Time for a new tightwad tips thread!

One of mine for this week, is to leave your husband home when you go shopping. It is easier to say no to your kids than to your husband.

Another one is to use cloth instead of paper whenever possible. Like cleaning rags, napkins,diapers etc...

Here I also have a question and a comment. What is it with toilet paper??? It is so hard to figure out what is a good deal. Sometimes I stand in the aisle just flabberghasted (sp?, sorry my dictionary has disappeared!)!!! Should you get the regular, double, triple, two- ply? It is enough to really confuse a person! I generally get mine at Aldi's as I think it is a little cheaper there, but it is a confusing thing to figure out!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), January 26, 2002

Answers

On TT, I usually buy 2 ply, and I usually get the WM brand in the 24 roll pack. What I do is compare square footage. The most popular brand is probably Charmin, but the square footage is a lot less for the same number of rolls.

I now buy the higher dollar paper towels, but I buy the Bounty Select- a - Size. I rarely use them, but you can tear off just a small sheet. DH likes to use them to dry his hands. These last a lot longer.

-- connie in nm (karrelandconnie@msn.com), January 26, 2002.

We had a friend who did experiments with toilet paper, trying to figure this out. SHe tried MANY different brands from cheap to expensive. She would write a date on the inside of the roll when she put it on. She made sure she was the one to change the roll. One came out far and above in front of the others. It is the Scott brand. So, we tried it and it is true. It outlasts all the others and is not the highest end price wise. Hope this helps some.

-- Mike & Marci (TheBlubaughs@amazinggrazefarm.com), January 26, 2002.

buy scott on sale.

-- DW (djwallace@sotc.net), January 26, 2002.

I agree that Scott toliet paper is the best buy. We have been using it for years.

-- Jo in PA (farmerjo02@yahoo.com), January 26, 2002.

Grow sweet corn eat it and save the cob. Just kidding guys. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef@getgoin.net), January 27, 2002.

Whoever the genius is who thought that "softer, gentler tissue" was a good idea is owed a big vote of thanks by the toilet-paper industry. Not by the rest of us who have to buy it and use it, but by the people who sell it. You don't want sandpaper, but have you ever noticed how stuff touted as "softer, gentler tissue" is not sufficiently robust to withstand use? This is NOT a good experience. Means you have to "double-up" on the tissue to avoid having it - um... - catastrophically deconstruct during use (or perhaps utilisation, or maybe utilization in your case). So you use a lot more toilet paper. Which is good for the manufacturers, and bad for your budget.

On the same general theme, someone in the shipping department of an Australian subsidiary of a world-wide toiletries manufacturer got well over $100,000 as a reward for their suggestion to increase toothpaste sales. Their idea? Put a wider hole on the tube! People tend to dispense toothpaste by length - to cover the length of brush. You generally don't need that much, and you certainly don't need it if the toothpaste has suddenly become almost twice the volume per unit length.

Wide holes on shampoo bottles, or opaque bottles so you don't get an idea of how much you're using. We're all aware of "puffed-up" packaging, but what about "foamed" products (e.g. soap), so it looks like you're getting more than you are, and also so the product is softer and gets washed away faster.

Watch for these tricks. Be aware of when they're trying to make you use more than is necessary.

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), January 28, 2002.

Hey Gail! Great idea!! I am going to tell my kids if they don't quit using so much that is what we are going to do this summer! They will really have a fit... I can't wait to tell them.

Don, I agree about the toothpaste. I have found that just a small dot works just as good. That fits in with my "use half as much" theory quite well. I try to use only half of much as I think I might need, and it normally works just as well.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), January 28, 2002.

I agree with your tip--my husband even said, "there's some validity to that".

I also agree about toilet paper. I don't like having to compare sale prices with regular prices and I do figure on square footage, but it seems I'm buying something different every time. Maybe I'll just start buying Scott and quit figuring.

-- Dena (ddew1962@earthlink.net), January 28, 2002.

Exactly Dena, if you could come up with some general rule, it would be easier, but the sizes and prices keep changing. I am going to check out the Scott brand and prices when I go to town this week.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), January 28, 2002.

Melissa, Kmart and Target regularly have their Scott tissue on sale 12 packs for 2/$11 (sometimes less). I only buy it then and stock up- storing my extras in my cleaned out hall closet. Amy

-- Amy Richards (amysgarden2@earthlink.net), January 28, 2002.

Thanks Amy, we have a K-mart locally but not Target, I will check there.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), January 28, 2002.

Whenever a 2-ply, 280 sheets/roll toilet paper is on sale, I usually stock up on it. A good price to remember is 20 cents or less PER ROLL. For example, our grocery store had Soft & Gentle 2-ply, 280 sheets per roll on sale for 77 cents for a 4 pack. This is a good price.

-- maggie (ruby@isp360.net), January 28, 2002.

