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View Full Version : I'm not THAT frugal! What won't you do?



Jill
7-31-12, 5:24pm
When I used to come to these boards years ago there was a thread about this and I thought it would be fun to post it again. What's too frugal or too simple for you? Personally, I won't:

* try to destinkify towels or washcloths that start smelling musty. They're never the same after that. I don't even donate them because they gross me out so much. I throw them in the garbage.

* eat eggs that are past the date on the carton. I know they're technically still good but I just can't. Thinking about it makes me gag.

Where does everyone else draw the line?

catherine
7-31-12, 5:33pm
Well, my frugal MIL was in charge of cooking a chicken in the convection oven one time when DH and I had to go out, but she microwaved it instead, for about an hour. Talk about nuking your food!! It reeked and it was black and crusty! She was going to eat it, saying there was nothing wrong with it (she was never one to throw ANY food out), but we wouldn't let her.

bae
7-31-12, 5:36pm
Remove nails from the plywood used in Chinese-origin shipping packages in an attempt to re-use the "plywood", which turns out to be utter garbage and unsuitable for any purpose but kindling, and even then the glue probably emits toxic fumes when burned. Nasty stuff.

Nella
7-31-12, 5:55pm
Use coth rags instead of toilet paper. Yes, that was once a suggestion on the boards here and I saw it on some kind of "frugality" special once. I'm uber frugal, but sorry, but I'm just not goin' there.

redfox
7-31-12, 5:56pm
I don't buy underwear or sox used. Also, no junk food, no matter how hungry, and this includes anything with HFCS, trans fats, nitrate cured meats, & non-organic produce. No longer buying upholstered furniture used.

Stacy
7-31-12, 6:37pm
Use coth rags instead of toilet paper. Yes, that was once a suggestion on the boards here and I saw it on some kind of "frugality" special once. I'm uber frugal, but sorry, but I'm just not goin' there.

I'm with you on that one. Also, any rags I use for anything really disgusting, like cleaning the cat litter box, can be thrown away. By that point, they usually had been used many dozens of times already for cleaning less stinky things.

Wildflower
7-31-12, 6:40pm
I will not wash out baggies and reuse.

I will not use cloth in place of toliet paper, kleenex, paper towels (to clean up pet messes only), and feminine hygiene products. I am very conservative with the paper products, but I'm not giving them up anytime soon.

I will not give up the one car that we have.

I will not suffer in extreme temperatures. I keep my thermostat set at conserving temps, but will not do without AC when needed or heat when it is freezing outside.

I will not give up quality organic foods.

bunnys
7-31-12, 7:13pm
I agree with everything said so far. Especially the one about Chinese plywood. I'm just going to say it. The Chinese make the crappiest plywood! All full of melamine and other toxic stuff you can't burn!

Also, I won't dumpster dive. (Not that I wouldn't if I was homeless and unemployed) but so far it hasn't been necessary.

Also, I buy all my clothing new. I am so good at buying every single item I purchase on sale I am certain that on average I save about 80% of the original price. And I really like to look good. (It's the curse of us girls who used to be heavy and lost a bunch of weight.)

It's just too easy for me to get nice clothing at a really good price to wear used stuff. That said, if I were in a thrift store and happened across something I really loved and it was used but was something I wouldn't find elsewhere, I'd probably buy it.

SteveinMN
7-31-12, 7:46pm
Hmm ... Like others, I'm much more careful about buying used upholstered furniture (thrift shop or random private party). I don't think I'm interested in used underwear and socks, but I might change my mind if I ever end up that poor. I'll also have to be pretty poor before I give up air conditioning -- and people around me might take up a collection if I am (I don't suffer heat and humidity gladly). I probably could think of a lot of other things I do that are not particularly frugal, but I think a drastic change of income might change my mind on a few things.

I'm kind of puzzled by the suggestion that people use cloth instead of toilet paper. Seems to me that -- aside from the ick factor -- one would waste as much energy washing the cloths for re-use (in hot water) as is expended in using toilet paper. Maybe there's another reason to do it?

Maxamillion
7-31-12, 8:26pm
Toilet paper and paper towels are two things I won't give up. I do try to make the paper towels last as long as possible and only tear off just enough (sometimes I'll tear one sheet into 2 or 3 strips and stuff the unused strips in the top of the roll). I have bought used socks before but do draw the line at used underwear. Buying used shoes kind of icks me out but I have bought a few pairs in the past that were in really good shape. I have to have my air conditioning in the summer--Mississippi summers are brutal.

Grocery-wise, I'm trying to stay away from soybeans and high fructose corn syrup as much as possible. It's crazy how much stuff both of those are in. I was eating a can of soup the other day and read the label afterward and saw that it had hfcs in it! I'm slowly learning more about cooking and hoping to be able to cut out more processed food in the near future. My cooking skills are still rather lacking at this point unfortunately.

Mrs-M
7-31-12, 8:33pm
This is a great thread, but it's important for us to remember, that, one, as frugally-minded folks, none of us are the same and believe in practicing the same, and two, what meets the needs of one frugal-practitioner, doesn't necessarily conform to that of the next frugal-practitioner, however, at the end of the day, there are no "rights" or "wrongs" when it comes to frugality.


Having used cloth diapers on my children, never would I have stooped to using plastic bread-bags as rubber pants.


Fishing-through vending-machines for loose change.

Mrs-M
7-31-12, 9:21pm
Additionally, when it comes to food, no cheaping-out on "brand-name" products. I'm talking brand-name products that pale in-comparison to quality standard goods, just for the sake of saying that I saved such-and-such...

iris lily
7-31-12, 10:01pm
oh you people who bought upholstered used furniture! I got mine for free, totally FREE! from the alley for the past 20 years. The most comfortable sofa I ever had was my last alley find, loved that thing.

But like the rest of you no more, the bed bug scare is too great.

bunnys
7-31-12, 10:32pm
But like the rest of you no more, the bed bug scare is too great.

