is “crawling” in bacteria….

My husband says the same thing LaGoulue he was a chef too. Any left over rice here gets fed to the animals.

Don’t run tap when brushing teeth, no baths, only showers over last 25 years. Laundry on 15 minute cycle and extra 10 minutes for spin, no tumble dryer.

I don't turn the bathroom lights/fan on at night. There is enough light from my bedside lamp to see to do night-time ablutions - cleansing/moisturising face, brushing teeth, using loo.

Loving this thread. I know and use most of these tips as my mum did most of these things. I’d like to recommend using white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner. Keeps your machine clean and clothes retain the smell of the soap powder so smell lovely and fresh.
Also, Aldi and Lidl skincare and hair products are great. So cheap and just as effective as much more expensive brands.

Reader's Digest 'Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things' will keep you entertained for hours and save money. £5.99 at World of Books. I like to avoid Amazon.

I put rice in a saucepan, cover with cold water to one inch above rice. Bring to boil, simmer for approx 5 minutes until water level same as rice. Stir. Switch off and cover with a clean tea towel. This keeps the rice warm whilst allowing steam to escape. Works for me.

I stir fry food in a cast iron wok with just a little oil and add sauce. Gas cooker . Rarely use the electric oven.

I do have a bath as helps my joints but fill a large yoghurt pot to shampoo and hair and then tip water back into bath. Rarely fill bath beyond a third full but it does help my muscles in a way showers do not!

I have to use the thick Aveeno moisturiser on my arms and legs. It comes in a pump bottle and stops pumping long before the bottle is actually empty. I just take the pump out tip it upside down and give it a forceful shake to dispense some of that still left. It reminds me of when I was a kid, shaking the HP sauce bottle to try and get some out.

I have also stopped going shopping on a empty stomach, that coupled with making a meal plan and taking a list has saved me as much as £20 from my weekly shopping budget. The change goes in to the savings book. Every little helps

Oh yes, we remember IZAL. It was a feature of Scottish council schools and public toilets in my childhood in the 1950s and 60s.

We tooks sheets of our own paper with us to school, carefully wrapped in a hankie case so the other girls didn't see what it was in case we had to "do a job". As small girls we didn't wipe efter weeing.

A toilet roll in a small bag was a feature of summer outings too.

NotSpaghetti

Thanks AussieGran59.
The thing about online is that like text messages, no one can quite "hear" the intended tone!

Perhaps not, but we managed it in the days when we wrote letters.

Perhaps we should re-instate the use of underlining words, using quotation marks to denote sarcasm etc. that we used as schoolgirls until taught it was incorrect usage by strict English mistresses.

People you know well and who know you well are unlikely to misunderstand your particular form of humour.

grandtanteJE65

Oh yes, we remember IZAL. It was a feature of Scottish council schools and public toilets in my childhood in the 1950s and 60s.

We tooks sheets of our own paper with us to school, carefully wrapped in a hankie case so the other girls didn't see what it was in case we had to "do a job". As small girls we didn't wipe efter weeing.

A toilet roll in a small bag was a feature of summer outings too.

It would have been no good me taking sheets of loo paper from home to school because my DM bought Izal and Bronco!

It was mildly medicated, I think.

As I live on my own, I use a small travel kettle instead of a normal size one. I found that even just filling to the minimun mark on the normal kettle used more water than I need for a cup of tea. The travel kettle is better and I've drawn a line on the outside to show the exact amount of water I need.

minimum

I save by working from home on : footwear, clothes, petrol to hairdressers and blow drys, clothes, washing and drying clothes, make up, perfume, wear and tear on my car, lunches, coffees .....and only use computer at home ..no extra light, no printing etc. Most of all I save 2 hours a day travelling ....

You know those bits of stick antiperspirant that get left in the push up bit.... I dig them out and press onto to new one. Is quite a lot...easily enough for a week or two.

We’re self-sufficient in - lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, (small ones) ?

BABs758 I was told that method by a Chinaman years ago.

I use soda crystals and only small amount of detergent in washing machine drawer and most of the time a 20 degree programme.

I use press reader through libby, the library app. To read for free!

I use the Libby app to read books and just about any magazine you can think of on my phone and listen to audiobooks - all for free. You just need your local library card number and a PIN number that you can get from your library (I just phoned them up and they gave me one over the phone). It has saved me loads of money. Also my daughter pays for an online newspaper subscription and they let her name another person to get it, so I get it too. Another daughter pays for Amazon Prime but it can be shared by up to 4 people so other daughter and I share the cost so get free Amazon deliveries and also Prime Video on TV. I also make my own deodorant with coconut oil, arrrowroot and bicarb. Lots of YouTube videos on how to do it. Not sure if its actually money saving but I do it to avoid putting toxic chemicals on my skin. And yes, it really does work.

I slightly compensate for my book buying habit by reselling them on Ziffit. It’s an app on my phone which scans the barcode and gives a price. I put them in a box or boxes and book a slot for someone to come and collect them. The money appears in my account a few days later. It is also a good decluttering tip as there’s no carting heavy boxes about to the charity shop or book recycling bin.

Our electric car is now only charged at free chargers so the last 4000 miles have been completely free saving us £100’s.

That won't go on for much longer. They will have to start charging very soon. Especially the Council and Supermarkets.

MawtheMerrier

To save water I have compiled a list of “nice young men”,” with whom to share bathing.

And also to save water, brushing my teeth with chilled white wine.

Best tips yet!

Maw glad to see you are on top form . One look at my wrinkly saggy body they would run a mile ☹️?.

I put my soap in a sisal bag. Soap lasts longer and once it's got still enough trapped in the fibres for a few more washes.

I swill out bottles so you always get another lot of washing up liquid ,laundry liquid and hand wash.

Grow as much of my own as I can but still very new at it. Buy wonky veg from Oddbox. Use dried pulses cheap and filling and that way you can cut down on amount of meat and chicken you use. Good source of protein also classed as a veg. Always use bendy carrots and other veg if there is any mould just cut it off same with cheese.

Buying things when on offer . Making sure your freezer is full and good stock cupboard. Cooking from scratch.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

When I get to the end of the lipstick I can't get the rest out of the tube, so I get a thin narrow blade and scrape out the rest and put it in a small pot. There is quite a bit in there.

Sometimes I might have 2 lipsticks on the go and when they come to the end - I scrape out the barrel and put them in the small pot. It doesn't matter about mixing the colours - the end result is usually quite pretty on the lips!