Frugality and a Bottle of Lotion

I don't think these people are cheapskates - they just want to get the last bit of product for their money. My mother does the same thing with her tubes of lotion. I'm sure there is a lot more that is just too sticky to actually get down the tube. So far I've only had the hard plastic bottles but I'm planning on cutting the next one open that's the soft plastic! Good for you!

I wonder why frugal people are made fun of. People fight to get a small raise at their employment but it is just as easy to save a few percent by using what you buy. People throw away 1/3 of the food they buy. Yes stuff is left in the bottle when they throw it away. I cut open the toothpaste tube to use the last of it. Before I do that I use the back of the handle to rub it to the cap end. I can get another week or so out of toothpaste. I turn the ketchup and other bottles cap down when they are just about out to get a few extra squeezes out of them. There is a difference between cheap and frugal. Our ancestors were frugal because they had to be. They mended clothing and when they could no longer they made quilts and rugs out of the old clothes.

i do stuff like that with bottles of lotion and even tubes of toothpast but i dont go that far as to make my own stuff with vinegar. i usually let my hair air dry unless its super cold outside! anyways, a hair dryer isnt good for your hair!

I'm looking through the other two articles that the article you supplied us with gave me. I think that this article is awesome, and really informational. I know that a lot of people are having to cut back and it really is a good time to get into a better habit of spending. People are losing their jobs, and people are spending less because of it. My fiance and I don't have a job but haven't had one in over a year. I quit mine but don't regret it. We've been making money online, for me mainly here. My fiance's parents have been very nice in letting us stay here, and they've helped us pay for thing for our wedding. We also don't have to move out once we get married, and I think that's a big help too. I'm learning how to be frugal before we step out and get over our heads. I've lived out on my own with friends before, but the little bit of rent I had to pay seems like pennies for what we'd be paying! I think more people need to get rid of their satellite service. We still have ours, but his parents pay for it, truly I would not be upset if they did get rid of it, we have plenty of movies we can watch, and we've got books too. Cutting the bottles on lotions seems sensible, and that's not just for that but toothpaste too! Getting that last little bit out helps. My fiance and I use two different types of toothpaste but we'll use the same kind and alternate. Using simpler washing techniques, not just for clothes and dishes, but for your body and face are good too. People don't realize that soap does just as good as face wash, and soap or even lotion can be used to shave. You can usually stock up on basic lotion for a good price, or even just look online for freebies of it, baby lotion works too! The dollar store is a good place to shop, but I wouldn't buy too much of a variety of snack food there. Making your own laundry soap, reusing the drying off towel from a bath a few more times, or even sharing it helps with the loads of laundry. Getting a line to dry the clothes with in cooler weather, or using the bath-tub if you don't live in a safe area. Even jeans can stand to be worn once or twice more from the norm. Shirts aren't always that bad. Freshening up with essential oils mixed with water in the clothes, making sure the toilet doesn't back up, and keeping the windows open (of course if you live in a safe area) during cooler days instead of running fans, or the air conditioner. Even ceiling fans are more efficient. Using energy saving bulbs saves money and the environment. The good thing with being frugal is your not just saving money, but in often times the environment too! Good luck in your frugal ventures!

i do that all the time but don't consider myself a cpeapscates. sometimes when we have those feeling about others u get proved wrong.

I am a cheapskate I am so proud of every person that try's to get the last drop out of each bottle. not only does it save you money on product. it saves on packaging. If you were to look in my house right now you would see. cosmetics, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, ketchup, steak sauce, mustard, and dawn all upside down. i had never tried the cutting the container in half before will have to try that. i also remake bars of slivers of soap. the big bar we use when it gets about 1/2 down i put 2 slivers in a cup of warm water for the day. then after everyone's showers the bar we use is soft and the 2 slivers are soft so i squish it all together let it dry over night and ta da there is a big bar again. good luck all with frugality

I'm a waste not want not, kinda person. I cut open bottles and tubes of lotion and antibiotic,etc. You really can be surprised at how much product is left in a tube when we throw it away! This was a good article!

Why would anyone buy something, then throw it away before it was used up and buy more? But you don't have to cut the bottle in half to use it all up. Even lotion has water in it and the oils are suspended in it, so you can add a little water to thin it down just a bit, shake it good, then turn it upside down over another bottle or in a bowl and let it drain. In a day's time, it should be empty. If not, add a little more water and do it again. I always cut tubes of toothpaste or salve and it's amazing how much is left after it's "empty."

I do the same thing. Well I actually haven't cut the tubes or bottles to get stuff yet but I don't throw the bottle away if it spits out in globs. I turn the bottle over if I can help it and let it sit that way for awhile before I attempt to use it again. Then, I'll continue to use it until I can't get anything else out of it. Then, and only then will I throw the item away, or better yet I'll recycle it.

