Watering down shampoo, pinching sauce from fast food restaurants and pulling thick toilet paper apart to make thinner rolls are just some of the extreme measures women are taking to cut down on household spending.
Their commitment to frugality was revealed in a Australian budgeting group on Facebook, where mothers were asked to share the ‘tightest’ things they do to save money.
Many whip up homemade cleaning products instead of splashing out on expensive branded formulas, while others hang around supermarkets until late in the evening to nab discounted ‘quick sale’ meat at a fraction of its usual price.
One serious spendthrift goes so far as to buy four ply toilet paper and painstakingly separate the layers to create four rolls of thinner fabric, making money stretch further.
One woman takes saving so seriously, she painstakingly separates four ply toilet roll to create rolls of thinner fabric (stock image)
Many focus their efforts in the kitchen, eliminating the need for stock cubes and seasoning by freezing the juice of meat for future use.
‘I put drippings from roast chicken in ice cube trays, then add it to meals as stock. If I’m going to do a roast in the oven, I do two chickens at once and just have them for two nights,’ said one woman.
Most shun expensive brand names in favour of generic supermarket labels to shrink their shopping bill, buying own brand cereals and snacks which saves considerable cash over time.
‘I buy home brand cereal and pour it into a cereal container with a brand name label stuck to it – my kids don’t know any different and it definitely saves a few dollars every time,’ one woman said.
Another has been buying half-price meats from her local butchers for years, picking up 18 sausages, 12 burgers and a kilogram of lamb ribs for just $27.
Many focus their efforts in the kitchen, hanging around supermarkets until late in the evening to nab discounted ‘quick sale’ meat at a fraction of its usual price (stock image)
Others cut corners in the bathroom, making pricey hair care and personal hygiene products last longer by thinning them with water.
‘I water down everything. Shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, hand liquid soap which I put in a foaming dispenser to make it last longer,’ said another.
A trend for homemade hygiene and cleaning products has been sweeping Australia over the past few years, as a growing number of householders become disillusioned with the rising cost of branded formulas.
In January 2019, a group of mothers invented a budget-friendly ‘miracle spray‘ to transform grimy kitchen, bathroom and bedroom surfaces in an instant.
A group of mothers invented this budget-friendly ‘miracle spray’ to transform grimy kitchen, bathroom and bedroom surfaces in an instant in January 2019
Using five basic ingredients – water, vinegar, washing soda, dishwashing liquid and a dash of eucalyptus oil, which cost less than $15 from the supermarket – they developed a DIY cleaner to lift stains from shower glass, stove tops and sinks
Using five basic ingredients – water, vinegar, washing soda, dishwashing liquid and a dash of eucalyptus oil, which cost less than $15 from the supermarket – they developed a DIY cleaner to lift stains from shower glass, stove tops and sinks.
To make the spray, simply dissolve the washing soda in a cup of boiling water, before adding the remaining ingredients and transferring the mixture into a two litre bottle – ideally one with a spray nozzle to allow for easy application on a variety of surfaces.
Christened ‘miracle spray’, the homemade cleaning product has been hailed as the ultimate tool for thoroughly cleaning everything from benchtops and baths to clothes and carpet stains.
Others cut their own hair and use less than the recommended amount of laundry detergent to make washing powder stretch further (stock image)
Others cut their own hair, use less than the recommended amount of laundry detergent to make washing powder stretch further and collect packaged sauce and napkins from fast food outlets instead of paying for condiments.
‘I use McDonald’s salad sachets on family meals and McDonalds tomato sauce sachets from my kid’s dinners when our sauce runs out,’ one woman said.
‘I get extra napkins and salt and pepper from restaurants to use at home,’ added another.