@Anne1325 , I have been here before on the CC but there are new contributors coming here all the time so it possibly bares repeating! For the older contributors here please forgive me!
Finding value to put in my listing is almost a challenge for me, and I am all the time looking at ways to lever a good deal.
1/......As well as the liquid shower gell, every guest gets a boxed cake of Dove soap! I came across on eBay three cartons of Dove soap. There are 144 packs in each carton and 6 cakes in each pack......That is 2,592 boxed cakes of soap which I bid on and secured for a total of $207. That equates to 8c AU per cake, cheaper than buying those wrapped tiny minibars the hotels provide! I have enough Dove soap here for the rest of my hosting life!
2/. I have an arrangement with Julie, the manageress of one of the large supermarkets here and when cheeses get within a week or so of the use by date she does not want to know about them, particularly when they have been picked over a few times in the display cabinet. I never pay more than 50c per cheese. I turn on a $30 cheese plate for every guest for a cost of less than $2.50.
3/. I have a never ending supply of Coke courtesy of the Aldi or Foodland dumpsters. If a carton of drinks gets dropped on the way to the display area, it goes in the dumpster. They don't seem to realise that after a week the contents of those cans have settled back to their orginal state, I just throw the couple of damaged ones in the recycle bin and I have 30+ guests worth of free coke....and I actually get money on the deal because I get the 10c pr can beverage recycle allowance on the whole carton. I make a profit out of nothing.
Dan Murphy's provides me with beer at a heavily reduced rate so, every guest gets a beer in the fridge, on the house.
4/. We produce all our electricity and harvest most of our water supply so those costs are insignificant on a per guest night basis.
5/...... Just yesterday I purchased from Spotlight another 3 x 1,000 thread count sheet sets, which I will just put aside for another six weeks or so. They were a store managers special at the time and cost me $30 pr set. At this cost I don't mind throwing out sheet sets after 30 guests because that means they have averaged around 70 guest nights per set which means they cost me about 37c per guest night...and I think that is good value from a sheet set and guests like the feel of crisp new looking linens....not those that have got balled up through excesive useage!
Anne, I don't cut corners, everything I offer is of good quality, I just make sure I secure it at a bargain basement price. That way everyone is happy, the guest thinks they are getting a great deal and I make money!
Cheers.......Rob