I have a small chest freezer that I never use that I'd been thinking of getting rid of bc it takes up so much space. Now with the bedbugs when I come back from any trips, clothes sorted on the porch before going into the laundry then suitcase goes right back to the shed where I'll dump it into the freezer before plugging the freezer in and letting it sit for 2 weeks.

No way am I bringing bed bugs into my home. I keep hearing all these horrible stories...

redfox
8-1-12, 1:07am
FWIW, I used washable feminine pads for 30+ years, saved a ton of $$, and it was very simple... I encourage all women to consider them. I made my own till commercially made quality products became available.

artist
8-1-12, 6:55am
I won't use a keeper.

ctg492
8-1-12, 7:35am
Having tried so many things it seems. I have come to the conclusion I could and would do many of the tips I have learned in the years on the assorted boards I visit, if need be. I also realized that being frugal to save a penny while tripping over a dollar happens to easily if I am not careful and I have done that a 100 times it seems. I guess I won't do anything I deem not a true savings in the big picture of life.

Selah
8-1-12, 7:49am
I would rather not buy used shoes, socks, underwear or lingerie. I really don't want to give up tampons, toilet paper, air conditioning, cable television or internet service. Those are all expensive and non-frugal practices, but I'm reasonably open-minded about other forms of frugality.

Mrs-M
8-1-12, 7:54am
Originally posted by Redfox.
I used washable feminine pads for 30+ years, saved a ton of $$, and it was very simple...And comfortable!

Mrs-M
8-1-12, 7:56am
Originally posted by Selah.
I would rather not buy used shoes, socks, underwear or lingerie.Ditto that. "Personals", as I call them, have to run new...

Jill
8-1-12, 11:00am
I agree with the "personals" as well. Regarding the cloth TP, i guess in theory it makes sense since cloth diapers work so well for babies. But adult poop just seems so much more..... pathogenic.

bae
8-1-12, 1:58pm
I will not buy shoddy tools, even if they are cheap. Some shoddy tools are expensive too, you need to keep your eyes open.

There are far too many tool-shaped objects sitting on the shelves of even higher-end stores these days, made of inferior materials with designs that have lost touch with what the tool is supposed to be used for. These tools are essentially useless, dangerous in some cases, inefficient to use, often cause damage to expensive work pieces, and do not last.

And that's just simple hand tools, when you get into power tools, it is a disaster these days - there is very little available that isn't utter BLEEEEP.

They are no bargain, whatever the price.

mira
8-1-12, 4:46pm
Use coth rags instead of toilet paper. Yes, that was once a suggestion on the boards here and I saw it on some kind of "frugality" special once. I'm uber frugal, but sorry, but I'm just not goin' there.
Ha! That's exactly what I was going to post!

ApatheticNoMore
8-1-12, 4:50pm
Drive significantly out of my way to save money. Because on average it doesn't.

frugalone
8-1-12, 6:13pm
I refuse to wash used plastic wrap and then dry it out and reuse it. Just the thought of it sticking to my hands is kind of "ew." Just my 2 cents.

Greg44
8-1-12, 7:21pm
I recently noticed a co-worker who flossed his teeth - then put the floss back in his drawer to re-use. Gross.

Kestra
8-1-12, 7:56pm
I won't keep my house too cold ever again. I'm fine with using a space heater at select times, but I'm done with worrying about how much it costs to heat the house. Did that before and I didn't really need to and I definitely don't need to now. I hate being cold!

I also won't try to cheap out on food. If healthy delicious food happens to be on sale, fine, but I enjoy food way too much to scrimp on it.

catccc
8-1-12, 9:19pm
Okay, I don't know if you are ready for anyone to admit this, but I DO use cloth wipes instead of TP, as do both of my girls, (1 & 3). But just for #1s. We use TP for #2s.

We use(d) cloth diapers with both of them, but both girls were "poo-trained" really early (elder at 3 months and younger at 4 months). And those early breastmilk poos are not like poo wash right out. Having never had to deal with a poopy diaper past a few months of age, I really cringe if I see an older baby with a poopy diaper. I just can't comprehend having to clean up a solid, real, poo. Eww. Okay, sorry, enough poo talk, can you tell I'm a mom?

Anyway it made sense to use cloth wipes with cloth dipes, and since they were potty trained so young, we just kept using the wipes. And I thought, why not me, too? Apparently this (cloth TP) is called "family cloth"

We also use cloth napkins (it's like our home is a fancy restaurant!). We use hankies for the runny nose kind of things, but have tissues for honkin' nose blows. And I use a diva cup and cloth liners. (IMO, way superior to disposable products- work better, more comfortable, better for the bank account and the environment.)

But to answer the question "What I won't do?" Wash plastic baggies. It just doesn't seem worth it. I just try not to use them at all. I also won't buy used socks or underwear. Take free stuff I don't need.

razz
8-1-12, 9:44pm
I won't buy or use stuff that is the wrong colour. When I do, I regret it every day so learned not to.

Won't use dirty shopping bags so wash my cloth ones often.

Cannot tolerate cracked or chipped or mismatched dishes so went to white basic Corelle with good linens to set them off.

treehugger
8-1-12, 9:54pm
Okay, I don't know if you are ready for anyone to admit this, but I DO use cloth wipes instead of TP, as do both of my girls, (1 & 3). But just for #1s. We use TP for #2s.

I think this sounds quite reasonable and sensible. I don't do it, but I wouldn't be opposed to the idea at all (just never really thought about it). I already use a Keeper and cloth pads and handkerchiefs, so "family cloth" (seriously odd name) is kind of the next logical step, just for urine, like you said. Honestly, I don't really understand the disgust here, considering so many people cloth diaper and use cloth menstrual pads.

I won't, however, reuse my dental floss like Greg's coworker. That is too gross for me.

What else won't I do? Well, I have tried starting plants from seed and I just suck at it. So, I buy seedlings in six packs for my garden, and that is considerably more expensive. I also will not try out cheaper brands of cat litter, because I just have a feeling that my cats would protest the change.

