Convenience items

[mandieg4]

DH and I were watching TV the other day and saw a commercial for some new laundry soap I guess you could call it. It was like a dryer sheet/laundry soap in one. My first thought was who in the world would actually spend money on that? It's not like putting soap and softener in the washer takes that much time. Now that I've thought about it though, I can come up with a couple reasons someone might buy it instead of the regular stuff. It got me thinking, we probably all have things that we buy purely for convenience sake. I make my own laundry and dishwasher soap, use vinegar and baking soda to clean with, use rags instead of paper towels, but I refuse to give up my Clorox Toilet Wand refills. There is just something about toilet brushes that grosses me out beyond anything else. I even used cloth diapers with my children and could swish the dirty diaper in the toilet without second thought, but toilet brushes?


So, what is the one thing that you buy for convenience sake even though you can make your own that would work as well if not better?

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Have you ever tried keeping a toilet brush in a container with cleaner in it? I keep mine in tall crocks filled with baking soda, white vinegar & water. They don't get grungy & the toilet gets disinfected every time I use it.

Once a year or so I buy a box of Bag-O-Rags. Cut up t-shirt material in nice mostly square sections. I use these for strainer liners, wipes, face cloths, to drain bacon/sausage/hamburgers on, you name it.
As they get ragged, stained or smelly, I cut them up smaller & toss into the compost, since they are 100% cotton.

Shredded cheese when I make lasagna or some other dish that uses a lot of cheese.

When we visit friends with TV I see so much junk that just blows my mind. Touch-N-Brush? The automated shower cleaners?

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Not that I could make my own so to speak,..but I will not give up my paper towels or paper plates,...it saves on washing so many dishes,..and I do not care to wash so many dishes. (Yes, I do my dishes by hand, no dishwasher to speak of in my house, but me. ) I could go without them IF I had to,..but not if I don't have to. Other than that, everything here is pretty basic.

 

[mandieg4]

Shredded cheese when I make lasagna or some other dish that uses a lot of cheese.

I buy shredded cheese all the time, but I can usually get it for the same price if not cheaper than the block.

Once a year or so I buy a box of Bag-O-Rags. Cut up t-shirt material in nice mostly square sections. I use these for strainer liners, wipes, face cloths, to drain bacon/sausage/hamburgers on, you name it.
As they get ragged, stained or smelly, I cut them up smaller & toss into the compost, since they are 100% cotton

Can you compost towels too? I usually cut up my raggedy towels for rags, but I eventually end up thowing several rags away because they are too thin or just so gross I don't want to wash them with our clothes. It would be nice to be able to just throw them in the compost pile instead.

 

[Dace]

Shredded cheese when I make lasagna or some other dish that uses a lot of cheese.

I buy shredded cheese all the time, but I can usually get it for the same price if not cheaper than the block.

A food processor is very handy too! I buy blocks and shred it, then bag up and store in the freezer.

I still buy laundry soap. Yes, I am a loser.

 

[big brown horse]

I treat myself to a nice long hot shower once a week or so. Other times I just take a "Navy shower" which is get wet, turn off water, lather up top to bottom , turn on water and rinse. Then turn it off for applying hair conditioner and face wash, then turn it back on to rinse again.

My other convenience item is deodorant. I tried using the natural kind and even the salt stuff, but they just don't work on this old seasoned TX gal. Oh well.


ETA: TYPOS!!!!

 

[Dace]

My other convenience item is deoderant

Deodorant is NOT a convenience item!

 

[FarmerChick]

honestly I can't narrow it down
I buy tons of convenience items (well not tons, but a good bit)

I do not "do without"
If I need it, I buy it but I am very frugal and smart where to spend my money. If it helps me greatly, saves time on an issue that is important to me I buy it...I do what I want to do to make my life easier without going over board.





hey combo detergent and softener saves millions of tons of plastic on a separate softener plastic jugs.

that combo of det/soft will be the way of the future. cut out the excess of 2 and combine into one. it actually is a smart step forward (so far...hopefully to get even more better for the world in future products to come)

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Dace, you are far, far, far from being a loser.

Can you compost towels too? I usually cut up my raggedy towels for rags, but I eventually end up thowing several rags away because they are too thin or just so gross I don't want to wash them with our clothes. It would be nice to be able to just throw them in the compost pile instead.

If they are organic type material, yes, cotton, linen, etc. Nylon, polyester & the like don't break down well, if at all.

I can get 2 lbs shredded "All-Natural" cheese (at least its not a "product" yeah?) for slightly higher than I could buy a 2 lb block. I get the blocks for eating, & the shreds for dishes. We eat a lot of cheese. (that's me, cheesin')

Good point, FC. I guess it also depends on what you classify as convenience. What is convenience for some is necessity for another and totally unneeded, ever! for a third.

 

[valmom]

Well, my SO would agree with y'all about the shredded cheese! We buy plain frozen pizzas- our pre-packaged, pre-made indulgence when we get home from work tired and need something to eat. Then we add cheese, tomato, olives, onions, stuff like that, and that's dinner! I would buy a chunk of mozz and slice it up for the pizza, but SO loves the already shredded stuff.

Other than that, my SO just recently swore off paper towels! I like sponges and rags, myself.