Avoiding False Economies.

[Willow]

I have another one - cheap flippin binliners. Have had to double bag everything and am stinky from them splitting all over me

Cant count how often thats happened to me!!

[kate egg]

And how about dustbin bags that are too small for the dustbin I bought a roll of 50 from 'marko' - studied them carefully and bought thickish ones that are biodegradable, came home put it in the dustbin and its too small and just drops down inside.

Now what is the point of that????? A dustbin bag that doesn't fit a dustbin

[bookbinder]

DON'T mention cheap bin liners!!!!!!!! yuk!!!!!!!!!

Will buy cutprice on most things, but bin liners....NO!

[misty]

I still get supermarket carriers and use as bin bags, it's only their packaging that goes in them, everything else is composed or recycled.

[kaz6862]

Got my work shoes (steel toe caps) from work £10 - worn then nearly every day for two yearsfor at least 8 hours still plenty of wear in them yet. Needs to give them a clean i think to feed the leather.

Never use bin liners - I use small bins with carrier bags for liners for the rubbish else i got a prep bucket from work for the compostables and a big old bin for the clean re-cycleable.

Waits for a stack of dishes and pack to the brim in diswasher. Have now retorted NOT to put on any GAS appliance untill enuf saved up to buy wood cooking/heating/water.

Uses tealeaves in a pot and adds a half spoon to pot every time new brew, likewise in coffee pot.

Just brought film for windows to keep heat in. Never unless its radically reduced at work buy processed food. Made my lounge/diner/kitchen and utilitie room less of an open plan room by using a quilt between the living/dining room and only heating living area with an electric oil fired heater and turning off an hour before leaving room. sits under throws to watch tv or puts on the leccie blanket and watches tv or reads in bed.

Wears clothes more than once if clean then washes on a cold wash. dries in doors on clothes horse. buys clothes at primark, charity shops or ebay and car boot sales

Bus xmas stuff ie paper and cards in january.

Walks whenever possible. Uses library to both keep warm and get books. - can use pcs for an hour at a time for free.

have just sent off to council for reduced rate compost bin and hopes to dig up lawn for veg next year.

makes own wine, bread etc. Makes two meals at once and reheats the other the next day.

is there any thing else i can do?

am greatful for all hints!!!!

[essentialequine]

the cheap bin liner normaly bursts when I have just empitied the cat litter tray into it and then spills all over the floor ahhhhh

[kate egg]

is there any thing else i can do?

am greatful for all hints!!!!

Goodness me - you make Illona (meanqueen) look extravagent

[Meanqueen]

Hang on a minute, don't want to get knocked off my perch, he he.

Got my steel toecap rigger boots from work (Rugby Cement), for £10,...15 years ago, still wear them in my garden, never cleaned them.

I have got 4 days of dishes stacked up awaiting washing, I will wash these when I have a few more, in one kettle of hot water in the sink. I don't drink tea.

If I am sitting down for half an hour or more, at the computer, reading a book, or making my greetings cards, I wrap a sleeping bag around me.

I try not to wash clothes very often because I have no central heating and it takes a week or more to dry them. The clothes I have on at the moment I have been wearing for 3 weeks, I have turned the top sweatshirt inside out because the other side is dirty. No one sees these clothes, and I don't care what I look like inside the house. I do not buy new clothes any more.

My compost is in a big heap behind the garage, I turn it over with a fork now and again, don't need a bin.

I have 2 sets of curtains hanging on some of my windows, helps keep the heat in. Library, good idea, I also spend time in there, don't need to use their computers, I have one here. £15 a month for my broadband is my little luxury.

Grow my own veg, don't do fancy cooking it make more dirty pots to wash, just do the basics. Use my steamer, grill stuff, or microwave. Try not to use the oven it uses too much gas.

Good time to go shopping is between 7pm and 7pm, prices of last date stuff is knocked right down to pence. Drive at 55mph on the motorway, get more miles for your litres. Never buy food out, never call in cafe's, fast food, takeaways, take a sandwich, or time your journeys so that you are at home for mealtimes.

Pull out all the plugs in the house from your electrical appliances, and get the wheel on the meter to stop. Then plug them back in one by one, starting with the appliance that you absolutely must have on, fridge. Only plug in what you need, and watch the wheel start spinning. You can get a gadget to check your consumption, I believe, but I don't need one.

Good idea to get your Christmas stuff in January, in fact you can usually get the leftovers even cheaper in March, better still, don't do Christmas.

Ilona. Queen of Mean

with kaz6862 a close runner up

[spudley]

well mean queen, not so mean some quite good ideas. Infact I shall be hanging an extra set of curtains in the bedroom and in the living room this evening, had never thought of that.

[kate egg]

Its all very frugal and I know that these days we all have to be, but I like a few creature comforts too and have had the central heating on for the last couple of evenings, today is a lot milder so the thermostat should stop that coming on.

And living with 4 other people it is quite necessary to wear clean tops at least each day (jeans last a lot longer though').

Have actually started closing the curtains as it gets dark (never used to bother but it does keep the heat in). Having said that we never close our bedroom curtains and always leave a window open so its healthy but can be a bit chilly in there, got a nice thick quilt though' and hubby acts a bit like a giant hotty bottle (have you noticed its always hotter when someone else is in bed?)

