5 weird things that save you money
We often come across strange money-saving gadgets here at lovemoney.com, so this week we thought we'd share them with you....
1. A mooncup
This is an innovative alternative to tampons called the Mooncup. Apparently, it'll save you at least £100 over three or four years. I'm taking a look at The Mooncup website now. (I've decided that if any colleagues see me I'll just defend myself loudly and confidently: 'So? I'm looking at alternative sanitary products for women. What of it?') My research uncovered these statements:
'Unlike pads and tampons the Mooncup menstrual cup is reusable, eliminating the need to carry bulky spares. With proper care your Mooncup will last for several years.
'For your safety the Mooncup is made from a special medical grade non-allergic silicone. Silicone is derived from silica which is one of the most abundant minerals on earth.
'It will not cause irritation and is suitable for women with sensitive skin, thrush, eczema or allergy.'
Well, that all sounds positive to me.
2. A paper potter.
Paper Potters, which I know even less about than alternative sanitary products, are ‘a great way to recycle newspaper, look after the environment, and keep gardening costs down', according to lovemoney.com readers. It looks interesting, although you might not want to use it for window sill plants.
3. A water pebble
Put a water pebble by the plug hole of your shower and it will light up in green, amber and red to show how long you’ve been showering. Every day this times gets shorter and shorter, to help you save money, water and energy. According to Nigel’s Eco Store, if the average family of four cut their showers down to just 3 and a half minutes, they would save £180 a year. He doesn’t say how much they would smell though.
4. A slanket
This is surely the weirdest craze to hit Britain’s living rooms for a long while. Slankets might save you money when it comes to your heating bills, but they sure make you look silly. The funniest thing we’ve seen is the double slanket for couples who just can’t bear to be separated by a rug. Oh dear.
5. A USB bike generator
Create your own electricity when you cycle and harness it to power your USB devices, using this USB bike generator. It can provide 5w of power to any of your portable electronic devices that use a USB port to charge, and should be able to power two at once. You have to build it yourself but apparently it’s quite cheap and easy to do if you are good with DIY. Just be aware you need to cycle at a speeds of at least 7mph to get enough power!
Got any of your own?
That's all we came up with, but we're sure there are more out there. If you've got any weird devices of your own to tell us about, please share them using the comments box below!
More: 16 gadgets that will save you money | Your 18 stingiest money-saving tips
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Comments
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re teh water pebble. How on earth do people make showers last 3.5 minutes? Are they coal miners? They must have weak showers spray. My would drown you in that time. One minute max in mine is totally sufficient, and let my hair dry. Another tip is use night-rate electricty for washers.dishwashers. Also storage heaters are good for that 'out of the way room', or study that you want to heat in the day but not want to have central heating, for the full house, on. Grow you own food and bottle fruit, freeze veg , make jam, make beer. These all taste good too.
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I tried the mooncup too but was disappointed just for physical fit reasons. I'd encourage folk to try though, for personal health, financial and environmental reasons.
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I've had a Mooncup for a couple of years and can't recommend them highly enough - not perfect but FAR better than the alternatives!
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16 September 2010