Savings Fails - things you've tried or considered

[tzolkin]

. OTOH, I have kids put things in the wash after they've put them on and modeled them for all of 5 minutes--drives me nuts! Funny how my oldest DD's opinion of washing frequency changed when she became responsible for doing (and paying for) her own laundry!

Yes, my oldest would try on several outfits each day and leave them on the floor of her closet because she was too lazy to hang them up. Then, when cleaning her room she would put basically her entire wardrobe (unworn) into the hamper. When I made her start helping with laundry and putting away her own clothes, I wound up with just a fraction of her items.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I think the point is, everyone's situation is different. DH frequently wears his jeans more than once regularly, but if he's been hauling brush or something, they get washed right away. OTOH, I have kids put things in the wash after they've put them on and modeled them for all of 5 minutes--drives me nuts! Funny how my oldest DD's opinion of washing frequency changed when she became responsible for doing (and paying for) her own laundry!

Exactly. I work in an air conditioned office. And it's cold here in the winter. I wear a pair of dress pants, sit at a desk, don't spill anything on them, go home and put on sweats. Those dress pants can be worn again. I wasn't sweating, worn for only 9 hours, nothing spilled on them.
Jeans should not be washed that often.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...ou-should-never-wash-your-jeans-a6881031.html

 

[aprilchem]

Couponing. Nearly all the coupons we get are for processed foods, so in the midst of getting deals I was bringing processed foods into the house.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Couponing. Nearly all the coupons we get are for processed foods, so in the midst of getting deals I was bringing processed foods into the house.

I feel you on that one! 90% of the time, whatever the sale is for, it's for a brand-name, over-processed item with way too much packaging! I know, that's why they call them loss leaders but... yeah it's frustrating when you would like to have a coupon for milk or butter, and instead, it's for a box of microwave pizzas!

 

[kymom99]

I feel you on that one! 90% of the time, whatever the sale is for, it's for a brand-name, over-processed item with way too much packaging! I know, that's why they call them loss leaders but... yeah it's frustrating when you would like to have a coupon for milk or butter, and instead, it's for a box of microwave pizzas!

I find Kroger coupons to be the best. I guess they send me coupons based on the things I buy the most. Deli meat, vitamins, etc. love getting those. But I agree, the ones that come in the paper aren't very good, except those for paper products, cleaning supplies, body wash, etc.

 

[brooke789]

A few things come to mind:

Making our own laundry detergent. It just didn't work. In fact it was leaving some kind of residue on clothing and all but ruining clothes.

Mixing dishwasher powder with baking soda. Read it as a savings thing to extend your dishwashing detergent. One time when we were buying another big box of baking soda DH noticed that it was the same price per ounce as just the detergent so we'd be wasting our time mixing the two, etc. haha

Hang drying outside. We did use cloth diapers for all 3 of our kids. I wanted to dry them outside b/c everyone said how great it was and huge savings on the dryer. We had a few problems here. First we had twin babies and I'm spending 20 minutes trying to hang laundry on the line vs the 60 seconds it would take to move them washer to dryer. Second, we were being stung by bees both hanging and taking down the laundry. Third, everything coming in from outside smelled like a wet dog. Why does everyone say how good laundry smells from outside it was so bad it stunk up our entire house to bring in one laundry basket. Gross!

 

[kymom99]

A few things come to mind:

Making our own laundry detergent. It just didn't work. In fact it was leaving some kind of residue on clothing and all but ruining clothes.

Mixing dishwasher powder with baking soda. Read it as a savings thing to extend your dishwashing detergent. One time when we were buying another big box of baking soda DH noticed that it was the same price per ounce as just the detergent so we'd be wasting our time mixing the two, etc. haha

Hang drying outside. We did use cloth diapers for all 3 of our kids. I wanted to dry them outside b/c everyone said how great it was and huge savings on the dryer. We had a few problems here. First we had twin babies and I'm spending 20 minutes trying to hang laundry on the line vs the 60 seconds it would take to move them washer to dryer. Second, we were being stung by bees both hanging and taking down the laundry. Third, everything coming in from outside smelled like a wet dog. Why does everyone say how good laundry smells from outside it was so bad it stunk up our entire house to bring in one laundry basket. Gross!

My mom hung our clothes out most of my younger years. We never smelled bad. However, we lived in a rural area so little air pollution. Also, if there wasn't a beeeze, things were crunchy. You can toss them in the dryer for 5 minutes to take care of these issues. I will say however that I do not hang my clothes outside.

 

[QueenIsabella]

See, I like hanging my sheets, at least, outside. They smell wonderful when I bring them in--not sure what's going on with the PP. I'm not particularly fond of lugging all our laundry out to a clothesline--I've done it, in a pinch or when finances were super-tight, but it's not my favorite. I also like having an outdoor clothesline for things like bathing suits and beach towels--stuff that might be damp, but I don't want sitting around for days (or could be re-used).

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

See, I like hanging my sheets, at least, outside. They smell wonderful when I bring them in--not sure what's going on with the PP. I'm not particularly fond of lugging all our laundry out to a clothesline--I've done it, in a pinch or when finances were super-tight, but it's not my favorite. I also like having an outdoor clothesline for things like bathing suits and beach towels--stuff that might be damp, but I don't want sitting around for days (or could be re-used).

Some items aren't supposed to be machine dried, including the all-in-one cloth diapers we bought for when baby arrives. We have a drying rack that I just use in the house when something isn't supposed to be machine dried. Everything dries just fine- no crunchy feeling, no bad smell. But I don't live somewhere that is overly humid, which could probably affect drying items in the house.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Yeah, I use a drying rack regularly--right now, it has two of DD14's sweater thingies on it (they're knit crop tops, I think. The dryer would kill them). I also hang dry lingerie and bathing suits--I have a dozen or so hooks in my laundry area that make this easy. Where we live (NC), it's humid in summer, and storms can sneak up on us quickly, so I don't hang outside so much. Indoors. it's air-conditioned--probably not the best for economy, but there you have it.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Mixing dishwasher powder with baking soda. Read it as a savings thing to extend your dishwashing detergent. One time when we were buying another big box of baking soda DH noticed that it was the same price per ounce as just the detergent so we'd be wasting our time mixing the two, etc. haha

Oh yeah - some of the basic ingredients that used to be cheap, not so much now. Baking soda, cream of tartar, borax, etc. have all gotten really pricey. And vinegar is getting that way too. DIY is costing more money as a choice sometimes, when the chemical companies can pump out these loss-leaders of brand-name cleaners. Even when you are trying to buy it in bulk!

 

[brooke789]

My mom hung out clothes out most of my younger years. We never smelled bad. However, we lived in a rural area so little air pollution. Also, if there wasn't a beeeze, things were crunchy. You can toss them in the dryer for 5 minutes to take care of these issues. I will say however that I do not hang my clothes outside.

See, I like hanging my sheets, at least, outside. They smell wonderful when I bring them in--not sure what's going on with the PP. I'm not particularly fond of lugging all our laundry out to a clothesline--I've done it, in a pinch or when finances were super-tight, but it's not my favorite. I also like having an outdoor clothesline for things like bathing suits and beach towels--stuff that might be damp, but I don't want sitting around for days (or could be re-used).

Re the smell: I've read the bad smell is high humidity. It's probably why no one here seems to hang outside.