What About Non-Food Stuff?

**britbunny** · 02-10-2009, 03:37 AM

Hi,

How do you all save money on non-food items? Things like cleaning products, toiletries, household stuff and things like that?

For me it involves a bit of shopping around, waiting for sales and then stocking up - especially for things like toilet paper, I like to use a particular brand so do the rounds and wait until it's a price I want to pay for it then buy loads and stash it away. I used to use stardrops but stopped when I couldn't find out their animal testing policy - so I use Bio D now and it's pretty good and lasts a loooong time.

I like shampoo bars from Lush for my hair, I think they're about £3.95 each but I had my last one for about 10 months so I thought it was vfm.

**tiff** · 02-10-2009, 04:16 AM

At the moment I use Tesco own brand washing machine tablets but will prob switch to powder soon. I use value dishwasher tablets. DH will only use branded toiletries so I get whatever is on offer or get branded items from the 99p shop. They have Colgate toothpaste in there, 2 stuck together for 99p, also Colgate toothbrushes which are nearly £3 in Tesco. At the moment, Tesco has an own brand shampoo that is 99p in all flavours except apple which is 56p, so I've bought a load of that.

I used to use stardrops but couldnt be bothered hunting it down, so I use Tesco own flash equivalent, bleach, washing up liquid.

As you can see, I'm trying to pare things right down although I can go cheaper I think. We're really trying to clear debts (not massives ones, but will take a while to clear), clear overdraft and then build some savings.

I would love to hear what everyone else does.

**britbunny** · 02-10-2009, 04:37 AM

Toothbrushes! You are so right, I buy ours from Home Bargains and they are so much cheaper than other places!

When we were getting out of debt we cut everything to the bone. For cleaning I used Ecover laundry and washing up liquid (we have really soft water so I only needed a tiny bit of laundry liquid thankfully, and we don't have a dishwasher). For cleaning everything else I used microfibre cloths, for scrubbing I used those bath puff things and stardrops, cheap shampoo or just a bar of soap. We stopped buying fabric conditioner, kitchen roll, cling film, foil and all that.

Toiletries we used the cheapest stuff from the co-op - shower gel, toothpaste, anti-perspirant etc. We got all products in a neutral fragrance so DH and I could both use it. I experimented to see how little we could use, watered stuff down etc. I grew my hair so I didn't need to use products on it and I used clippers on DH's hair so he didn't need to style it either. We stopped buying air freshener and stuff like that - now I just open the windows and if needed use a bicarb and water mix as a smell remover/fabric refresher.

Speaking of deoderants I now use a pitrok - they are GREAT and last for ages. We've been for big hikes and all manner of things with no problems. I bought a travel size for about £3 in August and there's still loads left.

I'm looking round the house for other things we do now...

**AdamantEve** · 02-10-2009, 05:28 AM

This list might be a bit of a mess, but...

i'm using bicarbonate of soda and vinegar as my two main cleaners along with micro-fiber cloths. I got a huge bag of soda from Costco for about five pounds and Sainsbury's basics vinegar for about 17p and I use them to clean everything:
*make a paste to clean the bathroom or kitchen sink
*sprinkle it on the carpet and then vacuum it up the next morning to keep the place smelling clean
*toss it in the drain and then add vinegar to unclog a slow drain
*add it to my laundry to boost my detergent
*little sachets of soda in the fridge, bathroom and bedroom to absorb moisture and odors.
*sprinkle some in the trashcan to help with odors

I use mysupermarket.co.uk to help with the shopping budgeting- I don't know of a co-op local to my area. I did just find a nice, weekend market for inexpensive produce, so I will be buying there.

charity shops are my friend- love them for finding things I need, or just the occasional shopping fix (but I wish I could find one that sold furniture).

freecycle and boot sales have also been helpful.

towards the end of my shampoo and conditioner bottles, i add water to stretch them out (I only add water to the END of the shampoo bottle though)

crafting when I'm bored using found objects or things already in my stash.

I joined the library and love going there and getting my free reading material.

