Maybe but who wants scummy tea 
My last 2 dogs wouldn’t drink tap water only rainwater from puddles, don’t think it says much for tap water.
Now we are older our clothes don’t get so dirty as when we were working. I now use only half the amount of soap powder it says on the packet. You can use white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner. It doesn’t smell like vinegar and removes any excess soap from the clothes. Our clothes etc always look fresh and seem to last longer.
Perhaps it furs up the kidneys or the gall bladder? what is the rate of kidney stones or gal stones in the parts of the UK with hard water?
Most Australian water is soft yet Australians have a life expectancy many years longer than those of the UK and the USA so drinking hard water can’t be that positive.
From my understanding of life expectancy, many factors play a part: diet, climate, state of mental health (David Cameron’s Happy Quota), whether or not people feel isolated in society, health provision, fitness (which doesn’t always come as a bonus in some cases) and plain old genetic inheritance. Maybe your drinking water is cleaner than ours - nothing will convince me that putting bleach into drinking water is a good thing.
I have never used the recommended amount of washing powder - they over estimate by at least 2/3rds what you will really need.
I hesitate to use vinegar in the wash as I put a spoon of either borax or bicarbonate of soda in with the powder, I am unsure what added another chemical like vinegar would do.
Borax is a terrible chemical to release into the environment it is on the SVHC List (yes I know it occurs naturally but so does Anthrax) however bicarb and vinegar is an interesting combination - they neutralise each other and fizz. They are [URL=“http://www.lifestyle.com.au/diy/cleaning-with-bicarb-soda-and-white-vinegar.aspx”]Shannon Lush’s favourite cleaner.
Ha ha, I thought my husband was the only one! That’s great!
He also picks up the odd stray beer can or bottle up the highway (probably thrown out a car window!). Anyway, after awhile, just storing the crumpled squashed cans somewhere we took them back to the beer store & had enough to buy a 6 pack at least:-) Better than a kick in the head:lol:
We have an animal sanctuary & I’ve only ever used vinegar (by the jug), baking soda, unscented dish soap for all of my cleaning for years. I’m not dead yet lol.
Plus we don’t like harsh chemicals.
One big thing too, Sandy is NEVER believe laundry detergent boxes about the amount to use, as you’re just getting ripped off plus bad for the environment. You can use about 1/2 the amount & still be fine. We also have 2 dishwashing liquid bottles on hand because we fill one up with 3/4 water & 1/4 soap & wash the dishes. You don’t need all those bubbles & foam, the water is still very soapy & dishes come out sparkling. Just ask yourself if you think you’re looking at ‘clear’ water, would you want to drink it?
Great, we have hard water, am I gonna die tomorrow?
I think animal fat clogs one’s arteries.
Great topic this. Have learned a lot. I make most of my food myself and just wish I was in a more country area where I could get fresh milk and maybe buy Goats Milk. Would love to be able to make my own cheese with fresh milk.
I go to a market near me and buy fruit that is lovely and fresh but has marks on the skin and the supermarkets won’t sell them, dirt cheap. I make all my own jams, pickles relishes, quince paste. Preserve lemons for use in Moroccan food. Dry herbs for when they are not in season.
Make hubbies peanut butter, no preservatives. Make my own yoghurt, ice cream. Lemon Orange Syrup for drinks and use other fruit too to make drinks. Cut the lemon peel off the lemons and freeze for use in making jams or recipes that require some lemon peel. Have my own lime tree, quince tree, banana tree, lemon tree, orange tree, rhubarb, passionfruit, grapes. Also a Mango Tree which hasn’t fruited yet so hoping for that soon. They take a few years from planting to fruit.
I also cook in big batches and freeze meals for later on. The stalks on broccoli and cauliflower i dice up and freeze ready for using in soups. Any veggies left over at the end of the week and not looking the best, all cut up ready frozen for use in soup. When we have a chicken I remove the meat from the bones and boil the bones up for chicken stock.
We have a big ham at Christmas and I freeze the bone for making pea and ham soup in the colder months.
Make my own washing liquid and cleaning fluids. Vinegar and carb soda work wonders. Pure Eucalypus Oil I use for clothes if there is a bit of grease or fat on them. It works wonders. Have a compost heap and
shred paper up to use in there too.
There are heaps of things you can make that are better than what you buy and you know what goes in your food then. I don’t trust labels on things you buy in supermarkets. The ones that annoy me are the ones that say made with Australian and imported ingredients. There’s only one thing in the tin. What is the imported ingredient ?? it won’t be the liquid, is it the ingredient in there or is the tin Australian made.
Hope this thread keeps going and I can learn a lot more. Keep the tips coming.
What tips Sandi? You just tired me out for the rest of the week
Holy cow, whatta dynamo!!
No AC I just enjoy making things and especially if I am saving money. I hate waste. I recycle and re use things. I like cooking and knowing what goes into my food. I think it’s criminal to go past places and see fruit just laying on the ground. If I have excess of things then it goes to the neighbours. They do the same. At Christmas and Easter we all do homemade gifts for each other. Nothing big or elaborate just some baked goodies or jar of jam etc.
I wait till the sales are on after Christmas and buy tea towels and crochet the ends. Make one a tea towel and half another a hand towel for hanging. You can buy the christmas patterned ones for half price.
I shop during the year for bargain gifts for Christmas and birthdays. You can get some nice presents for half the price.
You’re an inspiration to us all gal 
I agree with Patsy! Great for you
I used to love cycling but the traffic here is just so crazy that I gave up and sold the bicycle. 
For clearing a blocked sink drain - 2 tablespoonfuls baking powder, half a cup of vinegar, boiling water - works a treat and is cheaper than the Mr Muscle stuff.
Do you mean baking ‘soda’? That’s what foams up when with vinegar:-)
Use a mixture of white vinegar and water to clean your windows…and then buff up with old newspapers…
They shine like diamonds!