Kara

bunnys
8-1-12, 9:59pm
Apathetic, Gregg and Kestra--all very good ideas. Although I've never actually considered using floss more than once. Wait! I have used floss more than once. There have been a few occasions when I was out of floss and rather than not floss at all have reached into the trash, pulled out a piece of used floss, rinsed it and reused it. (Have tried thread--it breaks.)

Wildflower
8-1-12, 10:03pm
Treehugger, the "family cloth" doesn't disgust me, it's just not something I personally want to do. I used cloth diapers only with my babies, and I think the "family cloth" would probably be mild in comparison in my opinion. But at this stage in my life I like some of the simple luxuries in life. Now if we lost 75 percent of our income overnight you would be surprised at what I could do to save money, but that would be because I HAD to. It wouldn't be a choice at that point....

ApatheticNoMore
8-1-12, 10:17pm
Treehugger, the "family cloth" doesn't disgust me, it's just not something I personally want to do.

It seems possibly a real issue for concern with *germs* (ewwy eww germs!) But seriously, urine is sterile, but I'm not sure a used pee cloth sitting around is as sterile as a clean piece of TP (for potential UTI concerns etc.). I don't know.

catccc
8-2-12, 12:50am
I don't like the name "family cloth," actually. I think this is an progression from "cloth diapers" and "mama cloth" and then finally "family cloth." My guess because this is the order I see people switch over. Anyway, we just call them cloth wipes. Another term I don't like- "unpaper towels." They are just napkins, people!

Someone mentioned that using cloth TP wouldn't make sense in the end because of all the washing. Well, little squares of flannel hardly add to the wash, we don't use any more water (and we wash everything in cold, including cloth wipes and diapers) or detergent washing them, and we hang dry everything. Besides, if it were true that washing things was more wasteful, we'd all wear disposable underwear!

Semi-related... One of my pet peeves is when people try to tell me that cloth diapering is not saving anything with this same argument, because you gotta wash them. I'm sure it takes far fewer resources to wash cloth than to manufacture diapers using gross chemicals and bleach, package them, ship them to stores, drive to the store to buy them, and then they end up in the landfill, yuck.

Come to think of it, almost all the same can be said about cloth TP. And honestly, I think that cloth is the superior and more "luxurious" wiping medium... softer, more absorbent, no bits left behind.

ApatheticNoMore, it doesn't sit around... you don't reuse the same cloth until after it is washed, lol! We have a basket for clean ones and a little bin for used ones. BTW, I used to be a frequent UTI sufferer, I hated it! But I haven't had one in years, definitely not since switching to diva cup/mama cloth and cloth wipes. Unsure if it is related, but grateful anyway.

And on another note, I won't even use the same section of floss over again! Funny, huh?

heydude
8-2-12, 1:12am
i will not give up TV ! sorry! hehe.

i will not take my own bag to a store. i use the paper bags they give me for trash home instead of buying trash bags.

i will not end my gym membership. i love the gym.

more and more i have stopped buying store brand cheaper items cause their quality is ever increasingly SUCKING! i never thought i'd require name brand floss until just last week! wow, the store brand floss has become awful!

Mrs-M
8-2-12, 6:52am
I recently noticed a co-worker who flossed his teeth - then put the floss back in his drawer to re-use. Gross.Now that is just wrong!

Mrs-M
8-2-12, 7:18am
Originally posted by Catccc.
One of my pet peeves is when people try to tell me that cloth diapering is not saving anything with this same argument, because you gotta wash them. I'm sure it takes far fewer resources to wash cloth than to manufacture diapers using gross chemicals and bleach, package them, ship them to stores, drive to the store to buy them, and then they end up in the landfill, yuck.MAJOR pet-peeve of mine, too! Anyone else notice how feeble case-arguments/debates always are Re: cloth diaper use? (Against).

I have yet to come across a single article/debate/argument, that has any bite to it Re: cloth diaper use (how bad it is... NOT), other than the argument related to geographical areas where drought-like conditions exist. Adding, it's apparent that those doing all the feeble bantering have little to no experience with cloth diapers (at all).

Mrs-M
8-2-12, 7:27am
Originally posted by Wildflower.
I used cloth diapers only with my babies, and I think the "family cloth" would probably be mild in comparison in my opinion.WAY mild (hands-down), and as far as pee-cloths are concerned, as mild as it gets... which includes the storing of such cloths till laundry day.

Mrs-M
8-2-12, 7:31am
Originally posted by Catccc.
I won't even use the same section of floss over again!Likewise!

catherine
8-2-12, 8:08am
Many times you do get what you pay for, so what might be frugal in the short-term is costly in the long-term, and those are the "too frugal" things that I'll avoid...

For instance, DH always buys the cheapest paint and paint brushes possible, and to me that is just a waste of money. There's NOTHING like high quality paint, and the right tools to get the work done. You wind up spending precious life energy with extra coats of paint, picking brush bristles off the fresh paint, etc. etc. Plus I object to his philosophy of "just use the brush once and then throw it away--it's cheap and we'll just buy another." Oh, good, more stuff in the landfill. In fact, that "it's so cheap we'll just buy another" philosophy is another frugality I'm not willing to invest in.

decemberlov
8-2-12, 9:57am
Many times you do get what you pay for, so what might be frugal in the short-term is costly in the long-term, and those are the "too frugal" things that I'll avoid...

For instance, DH always buys the cheapest paint and paint brushes possible, and to me that is just a waste of money. There's NOTHING like high quality paint, and the right tools to get the work done. You wind up spending precious life energy with extra coats of paint, picking brush bristles off the fresh paint, etc. etc. Plus I object to his philosophy of "just use the brush once and then throw it away--it's cheap and we'll just buy another." Oh, good, more stuff in the landfill. In fact, that "it's so cheap we'll just buy another" philosophy is another frugality I'm not willing to invest in.