**Scattymum** · 02-10-2009, 06:12 AM

i dont use value tablets for the dishwasher - i find that they dont clean as well so sometimes have to put the dishes through again. However i never pay full price for the named stuff - you can always find boxes on the reduced counter that have been ripped or squashed - the tablets are all there and fine its just the packaging and they are always half the normal price.

washing powder we buy from the boot sale - there is always a bloke their selling the huge boxes - half the price of the supermarket and lasts for 3 months.

cleaning stuff i tend to get a multipurpose spray from aldi - i dont buy cleaning cloths - make my own from the kids old t shirts.

do you have a Wilkinsons near you? my mum has one where she lives in england and i find them sooo cheap compared to other shops

**britbunny** · 02-10-2009, 06:18 AM

Hi,

We do have a Wilko and I buy a few things from there but tbh I don't find it that cheap really, we have Home Bargains which is alot cheaper than that. I use old socks and clothes for cleaning too. But I do love my microfibre (freebies from Lakeland).

Charity shops are great, I volunteer at one so I have to be careful to not snap up too many bargains (although I do think the pricing can be a little off at times). They're great for books - especially recipe books and the bric a brac is great too. We have a couple that do furniture, DH's grandmother has had a few great bits and bobs from them - and they've even delivered for her too.

**Bournecrazy** · 02-10-2009, 06:57 AM

we use tesco own brand washing powder and i think its just as good, also use store own conditioner too.

As for the dishwasher tablets they are also tesco own and they seem to do our dishes fine, could be the type of water in the area.

I love lush products but i find they can be to expensive some times so i only go so often. I found a cheap brand of shampoo & conditioner and its the best thing i have found for my hair its about 99p a bottle from savers - tescos do every other colour in the range apart from the one i need.

We also havea great store in the city that sells lemsips 5pk for 99p in boots you will probably get them for 3x the amount

I use ebay for any makeup items (i make sure they are new tho) if i want something i will look in the local stores like boots or superdrug and them see if i can get it online for cheaper with the delivery costs too, i get my foundation (retail £13) off ebay for a couple of quid and its lasts ages.

**Scattymum** · 02-10-2009, 12:36 PM

you could be right bourne about the dishwasher Tabs - we have well water and its very hard - might be something to do with it

**Bournecrazy** · 02-10-2009, 07:55 PM

this is a hard water area so it could be somethign to do with that

**Scattymum** · 02-11-2009, 03:35 AM

i also meant to say Britbunny, about the lush stuff - its lovely!! I buy trhe shampoo bars as well - they are excellent! the other stuff i dont tend to buy as it can be expensive but the shampoo bars are well worth it

**britbunny** · 02-11-2009, 06:08 AM

Originally Posted by Scattymum

i also meant to say Britbunny, about the lush stuff - its lovely!! I buy trhe shampoo bars as well - they are excellent! the other stuff i dont tend to buy as it can be expensive but the shampoo bars are well worth it

I agree with that, loads of the other stuff does seem expensive - maybe it's because the facemasks and stuff are "fresh". I do like the "bohemian" soap too, but for vfm I think the shampoo bars are great!

**she who can not cook** · 03-28-2009, 05:03 PM

How about quality save and poundland ect dead cheap cleaning stuff i even get blaech tablets from the one near me very cheap 36 for a pound equal to 36 bottles of litre bleach

**she who can not cook** · 03-28-2009, 05:06 PM

forgot to add i too go on my supermarket not a bad site

**Peaches** · 03-29-2009, 09:12 AM

I also clean my house with baking soda and vinegar. I add a few drops of essential oil (whatever I'm in the mood for) to make the house smell lovely.

I make my own soap and shampoo bars.

I buy toilet paper, laundry detergent and kitchen roll from Costco. The TP and KR last around 3 months each, and I tend to buy laundry detergent (on average) about once a year.

**ZenTherapy** · 03-29-2009, 12:57 PM

• toothpaste, dish and laundry detergent: I buy them when on sale and in bulk (like, 4 toothpastes €4.50, 3L dish detergents €4)
• deodorant: I use a mineral crystal, it's eco and lasts forever
• and as for soap: a big aleppo bar is hydrating and long-lasting
(I splurge on shampoo and conditioner though)