taxi4ballet Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 I thought it might be fun if we could share handy hints/money saving ideas... Here's mine to start: If you've run out of liquid soap, buy a giant economy supermarket bottle of bubble bath and use it to refill the dispenser (I reckon it's all much the same stuff anyway). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 My friend gets a certain daily newspaper that has serial numbers printed on the back every day. You collect points by registering the numbers and can claim vouchers. Since the scheme's inception she has had £95 for the likes of Boots and M&S in vouchers. It's a great scheme if you get that newspaper anyway. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 Only ever fill your sugar bowl a quarter-full. I always wondered why my late mum did this, until I dropped a full bowl on the floor and found out why! We were crunching it underfoot for weeks 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 We have a similar version regarding cans of drink. When we go to the beach we open one at a time and share the contents between plastic glasses. This started because when dd was very little she managed to kick over a can that was planted in the sand, beside the rug. She was so startled by everyone's reaction, she jumped and managed to knock the rest over! A friend's child managed to do a similar thing with a plate of doritos! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 Those loops of narrow ribbon you get sewn in the shoulders of clothes to help keep them on hangers are handy to keep for small girls. If you cut them off, they are just the right width and length for dolls' hair ribbons. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Not only that, but the odd colourful one is very useful for tying to a USB stick or similar if you carry one around in a purse or handbag - makes it far easier to spot, and more difficult to lose! I had a dongle only just over an inch long that I had to carry around with me in order to use one of my specialist programs, and it was always vanishing in the bag. And then we could get on to 101 uses for vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and so on ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 I bought a book of cartoons for my cousin once entitled '101 Used For A Dead Cat' 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swanprincess Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 A dead cat! Poor kitty Not really a money-saving tip, but wearing old, dead pointe shoes to bed (with the ribbons very loosely tied as to not prevent blood circulation!!) keeps my feet lovely and warm. And if the pointe shoes are new, sleeping in them once or twice helps them mold to the shape of my feet! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachaelballet12 Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 to get rid of snails in your garden leave a saucer of coke out they will drink it and that should do the trick. Also to make your loo sparkle and clean pour a bottle of coke down leave overnight and flush in the morning result a nice clean sparkling loo . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 to get rid of snails in your garden leave a saucer of coke out they will drink it and that should do the trick. Also to make your loo sparkle and clean pour a bottle of coke down leave overnight and flush in the morning result a nice clean sparkling loo . Makes me wonder what it does to the stomach! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Drinking coke is also good if you have got an upset tummy. I prefer it with the fizz still there but a nursing friend says it is more effective flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 The vinegar left over from jars of pickled onions is good for cleaning the limescale deposit off glass vases. Just pour in, right up to the brim, and leave for a good few hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All4dancers Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I buy cheap supermarket home brand denture cleaning tabs and drop one down the loo last thing at night - gets rid of limescale a treat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 When I first started work the ladies I worked with used denture cleaning tabs to clean the inside of stained cups. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Also works on glass vases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All4dancers Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 If anyone has any tips on how to remove mould from the sealant around the shower tray I would be most grateful. I have tried all sorts of expensive cleaners and nothing works, I can remove mould from the grout but not sealant and it looks so awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I swear by Dettol mold and mildew but I don't follow the instructions. I leave it on overnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted November 16, 2012 Author Share Posted November 16, 2012 Dig banana skins round your roses in the garden, they are full of potassium and are a good fertiliser. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 Persuade your beloved to buy your Valentine's Day bunch of flowers next week instead of on the day - by that time the price will have gone back to normal instead of the rip-off price they are charging at the moment. With the spare cash they can then buy you some chocolates as well! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Good idea. I've always objected to the concept of being expected to be "romantic" on one specific day of the year - I'm sure it must cause as much stress in relationships as anything else! And of course I object to the rip-off element, too - I rarely book for performances on Feb. 14th after having struggled to find places to eat that weren't offering inflated-price menus for the day. And talking about inflating things, what about the cholesterol levels in M&S's "romantic meal for 2" offer? Horrendous. