Need help with...

[sonj]

savings ideas...for say laundry detergent, hair care, makeup, cleaning products...etc.


I have been reading the boards as much as I can, and see a lot of great ideas I will start implementing into my life, but still need more.. I see this board as a abundant information source for me and my families financial future.

Thank you!!

[34saving]

Re: Need help with...

Hair and body care should be all but free. Get the samples in the freebies section and shop the Sunday ads -- combine sales with coupons. Seems to work especially well at generally overpriced places like pharmacies. (Just a few days ago I got 4 packs of Diet Pepsi, a bottle of lotion, and a bottle of body wash free at Walgreens. Before that it was free Crest and really cheap deoderant at CVS. As far as cleaning goes . . .

From my blog:

<i>My mom has a friend of her sister coming in to stay to with them. She's concerned about getting the house clean because her sister's friend has some pretty hard core allergies. So, without further discussion (I have no idea how to spell the French word that belongs in that space) here are Ruth's hints for cleaning without the nasty chemicals that come in most cleaning products. These methods are cheaper too!

1) Water really works well for a lot of things. If your water is really hard, used distilled water. Works great on floors and for dusting. A damp rag works wonders (Okay, don't use lots of water on unsealed wood floors, but who has those?) Combine water and a 3M magic cloth (yes, I'm partial to 3M . . .probably because I worked there all through college) and you've got your glass covered too. (Magic cloths also work great on scummy build up in bathrooms and hottubs. . . .Not that I'm ever looking for a cheap alternative to all the hottub care products you supposedly need . . .)

2) If you're temped to use something like oxyclean (blood, grass, non-oily organic things) try hydrogen peroxide. (Make sure its reasonably fresh . . . if you don't see any bubbling (esp with blood) get some new stuff.)

3) Vinegar works as a fabric softener (who'd a think it?). Also cleans hard water deposits, light rust, ovens, microwaves. Works well on odors too. (As long as it's something you can wash the vinegar out of when you're done ) BTW, if you're cleaning your oven more than 2 times a year use a bigger pan! (Or at least put some Aluminum foil on the bottom to catch the drips!)

4) Baking soda works well as a deodorant and as a scrubing paste. (Just don't mix with vinegar )

5) Bleach takes out mold and mildew (gotta be careful here though . . .) Lysol works well here too . . .and Lysol is basically just alcohol, so you could use that too.

6) Rubbing alcohol also does a number on ink. (Just don't get the kind with added color )

I'm sorry if you're reading this and thinking "duh", but by the looks of all the expensive cleaning products out there . . .</i>

[marjorie]

Re: Need help with...

Great suggestions. Also remember the drug stores that offer FARs (items free after rebate).
Don't know how far you want to take things, but if you're looking for guerrilla frugality, there are recipes on the web for making laundry detergent. Seems like too much work to me, so I can't vouch for how well it works. Dryers are good during the summer of course, and survey sites will sometimes send out products for you to test, making comparisons of one product against another. Old boyfriend once got 12 tee shirts this way! Bleach and vinegar will clean many items, and prevent cleaning drawer overload. Dollar stores can also help. You may wish to look at the website www.mycoupons.com. The sign up is free, the information can be very helpful. Look over the titles, and see what you think might be helpful. Let us know what else we can do to help...

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Need help with...

beautywise, I am partial to knowing what I am putting on my face, I have found that:

Olive oil works great as a moisturizer, but there is a long 'soak time' so don't get a kiss on the cheek for 20 minutes. Well worth the wait to me, and only DS kisses on the cheek so I am safe after he is in bed, or 20 minutes before bed .

Cleanser, My kids bath wash works great on the face, and much cheaper than the traditional gels I used to use. (gentler too)

Scrub, for deep cleaning once in awhile I like to use white sugar mixed with olive oil, it works better than any comercial one I have tried, but the same soak in rule applies.

Hair care, I found a recipie for making cheap shamnpoo into really good shampoo with an egg, but I havn't run out of mine yet so I havn't tried it. I bet a google search would come up with a similar recipie (cause I am lazy when it comes to typing!)

