Manufacturers are so good at persuading us that we HAVE to have their products that it's difficult not to end up buying all sorts of things that we really don't need. Since I took up the frugal life I've taken a long, hard look at my shopping basket and I've taken out a lot of unnecessary "necessary" things.
For example, you don't need a separate cleaning spray for the kitchen and the bathroom. Have a look at the ingredients and you'll find they are almost exactly the same - just a different smell. I buy a cheap, general purpose cleaner and it does just as well for the whole house.
It is really unnecessary to spend lots of money on special washing powder for woolens. Ordinary detergent works just as well - use half the amount and add a cup or so of soda crystals to soften it. Or best of all, use the cheapest baby shampoo which works brilliantly on good wool and cashmere.
You don't need separate day and night cream. OK, so night cream is a bit thicker than day cream, but a nice slathering of almond oil does just as well. Or why not just put on a larger daub of your day cream?
Fabric conditioner is another product that's easy to do away with. Just add half a cup of soda to your wash to soften it, as above. And line-dry your clothes if you have outdoor space for added softness.
The blue and pink thing. Why, according to baby-wear manufacturers, must girls be pink and boys blue? I love my daughter to wear pretty dresses, but I also want her to be able to wear her brother's hand-me-down jeans and sweaters - and she does. I hope it will encourage her to be independent-minded when it comes to fashion fads in the future!
Hand cream and body cream are easily inter-changeable. I buy the largest size of cheap hand-cream and decant some into another bottle for an after-shower body cream.
Foot cream is a waste of money: See hand cream tip above or rub Vaseline into your feet before you go to bed and wear a pair of socks all night.
I now regard my purchases with a much more sharper and more critical eye than I used to - and the result is a MUCH cheaper weekly shop!
By Lucy from Oxford, UK
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Excellent post! I agree there are multiple uses for items. I actually have a surplus of shower gel from the days when I was younger and had disposable income (i.e. lived at home with my parents!).
I use shampoo for bodywash and washing my hair. And since I wash my hair everyday its never that dirly so I just buy the cheapest/largest bottles!
I use el cheapo liquid dish soap to clean my toilets. It works great and they shine like fine china.
As I have said here elsewhere here at thriftyfun.com. Baby shampoo can be used to take off your mascara & eye makeup (a tip from my eye doctor). You can also cut your shampoo with baby shampoo to make it less harsh (as with dandruff shampoos). Any moisturizer is better if sealed in with a light coat of petroleum jelly. I do that at night when my skin has taken a beating from too much sun or wind.
Flappers used to put petroleum jelly on their eyelids (notice the reflection on Betty Boob's eyelids?). So do I for a slight glistening & protection for my eyelids. But some of the new products out there really work. So get some of those free samples to try them out & then look for the generic versions at the drug store!
Sometimes I look around the store and wonder how many ways companies can repackage the same chemicals and call the cleaners by new names.
In reference to buying the cheapest lotion, alot of the dollar lotion stinks. Two very cheap lotions that do smell good are from Fruit of the Earth: Shea and Aloe, and just Alove Vera lotions.
This post should win this month. I have been saying for years how much I hate the way manufacturers bait and switch us. Did you know that in order to say "New" or "Improved" on a product, it only has to mean the label?
Yep, we are bombarded every day with things that we can make ourselves. To exfoliate, I use equal parts sugar and olive oil. For rough feet, that poster had it right, there is nothing like Petroleum Jelly.
When we chafe in the summer heat, we are suppose to use 4.95 a bottle cream when a 1.00 tube of athletes foot cream works perfect.
I have cleaned my glass with vinegar and water and newspaper for over 50 years and could probably pay rent for a month on what I saved on "the blue stuff".
We savvy folks are the reason so many of us survived every economical wave of hardship that has come our way. Some people think I am too frugal... but when you live on a fixed income you have to be.
Good job!
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