Frugal living

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??? HOTMT

I like to live within my means and get satisfaction from wasting as little as possible, reducing non-essentials, etc., but I don't live frugally. Frugal living is miserable IMO.

Totally out of order Holding

HOTMT smacks of 'I, Daniel Blake'....

I believe, with the earth's resources dwindling at the rate they are, it will become necessary for us all to look at living more frugal lifestyles.
Growing more of our own food is a good easy start and very rewarding when it comes to the point of producing a complete meal from home produce. Even with no garden there's a lot of edible food that can be grown in pots. Getting rid of the car and investing in a bike with panniers is a cheaper and healthier way of shopping. Car sharing? The cost of flour now means I can't afford to make as much bread as I'd like to, the price of all food is creeping up to the point where for me cutting back is a necessity rather than a whim, it's a way of life. There's lots of books (try the library, if you've still got a local one) on the subject of self sufficiency, they make for interesting reading.

The best way I found to save money when we were very poor was to write everything down. ALL incomings and outgoings even small items like postage stamps. I still have the book I used.
We also found that when we stopped working our outgoings decreased considerably so we were better off than we thought we would be.

I’m told you can eat really well from the reduced shelf at supermarkets if you know when to go. Friends are always bragging about the whole side of salmon or beef joint they picked up for next to nothing and made into umpteen meals for the freezer. Whenever I go there are a few ready meals with bashed boxes, loads of blue cheese and some suspiciously dark bacon.

If I go shopping in our local city, though, I call in at the market before getting on the bus. Yesterday I got four melons for £1 (shared with a friend) and a couple of pounds of plums for 50p. If I had my free bus pass it’d be worth going every week.

I agree with dragonfly- after I stopped working full time I soon noticed the savings in not having to buy clothes for work, tube fares in London to get to work and I also used less petrol. The odd cup of expensive coffee, lunch out and daily newspaper also mounts up when one is working.

When one has more time one can plan meals and usually there is less waste.

My father kept up an endless litany of "Waste not, want not" so this is ingrained in my psyche. I do my best; but have stopped feeling guilty about power usage - OH weighs 6.5 stone and I just keep the heating high and try to wipe out the nagging disapproving voice in my head.

It is all about balance - live frugally but have a few treats here and there.

I agree with Dragonfly and Charleygirl , its expensive to go to work.

I found I saved also on all the ready meals, takeaways etc that we had because we were both exhausted.
We grow a small amount of food in the summer, generally either things I can freeze or things that are expensive to buy, definitely all the salad crops.

I also buy whats in season or on special offer and have a store cupboard of things without sell by dates . Its an expensive outlay initially but if you buy at the right price and its things you use anyway you can make quite a saving. Im thinking of things like soap powder , washing up liquid etc.

Good luck - I think you'll find it easier than you might expect.

I have never had cash to splash so have always had to consider before spending.
I would like to say I buy clothes entirely from charity shops but it's not strictly true, though I have friends who do. I knit which ticks several boxes.
I grow fruit and veg and flowers which ticks more because it keeps me fit esp the walk or cycle to the allotment!
I would like to do more about alternative energy but not had time or money.
Use your bus pass. I'm very proud of my extreme bus trips to visit DC & DGC.
Cook from scratch and go vegetarian.
Teach your GC to cook.

When we needed to cut back, some years ago, I took lessons in vegetarian cookery. We're not veggie, but I still use some of the recipes. They were great!

I see HOTMT is in fine form this morning. Singularly inappropriate comment, and not in the least bit amusing!

I rather think HOTMT got shot down in flames on her first post and now she is getting her own back! Seems rather childish.

dragonfly
hotmt is male, which explains a lot!

All my life I've been surrounded by food. !
Growing up in the family, mum always made sure we ate well, which we did. The pantry overflowed.
Then came marriage and children for me and the need for cupboards etc to be bursting at the seams with food !

This is fine when there are families to feed but having been on my own for a number of years now, I still shop as though there's going to be a siege ! It is a problem !
Do I need everything that I buy ? NO !
It's a deep down fear of empty cupboards as well as during the winter months should the weather not be conducive for venturing out.

I would love to be more " frugal " then there wouldn't be so much waste, plus I'd save more money too ! I'd always had a brilliant appetite but it's now a bit hit and miss though I can still eat a good hearty home-cooked meal once a day as I now only eat when I'm hungry and not just because it's lunchtime.

I find I have fads for certain things, make a meal then the rest goes to waste, such as a small leg of lamb-----which I won't eat the next day and the same goes for pretty much everything else. There aren't many meals that I can or will eat two days on the run.

Some people have hoarding problems, I have this " cupboards,'fridge/freezer " must be packed problem. I'd be mortified to just have the basics, which in all honesty, is all I need.

Always buy your veg when in season and make use of it,when making cottage pie/scouse etc always make enough to freeze a couple of portions it costs the same to make a small meal as a large amount the fuel costs are the same.
If you want to treat yourself always look on the sites such as croupon for massive reductions in restaurants/hairdressers/days out,the savings are really good.
I take offence to the thought of people on UC being poor and cannot manage most I know manage very well (my DD has managed fantastically well on it ) there are obviously people who will never manage a budget as they will spend any money they have straight away .

Juggernaut are you saying men are more unpleasant than women

I think HOTMT sees himself as something of a comedian. But the Universal Credit quip was anything but amusing, especialy for those trying to live on it.

Hush a very good friend of mine has to live semi frugally but has always been a smart dresser- these days all her finds are in charity shops and she looks great. There is a lot on TV about upcycling and lots of TV progs now about it. Good luck with it- I hope there are some good 'finds' for you out there.

We are lucky to have a large garden so grow a lot of fruit and vegetables. It's hard work but I get a huge kick out of frugal living which IMO is anything but miserable. To me it just means thrifty or economical. Funnily enough, I've always felt secure and content knowing I've saved money while still being able to live comfortably and enjoy some of life's luxuries.

Plenty of good tips on this thread so I don't really need to add to them but I agree that it costs a lot of money to go to work!!

DH reckons I was born to retire.

dragonfly
No, not at all, but hotmt doesn't seem at all able to empathise, and not many men can!

Must get some seed potatoes this year and a couple of gro-bags for veggies. I'd always been used to fresh produce. I'll make myself manage with the minimum.

Look at all the departments of your life in turn and see where you can cut down. It certainly shouldn't be seen as a sacrifice.
I enjoy, and I'm sure others do, getting good deals, forgoing expensive holidays and eating in rather than out.
Individually tailored living to suit each of us is the way to go.
I'm thinking of EllanVannin's freezer.....
The friend who wears charity shop clothes is tall and slim like a model.
Those of us shorter and rounder tend to look like bag ladies.
The other thing you mentioned Hush was earning some money so why not write about your frugal journey? I would buy it. or borrow it from the library