Here's a list of things I do, make, cook, repair, replace at home to save money. I’m only including those which I think are uncommon. How about you?
I’m happy to share recipes and tutorials.
This might be a stupid question, but what do you use to slice it? I can't seem to slice hard cheeses (into sandwich thickness) with any kind of consistency.
knife, 'chefs' shape.
right hand grips the handle, palm of left hand on top of pointy end with fingers straight out.
i get variation, but I can live with that for near half price.
last bit gets cut into blocks, children use them in school lunches.
.
Ah. Your knife-fu must be head and shoulders better than mine. I can get….. 'slices', depending on how loose you want to play with the definition of the word. And yeah even that stops once I get past around 2/3 of the block.
Buy one of the dirt cheap but incredible kiwi brand knives from the Asian grocery or $2 shop.
Mine looks like this and was under $6:
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/-zYAAOSwwpdW2h2T/s-l1600.jpg
I can easily cut the Woolies $6/kg tasty block thinner than the machine sliced alternative. The only problem is now we fight over who uses that knife, so it is always dirty in the wash when I want to use it.
I could spend another $6 for peace, but who doesn't want a little spice.
@mskeggs: Oooh that looks like a solid knife, will try it out. For $6 can't really go wrong. Thanks!
@HighAndDry:
Don't get the really big ones. The trick is they have a quite thin blade. They are vulnerable to chipping or bending if they are mistreated.
Use a serated knife - a steak knife works best.
Wire cheese cutters, or fishing line…
I might have to invest in that. But then I've got to consider how much cheese I'm going to really be slicing myself to eat, and suddenly I find myself locked into eating grilled cheeses and melts for months.
@HighAndDry: you can actually freeze harder cheeses, though if you slice first and then freeze, they won’t last as long in the freezer, but likely longer than a whole block in the fridge.
Can also invest in the beeswax wraps, they keep tasty style blocks fresh in the fridge for 1-2 months.
House have a cheese slicer on sale. Also get 5% cashback with Cash Rewards - https://www.house.com.au/product/d-line-grey-marble-cheese-b…
What's wrong with the slice section on a grater?
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR4zUEB…
Apart from the block maybe being too wide, although you could just cut the block…
I don't know what's wrong with it (or it could be fine and it's just me) but I've never been able to get it to output cheese slices.
They actually don't sell it locally at Ikea strangely. Never even seen one before until I spent time in Sweden, brought tons back for family and friends. So much easier than using a knife or even the wire tools.
Cheapest EBay version in Aus: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Stainless-Steel-Cheese-Planer-Sl…
@Darkpulsar: strange, I'm pretty sure I saw some in the Logan (QLD) store some years ago. Could be mistaken though. Anyway, once you try these out you never want to go back using anything else.
@Darkpulsar: this is an extremely common cheese slicer design has been around for at least decades if not centuries. Sweden, and especially IKEA, don't have a patent on the design. You can get them from elsewhere.
Of course, it's much more prevalent in the Nordic countries though, being a Norwegian invention. Picked it at IKEA there since they were only ~$2.50AUD.
Veggie peeler works well
I use a big meat clever
Hard cheese needs a cheese wire.
Samurai sword.
I can't slice cheese thin enough.
I buy sliced cheese - I let less for my money, but I use less too, so it works out in a way. Enforced portion control!
I'm a little worried about the cologne, deodorant and tooth powder (what is that?) but the rest sound pretty good to be DIY'ing.
I do:
Regular car maintenance (not servicing), car washes, replacing (very minor) parts, etc, but this is because I like my car more than saving money;
PC stuff like building it myself, upgrading parts instead of the whole shebang, setting up ad-hoc NAS's and home servers, repurposing parts for HTPC instead of buying, etc;
Lunch? I don't know how much this counts, because it feels like classifying "cooking" as "DIY eating out"….
A lot of home maintenance - fixing taps, (minor) plumbing problems, (very minor) electrical gremlins, running extension cables for power and ethernet, running cables behind drywall, etc.
Wow that article is pseudoscience gobbledygook
I wouldn't be so sure. Having fluoride in toothpaste (and drinking water) is supposed to work in a similar way, so I can see topical application of minerals being effective. To what extent, and with what minerals… that I can't say.
"After my husband and I both remineralized our teeth and reversed cavities"…. sounds scientific enough to me!
Where do you get the ingredients locally.
"Reversed cavities" and "septic systems"
And that's only the frst two paragraphs. I'm done.
As in you're sold.
This, save a lot in the long run with these.
tooth powder?
It's the powder form of toothpaste.
House cleaning (incl. windows)
Washing clothes
Ironing
Cooking our own meals
Gardening / mowing
Painting
Dog walking
All things that some people outsource
years ago it was simply called housework :D
Yep.
And years before that, people made jams, butter, had hens for eggs, etc.
Progress.
Actually i would call that the opposite of progress.
@garetz: Why? The population is clearly less healthy with a typical modern diet which started in the 70s. We are literally sicker because of what we eat.
@garetz: It depends.
It's less self-sufficiency, yes, but conversely it's greater specialization meaning better efficiency.
