Tips - Household/Budgeting/Reducing Waste/re and up-cycling ideas?

For some people like myself are on budgets or maybe trying to save money or reduce waste. I thought it might be a nice idea to post any tips people have.

I get annoyed at the amount of potatoe and Carrot peelings I have. There seem to be too many to balance the compost consistency right, so some have been thrown which I hate. But on the way home from work this week I heard some chefs on the radio talking about just this. So they made Potatoe peel soup and potatoe and carrot crisps. Now it seems so obvious lol.

Anyone got any? Can be related to anything in the title.

Not so much a money saving tip or anything like that, but Ive been wondering the best and least messy way to clean my ceiling fan in my bedroom, my mother suggested hoovering it, but since I have a parrot in my room that didnt seem like the best idea.

Solution, when you change your linen use a pillow case by putting it over the blades and gathering the dust inside, then go into the garden and shake it out throw pillow case in laundry, job done \o/

I'm on a cash diet. I use cash to pay for everything, no bank card. I give myself a cash allowance every week and once it's gone, it's gone. It helps me to save and spend prudently.

-Teresa

I only shop for special offers at the bio shop (must eat bio because of health), and some things like rice or beans or dry fruit only buy in bulk/without packing, that way is less expensive, and also doesn't pollute that much with packaging. I stopped (more or less) eating meat or fish, and I think that saves money too.
Sometimes supermarkets sell the bottom of expensive hams or the leftovers of parmigiano cheese for less than half the price. Carrots, I juice everything.
Don't use a lot of products for the house anymore, only vinegar, baking soda, and one product to clean the toilet. Unlike Sofiasmami, I try to carry very little cash with me and to avoid daily expenditures for things that are not absolutely necessary, after realising that $3 + $3 +$4 etc make in the end a lot of money.
A good part of my beautiful clothes come from vintage shops, and when I cook too much food or there is something close to expiration date that I won't be able to use in time, I put all in a bag and leave it near the homeless' hangout in the park (before the expiration date!). I'm a bit of a stickler about expiration dates.

Those are some good ideas, Peaches.
One time I ate a container of yogurt and when I was done, I checked the expiration date - and saw that it had expired 3 weeks ago! But it was perfectly fine and that got me looking into what expiration dates actually mean. I found out that a lot of food is perfectly fine after its expiration date or "Best By" date and I waste less food now. The only food I refuse to touch when it's close to expiration is meat or fish.

-Teresa

^ Fab ideas thank you.

Has anyone done decoupage? I have a cheap basic smallish table in my living room and thought of decoupage it. The dedicated paper can be expensive here, has anyone used anything else to the same effect?

SofiasMami said:

Those are some good ideas, Peaches.
One time I ate a container of yogurt and when I was done, I checked the expiration date - and saw that it had expired 3 weeks ago! But it was perfectly fine and that got me looking into what expiration dates actually mean. I found out that a lot of food is perfectly fine after its expiration date or "Best By" date and I waste less food now. The only food I refuse to touch when it's close to expiration is meat or fish.

-Teresa

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actually after a lifetime of food poisoning for all different reasons I don't eat anything too close to expiration dates, but I know that that is slightly obsessive - at a dinner party we were served canned octopus expired since five years, and no one died (and I learned a lot about parasites from google).

I actually charge everything on credit cards that give me something back -- usually cash but sometimes other things. Then I pay it off monthly. I don't find that I overspend because I use that "check" whenever I am buying something. Do I need it ? Yes. Do I need it at this price? Yes.

If a super market or store is offering something for buying things there -- such as free utensils etc.- I buy things that I know I will need there. Such as water, toilet paper... soda...

I do sell items that I don't need anymore on apps or craiglist type things. I sometimes sell crafts on there that I made. I also buy things on there. I also shop in thrift stores.

I use dry cleaning sparingly.

I have the ability to take 1/2 my salary (or any amount I wish) and put it directly into a savings account before I ever see it. So I live, more or less on 1/2 my salary each month. This way in case of job loss or otherwise I am already able to live frugally.