I know that Sherwin Williams has a section for mis-tints that they sell a a greatly discounted cost, from what I hear. A friend of mine that use to work there said they don't put it out where it can be seen but if you ask at the counter they will take you in the back and let you purchase it. I will definitely be doing this next time we are buying paint.

SteveinMN
8-2-12, 12:12pm
I know that Sherwin Williams has a section for mis-tints
Our local Sears and at least one of the local Ace Hardwares does that, too. Great for when you want a quality paint but really don't care much what color -- or for small jobs (there's generally no more than a gallon mistinted).

bunnys
8-2-12, 12:24pm
Ok all you new floss purists. Seriously, You'd rather NOT FLOSS AT ALL than reuse rinsed floss?

I just don't understand that.

catccc
8-3-12, 8:33am
Ok all you new floss purists. Seriously, You'd rather NOT FLOSS AT ALL than reuse rinsed floss?

I just don't understand that.

ha ha, no, that's not true at all! I'm just saying I'd rather spend money on new floss than save money by reusing floss! C'mon, all you TP purists, you'd rather not wipe at all than use cloth wipes?! I'm kidding. Just sayin' I don't think most of the statements here are either/or propositions.

catccc
8-3-12, 8:35am
Our local Sears and at least one of the local Ace Hardwares does that, too. Great for when you want a quality paint but really don't care much what color -- or for small jobs (there's generally no more than a gallon mistinted).

DH gets really great deals on mistints for his beehives. (They are painted so the equipment lasts longer.) And he gets a fun range of colors this way!

catccc
8-3-12, 8:40am
Oh, thought of another one! I cannot do powdered milk in place of regular milk for drinking. I know everyone says it improves upon refrigeration, but I just can't do it.

treehugger
8-3-12, 11:58am
Just sayin' I don't think most of the statements here are either/or propositions.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Down with black and white thinking! Life is so much nicer in the grey areas. :)


Oh, thought of another one! I cannot do powdered milk in place of regular milk for drinking. I know everyone says it improves upon refrigeration, but I just can't do it.

Me neither, despite (because of?) being raised on nonfat powdered milk. But, this one doesn't have to be included in this list, because, when I researched this idea locally in the last year or so (I had a tiny grocery budget, and figured I could at least use the powdered for cooking), powdered milk is actually more expensive now than fluid milk. This was not the case years ago, but it's a truism that seems to have mostly gone away.

Kara

Mrs-M
8-3-12, 1:21pm
Originally posted by Bunnys.
Seriously, You'd rather NOT FLOSS AT ALL than reuse rinsed floss?My concern over such practices relates to health woes as a result of.

Mrs-M
8-3-12, 1:24pm
Originally posted by Catccc.
C'mon, all you TP purists, you'd rather not wipe at all than use cloth wipes?!My sentiment exactly, but then again, I really do think toilet paper is a farce when it comes to serving as a proper hygienic tool.

Mrs-M
8-3-12, 3:00pm
Just thought of another I never did/would never do... Scotch-Tape/Duct-Tape baby rubber pants!

No offense to all the moms who did, because it's a wonderfully novel idea, however, I could never live with the esthetic value of doing such. Once ripped/torn, it was out with the old and in with the new!

Old worn rubber pants with loose-waistbands did get a diaper pin, though!

domestic goddess
8-3-12, 3:28pm
What I'm willing to tolerate depends a lot on how frugal I NEED to be. When times are hard, my ability to cope with a lot of extreme frugality does increase, though not so far to the point of taking used dental floss from the garbage can or stopping the use of TP. And life would have to be pretty hard, indeed, to get me to wear used shoes (I have foot issues, anyway) or used underwear, but I can imagine getting over my squeamishness if I really had to. I do use quite a few generic food items, once I have tried them and found them to be equal or nearly so to their name-brand counterparts. And sometimes they just need to be "tweaked" a bit to make them acceptable to us.
We have a fair-sized household: 6 people, 4 adults (including 2 male construction workers) and 2 children, one of whom is pretty picky.So our grocery budget is some place where we can do some cutting.I'm trying to make more and more food from scratch, including snacks and convenience items. But it seems that they (especially the construction worker guys) like homemade better and can eat it faster than I can make it! The kids are pretty surprised to find that you can make many of their favorite snack foods at home, and they enjoy doing that. Then they inhale them. And fresh fruits and veggies!! I went to the produce market on Wednesday. As soon as I got home, they (okay, I helped) ate an entire pound of strawberries, and a big mango, apples, carrots, peaches,cherries, grapes. The produce market is cheaper than the supermarket, and the quality is much better, but the stuff isn't free! Still, it is much better than candy, cake and cookies.
At any time, I'm not above washing and reusing a baggie, as long as it hasn't held raw meat, or anything that will just be gross or too difficult to clean. After all, my time is worth something, and I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time cleaning out gross or really sticky stuff. But mostly I wash and reuse the baggies I use for my lunch at work. DD is real big on buying and using plastic flatware, so she won't have to wash them, but I wash them and put them in a holder we have for them. We have some "nice" cloth napkins from a store, but I would like to buy some fabric and make some for everyday use. I have seen wrappers for sandwiches for sale, but I'm not sure how to make them. Then we could eliminate most of the baggies.

SteveinMN
8-3-12, 3:40pm
I have seen wrappers for sandwiches for sale, but I'm not sure how to make them. Then we could eliminate most of the baggies.
One of the plastic storage-manufacturers (Rubbermaid, probably, since we don't "do" Tupperware in this house) offers a couple of containers which could handle a sandwich made from the standard square loaf of bread or a more oval (rye-bread-type) sandwich. Rinse and good to go. I never used plastic bags when I brought snacks or sandwiches to work.

domestic goddess
8-3-12, 7:26pm
One of the plastic storage-manufacturers (Rubbermaid, probably, since we don't "do" Tupperware in this house) offers a couple of containers which could handle a sandwich made from the standard square loaf of bread or a more oval (rye-bread-type) sandwich. Rinse and good to go. I never used plastic bags when I brought snacks or sandwiches to work.


