Things cheap people do
Discussion
I'm house sitting somewhere that has a dishwasher for the next few weeks - I don't have one at home, but went out today to buy some dishwasher tablets for the duration of my stay.HOW MUCH!!! They're expensive things to buy - so I would expect any cheap or frugal person would do their own washing up rather than fork out a kings ransom for a few dishwasher tablets to feed a machine that takes hours to clean dishes and takes a load of water too.
condor said:
I'm house sitting somewhere that has a dishwasher for the next few weeks - I don't have one at home, but went out today to buy some dishwasher tablets for the duration of my stay.HOW MUCH!!! They're expensive things to buy - so I would expect any cheap or frugal person would do their own washing up rather than fork out a kings ransom for a few dishwasher tablets to feed a machine that takes hours to clean dishes and takes a load of water too.
Not so sure about that. 10p for the tablet that washes a huge amount of dishes v liquid and hot water for a dozen smaller washes in the sink. There can’t be that much in it. BoRED S2upid said:
Not so sure about that. 10p for the tablet that washes a huge amount of dishes v liquid and hot water for a dozen smaller washes in the sink. There can’t be that much in it.
I bought 20 all in one tablets from an own supermarket brand that cost £3. There's only me to consider so not many plates or pots and pans - though being Christmas I do plan on using the oven a lot. No idea how many litres of water the dishwasher uses, but way more than a bowlful. A bottle of washing up liquid costs approx £1 and lasts me nearly a year!samsock said:
I consider myself ultra frugal, but happily spend 20 quid on lunch at a Michelin starred pub this afternoon. It was great value. I ordered tap water...
I have resisted posting so far, and I know this debate has been done before, but you being a cheapskate means it's probably less likely to be a well-regarded eatery in the future. Yes, I know, water's 'free', and 20 quid undoubtedly feels like a lot to you for lunch, but unless lots of diners pay that, the chef and front of house staff are out of a job, and your pub gets converted into a house. There's sensible-with-money, and there's short-term expediency that sees everything gone.
condor said:
BoRED S2upid said:
Not so sure about that. 10p for the tablet that washes a huge amount of dishes v liquid and hot water for a dozen smaller washes in the sink. There can’t be that much in it.
I bought 20 all in one tablets from an own supermarket brand that cost £3. There's only me to consider so not many plates or pots and pans - though being Christmas I do plan on using the oven a lot. No idea how many litres of water the dishwasher uses, but way more than a bowlful. A bottle of washing up liquid costs approx £1 and lasts me nearly a year!
An article on Dishwasher vs Hand Washing from 'TreeHugger':
https://www.treehugger.com/kitchen-design/built-in...
Dishwashers typically use between 4-6 gallons of water according to the article.
https://www.treehugger.com/kitchen-design/built-in...
Dishwashers typically use between 4-6 gallons of water according to the article.
JaredVannett said:
An article on Dishwasher vs Hand Washing from 'TreeHugger':
https://www.treehugger.com/kitchen-design/built-in...
Dishwashers typically use between 4-6 gallons of water according to the article.
Guessing that is a full size dishwasher as my slimline on the Eco cycle uses approx 10.5L according to the handbookhttps://www.treehugger.com/kitchen-design/built-in...
Dishwashers typically use between 4-6 gallons of water according to the article.
samsock said:
CharlesdeGaulle said:
I have resisted posting so far, and I know this debate has been done before, but you being a cheapskate means it's probably less likely to be a well-regarded eatery in the future. Yes, I know, water's 'free', and 20 quid undoubtedly feels like a lot to you for lunch, but unless lots of diners pay that, the chef and front of house staff are out of a job, and your pub gets converted into a house.
There's sensible-with-money, and there's short-term expediency that sees everything gone.
I spend 100s a month in the place and tip well.... I'm not a cheapskate thanks. There's sensible-with-money, and there's short-term expediency that sees everything gone.
This gives a slightly different impression and, I thought, suggests that paying nothing for drinks was a savvy move on your part:
samsock said:
I consider myself ultra frugal, but happily spend 20 quid on lunch at a Michelin starred pub this afternoon. It was great value. I ordered tap water...
Nonetheless, in true internet arguing style, I think we pretty much agree with the bigger point!The cold water is collected in a bucket in the bath. The toilet mechanism has been elastic band so it doesn't auto refill after a flush. I then refill with the water. Number 2 = flush, number 1 = a few before flush. Am on meter, not sure how much money its saved but it will save the planet a little.
200Plus Club said:
Assume you mean you store this water in a jug perhaps to them add to the toilet cistern as it refills after a flush? Otherwise adding it to a full cistern prob sends it straight down the overflow!