I also know that a great many people dump tons of hairspray or other products on their hair and cannot brush root to tip so are not taking advantage of the natural oils made at the scalp. A change of hairstyle might be cheaper. (at the very least try to dry brush your hair at least once in awhile, as opposed to wet)

[marglo]

Re: Need help with...

I get lots of freebies off the net. I also do Walgreens (and sometimes Rite-aids) rebates.
I don't buy a lot of cleaning products...like I make my own glass cleaner. I cut my fabric softener sheets in 2 and still work well.

I get some skin care products on ebay ...was a little leery at first but it's been ok so far and much cheaper for the "good stuff."

I used to stock pile...and it may be ok for families but for just the 2 of us, I find I actually spend less when I only buy what we need and even let us run out of some things before buying.

[cercis]

Re: Need help with...

The best tip I've heard is to try using less. Use half as much as you used to use and continue cutting the amount used in half until it doesn't work anymore, then add more.

I dilute my shampoo. I have long hair and find that the thicker shampoo doesn't want to "flow" down my hair to get roots to tip clean. So I dilute it and it flows and lathers the whole way.

I've also cut down the number of times I washed my hair. I have split ends like you wouldn't believe. I don't blowdry or use styling products, so I've done what I can there. The next tip I was given was to encourage more natural oils. So I slowly stretched how often I wash my hair to 2x/week. I rinse in between to rinse out allergens. My hair looks a lot better now and it doesn't look greasy on the last day before a wash. It's also less frizzy and fly-away these days.

I use baking soda and vinegar to clean. Boiling water too. I did actually have unsealed wood floors, but I used a damp mop on them (almost dry, just barely wet). Pour baking soda and vinegar down drains to keep them unstopped (the kids love this because it bubbles. I clean the tub with baking soda (instead of comet or something like that) and then rinse that off with vinegar - it's a lot like scrubbing bubbles. I pour straight vinegar into the toilet and let it sit for 20-30 minutes (or longer) and it dissolves the hard water stains.

Also, wiping things every day makes a lot of difference in what you have to do to clean. Rinsing the hair daily helps to minimize how often you need to wash. Wiping counters keeps them looking clean.

Make-up - experiment with the cheaper things. What I've noticed makes little difference is powders. Eye shadow, blush and loose powder. Any brand works for those, as long as you can find a suitable shade. Spend the money on the cremes - lipstick and foundation. See if you can get away with no foundation. I've found that a nice moisturizer, allow to sit, then dust with loose powder and then proceed with makeup routine works well. I don't look "madeup" but the blemishes are controlled.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Need help with...

... I have split ends like you wouldn't believe. ....

Cut them off before the head up any further on your hair!

I know DH alwasy whines cause he misses the length, but it is healthier for your hair to cut them off.

Loved the rest of the tips, never thought about diluting my shampoo, though I do wash in two sections, top half then bottom sometimes to save on shampoo.

[cercis]

Re: Need help with...

Yeah, dh trimmed my hair for me last night. I think he missed a few though. I'm going to see if he can figure out how to layer some since it's just the top layer that gets bad (must be the sun and salt from the beach).

The henna is supposed to help, but I haven't been doing it enough.

[34saving]

Re: Need help with...

I've never tried this (my hair isn't nearly long enough) but . . . I've heard if you bend over, comb all your hair down and then cut straight across you get subtle layers (which makes sense I guess . . .)

[CRFSaver]

Re: Need help with...

I am not even gonna say what i spent on my last hair cut...

[cicy33]

Re: Need help with...

Definitely do not wash your hair more than 3 times a week. Unless you have really oily hair. You will actually damage it by washing it daily. When applying shampoo or conditioner (I have really thick hair) do it in steps. ex. put a small amount in your hand, then put that on an area and then do it again. that way you don't dump it all in one spot it is worked in all over. Too much conditioner makes it more greasy looking too. Don't touch your hair alot between washings, that makes it really oily. Absolutely correct on the cutting of the split ends, get them off of there!