Frugal living

There are lots of useful threads about frugal living on Mumsnet, so might be worth looking there.

My slow cooker is brilliant for batch coking cheaper cuts of meat, soups, then freezing and very economical to run. Electric blanket for nighttime. Growing as much as possible in garden and allotment I share. Pound shops for cleaning stuff, toiletries, loo roll etc. It’s so easy to continue ones food shop at the same Supermarket out of habit, Lidl and Aldi are good. Yearly comparison on utility payments, bank and swopping if necessary. Essential purchases, look at sales and sites like Groupon.

Perhaps we all have different understandings of the word frugal.

We went through a number of years when we were really hard up and the savings learned then are still ingrained and fortunately DC caught it too. If in doubt I ask myself if I would put the money down the drain by the kerb. No I wouldn't.

I think small savings add up even though they don't seem much at the time. Batch cooking is definitely worth doing and saves time as well. Adding pulses to casseroles and lots of veg stretches the meat and is also healthier. I don't like the feeling of the heating blasting out so wear a thick cardigan all day and take it off when doing housework so I don't get too warm. Only put the hot water on when needed, not all the time. If going out all day turn the heating down. Ours works remotely so if we remember we can turn it up before coming home. DS takes his own coffee and food to work so he can save money and know what he is eating so if you are still working do the same. It would bother me to pay for these every day.

If you have always had that job at the council you may find other jobs as stressful, many are.

Fortunately we don't need to be frugal now but we are used to it and it enables us to treat ourselves when we want to.

Good luck, you may well enjoy it.

holdingontometeeth Having been there, I totally agree...

Hush I think you need to weigh up very carefully if it is right for you to drop down to part-time work if it means living frugally.

I notice you mentioned that your full time council job was stressful, but surely not having enough money would be even more stressful? It's fine if you have a reasonable amount of savings, and a generous pension eventually, but if not then surely you have no option than to continue with full time work, and to save as well?

Scrimping and saving and watching every penny spent must be such a miserable way to live.

Maybe try a different line of work than the stressful council job?

Sorry not really relevant but you have bought back happy memories of The Paupers Cookbook a kitchen bible of the '70's. Certainly if you batch cook using fresh ingredients and visit the supermarket/market at the right time to buy you should be able to save on food. If I remember right we used to pile on the woolies to save putting the heating on all the time but I guess this depends on your age and health. Good luck.

boheminan A very sad, thought provoking and indeed accurate portrayal of life suffered by many of those entrapped in the Benefits system.

glammanana You may indeed know people who are managing fantastically well on Universal Credit.
Tell that to those on that particular Benefit who rely on Food Banks, and if the UC was so beneficial to all, then why have this cruel Government drastically reduced their plans to put another 3 million on it immediately?
The word smug comes to mind.

Chewbacca

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.

Anybody finding my reference to Universal Credit as an attempt at humour must have a special mind-set, though as you have previously suggested that I bite my 5 year old granddaughter to teach her a lesson, pardon me if I don't take your contributions to heart.

Another tip for EllanVannin : make compost and then you can save on the growbags.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Juggernaut are you saying men are more unpleasant than women

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 .

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.

dragonfly
hotmt is male, which explains a lot!

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

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

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 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.

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.