Top tips
Cut out the middle man so to speak and just use it to flush the loo with from the jug?.
Mark it up as "No1s only" incase not quite enough for a full jobby? :-)
Top tips
Cut out the middle man so to speak and just use it to flush the loo with from the jug?.
Mark it up as "No1s only" incase not quite enough for a full jobby? :-)
Sebastian Tombs said:
I have for a long time maintained two standards on which I am not prepared to compromise, and if other things have to be dispensed with to maintain them so be it.
1. I don't ever want to be cold in my own house. I hate going round people's houses and then freezing.
2. I don't ever want to make my own lunch. £5-10 a day is a small price to pay for something tasty made freshly, rather than some soggy sarnie or leftovers that other people seem to be satisfied with at lunchtime.
Having said that I never go into coffee shops, as decent coffee is free at work, and I never buy still bottled water as perfectly clear and tasty water is free out of the tap.
I also don't anyone anything except for the mortgage. It took me long enough to work my way out of student debt in the first place.
However life is too short for cheap beer, poor wine, crap shoes, or diesel cars.
Agree 100% with the last sentence!1. I don't ever want to be cold in my own house. I hate going round people's houses and then freezing.
2. I don't ever want to make my own lunch. £5-10 a day is a small price to pay for something tasty made freshly, rather than some soggy sarnie or leftovers that other people seem to be satisfied with at lunchtime.
Having said that I never go into coffee shops, as decent coffee is free at work, and I never buy still bottled water as perfectly clear and tasty water is free out of the tap.
I also don't anyone anything except for the mortgage. It took me long enough to work my way out of student debt in the first place.
However life is too short for cheap beer, poor wine, crap shoes, or diesel cars.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
OK, I'm sorry if I got the wrong end of the stick and mis-represented your view, but that isn't what you inferred.
This gives a slightly different impression and, I thought, suggests that paying nothing for drinks was a savvy move on your part:
Haha, well I'm not convinced that food is much of a loss leader in a gastropub at 1130 on a Monday. But even if it was, it's not really the consumer's moral responsibility to proactively avoid loss leaders. I wouldn't avoid buying milk from a cornership, if I had nothing else to buy. This gives a slightly different impression and, I thought, suggests that paying nothing for drinks was a savvy move on your part:
My mainly I just object to the idea that discretionary consumption is somehow positively correlated with moral character! Usually it's assumed to be the opposite.
I suppose not being cheap, means treating your fellow man fairly, chipping in equally for the group benefit. Which is different topic to living frugally and deferring gratification on an individual level, which is the off topic crap I was b
king on about.Edited by samsock on Monday 17th December 21:31
[quote=Vyse]The cold water is collected in a bucket in the bath. The toilet mechanism has been elastic band so it doesn't auto refill after a flush. I then refill with the water. Number 2 = flush, number 1 = a few before flush. Am on meter, not sure how much money its saved but it will save the planet a little.
Somehow I suspect you live on your own................... and always will!!!
Somehow I suspect you live on your own................... and always will!!!
theplayingmantis said:
the mince guy
Me? Really?...I dont think you get the point i was making.
Over the last year ive earnt somewhere around £24k due to payrises.
Yet ive been on 7 flights, ive bought a car and ive bought a flat.
The bit you seem to be missing is that by cutting the s
t out of my life which really adds no value, im able to spend that same money on other, much larger things that i gain much more benefit from.And just so you know, your bit about returning the shopping for the sake of £3.50 i wouldnt even dream of it. I think thats cheap, not frugal.
It's an interesting thread, and on the face of it I'm very similar to a poster who basically said he counts the pennies so he can spend the pounds.
So I do enjoy getting discounted food at my local Tesco, and it's a double bonus when its something I was going to buy anyway. And sometimes if I'm working late and just looking for a quick meal I'll often choose a yellow sticker meal partly because it just simplifies the decision making.
I'll also try to buy my petrol at a BP garage partly because I'm a BP shareholder, but mainly to get the Nectar points. However, as they're only equivalent to about a penny per litre this only makes sense if the BP petrol's the same price or cheaper than nearby garages. There are two BP garages on my journey to work, which simplifies things, but I wouldn't deviate from my normal route just to buy BP.
Like a couple of other posters I'll also spend ages trying to get the best deal on a product I want to buy online, even though the difference might only be less than a fiver. I do so not because of the actual saving but for the mild dose of dopamine I get from having got the cheapest deal.
