Dont get me wrong I love to save but, theres a lot of things on that list that are a little too hard for me to accomplish.

Who knows…maybe over time i will pick up on being frugal with some of those more harder things on the list.

Whoever said frugal is easy, clearly isn’t frugal enough. It’s certainly no easy task…but if it saves me money, I’m willing to try anything and everything for an extra cent!

Thanks again for this post. I have a feeling i’m going to be referring back to it a lot in the next few months!

Cash Queen

When I was a brownie we would make “twisties” I think they were kind of like pretzels and we would wrap them around twigs that we had stripped before cooking them over a fire. I don’t think we cleaned them though.

The really frugal part? I ran out of popsicle sticks, so we’ve started using well cleaned twigs from the eucalyptus tree in our front yard! We break them off in about 12cm lengths, then scrape each end on the cement to get rid of any sharp bits, before cleaning them thoroughly in hot water.

They can only be reused a few times, but that’s ok because after all, they DO grow on trees.

While the notion of reusable toilet wipes is a little gross and something I’ve raised my eyebrows at, I really think that we need to reassess how much disposable stuff we (I) use. I never even knew that there was such a thing as a pattern to make your own tampons! It is heartening to hear from someone who has gone down that path and had success. Thanks for sharing your experience and the links!!

Crochet tampons
http://hyenacart.com/FernandFaerie/index.php?c=37&p=14559
Make sure that you use cotton or bamboo wool otherwise it will scratch when you try to insert and won’t absorb as well. Change more frequenctly than regular tampons.

Cloth toilet paper
http://hyenacart.com/FernandFaerie/index.php?c=14&p=47

Great menstrual cloth website
http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~obsidian/clothpads/DIYpads/DIY.html

Hope that helps other readers on the same path!
I wish you all the best on the delivery of your bub!

It would be great if you share the link for the website that you found the instructions. If anyone else is interested, they can also get the instructions.

And because I am already washing cloth nappies it is no extra hassle to throw the wipes into the washing machine at the same time. I use the dry nappy system (a pedal bin next to the toilet) and when its time to wash nappies I pull out the inside bin via the handle and take it to the laundry and dump into the washing machine. I now hate using paper toilet paper. When you use coth you realise how much paper you actually need – you use much less with cloth. And cloth is just so soft… I laugh when I see the ad for Sorbent!

@Kaye, I used to hang the baggies on the line – would this be worse? We could probably squeeze more out of the toothpaste tube. I read somewhere the other day a hint to cut the top off, and use it as a knife sheath to protect the blade.

@April, I too am wondering about composting the dog poo. We don’t compost at the moment, living in a townhouse, and we have a cat, which is probably a different ‘poo’ altogether. I was wondering if the meat content in cat’s and dog’s diet would effect its compostability? Would love to hear also how you do it.
Do you have a method for not using the same paper with the same people? At Christmas this year I warned my inlaws as I carefully unwrapped the gifts, that they may be seeing this paper again next year!

Generally I think wee wipes = yuck, but then I thought about the cloth nappies and the reusable baby wipes that I have…

I just wanted to ask April about composting the dog poo. We have a new pup at our house and my DH has been putting her poo in a plastic bag and throwing in the bin!! I have now been collecting it in an old bucket with bits of leaf litter etc when we scoop up and thought maybe it could be composted. We already have a fruit and veggie compost pile and I know you cannot put it in there! The thought of putting it in the rubbish bin was a bit gross though. What can you use the compost for and do you use sawdust or anything else with it. Sorry for all the questions, I just want to dispose thoughtfully of the waste.

Kaye