Yeah, I've had some square, sandwich sized containers, but things like that often go missing around here. With the wraps, I could hide them in my room more easily.

Jemima
8-4-12, 4:43pm
I agree with the "personals" as well. Regarding the cloth TP, i guess in theory it makes sense since cloth diapers work so well for babies. But adult poop just seems so much more..... pathogenic.

I remember that frugal suggestion which I believe was inspired by the price increase and roll size reduction in TP that happened about two years ago. The cloth TP was to be used only for urine. (I still couldn't bring myself to try it.)

Tiam
8-5-12, 3:25am
i will not give up TV ! sorry! hehe.

i will not take my own bag to a store. i use the paper bags they give me for trash home instead of buying trash bags.

i will not end my gym membership. i love the gym.

more and more i have stopped buying store brand cheaper items cause their quality is ever increasingly SUCKING! i never thought i'd require name brand floss until just last week! wow, the store brand floss has become awful!


There are things worth keeping, that's for sure.

Mrs-M
8-5-12, 10:46am
Originally posted by Catccc.
Having never had to deal with a poopy diaper past a few months of age, I really cringe if I see an older baby with a poopy diaper. I just can't comprehend having to clean up a solid, real, poo.LOL! I can't say the same, and on laundry day, the white rubber pants pinned-up on the line, with pink, iodine-stained seats and leg-holes, told of such!

jp1
8-6-12, 10:14pm
oh you people who bought upholstered used furniture! I got mine for free, totally FREE! from the alley for the past 20 years. The most comfortable sofa I ever had was my last alley find, loved that thing.

But like the rest of you no more, the bed bug scare is too great.

Back when I lived in NYC I picked up an assortment of furniture off the street. Never upholstered stuff, not that I was concerned about bed bugs back then, but simply because I didn't need any. I had a perfectly good futon and only needed small side pieces. I'll never forget the very cool looking art deco-ey bar stool I found one winter night. Chrome legs and bright red padded leatherette top. It looked awesome. I brought it home and set it down in my kitchen. 15 minutes later cockroaches started excitedly pouring out of it into the warmth of my apartment! It quickly went right back out into the trash...

jp1
8-6-12, 10:27pm
I've not done many of the super frugal things mentioned like re-using floss. However, I'm totally into re-using plastic bags. When I get home from picking up my CSA box each week I keep reusing the old plastic bags. Basically each week after the veggie is gone they get flipped inside out, rinsed off and put away for the next week's veggies. If they get really gross because it's something we didn't eat and it went bad then they get used for kitty litter box duty, but that is usually after weeks and weeks of re-use. It's one of the tips I learned here that really seems pretty much effortless to me.

Gardenarian
8-6-12, 10:34pm
I won't be cold. I froze for 6 years as a student living in drafty old Boston houses. Never again.

bunnys
8-6-12, 10:43pm
Bought some laundry detergent today. Yes, I said bought. And it was detergent.

I've been thinking about making it because it's 8 cents a load or whatever it is. Really cheap, anyhow. But then I read that after awhile using homemade laundry soap it starts to make your clothing dingy which does make sense as it is soap, not detergent. I would think there would be a residue build up issue.

Anyway liquid I bought was cheaper than the Wal-mart brand @ 4.5 cents per ounce. With liquid laundry detergent I never use more than 1/4th cup (2 ounces.) So what is that, anyway? Nine cents per load? Slightly cheaper than homemade but only slightly. And I don't have to hassle with making it and no dinginess or residue.

I had also been thinking of making dishwasher detergent too. But I don't know now. There's something to be said for detergent as opposed to soap for some chores.

Any thoughts, all?

Gardenarian
8-6-12, 10:54pm
bunnys - I think the environmental impact is really negligible. I wouldn't waste a second feeling guilty about it. If it works better, and gives you time to do things you'd rather - well, that's simple living to me.

SteveinMN
8-6-12, 10:54pm
I had also been thinking of making dishwasher detergent too. But I don't know now. There's something to be said for detergent as opposed to soap for some chores.

Any thoughts, all?
I think that, when it comes to precision machinery, people mess around at their own risk. Using soap instead of detergent -- and its cumulative effect on clothes -- is one such example. I know people who've set up their diesel cars/trucks/tractors to run on waste vegetable oil instead of commercially-refined diesel fuel -- and have suffered the long-term effects of extra wear and clogged "plumbing". Cheaper? Maybe initially. Maybe for the lucky ones. But today products are not over-manufactured like they were. I'd think hard about using something other than the right stuff on a regular basis.

Tussiemussies
8-7-12, 1:22am
Hi Bunny, if I remember correctly, in my grandmother's time Fels Naptha, which is the only soal I will use for the laundry detergent was used as a stain remover on clothes. I haven' t done this lately, but when I did my clothes were nice and bright. Maybe some who use a body wash soap like a bar of Ivory would have a dingy problem after a bit. It does pay to use the right materials when making these recipes.

The dish detergent, I forget what soap they recommended, the recipe that I saw, but I would be leery of using that since it probably isn't food safe.

:)

Mrs-M
8-9-12, 12:49pm
Originally posted by Jill.
try to destinkify towels or washcloths that start smelling musty. They're never the same after that. I don't even donate them because they gross me out so much. I throw them in the garbage.Towels in our house never get musty smelling, but if I pick-up on odour, a little bleach along with a hot water-wash never fails to rectify the problem.

decemberlov
8-9-12, 12:58pm
Hi Bunny, if I remember correctly, in my grandmother's time Fels Naptha, which is the only soal I will use for the laundry detergent was used as a stain remover on clothes. I haven' t done this lately, but when I did my clothes were nice and bright. Maybe some who use a body wash soap like a bar of Ivory would have a dingy problem after a bit. It does pay to use the right materials when making these recipes.