What I do for lotion bottles is to place it back in the shelf, upside down, so that the remaining lotion would trickle down towards the opening for the rest of the day, then when I use it the next day, I won't have a hard time. Its true that just because a bottle is already light means that its already empty. There is still a lot more inside, it also took me a week to really empty a toothpaste tube that I thought has run out. It feels good to know that you have made the most of the money you spent to buy the product

I usually will unscrew the lids of both bottles and set the one that is nearly totally empty on top of the other one so that the last of the contents will load into the fuller bottle. I also will split bottles of conditioner and add warm water to both. It thickens up like the new bottle, but it is "two for the price of one" with the conditioner. Again, I will do the upend one bottle onto the other so the last bits slide into the other bottle. With the hand lotion, you can warm the bottle in the microwave for a few seconds so that the lotion is warm and will slide easily into the bottle you're transferring it into. Another thing that I learned from a neighbor. They have trash pickup, and they also have recycling containers. She discovered that the trash they send out is not even a quarter of a 32 gallon container. She called the trash company and found out that they had a lower rate for smaller amounts of trash. She cut her bill for trash collection in half, simply by checking about the price of smaller containers of garbage.

In these hard economic times, we need to get the most out of everything that we buy/use - we can learn much from the older people who lived through the depression. I can recall my Grandmother patching bed sheets - when they got to be too patched to use, she cut them up and made them into pillow cases - whatever was left after those were worn became kitchen towels! I don't see these things as being cheap, and I tend to feel that if people had taken this frame of mind regarding their spending through the years, our economy would not be in the state it is now.

I think it is also being wise on getting every penny's worth in that bottle of lotion. Instead of buying new , because of doing that, she might have saved money by using the remaining lotion for three to four more days before buying anew. Not because being cheapskate or so, but being practical i guess. Although i haven't done that before, i just squeezed everything out of it, but not to snoop all of it inside, haven't done it yet. I have a lot of different lotions and i myself am fond of using lotions to soften my skin.

i used to do the same thing with my benzac ac facial wash before: i cut it open. sometimes you can get 4 more uses out of it. since we're talking of cheapskate i would like to pride myself that it is my favorite thing to do. not with sacrificing quality of course. i don't use lotion. in a hot country like the philippines, even the light lotions become sticky after the initial application. besides, i don't like the sticky feel once skin gets wet. also, i've had enough experience with my spaghetti tasting like lotion. know what i use? there is something here called vco baby oil (green bottle). it's proudly made here and has virgin coconut oil in it. they found a way to eliminate the scent. it's better than other body oils or baby oils because this one is a vegetable oil and not a mineral based petroleum oil which clogs the pores. it runs at about 40 php at 75 ml (about a dollar). it's great if you easily feel hot because this oil is not hot on the skin. it is easily absorbed so it is not greasy and the food you prepare (if you like cooking) will not have the aftertaste of a lotion's perfume. this bottle will run out in a month if you use 5 drops for the hair, 6 drops for the arms, 5 drops for the stomach (to prevent stretch marks), 10 drops for the thighs (to prevent stretch mark and decrease cellulite because you can massage your thighs for a longer time than when using lotions) and about 4 times of 5 drop application during the day for dry hands. ;) thought i'd share with you.

I have a shampoo and conditioner bottle. When either one gets low, I prop it up with a funnel into the container. I also do the same with laundry soap, ketchup and dish soap. You'd be surprised how they add up and how handy on a tough week financially. These extra bottles are our emergency surplus and trust me...they have saved us on more than one occassion. Speaking of frugal....also I save every bit of change in a jug all year and cash it in over the summer for my daughter and I to do something special with. It always adds up to at least 300.00. One year it was 680.00!!! If I see a penny on the ground...i do stoop to pick it up and add it to our fund.

I have always done this! I don't like to waste anything so I use all that I can and get my money worth!

I think it is a good idea. I have never really thought about cutting the bottle in half. But I bet there really is a lot left at the bottom of the bottle that you just can't get to. I think that lady is pretty smart. My lotion is in a big jar, but if I ever do used a bottled one, I will definately consider cutting it in half to get it all out. Thank you for the link by the way.

I alwasy use my cosmetics up. for some lotion, i stand the bottle on its head, also my facial mask and toner. During the last two months, i've used up one toner, one sunscreen cream, and one 75ml facial mask. I feel so excited, because i finally use them up, not by dumping or throwing away. It makes me feel a sense of achievement, really. because i have too much cosmetic and i still can't stop buying them. Right behind the door, i have 5 big boxes of them left. i used to sell Avon. So it really takes years to use them.