I reuse my teabags at least three times and even recycle my HAIR… people judge me but my icky hacks save £9k a year
Instead, Amanda carefully squeezes the excess water from the bag and hangs it out on the washing line - to be reused twice, thrice and even eight times over.
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This is one of many frugal hacks that save 39-year-old Amanda around £9,000 year.
The part-time teaching assistant lives in Pontypridd, South Wales with partner Grafton, 41, and their three daughters, Esmee, 11, Elvie, six, and one year old Elodie.
"Instead of bunging a teabag in the bin, I'll peg it to my washing line, let it dry, and then reuse them on a daily basis,' says Amanda.
"Yes, the final couple of cups are a bit weaker, but I use less milk in those cups, and my hubby can't even tell. Most people don't realise unless they see me making a cuppa.
'I've even had compliments for my 'right posh brews'.
"I did my research, and these methods were used to save during the Great Depression in the 1920s, and they work today.
"If the teabags are on their sixth use, I'd add two to a mug. It's just like topping up a pot of tea. Use less milk and let the bags steep for longer, and it's the perfect builders' brew. A box of Yorkshire bags lasts me nine months."
Her teabag prowess doesn't stop there.
"I soak my mankiest greasiest pots and plates in water containing teabags rather than expensive dishwasher tablets," she reveals.
"The tannin in the tea cuts through the grease. Then you grab a handful of teabags and use them to scrub the grease. Ice cold wet used teabags are amazing for sunburn as well.'
She even soaks her hair in a solution of warm water and three used teabags for extra shine before a shower.
Her other money saving grooming hacks include doing haircuts for her family.
She says: "I collect hair from the floor and the brushes to sell to companies who make hair extensions. I make between £50 and £150 for at least 16 inches of even hair."
Terrifying time
Not one to waste anything, Amanda fishes hair out of the plug-hole, too.
"I even use clumps of hair from the drain as a fertiliser for my plants instead of spending £12 on the fertiliser. I bury hairbrush clumps near my veg, and they grow like crazy thanks to keratin in the follicles.
'I scatter hair clumps in the compost bin or soak the strands in water and sprinkle it around the fence line. It's a natural fox repellent because it smells like teenagers."
Amanda was shocked into a more frugal lifestyle when the cost-of-living crisis hit in 2021. "That time was terrifying,' says Amanda, who was on maternity leave with Elvie.
'Grafton was bringing home £1,973 a month, and I was on £172 a week in statutory maternity pay.
'Once the mortgage and essential bills are paid, we're left with around £100 a week. Money was so tight I had to use a baby bank for clothes and equipment.
"I felt like a failure, but the Baby Bank, just like a food bank, was a lifesaver.
'There were mums and dads from all occupations who needed help. I realised then I was wasting thousands buying everything new. That experience changed me forever."
With more than 8 million people in the UK estimated to be using Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services for purchases under £50, and outstanding credit card debt exceeding £70 billion, Amanda believes her methods offer a path to financial freedom.
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"I reckon many people who are in debt could have avoided it by trying my frugality methods,' she explains.
'The occasional hack won't cut it. It takes commitment to be a tightwad. The savings and money for holidays and treats are worth it."
Amanda's super scrimping impacts every part of her family's daily life.
"I never throw water I've boiled veggies or pasta in," she says.
"I use it to make soup stock. I also let it cool and use it to wash the garden path or water the plants. Tricks like this cut my water bill in half."
'Every crumb counts'
She also ensures no bath or shower water goes to waste.
Amanda says: "I always have a plug in the bath, so showers and bath water are saved. I'll use the water to then wash the floors, windows, clean the car, or fill the bucket and flush the toilet with it."
And even rainwater is saved - a money saving and environmental tip for summer.
"I collect rain off the guttering in water butts and put out buckets in the garden as well,' she says.
'I can use that water for cleaning floors, flushing the loo, washing the car, or watering the plants. Fresh rainwater is amazing for hair washing and costs nothing.
'The kids use it for water play outside, and I save it to fill up the blow-up pool in summer. It cuts my water bill, and that's brilliant."
Kitchen essentials like foil and parchment paper are also given multiple lives.
"I haven't bought kitchen foil or parchment paper for at least six months,' she says. Each time I use a piece of foil, I wipe it down, flatten it, and pop it in a box to reuse.
'I reuse it for lining the oven, cooking baked potatoes in a campfire, a scrunched-up ball is great as a scrubber for the oven grill, and the kids use foil for home crafting.
'I'll also reuse the parchment paper at least four times to wrap lunches. Then it goes into the compost bin, or I use it to start BBQs or rip it up as fertiliser in the garden."
To cut her grocery bill, Amanda can buy enough meat for two people and stretch it for a family of five using her DIY "magic mix."
She says: "I believe every crumb counts. So I turn used bread, half-eaten toast, and leftover crackers into a savoury crumb mixture in a blender, add in herbs and spices, and keep it in an airtight container.
"I add three cups to half a kilo mince with chopped onions, carrot, and mashed potato, and it makes four times the minced patties for burgers.
"I use leftover vegetables, pasta, grated vegetables, even the diced stalks of broccoli, as well as rice and dried beans to bulk out meat casseroles.
'Super scrimping'
'I can get at least four uses from cooking oil, and it's more flavourful because of the meal it has already cooked. I keep oil used for different meats in different jars in the fridge."
Amanda also takes full advantage of freebies.
'We get free breakfast and snacks at a church baby-group twice a week,' she says. "I've also signed up for the Too Good to Go App. It helps users like me rescue food from going to waste from supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants.'
Amanda uses the app and pays between £3 to £5 for surprise bags of food.
She says: "I get fruit and vegetables, meat, snacks, and other food. I then incorporate the food into my batch cooking or that day's evening meal. It's posh dumpster diving.'
Thanks to the app, her grocery bill, which used to be £100 a week, is now down to £60, saving her almost £2,000 a year.
A keen outdoors lover, Amanda tops up her larder with wilderness foraging.
She says: "In summer, we fill buckets with blackberries and blueberries. I turn them into jam or preserve the fruit for pies. Blackberries can sell for up to £3 for 100 grams. I get kilos for free."
Toiletries and hygiene products are a big expense so Amanda will reuse when she can
"I strain used mouthwash to get rid of food bits' she says. Then soak a paper towel in the liquid. Pop the towel into bins. It makes them smell nice.
My super scrimping now means our family is debt-free. A few years I was in £3000 debt
'Flushing mouthwash through the loo will leave it sparkling, too.'
Amanda also uses towels several times, hanging them on the line so the sun can 'disinfect' them between uses. And old underwear and socks are cut up and used as rags.
Despite all of these cut backs, Amanda insists she is not tight-fisted.
"I'm not just a mum who tries the occasional money-saving hack," Amanda explains. I am fighting the cost of living with fierce frugality. I'm not being mean; I'm economising."
Her dedication has paid off. "My super scrimping now means our family is debt-free. A few years I was in £3000 debt.'
Many Brits are stuck in "financial inertia" according to a Paragon Banks study, but Amanda says she is taking action. "I used to be lazy and just buy new,' she says.
'We've all seen hacks on YouTube and thought we'd try them. I decided to stop thinking and start doing. Commit to it for a month, and I guarantee by the end you'll be a convert."
Amanda doesn't care knowing that many people find her methods 'gross and icky.'
She says: 'I have hacked my way into a money-saving habit, and I'm also saving the planet. I don't care if I am trolled because of my super saving."
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