I’m a super scrimper – I’ve saved so much cash by wearing the same pants as my man, we reuse cotton buds too
WITH the cost of living at an all time high, we're all looking for ways to cut back on our spending and save a little extra.
But married couple Caroline Duddridge and Dean Jones have taken penny pinching to the extreme with their extremely frugal approach to hygiene.
The happy couple have no qualms about sharing the strangest of items from towel to toothbrush, a razor and even handkerchiefs, so long as it means they can hang on to their pennies.
The pair, aged 63 and 64 from Wales, say people think they’re bonkers for sharing such intimate items, but they don’t care - they’d even go as far as sharing pants.
“I’d have no problem wearing Dean’s underwear if I had to,” she admits.
“We’d swap cotton buds too - just give it a good swill, you’ve got to keep your ears clean.”
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The couple’s sharing habits began on a cruise in 2018. Caroline forgot her toothbrush and had no option but to use Dean’s.
“I’m so forgetful, it’s the one thing I always leave at home. I just used a bit of warm water to clean the bristles - Dean rolls his eyes but it’s fine, it doesn’t even taste weird.”
Some people might be grossed out by picking bits of food out of a partner’s toothbrush, but this couple couldn’t care less.
“Dean didn’t mind me using it at all. It was just for a night, until we boarded the ship and I could buy one from the chemist,” she says. “Now it’s become a habit and we don’t think twice about it.”
Their excuse? It’s better than not brushing your teeth at all.
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“It’s the lesser of two evils isn’t it,” she claims. “The thought of having bad breath or bits in our teeth is much worse than a quick two-minute scrub.”
A toothbrush isn’t the only thing this couple share. They both use Dean’s deodorant on their underarms and blow their noses on the same handkerchief.
She said: “Used tissues are a step too far for me, but I’ll find a dry bit of Dean’s hanky if I need to blow my nose.”
The pair have dried themselves with the same towel for years, too. Caroline simply pops it out on the washing line to dry after each shower.
The snag is, one of them will always have a soggier rub down.
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“I wash first so Dean’s always got a wet towel,” she confesses. “I’ll pop it outside to air before he uses it, but it gets trickier in the winter months.”
Dean is used to his partner pinching various items, but there’s one thing he can’t abide.
“He goes mad when I borrow his razor,” she admits. “I don’t have much hair on my legs, just the odd one. I wash and dry it and put it back in exactly the same spot, yet he always knows I’ve used it.”
Their family think they’re gross by sharing all these items, but Caroline says it’s more economical in the grand scheme of things. They save money, which can only be a good thing.
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“It’s way less clutter around the house and sharing these things saves a good couple of pounds a month - that’s a nice cup of coffee,” she explains. “Plus, our monthly energy bill is only £60 for broadband, gas and electric - we must be doing something right.
“At the end of the day, Dean and I know we’re clean and we don’t care what other people think.”
