Bathroom Frugality

 Read more Oily Rag articles by Frank and Muriel Newman

Last week National Radio’s Afternoons with Jim Mora had a very humorous segment about toilet rolls. The question was asked: how to do you hang your toilet roll – with the paper hanging to the front or the back? The programme was flooded with responses from listeners, showing that toilet rolls are much more interesting than local bloodless political takeovers and violent rebellion in distant lands. How you hang your toilet roll appeared to top all issues – possibly even the fairytale royal wedding of Williams and Kate!

It seems the toilet roll issue essentially came down to two things. Those who wanted convenience went for paper hanging to the front; those who wanted frugality had their paper hanging to the back. The frugality fraternity reasoned that if the toilet tissue was too convenient people would use more!

Apparently the tissue issue does cause some friction within families, with the roll being regularly changed between sittings, depending on who was the last user.

We in the Oily Rag Research Unit, like many others, take toilet tissue very seriously. So much so that we are asking every household in New Zealand to tell us how they hang their toilet roll: paper to the front or the back – and why. You can take part in the poll by going to www.oilyrag.co.nz.

We thought we would start this week’s money-saving tips from our readers in the bathroom!

“B” from Huntly says he saves money on toilet rolls by squashing the toilet roll to make it flop rather than roll. It says it reduces how much is used!

Janice from Oamaru says, “I now buy basic hand wash, and dilute it 50/50. Just as good. Mouthwash can also be diluted 50/50.”

Frugalite from Hamilton says, “A good and economical laundry powder recipe I found out about is: 1 bar sunlight soap (grated), 1 kg washing soda. Grind it all up in a blender or food processor, in batches if you need to. If do in batches, pour each batch in a large bowl then, when finished, mix well before putting into container(s). Use 1 tablespoon to each average load.”

Rebecca from Brooklyn says, “After facing yet another pile of wet towels to wash and dry, I sat down and did a radical rethink of the situation. I remembered two things that have now made my towel washing and drying a breeze. My family were drying their hand on a bath size towel. I remembered that my mother used roller towels when I was a child, so I cut three spa pool size towels lengthwise and joined the ends in a loop. I bought a hook type towel hanger from Bunnings and we now have a hand towel that lasts several washes by rotating the towels round the hanger.”

Jenny from Porirua says, “My husband built a clothes line on a pulley system which holds three loads of clothes. We have an extension on our house and there is a space behind our house, under cover, but gets the breeze and I hang my washing out at night and retrieve it in the morning.  I have a dryer but very rarely use it.”

Allie from Nelson says, “Keep a few used tea bags in the fridge. Makes a great moist compress for puffy eyes in the morning. Its the caffeine that does the trick, that being the main ingredient in the expensive eye creams.”

If you have a favourite money saving send it in to us so that we can share it with others. You can contact us via the oily rag website (www.oilyrag.co.nz) or write to Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag, PO Box 984, Whangarei.

* Frank and Muriel Newman are the authors of Living Off the Smell of an Oily Rag in NZ. Readers can submit their oily rag tips on-line at www.oilyrag.co.nz. The book is available from bookstores and online at www.oilyrag.co.nz.