[lancashire lass]

I have a double (floor to ceiling) curtain over my front door (north facing), and a single one (south facing) over the back door. Also a draught excluder (one of those lightweight double ones that you slide under the door so it is always there) on the living room door as I always got a cold draught from the stairs even when the door is shut.

Have to say the central heating is still not on for 2 reasons - I've got too many boxes of veg stored in front of one of the radiators that has broken in the "on" position , but also finding I can manage without it for the moment. I have a fleece-lined sleeping bag that I always wrap round my legs when I'm sitting (lying) on the settee watching tv, and for extra comfort I also hug a hot water bottle.

While the heating is not on, the huge radiator in the living is so cold, so I have draped an old curtain over it, as well as stacked a few flat pack cardboard against the wall under the window (north facing wall - you cannot believe how cold the wall gets when the wind is from that direction) The double thick curtain hasn't been opened since the cold spell (it's a huge window with 5 widths - forms a semi-bay windiw) so I have also put big sheets of corrugated cardboard against 2 of the widths even though it is double glazed. The roof space above the bay window is packed with loft insulation too. Now & again I have put the oil radiator on, but generally it gets cosy & warm from the tv & light fittings alone (I don't have energy saving bulbs because the lights are on a dimmer switch so they don't work)

As it has been warmer in the living room, I have to confess that I have kipped on the settee (it really is comfortable) I also tend to do that in summer too because it is also the coolest room then, but then I usually leave the living room door open to let heat rise up the stairs LOL.

I also wear thick woolly socks to bed, but haven't quite got round to a woolly hat LOL. When I have to start wearing gloves to bed, I think it'll be time to put the central heating on for a bit.

[kate egg]

Think my lot lock me away of I did all that, I rarely feel cold but the rest of the family do. I am quite snug in my big dressing gown and slippers in the evening but David will come in from his shower and say 'can I put the fire on' (as if I would say no???) and then I have to swap for a lightweight summer dressing gown cos I am too hot.....

[essentialequine]

I have a double (floor to ceiling) curtain over my front door (north facing), and a single one (south facing) over the back door. Also a draught excluder (one of those lightweight double ones that you slide under the door so it is always there) on the living room door as I always got a cold draught from the stairs even when the door is shut.

Have to say the central heating is still not on for 2 reasons - I've got too many boxes of veg stored in front of one of the radiators that has broken in the "on" position , but also finding I can manage without it for the moment. I have a fleece-lined sleeping bag that I always wrap round my legs when I'm sitting (lying) on the settee watching tv, and for extra comfort I also hug a hot water bottle.

While the heating is not on, the huge radiator in the living is so cold, so I have draped an old curtain over it, as well as stacked a few flat pack cardboard against the wall under the window (north facing wall - you cannot believe how cold the wall gets when the wind is from that direction) The double thick curtain hasn't been opened since the cold spell (it's a huge window with 5 widths - forms a semi-bay windiw) so I have also put big sheets of corrugated cardboard against 2 of the widths even though it is double glazed. The roof space above the bay window is packed with loft insulation too. Now & again I have put the oil radiator on, but generally it gets cosy & warm from the tv & light fittings alone (I don't have energy saving bulbs because the lights are on a dimmer switch so they don't work)

As it has been warmer in the living room, I have to confess that I have kipped on the settee (it really is comfortable) I also tend to do that in summer too because it is also the coolest room then, but then I usually leave the living room door open to let heat rise up the stairs LOL.

I also wear thick woolly socks to bed, but haven't quite got round to a woolly hat LOL. When I have to start wearing gloves to bed, I think it'll be time to put the central heating on for a bit.

OMG think you must be related to my OH, sorry my central heating is on now, I used to live in a flat that had no heating and the only heat we had was an electric bar fire and I have promised myself that as long as I can aford to put the heating on I will not sit in a cold house, how long I canaford to keep the heating on is an other matter, what with the credit crunch and the animal feed bills and the vet bills

[lancashire lass]

I find I have had to make some serious economical decisions because in a couple of month's time, my fixed rate mortgage deal will end (at 4.95% rate) & I'm looking at least an extra £200 a month more which I just don't have and that is worrying me a lot at the moment. I really don't want to move (I love my house & the neighbourhood) and I've only got 6 years left to pay on one of the mortgages ...

[Richard]

It's all about what you can afford really.

I'm earning less than half the amount I was 8 years ago pre-downshifting.
When I was on good money, I didn't have a guilty consience and I don't have one for being like that.

I would only debate money ill spent if it's something which is blatently spoiling the environment for others, especially nature etc.

I think I finally know where I am nowadays, but my income from October to March is varied, like I have work to do for someone which pays me quite well, but I can't do it yet because of my shoulder, Doctor's orders.
Luckily, unlike previous years, I saw this as a bonus and not 'dead cert money coming in' and budgeting around that.

Even now I know I could cut down more if I really had to, but I'm not clever, it's just a way of life and doing what my Grandparents and there's did - use the resources around you.

But it's gone a bit off topic to the original question - Cost effectiveness - yes there are many things where paying a bit extra will be better in the long run and shoes are a good example of this I think.