Five thrifty tips guaranteed to save you money
Feature
by Nathalie Bonney
Decades of consumerism mean many of us have forgotten some basic principles that can save us money. But the thrifty attitude of yesteryear is back in vogue, so see if you can avoid the high street and 'make do and mend' instead.
1. House proud
Take care of your furniture and ensure it lasts longer by rubbing wax into wood to stop it drying out, or applying leather conditioner with a soft rag to stop your leather armchair looking worn and cracked.
If your upholstery is looking a little faded, consider getting settees and armchairs recovered or re-upholstered by a local specialist service rather than heading to the shops to buy a new suite.
2. Keep your clothes in mint condition
Keep knitwear looking smart by shaving off bobbles with a blunt razor and keep your outdoor apparel looking well-groomed by using a clothes brush on coats and jackets to pick up bits of fluff.
According to retailer John Lewis, you can also use banana skins to add some shine to your shoes or bicarbonate of soda to refresh smelly trainers.
3. Transform old into new
Make-do-and-mend.org has step-by-step instructions on how to repair old clothes suffering from pulled hems or frayed edges, as well as advice on how to transform your old clothes into new items.
Unfortunately, we aren't all so handy with a needle and thread, so consider investing in a basic "how-to" book, such as Sewing for Dummies by Janice Saunders Maresh, which teaches readers the basic stitches, and how to sew buttonholes and add zips.
4. Don't waste food
British households throw away billions of pounds of uneaten food each year. Stick to a strict list while doing your weekly shop and turn your leftovers into a meal for tomorrow. Other top tips include freezing unused fresh herbs and chillies, and turning stale bread into breadcrumbs.
5. Clean without the cost
Don't waste money on a cupboard full of cleaning products. Bicarbonate of soda will leave worktops spotless, white wine vinegar lifts limescale from sinks, and half a lemon heated for a few minutes in the microwave will banish lingering smells.
keep seeing this 'use bicarb for cleaning' - have you seen the price of bicarb!! As with lemons!
Good tips, to add to the lemon/microwave tip, if you heat a slice of lemon in a half cup of water until it boils over the edge, pizza cheese, beans, baby food, all virtually wipe clean from the inside of the microwave top to bottom!
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Last time I looked,80p for a tub. Not exactly expensive,as a little goes a long way,unlike the expensive assorted cleaning products that you will use otherwise.
vinegar works as well as lemon. coffee takes out white ring marks on wood.
Buy your bi-carbonate in 5oogram drums at a pharmacy and not 100grams . from the cooking section at the supermarket.....
You're not supposed to use bircab that's used for cooking - that would be expensive. However, non-baking one (500g) was under £1 last time I bought it (from Tesco, probably 2-3 months ago). At the market, you can get at least 5 lemons for a pond. There were times I got 10 for £1 - perhaps not good for cooking, but perfect for cleaning!
Thanks for that tip, Spike.
I just found white vinegar being sold as a cleaning product, in a proper trigger-type plastic bottle, for £1. It's produced by a company called Dri-Pak. You need to read the information on the label carefully, as there are materials you can't use it on.
I haven't tried it yet, so can't comment on it's efficacy, but I live in hope.
I have used the £1 vinegar and it works very well for cleaning.
jif lemon in water works just as well in the microwave, gets rid of nasty whiffs too....n we all have it left over from pancake day :)