I pay extra on my mortgage each month. And as soon as I can pay bi monthly. This reduces the principle fast and you end up paying less interest much quicker. In addition, once you get to 30% equity in your home and entire world opens up to you in terms of buying another home. At 30% equity the rules allow you to move to a new home and rent the one you are in now. The basic upshot of that... is that you can buy a new home first, without having the debt of your old home on the equation. And you don't actually have to rent the old home, just say it is your intent to do that.

I stock up on items I know I'll be using anyway, like clothes, soap, toothpaste, light bulbs, engine oil, screws, spark plugs and nails......anything with a long shelf life. I figure the prices aren't going down so I may as well buy it now.

Also, I don't get it about too much potato and carrot peelings for the compost consistency.....compost needs about 20 parts of carbon rich material for one part of nitrogen rich material.....approximately. So, lots of veggie peels? Then just increase the amount of dry leaves in the mix, or something else to fill out the ratio. This is not to criticize making soup out of it, I merely point out that there's no need to 'throw out' anything, ever.

When I first started composting, the leaftlet that the council sent with the composter was a 50/50. Anyway I have never had enough of the other stuff, and at the moment I am drastically lacking due to a number of reasons.

Serenia said:

When I first started composting, the leaftlet that the council sent with the composter was a 50/50. Anyway I have never had enough of the other stuff, and at the moment I am drastically lacking due to a number of reasons.

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Actually, whatever ratio one mixes one's compost ingredients, it's going to turn into compost eventually. Too much nitrogen rich stuff? Then it smells bad. Too much carbon rich stuff? Then it doesn't heat up and takes a few years to decompose. I once left a few wheelbarrow loads of pure sawdust in a heap behind my workshop and forgot about it. 3 or 4 years later I was clearing weeds out there and it had converted into a dark, moist material that was an excellent soil additive. But 20:1 is the best ratio.

Things that you know you are going to use, soap, laundry detergent, trash can bags, along with some of your food items, go to a wholesale place like Costco or Sam's Club and buy there. Things are cheaper in bulk. Be careful on the food items though. Be sure to ask yourself first: Will I eat all of this before the expiration date??

Sit down with a calculator and try to mathematically budget out by the month, rather than week-to-week. or every two weeks. Be sure to include every detail though:

Car Insurance
Health Insurance
Phone Billby
Internet Bill
Utilities
Rent/Housing payments
Medication if you're on it
Gas (by the week, multiplied by 4)
and a rough estimate of all-inclusive grocery costs by the week (also multiplied by 4)

Now add up your paycheck totals for the month.....


Now, consider that you might be able to get some of your groceries cheaper at either other stores, or by switching to off brand generics.

Developing skills like learning to cook, and ration food will help to budget.
Cutting back on bad habits like smoking, drinking, or drugs will also help budget.
Remember that heaters and air conditioning systems are expensive to run and that fans are cheaper.
Whenever you're NOT using something, don't just turn it off but also unplug it from the outlet. Because the circuit breaker will still be feeding a live charge of electricity to it even if it isn't powered on. This will also help your electronics last longer.

Save your change! Over time it will accumulate and you can take it to a bank and trade it in for cash.

Remember that a bunch of tiny, little detail work to save, will result in you saving A LOT of money in the long run.

All brilliant contributions, thanks .

Constant Stranger - my last attempt at compost it stunk awful, it was that bad I would gag everytime I took the lid off. Might have a go at potato peel crisps this weekend.

I am starting a veg patch next year on a plot of land being lent to me. I am so looking forward to seeing what is succesful.

Does anyone else grow their own veggies?

I love this kind of things:
http://www.diyncrafts.com/4732/repurpose/25-foods-can-re-grow-kitchen-scraps

http://www.diyncrafts.com/4681/repurpose/20-surprising-uses-leftover-fruit-vegetable-peels

found the Good and Cheap book pretty impressive, although probably you need a bit more than 4$ per day unless you buy in bulk and grow the most expensive items yourself
http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/free-cookbook-eat-well-4-dollars-day.html

My house-mate is kind of obsessed with recycling things, he seems happy that he's making a difference... yet he puts all the lights on everywhere he goes an leaves them on lol, sup with that?

9006 said:

My house-mate is kind of obsessed with recycling things, he seems happy that he's making a difference... yet he puts all the lights on everywhere he goes an leaves them on lol, sup with that?

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Maybe he's just afraid of the dark, or has trouble seeing without light on.