I have had very little money for various times in my life, so the things that I do have helped over the times. Most of my clothes come from charity shops, or have once got a group of women I was on a course with, to do a swap shop - mostly clothes - we stayed on after the class finished and then brought our all the things that we were happy to swap. so the whole point was not to think of what they had cost new etc but to be able to take out one thing for one thing put in. So there were things that were very expensive but the person was fed up with them but felt they were too expensive to throw away. Most of us went home happy with what we had swapped. I am a keen gardener and I have given plants to charities I want to support but cant afford to give money. Then little things. Sounds stingy but I keep a vaccum flask next to the kettle. Obviously I try not to put too much water in anyway, but as soon as I have made the coffee the rest of water goes into flask. So if you want to warm a plate or rinse one coffee pot or warm it for the next coffee you are not running the tap for small amounts of hot water. Always use shower - only have a bath when my back is so painful I have to. When I was living alone, as I am now, looked amongst my friends for people who liked similar things and we would buy BOGOF things and split them and
cheap offers for large amounts , offers of good prices on large joint of pork or whatever and we would buy one and split it, but much more fun was when I lived in a bedsit in london with 5 different bedsits with those little baby bellings. If we were all going to be at home I used to organise a roast dinner. Meat in one oven , veg in another etc and then we would all gather in the one with the biggest table and we had some good meals like that. saved on cooking fuels , saved on heating as we were all in one flat, and learnt a lot of different things, as we had an italian and a french person so over time we all took turns and everyone would always know the best and cheapest shops or markets to get their particular ingredients. Due to age and underlying health problems have been isolated for most of this past year, I get a home delivery from Tesco and find it a bore but can go through the lists and see what is on special offer. Much prefer choosing my own fruit and veg but a neighbour - much younger than me - has been very kind and posted letters and got essentials for me when I have been really bad, so I ask her if she needs anything that is heavy such as washing powder etc and get it with my delivery. Costs me no more and it a small thankyou for all she has done for me. Join online local sales/ free offers group and you may hunt through for a long time but sometimes just what you need comes up. If you are a gardener and belong to a garden club we all swap plants or offer them for low prices to run the club. I am a galanthophile - snowdrops to you - and over the years have slowly built up a collection of over 50 different kinds. These have spread over years and so I am able to carefully dig up some and again either swap them , no money changes hands or sell them to raise funds for a choir I belong to but could not afford to give them cash but they were happy to pay £2 a pot for 2 or 3 bulbs . I raised £30 like that. They were pleased to get special snowdrops that they would never find in the garden centre, I felt that I had made a contribtion to the choir and more importantly by spreading these plants around, should my plants die or get dug up by a thief I knew where I could go back to so dont lose a really special plant and everyone wins.Finally, think about where your charity shops are. Years ago I was doing a degree whilst bring up a family and cash was very short. I was in the manchester area and so went on the bus to cheadle hume and stockport sort of places , quite well off areas. My two best buys from there were a lovely well made cream aran jumper for my son of 5 which cost me £1, couldnt have bought the wool for that price and then best of all a lovely supple black leather jacket which had a knitted collar and knitted cuffs. It looked as though a dog had probably ripped the sleeve cuffs . They were very badly wrecked. It had no price on and I held it up asking How much is this. The lady looked at it and said £5? I paid and couldnt leave quick enough, I spent about half an hour finding the nearest matching material for the cuffs, which cost me 25pence and a friend whose son was in school with daniel and a good sewing machine sewed them on for me. My son absolutely loved that jacket and wore it until he really couldnt get into it again and then I gave it to a friend with 3 little boys so got my moneys worth from that. Of course there are many days looking in shops and on market and getting nothing but cold but these days make up for it too. I wish you every good luck
