There are a few handy items I've always had on hand to save money. Most of these things cost well under $20 but have saved us that amount many times over.
* A basic sewing kit. I've had a sewing kit since I was about 9 or 10 years old when I was a Brownie ( they now call it Girl Guides ). Sewing kits are handy to sew on a button or to mend a small hole.
* A clothes horse / clothes airer. I have 4 in total and they cost me $6 each and have lasted decades. Cheaper clothes horses have thinner rails which means you can use pegs. I've found clothes dry quicker when pegged as apposed to draping them. Our clothes dryer is rarely used. If you have floor ducted heating then the clothes will dry quite quickly.
* Clothes pegs. Yes I use the plastic ones and they have lasted me 20 + years. Pegs are great for hanging washing on lines, clothes horses, on coat hangers ( keeps the washing in place ), for clamping shoes that have been glued ( repaired ), for sealing frozen veggie packets and for keeping large aprons on small grandchildren.
* Reusable / washable dish cloths and sponges. I make knitted dish cloths which can be thrown in the washing machine. I also use microfibre cloths for general cleaning and to buff our stove top clean. These last quite a few years which is fantastic considering standard kitchen sponges last a few weeks and are a breeding ground for bacteria.
* Reusable shopping bags. I've been using them since 2005 when we were holidaying in Noosa and got caught out with their no plastic bag policy. To this day I still use those same bags and they look amazing. I've also made calico bags and picked up a few reusable bags along the way and all were free. I've never bought a Coles / Woolies plastic bags when they started charging for them. I always keep a few foldable bags in my handbag and a few in the boot of my car.
* A calculator. I just love using a calculator when planning my financial goals. If I can save $10 here and there I like to calculate how much the total is over 1, 2 or 5 years. This keeps me on track.
* Linen / lingerie bags. These are fantastic for putting delicate items of clothing or jumpers in the washing machine. I don't have time for hand washing and I don't want my clothing to be caught on hooks or zippers. These bags can also help prevent pilling. I bought new bags on Ebay in 2018 for just a couple of dollars each.
* A clothes shaver / depiller. The current one I have cost just under $20 and it works really well. I have a cream coat that was looking quite old with terrible pilling. After running the clothes shaver over it, it transformed into a new coat. I didn't need to throw it out and saved myself $40. I've used it on some of Darren's jumpers and saved even more money. I have had cheap clothes shavers in the past and they didn't work as well as my current one.
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| Clothes shaver |
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| Linen / lingerie bags |
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| Washable dish cloths |
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| Clothes horses / airers. |
I agree and also use the above . I bought the same depiller a couple of years ago and it has rescued heaps of clothing. I used to have a comb thing but can recommend the battery one,there's no comparison.Also love my hand made dishcloths.
ReplyDeleteWe had the comb too but it wasn't very effective.
DeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI have a great collection of glues to repair unraveling cane chairs, soles coming off shoes,torn backpacks and multiple crafts projects. I use pegs as clamps if necessary. So useful to make and mend.
Deborah
I have a small collection of glues too.
DeleteI've considered getting a clothes shaver. They do seem like they come in handy!!!
ReplyDeleteMy aprons definitely save me money. I have some that I've bought (all secondhand; several of them were new in the package!); some that I've made; some that were gifts. Not only do they protect my clothes when I'm cooking and dumping things into our compost (I've been hit by splashback a few times- ugh!), I keep one on when I'm eating, and it's saved my clothes from stains more times than I care to admit. I never need to ask where my daughter inherited her messy eating from! :)
The clothes shaver is fun to use too Stephanie. Aprons are a fantastic tool. I only wish I remembered to use mine more often.
DeleteI have invested this year in stainless steel clothes pegs. Here the wind and sun deteriorates the plastic and wooden ones very quickly. So far these SS ones are tough and working great.
ReplyDeleteI also have clothes horses that I got at IKEA. They're cheap and work awesome.
I used to have a clothes shaver too and loved it. I have no idea what happened to it (though I suspect my boys may have something to do with it's disappearance when they were still kids, LOL!). I may have to invest in a another one.
ReplyDeleteHair clippers and hairdressing scissors have saved saved us a lot of money over the years. Our early efforts were 'interesting', but we soon improved! We are not mechanically minded enough to attempt vehicle repairs, but we have buckets, sponges and cleaning cloths and have always washed our own car. I can't imagine paying anyone to do it unless we were physically unable to do it ourselves.
ReplyDeleteYES, Hair dressing scissors are a fantastic tool. I bought scissors from Kmart over 20 years ago for $11 and they have saved us thousands.
DeleteAgree with everything you wrote Wendy. I’ve had numerous clothes shavers that didn’t work well so I’ll give this one a try. Where did you purchase this please?
ReplyDeleteI got this one from Target. The Good Guys also sell them.
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