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 On a news program I saw, random people walking along a street were asked what they thought of or planned for Valentine's Day. One man had an answer that obviously showed a great deal of experience: "Happy wife, happy life." 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MargaretN7 Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 If anyone has any tips on how to remove mould from the sealant around the shower tray I would be most grateful. I have tried all sorts of expensive cleaners and nothing works, I can remove mould from the grout but not sealant and it looks so awful. A dilute mixture of teatree oil can work, and it smells better than many of the special mould removing products. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 If you are having a clearout and are putting sundry clutter in carrier bags to store in the loft or the cupboard under the stairs, don't use Tesco's carrier bags - they are biodegradable and disintegrate into a pile of confetti quite quickly! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 As I found out to my cost recently! The new ones are even worse - they hardly last long enough to get the shopping home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straceydor Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 taxi4ballet is a tip of the day. She/he (sorry) always seems to be cheerful and full of good information 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 If you are having a clearout and are putting sundry clutter in carrier bags to store in the loft or the cupboard under the stairs, don't use Tesco's carrier bags - they are biodegradable and disintegrate into a pile of confetti quite quickly! *Sticky* confetti, at that. Have you ever tried getting the stuff off yourself?! I had this problem recently with something which was old enough that I thought it wouldn't be biodegradable. Obviously I was wrong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 In case we are due any more snow.I find no pair of shoes are 100 per cent grip proof. What do I do? I put an old pair of socks over my outdoor shoes.You will NOT slip in the snow or ice. Fact.!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Not a money saving tip but a harmless way of stopping neighbours' cats pooing in your garden! Change from instant coffee to those one-cup filter coffees. Keep the used filters, slit them open and tip the damp coffee grounds onto a plate. When the coffee has dried out, sprinkle it onto the soil where the cats poo. It may take a few days but it will work if you do it regularly - I don't think the cats like the smell of the coffee! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 If you get an email from a parcel delivery company saying your parcel is waiting for collection, just click on this link... er... don't! There are a lot of dodgy ones flying about at the moment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 And don't forget that if (usually) right-clicking on an email you should be able to bring up full details of the sender's real email address and lots of other useful information to support your decision on whether to take it any further, e.g. if something claims to be from PayPal but turns out to be from xjesaj@asjde.com it's a pretty good bet it's not genuine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
along for the ride mum Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 a tic-tac box is the perfect size for holding hairgrips, very useful 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Ever been annoyed at the amount of crumbs of cereal left at the bottom of the packet which aren't really big enough to eat, but are too numerous to be thrown away? Collect them in a coffee jar, and use them to make a crunchy topping for a pudding - it's really easy: Take the (plain-ish) cereal crumbs, whatever baking fat product you use instead of margarine (or butter, if you're feeling rich) and brown sugar of some sort (I usually use demerara) in the proportions 2:1:1 (so 6 oz/180 g of cereal should make a pudding with about 6 portions). Also some sort of fruit you can stew, such as rhubarb, gooseberries, apples (I'd guess about 1 lb/500 g for the measurements given above, but it'll depend on the fruit - and cut it up if necessary - about enough to fill 2/3 of a Pyrex pudding dish). Put the fruit in a suitably-sized Pyrex pudding dish, say one that will give 4-6 portions. Add a little cold water (not too much - you don't want to make the topping soggy later) and some (ordinary) sugar if the fruit needs it, and put it into a preheated oven for a while to cook, at say Regulo 4-5, which I think is around 170-180C? In the meantime, take a large and sturdy saucepan, and put the brown sugar and fat into it and melt them over a low heat, stirring all the time, until they blend, more or less. Stir in the cereal, and make sure the sugar/fat mixture coats it as well as possible. Then take the Pyrex out of the oven (using gloves, please note, just in case a certain person happens to be reading this!), and spread the cereal mixture over the fruit, flattening it down so that the pieces stick together better. Return it to the oven for maybe half an hour or so, making sure that the topping doesn't burn. Take it out, and serve preferably hot, with custard, ice cream or anything else you think suitable. NB: This works best with the plainer cereals, such as corn/wheat/bran flakes, that sort of thing. It contains quite enough sugar without needing to use sugar-coated cereals as well, although you can probably adjust the sugar content of the recipe to some extent, and you probably don't want fruit and things getting into the mixture, so avoid the more multi-component cereals, so to speak. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELee Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Rinse out ketchup bottles and brown sauce bottles that have the annoyingly last spoonfuls left in the bottom with a little hot water and add it to your bolognaise mix, chilli, shepherds pie etc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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