Laundry and Bathroom
Powder- Use half a scoop per wash, instead of a full scoop. Often you'll get the same results, especially if your clothes really just need a freshen up. I only use full scoops on very dirty loads. This will make your laundry powder go twice as far!
- Shop around. A Duo powder was rated best by Choice Magazine for best value washing powder, when taking into account price and performance. I never pay more than $2 per 500g (the NEW size), and it lasts me about 10 days using the half scoop method (I do about 2 loads each day).
These tips are saving me $6 a month on powder, or $72 a year. Whilst I know there are recipes for making your own powder, I haven't gotten to that... YET!
Vineger as fabric softener - Use vinegar as a fabric softener instead of the expensive traditional fabric softners. It will cost you about a quarter of the price, and a $1.09 bottle lasts me about a month (I only use it on clothes, not on towels, sheets or tableware). It has a double benefit too - it will keep your machine MUCH, MUCH cleaner than fabric softener. In my old top-loader, I would clean out the agitator twice a year. For the last 3 years I used purely vinegar, and the inside of the agitator was a clean as a wistle. None of that yucky gunk in the middle of it. You could use a couple of drops of essential oil if you like.
This tip saves me $36 a year
Natural cleaners - there is nothing like a bit of elbow grease to save you money (and get you fitter!). Use bicarb and a little water as a paste to scrub your toilet, bath, shower and vanity. You can then use a bit of vinegar for stubborn bits. Wipe it over, and use a little vinegar to make it sparkle AND to disinfect. You can by bicarb in bulk from a lot of farm supplies places.
I think I save about $5 a month on cleaners using this tip, or $60 a year.
To freshen up a drain - don't use draino! It's not good for the environment, OR your wallet. Put about 1/4 cup of bicarb down the drain in question. Follow with a cup of vinegar, and let it sit for 20 minutes. Follow with a full, freshly boiled jug of water. No more smells! I use this regularly in the kitchen.
Probably saves me about $4 a year on draino.
Shop around - for washing powder and cleaners.
- I still use Windex for my mirrors, and I won't use the cheaper ones, as they streak. I bought a bulk, 5 litre container from BigW for about $11. That should last me a good year or two! As opposed to buying individual 750ml containers for around $4 on special (if you're lucky). That's a $15 saving! Around $5 a year.
- Washing powder, don't pay more than you have to! I often keep aside $20 a week for specials, especially washing powder or bulk buys.
- You don't have to compromise on your favourite toilet paper, but shop around! I bought some fabulous 3 ply toilet paper (a good 250 sheets, not a skimpy 180 sheets that some sell), $14 for 32 rolls, or 43c a roll. Not as cheap as some that you can get for 33c a roll, but they often have a smaller number of sheets on them too. We go through about 5 rolls a week, and it might only be 10c savings per roll (probably more if you payed for full price Sorbent or Kleenex!), but that's still $26 a year saved on toilet paper. For your bottom!
I do the half scoop thing too. Sometimes I will even use less than half a scoop because the detergent builds up in the machine over time anyway, so you really don't use that much. A big 2kg container of fabric softener lasts me months and months, and I wash at least one load a day, sometimes up to four loads in a day. I do wash my loads at 40 degrees on the short cycle though, I found it shifts stains and food off clothes better then using a cold wash, and I use less detergent that way, too, and there is no half load setting on my machine so shorter cycless use less water and power then a full length cycle.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Katy- I agree about buying in bulk. You feel like you pay more up front but you save a motza over time.
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