I use Fels Naptha in my laundry detergent recipe and our clothes come out great!!

simplemama
8-11-12, 7:13pm
I wont cut into my husbands or my body or dose me up with chemicals to save the planet by not having more children. I wont shop at aldi or buy cruddy food, because food is medicine for me and my family.
I also wont do most of these things (watch for a good laugh)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otGO0a7OPtg&ob=av2n

quite the opposite of the real song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZMYIJ6mlMw
exactly what all of us here have found to be empty lies, none of the offers in this video will bring any woman happiness...isnt this just what our culture eats up?

Tiam
8-11-12, 8:24pm
Here in the Northwest, there is no Aldi's but I often hear people shop at them where they are. Is there something wrong with Aldi's food?

simplemama
8-11-12, 8:53pm
We try to eat whole and minimally processed foods as well as local foods as much as possible. I try to buy organic where it matters most. We raise our own meat, because I wont touch cheap meat. I was vegan for years and know too much about what goes on at big slaughter houses as well as how they are raised to want to eat or support that.

Tiam
8-11-12, 8:58pm
We try to eat whole and minimally processed foods as well as local foods as much as possible. I try to buy organic where it matters most. We raise our own meat, because I wont touch cheap meat. I was vegan for years and know too much about what goes on at big slaughter houses as well as how they are raised to want to eat or support that.


I'm a big believer in keeping foods simple and close to the source. Even so, I do shop at the equivalent of an Aldi's in my area. I try to grow my own veggies as much as possible.

redfox
8-11-12, 10:27pm
Towels in our house never get musty smelling, but if I pick-up on odour, a little bleach along with a hot water-wash never fails to rectify the problem.

I'd like to encourage you to reconsider using bleach, if it's chlorine bleach. This is a nasty, toxic chemical. I was sad to give it up as an additive to my laundry, but when I researched it, my decision was easy.

Here is one article: http://www.wvu.edu/~exten/infores/pubs/fypubs/wl314.pdf

SteveinMN
8-11-12, 10:39pm
I have been a card-carrying member of my food coop for more than ten years and I, too, sometimes shop at Aldi. Yes, there are many highly-processed foods at Aldi, but I won't kid myself that the Newman's Own chocolate sandwich cookies or cane-sugar cola drinks I can buy at the coop are any better for me than Oreos or Cokes. And I can choose to walk past them at Aldi the way I do at the coop. I don't buy fresh meat at Aldi (partially to not support factory farms but also because most of their stuff is "prepared with a solution of ...") and I find their bakery selection weak. But fish is fish and the cheeses are good and the (plain) frozen vegetables are well-done and even some of the produce isn't beyond consideration. Aldi sells some name brands on special and the prices are amazingly low. One can argue the nutritional quality of what Aldi sells, but the absolute quality of what they sell, IMHO, is not "cruddy".

bunnys
8-12-12, 7:35am
Tussie and Decembrelove--I have looked @ the dishwasher detergent recipes and they are basically the same as the laundry soap except you throw in a bunch of lemon kool-aid packages for the citric acid. Some also say to put salt in as well.

The recipes I've seen for laundry soap say use castile, fels-naptha or ivory.

I know there's an environmental impact but I'm doing so much to save the environment (I mean A LOT) that I feel like I can afford it, especially when the price difference is virtually negligible.

simplemama
8-12-12, 8:55am
I dont mean to offend anyone who shops at aldi. I guess our families definition of cruddy includes food that is not local or shipped from across the world ect. We try to eat as locally as possible to save on transport costs and oil that way.

SteveinMN
8-12-12, 12:25pm
I dont mean to offend anyone who shops at aldi. I guess our families definition of cruddy includes food that is not local or shipped from across the world ect. We try to eat as locally as possible to save on transport costs and oil that way.
No offense taken on my part. You simply have a different definition of "cruddy" than I do. For example, I know a lot of Aldi's domestic cheese comes from Sargento, which, being a Wisconsin company, is next door to us Minnesotans. If I lived in Texas or Oregon or Florida, that would be a different deal. And, being a Minnesotan, with our short growing season, there are many foods -- very common ones -- which have to come from elsewhere for much of the year. It's very difficult (at the least, time-consuming, expensive, and boring) to eat local in Minnesota 12 months out of the year. A lot of the items sold at Aldi are not nutritional superstars and a lot of it is corporate-produced, but it's not junk relative to what other supermarket chains sell.

Mrs-M
8-12-12, 2:35pm
Thanks for the article, Redfox. I have really cut-back on my use of bleach. But what do you use to get whites, white? Bedding, towels, unmentionables?

nswef
8-12-12, 4:39pm
I love bleach...and have cut back a great deal, but still need it for the toilets and the whites. they get stinky- also to scrub the siding. Hot, humid Maryland with late dews makes mildew in odd places. I've used vinegar, but still need to pull out the bleach more than I would like.

herbgeek
8-12-12, 5:49pm
But what do you use to get whites, white? Bedding, towels, unmentionables?

My solution is not to buy white sheets or underwear. :laff: I do have some white towels that get a bleaching once or twice a year, where I let them sit in the solution for a while, like 30 minutes. On those rare times I do use bleach, I want to get maximum benefit from it.

I /gasp/ even use cold water to wash everything. And I haven't spread any contagious diseases in my house. I suppose with small children the gross factor might be different. Greater than 90% of the cells that we are walking around with aren't actually us, they are fungi and bacteria. We evolved together, and they are absolutely critical for our life, and our immune system and digestive processes. The problem with a lot of anti bacterial stuff is that it wipes out the good guys as well as the pathogens, leaving you more susceptible to infections and the like because there aren't enough good guys to fight them off.

Tussiemussies
8-13-12, 1:13am
Tussie and Decembrelove--I have looked @ the dishwasher detergent recipes and they are basically the same as the laundry soap except you throw in a bunch of lemon kool-aid packages for the citric acid. Some also say to put salt in as well.