A specialised jam-maker-person can probably make more, better, jam using less time and resources than I could. In return, I…. I actually create not that much in terms of substance so I guess I don't get to trade for jam. I'm sure you could though.
@Diji1: People aren't being forced to eat less healthy food. They choose to, which is on them. Go on a healthy-eating public education campaign.
Yet we now live up to 20% longer on average than we did in the early 70s… depends how you're measuring healthy I guess.
@DialIN: Living longer does not always equate with healthy living.
A doctor I know said that we are getting better at keeping people alive, not living longer.
Or being a grown-up… ;)
I dunno, Peg Bundy was around back in that day too
:P
Yes, the 1%, so hardly uncommon.
Haircuts.
me too. Ive been doing this for years and I have even been requested to do their hair. So i will classify my cut at a decent $20 = saving $240/year Woo
Who has a haircut every month…?
Me. Short back and sides requires maintenance
Last time I got a haircut it cost me $35 for what is essentially a number 2 around the sides/back and a trim on top. wtf
This. And my beard too. Saves quite a bit of money.
Got a $8 joint in Blacktown that I go to. I think that's the same for me as DIY. Usually comes out un-even. But what's the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut? A week…
I do my own:
Saved a fortune over the years
- stunts
- legal advice
Are you Tom Cruise?
Jackie Chan
I also do all of the above. I'm only qualified for one…. And it's the one that I am worst at.
If you do the first two, you'll probably be in need of the fourth one if things go wrong. I find the "you must be certified" aspect of plumbing and electrical in Australia very frustrating, but I can understand it. It's one of the areas where amateurs can easily kill someone with a (profanity).
Do the first 2 count as a stunt?
Nut Cream
Truffle butter
Wait what? There is a cream for that?
Beer/cider
Any hint or recipe?
Not a homebrew purist so I reckon just use kits, way more convenient. Coopers is a good place to start.
Make sure you look into racking. Much better end result (even with a kit) for the cost of a hose and second plastic container (or brew vessel if you don't want to clean and rack second time). Clearer beer, and lower sulfuric taste from the dead yeast.
Haru, you've gotta be a thermomix person with some of the things in that list! (me too)
Some of my things:
Homemade jams, chutneys, sauces, cordials etc with produce from my garden, friends/family, or purchased at a good price in season
Making extra dinner to have leftovers for lunch
Wasting as little fresh food as possible
Saving jars, string, ribbons paper bags etc to reuse
Attempting self-repairs of electronics. Managed to revive a fancy washing machine by buying a $50 pump off ebay and replacing it
you've gotta be a thermomix person
No way, way overrated and overpriced. Our workhorses are a Breville Kitchen Wizz Pro which I got for very cheap ($150) and a Fagor Duo 10qt Pressue Cooker.
Fair enough :)
I am keen to get into the world of pressure cookers some time soon.
Does anyone think using bi-carb soda sprinkled on toothpaste once a week will cause the reduction of tooth enamel?
I see the logic behind it. Cavities are caused by bacterial byproducts which are acidic eating into your enamel. Bi-carb soda is a base, so logically it'd neutralize those acids. shrugs no reason it shouldn't work, in theory.
that's not quite the way bicarb works with teeth cleaning.
Its added to toothpastes to act as an abrasive to mechanically clean your teeth
Your toothpaste most likely already contains either bicarb or silica (there are other ones too but i cant recall them off the top of my head) too much abrasiveness can damage your teeth
Haircuts, get my wife to do it.
That's not DIY
Fair point, I'd hardly call it a haircut too, would look better it I used the lawn mower.
That's harsh.
Maybe a better attitude would result in a better haircut.
@GG57: I just shave my head every 6 months. I do most of it and wife does a little of the rear hairline.
PLEASE PLEASE TRY THAT. AND RECORD IT AND SHARE THE VIDEO! For uh…. educational purposes?
when she free..? thanks for offerring
Wife swap?
I'm keen if you are
I repair my own electronics/appliances.
my 13 year old LG 9kg front loaders door seal developed a leak due to 12 years of use (thousands of washes over the years -with 3 kids). bought the replacement seal on ebay for $55 delivered. the machine was originally free as it came from my mother-in-law who couldn't fit it in her new laundry. watched a youtube clip on how to replace seal (have done it with a couple of other front loaders). will fit new seal this weekend.
as a hobby I used to find/buy very cheaply "broken" front loaders. I'd fix them and then sell them. some of the machines were stupidly easy to repair.
One 2 year old machine "just wasn't working" according to the owner who gave it to me. turns out she would use 500ml of fabric softener with each wash. the machine was clogged with fabric softener scum. Ran a hot wash with bleach -then a few cleaning cycles. then wiped the machine down and sold it for $$$.
Or the bosch that just had mold on the door seal and a patch of rust at the base. removed seal and washed with warm soapy water + bleach. clean as a whistle. the rust - sanded it back and resprayed. flogged it for some handy pocket money.
Nice
A front loader 13 years old might be not water efficient / power efficient so you might be losing more cash in the end
Babies.
DIY?
in today's age, sadly it has become a valid statement
slice my own block cheese. takes 3-4 minutes to slice a kilo block.