I do the same, buy any 2 ply, 280 sheets per roll tissue on sale. Well, almost any...I have found one store which has packages of the same size as other stores, yet are MUCH lighter! And if you squish the package, it feels like there is no substance whatsoever. Makes me think their 2 ply tissue must be pretty light and flimsy so I've avoided it. Other than that, I've found most 2 ply brands to be similar. I stock up during sales, so never purchase unless I find it at $3.99 or less for a 24 pack. When I've found a sale on Scott tissue, the rolls do seem to last a lot longer, however they are always considerably more expensive and good sales are infrequent. I haven't taken the time to figure out if my usual method of buying tissue or buying the Scotts would be the better buy.

My dh rarely ever has time to do any grocery shopping with me, so I don't have to deal with that problem. He's never a problem with adding extras to my budget...my problem with taking him is he is one of those "charge through the store and get everything on the list in 5 minutes or less" types. I do shop with a list, but to get the best deals I still have to compare volume, weights, etc. which I cannot do when I am being hurried. I also watch for in-store specials, which takes some comparison shopping to make sure it is a good buy. And I always watch for errors at the checkout stand, hard to do if you're with someone. If I have dh, kids or grandkids with me, I just buy the specific items I went in for (as little as possible!) and get out of there ASAP or I blow my budget. I like to grocery shop alone with plenty of time.

I buy very few cleaning supplies. I keep some basic soaps, ammonia, bleach, and vinegar etc. and find I can do most everything I need to with those. The exceptions are a furniture polish which I use very sparingly, and a toilet cleaner for hard water.

Paper towels - For household use we use rags most of the time. I buy an inexpensive brand to have on hand for those rare but ugly messes like dropping an egg on the floor or cleaning up something especially greasy as I don't like that stuff in my washing machine. But I only buy Bounty select-a-size for washing my goats before milking. Two narrow strips are just right for washing and drying off and they hold up better than cheaper brands. I tried using small rags but the cost of running a small load in the washer and dryer, plus bleach etc. was higher than using paper towels.

-- Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), January 29, 2002.

I was just peeling apples, I tasted one and they aren't very juicy. When this happens, I let them sit in water after I peel and cut in slices for awhile. Depending how dry they are. They other day I had some stored in the refrig for a while and I left them for over an hour. These won't need that long. I also will add apple cider and maple syrup when I put them in a deep dish to make a pie. I've always had good tasting pies or sauces doing the apples this way.

-- Jo in Central Wa. (countryjo16@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.

On the above advice on apples. I didn't say drain the apples from the water before making pies or sauce. I hope everyone understood. I don't write as good as I could show you.

-- Jo in Central Wa. (countryjo16@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.

I keep in mind a certain price I'll pay for items like shampoo - never more than $1.00 per bottle; never more than 50 cents per roll of paper towels (don't use many); no more than 25 cents per roll of toilet paper; never more than .99/lb for hamburger, no more than $1.00 per box of tissues, etc. I don't pay much attention to brand names. Most of the time this works out, but when I find a product I'm not crazy about, I just won't buy it again. When items go on sale, I stock up. Rarely run out before the next sale.

I wear tube socks just about every day. When I put them on, I make a consciencious effort to switch them around so I wear them out evenly. When they do wear out, they become dusting rags.

I only use paper towels for moping up grease spills and cleaning off my butcher block countertops. Instead of buying those towels in bleach, I mix up some bleach and water in a spray bottle, spritz the countertops and wipe down with a paper towel. That way, I'm wiping up germs and tossing them in the trash can.

Wishing you enough.

-- Trevilians (aka Dianne in MA) (Trevilians@mediaone.net), January 30, 2002.

I started buying the c.v.s. brand toilet paper. It is their off brand of scott. I buy it when they have it on sale for 3 rolls for .99 cents. I really stock up on it so the next time they have it on sale I buy more.

It seems to be the best deal for my family. Those of you that buy scott check out the c.v.s. brand next time.

I am talking about the C.V.S. drug store.

-- sweet_mae (sweet_mae86@hotmail.com), January 31, 2002.

I haven't answered here before so maybe these have all been said, if so sorry. I don't dry the dishes in the dishwasher, I open the door and let them air dry. 1.It saves energy (I know washing by hand saves more energy), 2. the mositure is nice in the house this time of year and 3. they're dry in just a few mins. Another thing we do is use the crockpot for putting humidity in the air. We used to have a humidifier but it quit working. Instead of replacing it we started using an old crockpot. The crockpot works so well and puts out warm moisture instead of freezing cold. One more thing is we vent the dryer (elec) into the house in the winter. Use a nylon stocking on the end of the tubing and there again you get needed moisture and heat into the house. Be sure you keep the lint cleaned out.

For my bargain of the day, I stocked up on tp at the store today. Four rolls of Northern for $.79. Makes me proud to get bargains, I'm such a tightwad.....:)

-- Anna in Iowa (countryanna54@hotmail.com), January 31, 2002.

I am trying to find out if northern quilted toliet tissue put out a 36 roll-2 ply package? Can anyone help me pls. lckjane@hotmail.com

-- jane Kahler (llckjane@hotmail.com), September 11, 2002.