The recipes I've seen for laundry soap say use castile, fels-naptha or ivory.

I know there's an environmental impact but I'm doing so much to save the environment (I mean A LOT) that I feel like I can afford it, especially when the price difference is virtually negligible.


Hi bunny, just thinking that Fels Naptha would be a good choice since it doesn't sud up too much. I wonder if it is food safe? Have you heard anything about Zout as a soap? if there are too many suds in the dishwasher it will stop working, I think... We are renting and the dishwasher is terrible so when we move I will try this out...

Thanks bunnys:)

redfox
8-13-12, 2:14am
Thanks for the article, Redfox. I have really cut-back on my use of bleach. But what do you use to get whites, white? Bedding, towels, unmentionables?

I guess I quit caring about getting stuff pure white, plus, like herbgeek, I don't actually have many white items. My sheets are all simple colors, ditto the towels. Unders are whatever is on sale!

The sun does help. When I was a kid, my mom would salt our Keds after washing them & put them in the sun to bleach out. Ultimately, it's more important to me to practice not doing damage to the Earth we all depend upon than to fit into any notion of how I should do laundry...

Wildflower
8-13-12, 2:21am
I guess I quit caring about getting stuff pure white, plus, like herbgeek, I don't actually have many white items. My sheets are all simple colors, ditto the towels. Unders are whatever is on sale!

The sun does help. When I was a kid, my mom would salt our Keds after washing them & put them in the sun to bleach out. Ultimately, it's more important to me to practice not doing damage to the Earth we all depend upon than to fit into any notion of how I should do laundry...


Same here. I don't have hardly anything that is white anymore. Even my bras and panties are pastel to bright shades of color these days....

Mrs-M
8-13-12, 10:11am
Nswef. I was just adding-up bleach use in my home, and aside from white bedding, white unmentionables, and white towels, the only time I use bleach is to disinfect the kitchen sink basins (dish cloth included) after preparing raw chicken, and for (occasionally) eliminating odour that hides-out in the down-pipe of my lesser used kitchen sink basin. Oh, and for disinfecting and freshening dishcloths when needed.

Herbgeek. I practice cold-water laundering, too... not as much as I'd like to, but a little (just the same), however, when it comes to set-odours, i.e., towels, etc, I like the way hot water seems to help extract smells and odours. As far as coloured panties/bras/etc, no-can-do... I loathe cutesie-tutsie pastel panties and such!

Redfox. I do like to think, all the clothesline drying that I do, helps keep bleach-use down to a minimum in my home, that, and the fact there aren't any babies in the house anymore.

nswef
8-13-12, 1:42pm
You all are inspiring me to attempt hanging clothes out again. I stopped when we had people burning trash, driving up a dirt driveway near the clothesline...but those things don't seem to be happening as much- dirt road was paved and the burners seem to not be as active. Perhaps I'll begin again, but I am SO used to the dryer.

Mrs. M- I've not ever used bleach in the drains, but I am tempted now- new dishwasher and the kitchen drain seems to have a funny smell since we got it. My attack so far has been vinegar and baking soda followed by very hot water...and using my catch bucket in the other sink and dumping it when it is full down the other drain as I had read it is the lack of a large amount of water going through the drains that makes them musty.

I must say AI have a pair of polka dot undies that make me smile! Most are white jockeys- regular cut...

SteveinMN
8-13-12, 6:58pm
I've not ever used bleach in the drains, but I am tempted now- new dishwasher and the kitchen drain seems to have a funny smell since we got it.
nswef, if vinegar/baking soda/hot water and larger quanitities of water through the drain are not working, check the hose which leaves the DW and goes to the sink. There are some requirements for installation (how high parts of the hose must be, where it enters your sink's plumbing, etc.) and every now and then the hose is not even installed correctly -- our DW installer had draped the hose over a nail hammered into the cabinetry and, over time, the nail caused the hose to kink. Then the smell (and the problems) began.

Wildflower
8-13-12, 8:17pm
As far as coloured panties/bras/etc, no-can-do... I loathe cutesie-tutsie pastel panties and such!

Mrs-M, I never thought of my pastel undies as cutesie-tutsie. LOL I just like color - from pastels to the vibrant colors. :|( You should see my panties/bras drawer - a fine array of rainbow to primary colors and no bleach needed. >8)

Mrs-M
8-13-12, 8:36pm
Nswef. I totally and completely understand your decision to electric tumble-dry your clothes. So quick and fuss-free. With clothesline-drying, there is an element of dedication involved, and, there's a kind of love attached to it as well. Re: the funky smells that can sometimes build and emanate from kitchen sinks, I don't need to treat the sink-basins often, maybe once/twice yearly.

SteveinMN. Thanks for the insight. Every little bit helps in the way of learning. Knowledge is good! :)

Wildflower. So strange Re: myself and colours, particularly coloured unmentionables. I just don't feel clean/fresh wearing anything other than white (under). It's OK if you call me strange.

fidgiegirl
8-13-12, 9:02pm
I just took time to read this thread. I love it! And I want to use pee cloths! :D

Wildflower
8-13-12, 10:40pm
[QUOTE=Mrs-M;95739Wildflower. So strange Re: myself and colours, particularly coloured unmentionables. I just don't feel clean/fresh wearing anything other than white (under). It's OK if you call me strange.[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't call you strange, just different strokes for different folks, and that's ok! :)

redfox
8-14-12, 12:41am
Nswef. I was just adding-up bleach use in my home, and aside from white bedding, white unmentionables, and white towels, the only time I use bleach is to disinfect the kitchen sink basins (dish cloth included) after preparing raw chicken, and for (occasionally) eliminating odour that hides-out in the down-pipe of my lesser used kitchen sink basin. Oh, and for disinfecting and freshening dishcloths when needed.

Redfox. I do like to think, all the clothesline drying that I do, helps keep bleach-use down to a minimum in my home, that, and the fact there aren't any babies in the house anymore.