Yet I'll happily spend a lot on a good restaurant meal or a bottle of wine or a holiday without worrying about the cost, and I'm also quite happy to pay for other people whether it's in a restaurant or a pub without thinking I must make sure I get that value back from them.
But the difference between me and the other poster I mentioned at the beginning is that the two things aren't connected - I don't feel I can spend a lot on a meal because I've saved a few quid here or there. Likewise, I don't buy discounted food in order that I can spend freely on holidays. I'm sufficiently well paid that I can do that anyway, so the frugal habits derive from a sort of mild OCD rather than from any real need to save money.
But one tip I can give, though it'll no doubt be met with much scepticism, is not to be conned by chemical manufacturers into buying things you really don't need. The main culprit here is shampoo. For nearly all people this is completely unnecessary, and we've just been persuaded through intensive advertising that we must use it, otherwise our hair will become disgustingly greasy / lank / matted / smelly etc, etc.
It won't. I was told this by a doctor friend about 4 years ago, and I've never used shampoo since then. At first I was very sceptical, and it felt all wrong to step out of the shower without the reassuring scent of shampoo. But it's been absolutely fine - my hair is healthy and clean, and is in at least as good condition as it was before I stopped using shampoo.
I've managed to convert several friends now, and the bonus is that as well as saving money it's good for the environment, not just because pouring chemicals down the drain is bad practice but because the packaging is nearly always non-recyclable plastic. Walk along any beach in the world and one of the most common bits of plastic you'll see is a shampoo / conditioner container.
To some extent the same principle applies to washing up liquid. For most washing up you really don't need it at all - hot water will clean the plates just as efficiently. However, if you eat food that generates a lot of grease or need to clean very greasy surfaces it does definitely come into its own, so I do still have a bottle of washing up liquid (always own brand - another excellent saving tip, the majority of own brand goods are just as good as the branded ones). The difference is that a bottle now lasts a couple of years.
You know it makes sense!
So I do enjoy getting discounted food at my local Tesco, and it's a double bonus when its something I was going to buy anyway. And sometimes if I'm working late and just looking for a quick meal I'll often choose a yellow sticker meal partly because it just simplifies the decision making.
I'll also try to buy my petrol at a BP garage partly because I'm a BP shareholder, but mainly to get the Nectar points. However, as they're only equivalent to about a penny per litre this only makes sense if the BP petrol's the same price or cheaper than nearby garages. There are two BP garages on my journey to work, which simplifies things, but I wouldn't deviate from my normal route just to buy BP.
Like a couple of other posters I'll also spend ages trying to get the best deal on a product I want to buy online, even though the difference might only be less than a fiver. I do so not because of the actual saving but for the mild dose of dopamine I get from having got the cheapest deal.
Yet I'll happily spend a lot on a good restaurant meal or a bottle of wine or a holiday without worrying about the cost, and I'm also quite happy to pay for other people whether it's in a restaurant or a pub without thinking I must make sure I get that value back from them.
But the difference between me and the other poster I mentioned at the beginning is that the two things aren't connected - I don't feel I can spend a lot on a meal because I've saved a few quid here or there. Likewise, I don't buy discounted food in order that I can spend freely on holidays. I'm sufficiently well paid that I can do that anyway, so the frugal habits derive from a sort of mild OCD rather than from any real need to save money.
But one tip I can give, though it'll no doubt be met with much scepticism, is not to be conned by chemical manufacturers into buying things you really don't need. The main culprit here is shampoo. For nearly all people this is completely unnecessary, and we've just been persuaded through intensive advertising that we must use it, otherwise our hair will become disgustingly greasy / lank / matted / smelly etc, etc.
It won't. I was told this by a doctor friend about 4 years ago, and I've never used shampoo since then. At first I was very sceptical, and it felt all wrong to step out of the shower without the reassuring scent of shampoo. But it's been absolutely fine - my hair is healthy and clean, and is in at least as good condition as it was before I stopped using shampoo.
I've managed to convert several friends now, and the bonus is that as well as saving money it's good for the environment, not just because pouring chemicals down the drain is bad practice but because the packaging is nearly always non-recyclable plastic. Walk along any beach in the world and one of the most common bits of plastic you'll see is a shampoo / conditioner container.
To some extent the same principle applies to washing up liquid. For most washing up you really don't need it at all - hot water will clean the plates just as efficiently. However, if you eat food that generates a lot of grease or need to clean very greasy surfaces it does definitely come into its own, so I do still have a bottle of washing up liquid (always own brand - another excellent saving tip, the majority of own brand goods are just as good as the branded ones). The difference is that a bottle now lasts a couple of years.
You know it makes sense!
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