Frugality, at any sense, does not mean tightening one’s belt, and making sacrifices not to do, taste, or experience one or the other. Although at some point it may lead to really having to do some sacrifices, this is where I will be giving you tips to maximize something before throwing it out to the trashcan.
Most people are already well-informed on how they can minimize wasting, and perhaps most of us think that we are doing a great job. However, have you ever thought that maybe you could have something to use for another day before completely agreeing that a product is completely empty.
Let us start with the ones which might be obvious for everyone and check on those which might surprise you.
1. Toothpaste madness. Most people would be using tubes, whatever size they prefer, for their dental care, but are you aware that this product is one of the most wasted. Since there would be more protection using a tube than the sachets, which could not be sealed, everybody might think that they are fully using the toothpaste at the very last drop.
So how do most people maximize toothpaste? While it is up to one’s preference on how to start with it. Probably at the tip or at the middle. Most of us would have the same method of using squeezing out “everything” by pressing the tube flat then pushing more on its sides until all of those left toothpaste come out. While this can do the trick, there is still a part of the tube which most of us ignore. This is the part right before the tube mouth. The plastic used in this part is harder than the rest of the tube primarily because it hols the mouth. Though we can press and squeeze the aluminum-like skin of the tube, we can only push the remaining toothpaste on the mouth and could never really get over the leftover around that area.
So what do we do? Plainly cut the tube wherever you think there would be left toothpaste for a couple of brushing. As frugal as I am, I usually cut toothpaste tubes three times. First at the bottom end where I brush off all the leftovers on the pouch. Next, I would brush off the sides, which were formerly pressed and squeezed, to get totally clean the left paste before I cut it. Then finally, I reach the plastic head and believe me, there would be so much toothpaste that can help you for even more than a day’s brushing.
2. Gooey go go. There are so many products which come in bottles like conditioner, sauce, oil, and the like. Unless these fluids can actually come out of the bottle instantly and altogether, then these products can be squeezed out drop by drop. After using these items normally as you would, at some point when the bottle is almost empty, it would even be harder to squeeze out the goo. Or shall I say, it is hard to use every drop and that leaves some inside the bottle walls and be thrown out. What a waste! What I do when these things are almost empty, I would turn the bottle upside down perhaps a day or an hour before using it. But before doing so, I would make sure that the bottle cap would hold all the left amount of fluid inside. By the time I need to use it, I would just hold the bottle carefully, open the cap, and just use it as a cup for the fluid. A small bottle cap-full of oil may still be of help when frying your lunch and this amount is definitely enough for conditioning your hair.
3. Diluting products. Another way of thoroughly using the contents of bottles is to add water in it. Water washes every single drop of the product in it although there are some fluids which can never be diluted and would have to be worked on like the previous tip. Shampoos, dishwashing liquids and the others can fall under this category. While most people knew and would have been practicing this already, just remember to add a small amount of water in the bottle while rotating it. This way, you will be able to wash off all the fluids on the bottle’s walls.
4. Cut the plastic. Now how about those refills which come in resealable plastics or sachets? Refills usually come in resealable plastics for the purpose of having a temporary container for such products and the same would have to be transferred to bottles once opened. However, transferring them to bottles would just keep some fluids to the walls or sometimes in order to help declutter, most of us prefer to use the refills original container instead. Although it would be easier to take out all the remaining fluid in these kinds of plastics, there is still goo left on the walls and the best way to take it all out to use is to cut the plastic thoroughly. After the plastic container has been totally exposed, it is either you can dilute the fluid with water or you can even wipe the goo right out.
When using free shampoo sachets I get from buying bigger bottles of it, I would always open the whole sachet after removing all the contents. Then brush the plastic on my hair. It always feels better that I have not wasted a drop of free items.
5. Put the kettle back to action. With our advanced times when people feel more convenient using water dispensers for both hot and cold drinks, I do not recommend this for small households. If offices and establishments would have people regularly having a cup of coffee then surely a water dispenser will be good, but for a small household, we don’t have to keep on the power just to keep the hot water boiling. Instead, use a kettle when boiling water then keep it in a thermostat bottle. An efficient bottle can keep the water hot for a day (from morning until afternoon snacks). After it starts to get cold, most of the household will be having dinner and will not be requiring hot water.
How about the old water in the thermostat bottle? Of course, this water has already been a little colder than the newly boiled. I do two things for this. If I will not be using it on anything else, then I reboil this water until it is just right for my coffee, not actually reaching the water’s boiling point anymore. Then if it did not fill the thermostat bottle, that will be the time where I have to boil the next one so that other members of my family would have hot water to use. The other alternative is that, I ask my children to use the old water for washing their faces. It was clean boiled water after all, so instead of heating water from a pot for washing ourselves, we use the old water in the thermostat.
With water scarcity in my city, we cannot afford to use so much water for washing so instead of using those luxurious shower heads in most bathrooms, households do keep a bucket and we limit the use of water for washing.
Have your cooking lined up. I only had come up with this lately that instead of having multiple switching of the stove, how about lining up those things that need to be cooked and have the burner be switched longer. I would usually schedule my cooking so I do not need to waste gas and also exploit my kitchen lighter. So how do I do this? I would have all the scheduled things for cooking lined up. I would first boil water for coffee, then next would be the pot for bathing water. After that then I can place pans or pots for food, and still after everything is done, I would place the pot for dog food. I cook human food leftovers for my pets as an alternate food for their dog food. With my old-fashioned gas range, I keep all my needed utensils on those four burners as if they are in queue. As I always do this when I do not need to rush on things. So while one is getting cooked or boiled, the other three are getting warmed. Then after the first one gets done I place the next without turning off the burner. I just thought that I can keep the burner’s heat and won’t need to have it heated up if I turn off the burner. And keeping the pots together, I believe, when the next pots is placed, the pot is already warmed up which would eliminate the time and gas for the burner to heat up the utensil before it starts heating what is inside.
