General Chat

We all know times are hard for most people now thanks to the Goverment. lol So i thought why not have a Hints & Tips thread, Where we can all share cost effective ways of cutting cost's on things.

If you know a good hint or tip others might be able to use or do, Share it with others on here. It matters not a jot how silly it sounds if it works. Just add them so others can have a go.

Exsample
You don't need to go and buy high cost weed killers to rid the weeds in your garden
All you need is some Salt & Vinager, Mix it together and pour over the weeds. You should be able to see them die with in a few days.

Don't buy expensive cleaning products full of chemicals, use 2 tablespoons of borax and 4 tablespoons of white vinegar mixed with some hot water. I put it in a spray bottle, spray it on and wipe off the dirt and grease with a damp cloth.

Dee x

Why buy costly French Polish for your wooden table?

This sounds crazy but it works...

Wipe a Banana all over the table, Get a damp duster/rag and in a circuler motion wipe the banana off the table. It will remove all dirt and grime while leaving your table looking nice and polished. It's that simple.

Sorry Ron...but I would rather eat the banana if I could afford one lol


Vinegar is good for making hair shiny ( rinse well )

also cleaning windows and has many other uses.

Do you have Ant's in your house? If so find where they are entering from, Cut one lemon into 4 bits and leave them near where the ants are entering from for a few days. The ant problem should stop.

The really big one - and I think most people here do it - cook your own food. Plan meals around sales and bargains, with a list.

There are things that can be done to cut the cost of the energy used to do that, too.

Cook in batches in the oven - a big batch of chili and a batch batch of spaghetti sauce or stew at the same time, say, to freeze in meal portions.

For making hard-boiled eggs, put the eggs in the water, cover the pot, bring to a boil, turn it off immediately, leave to stand about 15 minutes (trial and error) and the eggs will be perfectly cooked, without paying for another 10 miniutes of energy. Ditto for boiled potatoes or other hard veg (always cut them up first, silly to boil whole potatoes for as long as that takes).

It works for things in the oven too -- for the batches, once they're on their way to being done, just turn it off and leave them another couple of hours.

I cook my batches on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Time-of-day billing means saving by not cooking at peak hours, as well as reducing electricity demand when it matters, during those peak hours.

By the way, I'm guessing I can still post here even if I don't lay the blame for current problems at the feet of "the government", other than for its failure to regulate the greedy dishonest business leaders actually responsible for the situation.

Well we have some good ones comeing out on here.

Share your's with us. Add your Hint's and tip's in here to help others.

The inside of a banana skin will polish your leather shoes for you, just rub them over afterwards with an old cloth or soft paper towel, kitchen roll type. Then put banana skin under your roses to rot down as the potassium is good for the roses. Susan, I think that's what Ron meant when he said polish the table, eat the banana and use the skin.
Patent bags and shoes can be cleaned with a little milk on a cloth, buff up with paper towel or cloth as before.
Shoes will last longer if you get them repaired before the heels are too worn down and shabby and soles done before they wear through. Find and get to know a good shoe repair shop/cobbler and he will probably do small jobs free, like stitch a handle back on a bag or something. Mine does. I just pop some change into the charity box on the counter.

Keep some porridge oats ( around 50p a bag from Tesco or similar) in an airtight jar and add a spoonful to shop bought muesli to make it go further, you can also add some to minced beef mixes like bolognaise or savoury mince. I did it the other day and no one noticed it to be any different to my usual savoury mince.

Cut open toothpaste tubes to get the last few squeezes out - this also applies to creams like hand/face cream and shampoo etc

Lizx

Dont waste those dead animals you see on the roadside!

Roadkill is an excellent source of free meat.
(as long as it is reasonably fresh!)

Roast haunch of venison, , wombat stew, possum pie, kangaroo burgers!

All delicious!

xxxxxx mick

mick
we ain't got all them round here mate.all we get is flat rabbits and hedgehogs and the occasional cat

Nothing wrong with roast rabbit mate!

And I have been told feral cat aint bad either!


xxx mick

You may want to look at the MSE website - Mart Lewis' moneysaving website where there are boards for saving money and old fashioned thift

Got an old duvet that you are about to throw out?...Use it to line the inside of the loft opening/door to keep the heat in.

if you have a CD that is skipping or sticking wipe it ith some silver polish then rub with a lint free cloth until all the polish has gone - your disc will then play without skipping

Cats tearing at your black rubbish sacks when left out for collection? Sprinkle the sacks with vinegar, the smell will repel them.

If the bottom of your iron is covered in brown stains, cut a lemon in half and rub the juice over the marks, then wipe off with a cloth to remove.

If you've finished a box of wine, blow some air into the tap to inflate the bag, you can then get another half glass of wine from it.

Rabbit Stew yum yum lol

I make soup out of the stalks of broccoli and cauliflower rather than throw them away, once they have been wized up you don't know they are stalks.
I bought a micro cloth from a pound store for cleaning windows and it is great, I don't need to use any window cleaning products now.
I use white vinegar and bicarb for loads of cleaning jobs.
Angela

Get an internet price for all insurance renewals then ask your current provider to price match; just saved myself £68