Every little bit helps! You take such good care of your family, and congrats on being out of the baby stage... thgh they are adorable. I am here to say that the empty nest is fantastic... not the least of which is so little laundry to do!

BTW, sometimes I pull the laundry off the line & tumble it in the dryer for 10 mins on no heat, just to soften up the fabric.

Tussiemussies
8-14-12, 2:57am
I have decided to use pee cloths when we move and there is a master bath. I don't want anyone to peep into my holding pail right now! :)

I am going to buy cheap washcloths and cut them in half...My washer senses the size of the load of laundry and only puts enough water in to wash it, so I am going to wash these separately and I can't help it but I just have to use bleach or I couldn't feel comfortable...

lizii
8-14-12, 3:30am
Nswef. I totally and completely understand your decision to electric tumble-dry your clothes. So quick and fuss-free. With clothesline-drying, there is an element of dedication involved, and, there's a kind of love attached to it as well. Re: the funky smells that can sometimes build and emanate from kitchen sinks, I don't need to treat the sink-basins often, maybe once/twice yearly.

SteveinMN. Thanks for the insight. Every little bit helps in the way of learning. Knowledge is good! :)

Wildflower. So strange Re: myself and colours, particularly coloured unmentionables. I just don't feel clean/fresh wearing anything other than white (under). It's OK if you call me strange.

Well, I'm not Wildflower, but I think you are quite strange!

Tussiemussies
8-14-12, 3:39am
I only wear white underneath and wouldn't feel comfortable otherwise. I bet there are a lot of people like that-- I guess I'll also fall into the strange category too! :)

nswef
8-14-12, 11:39am
Thanks Steve for the hose from the dishwasher advice. It looks just the same arrangement as the last dishwasher, but the hose looks a bit different. I'm pretty sure it is just the lack of water rushing through the way the old one did. Just love these new efficient machines that don't do as nice a job as the old....

leslieann
8-14-12, 4:12pm
This is a great thread. Who knew how much mileage we'd get out of what we wouldn't do?

We wash plastic bags but we only buy the freezer ones and use sparingly. Lunches go in (plastic) lock-lock boxes. Not great, I know, but reused. Baggies that stored meat are not reused. Gross baggies, even the fancy green veggie bags, get pitched if I have made an error and let something go to mold. I am quite reactive to molds and don't even open the container if I see green or gray where it should be a different colour.

I am fascinated by the pee cloth idea but mostly because we are so attached to these little hygiene rituals. Other cultures think toilet paper is pretty weird and maybe even gross. I have washed and reused my own dental floss once when I was in a shortage state. Mostly, though, I have excess little containers from the dentist.

I am not great at frugality anyway, but generally I am more conservative about stuff left in the fridge...that is, I am more likely to pitch it if I think there is any hint of not-okay-ness or it has been in there too long. My DH has a different measure than I do so I try not to think about it if he is making dinner from leftovers. The goal, of course, is to be more organized and use my leftovers in a timely way.

Learned not to cheap out on the dog food. If I can't afford decent dog food I will find a new home for the dog. Good nutrition has made a big difference for him (and the rest of us, too).

I am unwilling to steal to be frugal. I know, I know...but I mean that I don't take the "extra" soap from the motel. I do THINK about it, but remember Amy D's stuff about the line between frugality and theft. Perhaps she put it more elegantly.

I like bleach too but try to use it VERY little. There are no whiter whites in our house. Just grayer grays.

Mrs-M
8-15-12, 11:22am
I only wear white underneath and wouldn't feel comfortable otherwise. I bet there are a lot of people like that-- I guess I'll also fall into the strange category too!We always did make for a great pair! :)

Mrs-M
8-15-12, 11:26am
Great links, Simplemama!

Jill
8-15-12, 11:09pm
I would love to go dumpster-diving but my husband would divorce me.

Tussiemussies
8-16-12, 12:09am
We always did make for a great pair! :)

So true...:)

Packratona!
8-16-12, 3:58am
I have a small chest freezer that I never use that I'd been thinking of getting rid of bc it takes up so much space. Now with the bedbugs when I come back from any trips, clothes sorted on the porch before going into the laundry then suitcase goes right back to the shed where I'll dump it into the freezer before plugging the freezer in and letting it sit for 2 weeks.

No way am I bringing bed bugs into my home. I keep hearing all these horrible stories...

I hope you bag your clothes and tie bag, before bringing into laundry, then dump directly into machine, retie bag and put into garbage. Same with suitcase: the bugs very easily drop off when moved, and all you need is one pregnant female to populate your home. We don't use suitcases any more when staying in hotels, just plastic bags. A bit of a nuisance but much less than having to rid the house of bedbugs. We also leave all our clothes in the car except a change of clothes, sealed in a bag, to wear each day we are in the hotel. We keep the bag in the bathroom and change in there, rebagging everything we take off and carrying to the car immediately. Still VERY easy to take one home.

Tussiemussies
8-16-12, 4:13am
Great ideas for prevention pack rational...

Mighty Frugal
8-21-12, 3:38pm
I hope you bag your clothes and tie bag, before bringing into laundry, then dump directly into machine, retie bag and put into garbage. Same with suitcase: the bugs very easily drop off when moved, and all you need is one pregnant female to populate your home. We don't use suitcases any more when staying in hotels, just plastic bags. A bit of a nuisance but much less than having to rid the house of bedbugs. We also leave all our clothes in the car except a change of clothes, sealed in a bag, to wear each day we are in the hotel. We keep the bag in the bathroom and change in there, rebagging everything we take off and carrying to the car immediately. Still VERY easy to take one home.

Wow, that doesn't sound like a vacation. I can understand not wanting bed bugs but unless you seal yourself off in your home you are still at risk. Like sitting in a movie theatre, or a restaurant upholstered chair, or a chair in the dentist's office. We are social creatures. We can pick them up anywhere.

The only thing I do in hotels is not leave my suitcase on the floor and check the bed-but not well I'm sure.