this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2026
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Frugal

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Hi! Since liquid soap is so cheap I want to cheap out by making it cheaper. I pretty much always dilute it which extends its life but the resulting runniness lead to some soap escaping the hand washing my money straight down the sink.

This pain is unbearable and I’m thinking to add a little bit of corn or potato starch, agar or some such from the pantry to increase the viscosity How bad of an idea is this? I figure soap doesn’t really allow for microbe life and starch tends to be quite anti microbial. Same goes for dish soap. The soap is dumpstered so switching to hard soap isn’t cheaper and I haven’t found a foaming dispenser in the trash (yet). But soap is rare in the trash so I want to make last. Alternatively anyone know if a a regular pump can be made foaming or have other creative solutions?

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[–] Maeve@kbin.earth -1 points 1 day ago (3 children)
[–] Kaffeburk@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Haha idk why you gonna be so stingy and throw around definitions of words, especially when using opinion sources rather than a dictionary. Don’t you know that language is defined by how it is used? Regardless,

  • Frugality is Strategic: It involves planning, research, and aligning spending with personal values and financial goals.

This post is the research.  One of my values and goals is to consume as little as possible, let alone buying unnecessary stuff in a world of over production of garbage. I actually have a soap dish and hard soap for those that prefer it. Personally I tend to get terrible pimple breakouts from it tho. 

The financial goal of this little project is to not spend more money than necessary in general and as most soap just gets put down the drain anyway I thought it a decent afternoon project to look into. 

  • Frugality is Value-Oriented: The focus is on the overall value received, not just the price tag paid.

Arguably the value added by diluting the soap is very small, but if successful would double the range of a soap bottle, which has intrinsic value in consuming less and producing less garbage (packaging and soap dishes) on top of the fact I don’t have to buy any soap 🤷‍♂️

On the other hand your solution is generating more garbage in form of packaging and a soap dish, whilst adding absolutely nothing of value to my bathroom nor does it adress the issue of wasting soap.

> *Frugality is Empowering: It gives you control over your finances, reducing stress and building wealth.

I have very good control of my finances because I chose to not spend my money where it can be avoided. Hence the dumpster diving to acquire said soap. I spend it on beer instead :)

Now, looking at merriam webster dictionary, which is the definition I actually when deciding where to post my question, it gives much simpler answer than the capital powerhouse you shared. 

the quality or state of being [frugal]  : careful management of material resources and especially money

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frugality

Cheers

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So you're willing to risk "friends'" health for beer. Choose any source you want. "Difference between cheap and frugal."

[–] Kaffeburk@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Obviously I’m not willing to risk anyones health, I posted to ask about if it might be a problem. So I’m not sure where you reached this conclusion. But the aggressive tone seems quite unnecessary and adds absolutely nothing 🤷‍♂️✌️