Here’s the latest in our series of mini money saving tips designed to add up to decent-sized savings. If you have any mini-tips of your own, we’d love to hear them!
- use Henna to colour your hair. It comes in blondes and browns as well as reds, it costs next to nothing and it is much, much better for your hair – and a lot cheaper – than the usual nasty chemically stuff
- it’s the perfect time of year to collect seeds for your garden from parks, gardens and the countryside. I tweeted our council and they gave me permission to grow local wild flowers in the verge outside our house. And I pick up free seeds whenever I’m out and about
- mix cat litter – the Fullers Earth type – with your compost to help it hang onto water better and dry out less
- put used wood-based cat litter, minus the poop, in your compost heap instead of the bin. Urine is a great catalyst (no pun intended!) and the shavings rot down into superb soil
- pick elderberries and make your own wine
- Get a cardboard box and, if you do Christmas, start stashing gifts away. Do it now and you’ll avoid expensive last minute panic buying
- buy a charity shop cut glass or crystal decanter, fill it with bubble bath, tie a ribbon around the top and voila, a sophisticated gift
- do you have an A3 printer? If so, scan any image you like off your computer, for example wallpaper, funky fabric or a landscape, print it off and you’ve created a unique sheet of wrapping paper
- fancy making posh booze? Buy cheap vodka and flavour it with sweets. Drop in a handful of toffees, mints, chocolate drops or even pear drops, leave it for a few weeks and you’ve created a luxurious drink, perfect for parties or a big night in
- honey makes a wonderful face mask. Smooth it on, leave it for fifteen minutes, wash it off. It’s 100% natural and seems to be really good at clearing spots and healing small cuts and bruises, too. I use it all the time on the scratches and insect bites I pick up when gardening
- the ancient Greeks used honey as toothpaste… other people recommend plain bicarb of soda
- clean your oven every time you use it and you won’t ever need to use that hideous poisonous proprietary cleaner
- turn your jumpers inside out before putting them in the wash and they’ll be much less likely to go all bobbly
- if you suffer from stinky feet, a sprinkling of bicarbonate of soda helps prevent your shoes getting smelly
- armpit sweat stains disappear from clothes if you drop on some vinegar and leave it for ten minutes
- re-use leftover cooked rice – just rinse and re-heat it
- cheap cuts of meat are just as good as expensive ones. You just need to learn to cook them properly to make the most of them. Go Google!
- need a new washing machine? Go for something simple instead of choosing one with millions of fancy settings you never use
- buy a second hand refurbished or reconditioned bicycle instead of a new one
- ground elder isn’t all bad. It’s a weed, but people used to plant it on purpose as a garden vegetable. Delicious!