Whether it is the last drop of coffee or that last bit from your shampoo bottle or toothpaste tube: a penny saved can add up to big dollars in your wallet.

For Debbie Schiro, getting out the last bit of mayo isn't just a way to save money. It's a way of life.

"It's just the philosophy of not being wasteful," she said.

Consumer Reports' Bob Karpel understands. He just spent weeks pumping, pouring, and squeezing a plethora of products from all sorts of packages and containers. They included lotions, liquid detergents, glass cleaners, and toothpastes 22 products in all.

"Some held much more than others. And some you could get almost everything out," he said.

Karpel weighed what was left, and lotions proved the toughest to empty. The pump bottles held onto about 20 per cent of the cream! When it comes to the end of laundry detergents with push buttons, the flow slows to a dribble with plenty of product left inside.

"It's about 15 per cent, Karpel said.

Down to the bottom of your favorite lipstick? Judy Rolena of Consumer Reports' ShopSmart Magazine says you can use a chopstick to scoop out whatever is left.

"Then transfer it to a small jar or travel-size container. You'll need a lipstick brush to apply it," she said.

There's always that last bit of olive oil in the bottle. Save yourself the agony of watching it drip out in slow motion and make a salad dressing right in the bottle. Just add vinegar, herbs and shake.

As for that last drop of honey and molasses, put the jar in hot water. Once warmed up, it will flow out easily.

As for toothpaste, who hasn't struggled getting out the last bit? Consumer Reports found plastic squeeze tubes can trap about 10 per cent of the toothpaste. But kudos to tubes with a foil liner that lets you squeeze out practically everything. And glass cleaners shined, too, delivering almost all the cleaner from the bottles.

With tough-to-empty containers, Debbie has found a little persistence pays off. But she has her limits.

"If it's going to take you ten minutes to squeeze the last drop out of something, you know, it may not be worth it," she said.

Keep an eye out for gadgets that can save money. For example a toothpaste squeezer can come in handy or you can just cut the tube at the bottom to squeeze out that last drop.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen