Hello Dear Reader,
Like many workers, I am faced with a future where pay will be based on where you live and have to acknowledge that I and many others will have our pay cut in the near distant future. When it happens, there is no point in people acting surprised and wondering how you will live on less but will need to face up to the reality that will happen and prepare ourselves for this.
There are many things I used to do, that I don't do any more. I don't eat out, I don't have takeaways or ready meals, I don't go to the hairdressers, I don't go to the cinema or theatre (which I really miss), we don't celebrate birthdays or Christmas, we don't buy treats or little gifts for each other, when I visit friends, I arrive empty handed. I'm going to have to get rid or more to make way for the lifestyle changes I will have to live with when we're paid less in the future.
Furniture and clothes will have to be mended over and again. Curtains will need to be double lined. There will be no more holidays but find ways of finding paid work or ways of making money in the holidays and even weekends. Spare rooms will have to be rented out. Hobbies will be turned into ways of making money. Gardens will have to be dug over for food. Toiletries and cosmetics will have to be cut back. The fire will be lit later and allowed to die down earlier. More clothes will need to be worn indoors and another blanket will have to go on our beds.
Already, second hand items are increasing in value as more people sell what they have to bring in some needed cash. This used to be for the little extras and this, for so many people, will be a way of getting by. Those of us who sew or knit will be supplementing our incomes and the phrase 'pin money' will soon be part of our every day vernacular. There will be no more day trips or outings as all of us will have to ration our travel as it will become beyond the affordable reach of people.
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We have so many many challenges that we need to be prepared now and start making adjustments in our lives now. As everything will cost more and we'll be earning less, we'll have to cut back even more, not to save but to get by. More of us will get rid of our cars, will sell anything surplus and put away any spare money to keep ourselves afloat.
Now, Dear Reader, here is the time for you to share advice on being truly deeply frugal, leave a comment and we can share ideas of the things we live without, will have to live without and how we will all have to get by on less. What do you no longer have, no longer do? What will you have to do without? We're having to halve our energy costs and only heat one room, does this sound familiar to anyone? Who else is used to the cold inside their house?
Over to you xxxxx
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI'm quite comfortable with a much colder temp inside before. Trained myself/my body to cope with and even like a cooler temp. When I'm inside a heated space like another person's home, or a store or whatever, I feel overheated and overdressed, lol.
I'm reading your blog from way back in the beginning, as I like seeing how you make do and prioritize. :)
coffeekittie
Oh yes we are cold. We don't put the heating on and just manage with a warm front room due to our woodburner lit mid afternoon. Thank goodness for that.
ReplyDeleteI used to go into a cafe and have a drink and a cake for a treat when I went into town...I haven't done this for a few years now as I know I can have this for nothing at home. We rarely go out for meals now or have takeaways...however, now when we do go out to eat, I can honestly say I don't enjoy it as much, as my homemade food at my house is so much nicer.
ReplyDeleteOur heat to has been turned down to 68 ,we don't use paper towels or napkins . Gas for the car is our money eater ,not much we can do DH travels 50 miles each way to get to work , no we can't move closer to his job, our housing and every other household cost would go up being closer to Toronto . I'm working on hubby to get rid of cable but so far he is ignoring me :-).
ReplyDeleteCould your husband take the Go train or carpool? Might save a lot.
DeleteWe used to go out for dinner every Sunday, whenever I went shopping I would by small treats for the kids, the house used to be unreasonably warm and nothing but brand name food would do.
ReplyDeleteThere has been quite a turnaround in the last four years. I buy own brand where possible and cook and bake from scratch all the time. I have kept clothes from my older boys for seven years and more (we have plenty of space - unfortunately) until they now fit my youngest son. My kids bring lunch to school, we all wear second hand clothing when it comes our way.
My husband and I don't give eachother presents and the kids get a limited amount for birthdays and Christmas.
I have been following your blog for some time now and I love how you prepare big batches of food which are time and energy saving. To that end I am also looking into buying a slow cooker, but I must do some more research on that first.
I still have not reconciled myself with the cost of food in this country and unfortunately places like approved food don't exist here.
But as things seem to get tougher by the week I am more and more determined to squeeze the last out of every cent.
Your blog is a great inspiration and sometimes when I'm fed up with being financially restricted I read it and it makes me realise that I am thankful to have my family around me, we are warm and have enough to eat. Everything else are first world problems.
we are sharing your pain, it's hard to make fixed plans with a variable income,seems forever since my overtime was used for treats and not for necessary's and thats without debt that a lot of households have.
ReplyDeleteThink the crafty things that we have done is we have a E7 electric meter as we have nightstore fitted, which i wouldn't/can't afford to use so we use a multi-fuel burner as our main heat source and a gas bottle heater to take the chill off the bedrooms. but i do take full use of the cheaper night-time electric does mean my day starts at 4am i get all my washing, ironing and baking done, laptop and mobiles all charged, good job im an early bird. it's on the chilly side at the moment even with the burner glowing away im saving the "black gold" for when the chill really set's in and i need to leave the fire in all night.
On the plus side for my shame i love stodgy winter food nothing warms you up better that veggy stew and dumplings and cake, the layers of baggy clothes hide a multitude of winter cakey sins :) I have to find the good in everyday or my mind set's to wondering how much more the cloth can be cut.
I only heat the room I'm in which unfortunately has stairs in an open plan layout however I close the doors as much as possible to retain the heat downstairs. I've lots of little tealights that I also put on for a little extra heat and they also look pretty. I now look for cheaper places to go for coffee e.g. church coffee shops so my pennies help others than large organisations and they also have homemade cakes so for the bargain price of £1.20 I can have a milky cup of coffee and a small slice of cake once a month (I used to buy coffee multiply times a week - oh such a waste of money!!) - I live alone which is isolative sometimes. I no longer eat out and also looking for extra work to supplement my income. I currently rent and the hope of one day owning my own 'castle' is fast fading (53 next time round) however I am intending to tighten the belt so much it screams and put this towards a deposit as my rent went up £30 a month in October from 550 to 580 and with the prospect of salary dropping and everything else increasing I'll be stuffed!!
ReplyDeleteHi Jan
DeleteThe church my father attends offer coffee mornings and beautiful things at astounding prices and I go occasionally for similar reasons like yourself . I am a full time carer and seeing a different face helps the time go on and lifts a spirit. Sorry to hear about your rent ours went up as well this year and I also find i am repairing much more and sooner than i ever used to a few years back(glad I do now)! I also set the printer to draft quality saves me a lot on ink!. Hope you have a warm and happy time this Christmas
Thanks Rachel, although my rent has increased I am very blessed that I did have a pay increase which matched so I broke even. I was hoping to save that for a rain day but looks like the rainy day arrived early! I used to have my previous printer on draft like yourself and it was wonderful however the current one is very pale unfortunately but at least it makes me more careful about what I print and therefore save trees!
DeleteThere was a church many years ago in Chorley in Lancashire that did fabulous cakes and coffee but unfortunately it doesn't do them on a saturday but a church in the centre of Preston does. I hope you have a terrific Christmas and see/meet lots of wonderful people to lift your spirit. :-)
Stay away from shops and/or malls! If you don't see it, you won't want it & you won't feel deprived. anyhow, you've lived without it (whatever it is) for all these years, you really don't need it.
ReplyDeleteGo to the library!!! Free books and magazines, free internet, free movies, free entertainment. Warm in winter, cool in summer (at least in the humid mid-Atlantic states in the US, where you really really need AC).
Save for emergencies. If you suddenly need to buy a new stove, immediately start putting money aside in an appliance/emergency fund. Save for rainy days. Save for your retirement. Yeah, I know. You don't have the money. You'd be surprised at what you can scrounge up to save. Empty out your change every week and put that into your retirement fun. If you are fortunate enough to get a raise at work, put 90% of that raise into savings. You've lived without the extra money before, so you can do it now, too.
Kids really really do not need all the junk we buy them. They don't need candy bars at the supermarket, junky toys at the big bargain stores. They want your time. Go find a cheapy game at the thrift sho, sit down and play with the kids.
Cook from scratch!!! Prepared food is very price, not very tasty, and loaded with sodium, fat, cholesterol, and high calories. You can make so much better, and even enjoy the process.
Read Froogs' blog! she has figured it all out.
Hello Ruth
DeleteI hear you a while back I was on the bus waiting to go home and i started to think , then realized that I dont go into any of the shops we have in our city. The supermarket and occasionally the marked fro veg and one charity shop and my unmovable treat a craft group I belong to I combine the cost of the bus fair with it and any food shopping I need to do. I dont miss all the glitz and the hassle of it all and I never want to go back. Have a wonderful Christmas
Uh no... while I admire the frugal, I am not frugal I spend like crazy and enjoy life, remember you only live once!!
ReplyDeleteHS
That's why you are still in debt and I'm obliterating my mortgage and I'm debt free
DeleteHS just been browsing your blog. Don't you realise it is costing more for everything you buy when you buy on credit and have interest added? You have to get away from the mentality of having to have everything you want now. It will cripple your family and hold you back sooner or later!
DeleteGradually changing OH to my way of thinking re turning off lights, not flushing loo every wee and sharing a T bag. Little changes slowly made will eventually make a difference.
ReplyDeleteHello Debs,
DeleteSame here what I also have done is switch brands of tea and now buy sainsburys basics I can put one bag in a pot and cover with a cosey leave to stand fro a good 5 mins ish and make a remarkable drinkable cuppa. Have also stopped buying biscuits and make my own from a BBC food recipe you can add to the mix any thing you like it is a very forgiving recipe. same with there Christmas cake. if I dont have enough fruit I add grated carrot to top it up and as for the booze I use cold tea. Keep on pluggin you will get there , believe me if I can do it anyone can lol have a fab fab Christmas.
When the digital switch hit my area - we stopped having a TV. We didn't have Freeview or Sky so got bored of looking at a load of lines! The TV licence was stopped as well. Do I miss TV after not having it since June - no!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't had a pay rise for 3 1/2 years until this month when my take home pay went up by £7 per month - not a huge amount. I am one of the lucky ones. Some of my work colleagues will lose £3-4000 p.a. from next April.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say we've had to cut back. The latest thing we are working on is the heating - we are looking at bringing our coal fire back into use, have bought an oil filled radiator for my husband's office (he works from home)and I'm investigating making window quilts after a fellow blogger passed on some good advice.
I am saving like mad and storing non perishable foods as a safety net but sometimes, just sometimes I feel like saying ' I really really want fish and chips!' Then I stop and think what else I could do with that cash and I go and cook something nice like a bacon butty. Bacon butties cure all cravings (unless you are a veggie) My son asked me why I buy cooking bacon - I told him its beacause you can have loads of bacon on your butties for pennies - he loved that idea! I just wish I could make really good hm bread as no matter what I do its always heavy - I have a bread maker but dont like the taste of the bread cooked in it so just use it to make the dough as I cannot knead it with my arthritis.
ReplyDeleteTry this book Artisan Bread for homemade bread http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919
DeleteThey have their own site too. Honestly, it is fantastic bread and so easy. You can make pita, pecan rolls,pizza is the fave in our house and saves big time bucks.
Try this book http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919
DeleteThey also have their own website. I make pita, pecan rolls and pizza which is a favorite and saves so much money. Right now I have rye dough in my fridge and can't wait to see how it comes out.
since redundancy and finishing a college course, I have found a job for two days week, it covers the essentials (gas, lecci, water, council tax, running the car (worked out I need to work 5 days to pay for car tax, insurance, mot, a pair of tyres a year, service and a bit for essentials per year), tv licence, broadband, mobile and food JUST! Fortunately, I had the opportunity of having a foreign student to stay for a year and this is paying for my mortgage each month. You do what you have to do to keep a roof over your head and keep going.
ReplyDeleteI have reduced my water comsumption even more compared to a couple of months ago but I am not sure how I can save any more! All the insulation is paying off along with having the heating on at 17 deg c. The windows and doors need replacing and thats what I am trying to save up for but this will take a year or two.
I dont go out and about anymore, last trip out was in the summer to the beach some 60 miles away and I dont know when I will be going again.
My DH wanted to go for a chinese buffet on sunday and take the student with us but after I pointed out it would cost in the region of £55 including a soft drink each, it would be cheaper to eat at home (total cost of £10 which included a lot of reduced items) and we had enough for tonights tea as well and my lunch and the chicken has been used to make a curry as well as a big pot of chicken soup.
Like another poster, its been a while since we have gone out for a meal as the last time, it was a disappointment. Now if we want a treat, we take it in turns to cook a special meal.
I think I need some hardcore money saving ideas, I have always been frugal and careful but I need to move it to the next level now.... where is that level??
we'll all have to find a new level as money gets tighter
Deletedepressing!
ReplyDeleteI have a question. When you rent a room out doesn't that take more money from you? As in heat in renters room,their using more water, and electricity. I thought about renting a room and then changed my mind as I am sure I wouldn't find someone willing to be frugal. If they pay rent they would want more for their money.
ReplyDeleteFrugal renters are out there as they are happy enough to have a warm but not hot room and know they can have one five minute shower a day so they have a reasonable rent. Our lodger stayed monday to thursday night and only paid £40 a week. They had a small oil filled radiator in their room and got used to taking a flask up and not flushing pee. i also didn't allow him to use the washing machine as he did that when he went home - they were happy to live like that as the lodger was a 'greenie' and lived like that at home, the lodger stayed with us as he couldn't get work where he lived. set your rules, discuss them first - if they don't like it then they don't have to live there.
DeleteWe live on half the income we did a year ago due to entering into self employment. We are way happier but carrying two homes while waiting to sell one when the market is better. We could not do it without having zero debt other than a small mortgage on one of the properties. We don't buy what we don't need. We rarely eat out, scratch cook, bulk buying (I bought 8kg of rice this week for $10 cad - that should last quite a while), and entertain ourselves on nothing. If required we could cut back even more - Cable would be something we could drop easily (well me at least - hubby is against it). The heat could easily go lower than we currently set it although with my arthritis we keep the home warmer than most.
ReplyDeleteHi Frugal Queen, Why is your pay going down based on where you live? We live in Perth Western Australia and are trying to cope with a two pay economy, ours very low local blue collar and fly in out workers who earn a pay of around $180.000. I get so fed up with it, much love jo
ReplyDeleteHi - there are currently national pay scales for government workers such as nurses - soon those pay scales will go - at the moment a nurse in Manchester on Grade D is on the same pay scale as a nurse on Grade D in mid Wales - that will go. Where there is higher employment and more job seekers the pay scales will be lower as desperate people will work for less. We both live where house prices, utility bill prices are high and so is unemployment so we live an area where wages will decrease - it's basically about putting public sector pay in line with business. If you work for a supermarket chain, such as Tesco, they have different rates of pay for their staff in every area. If an area has plenty of people looking for work then wages will be lower. It's all about bottom line and profit.
DeleteFroogs, do you think there will be an actual cut in pay? I saw it as an erosion of real pay by means of no/lower pay rises in those areas. If they try and impose actual cuts they are on a real confrontation course. Comes to the same thing in the end of course but gives you slightly longer to acclimatise and there is the possibility that local costs will stay somewhat more in line if it's gradual - although the 'market' will always extract as much as can be squeezed out of people.
DeleteDB had a real pay cut and I took a pay cut, we've had pay frozen for year and we will have more money taken from our wages to pay our pensions by the end of next year we will be 20% worse off than this year but still need to pay the mortgage so we'll have to cut back to afford it xxxx we'll make it!
DeleteI don't doubt that!!
Delete2013 will be a year of firsts I think for us, as money is getting tighter and tighter, so frugal will be our middle name in this house.
ReplyDeleteGill
Christmas can still be celebrated without spending money. It is about Christ not materialism.
ReplyDeleteVery well said Theresa. My Mom grew up during the Great Depression (four children in the home), and they still celebrated Christmas, birthdays etc.
DeleteFar too many folks today are use to spending on a whim, and now that times are tough everywhere, they complain about having to do with less.
My former MIL (whom I love dearly) is 86. She has buried two husbands and one son...her youngest. One grandchild currently being treated for cancer. She is part of the "Greatest Generation", has been frugal her whole life. But, never, never will she let it depress her. Due to a lifelong frugal life, she can afford to give to her 3 remaining children, 10 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. She is NOT rich, simply wise with her money.
I know you mean well Froogs, but this was one of your most depressing posts.
I really don't think we should think of it so much as doing without or as being frugal. Its call wise living. If you don't need it, don't buy it. Something my generation certainly did not learn growing up.
If you have a house (paid or not or rented), have food, have $20 in your pocket, you have far more then a huge part of this world population.
I simply do not understand what seems like so much whining and complaining about having to spend wisely now. Stop depressing yourself by thinking life is so hard now. If it does feel that way, it probably is because we spent when we should have saved.
Having been homeless in the past, and living in a homeless shelter, having even a rented cottage now to clean is a blessing. We cut corners, not because our fixed (retired) income is small, but because we have learned where we were wasteful, and are doing our best to change in those areas. Nothing will ever stop us from celebrating Christmas nor birthdays.
blessings, jill
Here in the southern hemisphere I am going to try to produce all of our greens for the summer, and lots of other veg as well...
ReplyDeleteHello Froogs
ReplyDeleteThis year for Christmas I have made pretty much all of it beanie has for the men marmalade for others and for the majority of the women something has been sewed or crocheted. there have been a couple of things bought but is been on line second hand and very very small. All wrapping paper used was from a frighteningly good sale I found here last year and the cards are from a few years back ,same thing a store was having a clear out. when these are finally gone I will make my own. Next year I fear will be harder than ever for people so have re jigged my fiances accordingly dropped some things added on others so I benefit and not the powers that be. At present they are not speaking to me :) oh well good post.
I just wanted to say thank you for being such an inspiration to me. I have been sewing since age 13, now 51, but due to health problems leading to me recently being approved for a disability pension, I must cut back even further. Lucky for me, I have fairly green thumbs so am able to grow some of my food. As long as I have friends, fabric, sewing machine, and library, I think things will work out ok after all. I have learned so much from reading your site, thank you infinitely. debbie
ReplyDeleteOur major bugbear is heating - old stone house in Scotland with nowhere to put insulation - we don't have cavity walls and our bedrooms are in the attic so no loft insulation. Our monthly fuel bills have risen from £90 when we first moved here 6 years ago to £160.00 as of last week.
ReplyDeleteWe have just had a quote of over £3K to instal a woodburner, which seems extortionate, so will be shopping around.
Reading between the lines you seem quite downbeat at the moment I hope that things get better for you. It does get harder and harder, sometimes it seems the more we try to economise the more we have to, and we end up trapped in a corner of frugality, the only thing to change it is to take a step back and rationalise why we are doing what we do.
ReplyDeleteI remember feeling completely hopeless, with no food in the cupboards and no money in my purse but even then I pulled it around by the skin of my teeth. I have never been in that position again.
Next year is our complete 'Year of Less' with the Blog subheading reflecting this. We intend to whittle away at our possessions until we are left with the things we need. It's going to be an interesting journey.
I hope that during the Christmas break you can set yourself challenges and get back the brilliant equilibrium that you have. You inspire so many through your Blog and your fantastic money saving ideas.
Sue xx
I didnt think it is so bad up north, that was untill my husband who works for a major car manufacturer begins with N and ends with N and makes a squashki, but his part makes their new greenie car!! He came home and told me that he is doing managers work for the wage he is on. It makes him get noticed. What a load of crap if I ever had heard in my life.
ReplyDeleteMy job which is local goverment/NHS hasnt had a pay rise for 5 years! And to save jobs I have taken a pay and hours cut. But we manage, we live on whoops label goods, making small changes hiding own brand goods and putting them in the name product packages. Buying clothes second hand is a big help as is homewears and bedding.
If we did have a vehicle through Pauls work lease plan scheme we would struggle.
I would recommend lease plan if you use a vehicle for work, many manufacturers do them, what it is you pay a set amount each month and road tax, insurance and any other costs are meet, all you need to do is add fuel. I do hope this gem helps some one as we all need to do our bit. Alliexxx
We have our heating/hot water on for 40 minutes on cheap rate electricity (only have baths so have to warm the water somehow!). We get into each others bath water. The wood burner is our only source of heating and gets lit mid to late afternoon. Last log is put on around 8pm. The lounge door is kept almost closed otherwise the freezer (the rest of our home) leaks in and makes us cold. DB warms a microwavable bag to have in bed, I use a quick burst of the hair dryer if the bedding is very cold, as I don't like the excess heat from his bag. When the oven is on I try to make use of it such as today. It will firstly have the bread in, followed by a large batch of roast potatoes ready for next week, and will end with warming through a previously made pie for tea.
ReplyDeleteAs OAP's we have to be frugal, we are lucky in as much as we have work place pensions as well as our government pension's. The one thing I will not compromise on is heat. We are on E7 and have 2 storage heaters plus individual heaters in the bedrooms. The heaters are set as background heat and we use fleeces, thermals and quilts when we are sitting. The bedroom heaters are on timers and come on when we go to bed and get up for 3/4 of an hour, takes the chill off the room. Bedroom door as kept closed during the day I do as much as I can using the E7 tariff, I do have a dryer, only use it for the towels which take ages to dry otherwise. during the winter washing is put on the airer in the sitting room over night, it is dry in the morning and cam be folded an put away. I must admit I do miss the stove we had in the cottage, no fireplaces here. I have always cooked from scratch and will continue to do so as long as I am able.We have just had an extra layer of insulation in the roof thats to a grant from our energy supplier. I guess we do pay for it in the long run via higher electricity prices, but it does make a difference. All our curtains are thermal lined, I draw them as soon as it gets dark. We do still have a TV, OH is over 75 so we do not need a license any more and we have a freestat box. I am considering cancelling the phone line and using mobiles, I will then have to trawl for an internet provider, I do have a mobile dongle but upping that would be the same as using sky or BT for the internet.
ReplyDeleteMy hobby is quilting, I have a goal not to buy any more fabric in 2013 but to use up what I have. Did a clear out of clothes earlier this year, anything I had not worn for 12 months went out, made quite a dent in what was in the wardrobe. I have difficulty buying clothes from Charity shops, very little in my size. Si usually buy from either Bon Marche or Matalan. The most expensive things I have to buy are bra's. I need serious scaffolding and having a narrow back makes it difficult.
In the past I have been guilty of living above our means in some respects, that had to change when we became pensioners. I dread the time when we may have to move into sheltered accomodation.....if rents keep rising it is going to come sooner rather than later. I am also questioning how long we are going to be able to afford to keep my car for the time being it is safe its 4 years old, I hope to see at least another 3 - 4 years out of it before costs outstrip our income.
I don't think i'll ever be in a food over heat situation, I can safely say my husbands job is secure, he works for family and they are so busy they can't get all the work done, they have been right threw the recession.We are expecting pay increases this year aswell.
ReplyDeleteHowever if it did happen honestly i would stop saving,i have 3 kids and i myself has ashma as does my youngest a cold house makes me very unwell (my heat was on in the night last night yet i could hardly draw breath this morning as it was so cold outside) i knwo someone will come along now and tell me heatings bad for ashma and it is as it dries the air ect but i've opened my windows and let so fresh air in to avoid damp aswell, cold effects us really badly as does a change in temp so i couldn't keep walking from a warm to cold room.
We never had alot of money before (altho thnakfully never got into debt, we just got on with it) yet i always made sure we were warm and well fed, i've just carried those traits on and shift the extra to my savings, my dream is to own my own home and i'm slowly getting there however if the worst came to teh worst renting isn't the end of the world, I have memories of being cold and not having any food from my childhood and i think that does effect my decision making about the budget.
I'm also very fortunate, we have a small pot belly stove, acess to lots of pallets, and a can get a 25kg bag of coal for £4.30 like you i bought a ton of logs about a month ago for the really cold weather (we're about 2/3 way threw them)we also have a tank full of oil, we budget around £30 a month towards heating, we use more than that in winter but it balances out with summer.
Our house is cold but I can't say that I am used to it. We heat the room we are in with a halogen heater (20p per hour for electricity) but I dress like the Michelin man. I often wear an outdoor fleece jacket round the house. We keep the CH frost stat set slightly high so that it will come on automatically if the temperature in the house goes below 5'C. We've only turned the CH on ourselves for an hour on 6 occasions this winter. My husband is increasingly less happy with the temperature in the house and I have to admit that I just feel better if I am warmer too. I don't like "hot" but I am a bit too cold. Our income will drop by over half next year and I am concerned about keeping as much money as possible in the coffers in case we have a real arctic winter. There are not many places left where I have not already pruned the spending.
ReplyDeleteWe've found out (and I admit that we have never had periods of unemployment which would be very different) that for everything we've given up we've gained something. So there were plenty of positive side effects of paying off debts and having less cash -
ReplyDeletehaving the heating on less = learning to make quilts and blankets
getting rid of the car = I am stronger and fitter
giving up eating meat and processed food = I'm now slimmer and better at cooking
not eating out = being really good at making biscuits and pasties for a picnic
not shopping as a leisure activity = house is tidier and I don't need to declutter every year
not buying clothes = better at mending things and have a mix and match wardrobe.
Froogs, I was wondering what triggered such a downbeat post. Your tone doesn't read as if it is something personal, so what have you been reading/listening to/watching? (Did you see the BBC documentary on Spain that was broadcast on Sunday night? Was that it?)
ReplyDeleteOn the whole, though, I'm not disagreeing with you. I think life in the future will be a lot tougher for many people as the afluenza wears off and debts have to be paid back while tax increases/inflation/wage freezes bite deeper. We grew up with far higher lifestyle aspirations than people of a generation or two ago and it will hurt.
Good luck to everyone. I'm still in awe of the enormity of minimum wage, so that says about all you need to know about my lifestyle. Froogs, you sound like you're well on your way to becoming me. IT's fun, I promise you that. LOL
ReplyDeleteHere in Greece being frugal has taken on a new meaning! Part of me still resents the fact that the money which we thought would give us a "comfortable" retirement (after many years of just getting by) has evaporated due to low interest rates in the UK/rubbish £-Euro exchange rates/Greek austerity measures & taxes. However, we are fortunate - we live in a beautiful area and have no mortgage. We grow olives (for olive oil) to supplement our pension and grow a few veggies when possible. We use a wood burning stove for heating and, yes, this house is cold in the winter away from the stove. We wear layers and put coats on top of us in bed. I cook in large batches as much as I can, and make my own bread. What is new to me is buying things which are on offer if I don't need them at that particular moment. I've become much better at planning and looking ahead when I'm doing food shopping - for non perishables, or things that can be frozen.
ReplyDeleteCompared with some Greek people we are lucky indeed - I know of pensioners who have to exist on 300€ a month!
I'm a fairly new reader of your blog and it's my must read of the day. I work all my holidays, cook from scratch/menu plan, cut my own hair, buy no clothes, own/buy no make-up, don't drink or smoke and never go out. I have 2 eye-watering credit cards to pay down a legacy of my husbands 2 year unemployment spell. He now has a job and I am using your blog as inspiration. I love your honesty and am really so inspired that your debt is paid (mortgage aside)....I cannot wait to be in the same position. I do have children at home and am unable to be as frugal as I would like..... I am happy with no Christmas/Birthday gifts and keep the heating off unless they are in.
ReplyDeleteMy one indulgence is travelling (no-where exotic) and showing the girls the world is one expense that I will never regret. Your blog is an inspiration.
I'm a fairly new reader of your blog and it's my must read of the day. I work all my holidays, cook from scratch/menu plan, cut my own hair, buy no clothes, own/buy no make-up, don't drink or smoke and never go out. I have 2 eye-watering credit cards to pay down a legacy of my husbands 2 year unemployment spell. He now has a job and I am using your blog as inspiration. I love your honesty and am really so inspired that your debt is paid (mortgage aside)....I cannot wait to be in the same position. I do have children at home and am unable to be as frugal as I would like..... I am happy with no Christmas/Birthday gifts and keep the heating off unless they are in.
ReplyDeleteMy one indulgence is travelling (no-where exotic) and showing the girls the world is one expense that I will never regret. Your blog is an inspiration.
There are no gradings now for nurses in the nhs, we are all in various bands. The goverment is not backing the South West pay cartel so hopefully it will not go ahead.
ReplyDeleteThere are only bandings in the nhs now not gradings. The goverment is not backing the South West Pay Cartel so hopefully it will not go ahead.
ReplyDeleteI guess this year that we must have been more frugal as we have managed to get to Christmas and we are not half as much in debt now as we were this time last year despite our income going down by a quarter.I have dyed old clothing to give it a lift..it only looked tatty because the colours were so faded, now it looks like new and because I used a different colour from the original it feels like having new clothes.!also I have dug out our thermal underwear which we will wear when it gets really cold.we have cut our food budget to £50 a week, that's cleaning washing and dog food as well..we a a some great bargains from approved foods and rosspa and we have stopped having bacon sandwiches for brekky and now have porridge instead!we also are not buying as much meat as we used to and make the most of pasta rice couscous and potatoes, which are very filling.I have made a lot of my Christmas presents and some of them are even second hand..i think its very important to be frugal and sensible these days, as you just don't know whats around the corner!on this cheerful note, happy frugal Christmas everybody!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the most interesting topics you've addressed. Although I don't think the results will be as draconian as you suggest, you could be right. All of us need to get our spending priorities in order. I agree with Thrift Deluxe--for every cutback we have made, there has been a corresponding benefit.
ReplyDeleteI am old enough to remember the 1950s. The lifestyle was much simpler and less expensive. If we go back to smaller housing, meals cooked at home, less elaborate decorating, entertaining only at home, smaller wardrobes, one car + public transportation, using things up, mending and making do, our lives will be simpler and less expensive. And we might not have to make a choice between food and heat.
I do all of these things and still can't afford heating. I tried to move to a smaller house and still want to however, we can't afford to heat a four bed house and can only heat part of it - I'm suffering from horrid joint pain at the moment which is making me intolerant of the cold so I just get to bed early and warm up there - nothing that will kill me
DeleteWell, technically you could afford it if you didn't have the goal of paying down your mortgage. It's a good goal, and I support it (not that it matters what I think), but if your goal were to live in a warm house, you could do that. It's a choice...and we all make choices.
DeleteI go to bed when I'm cold, too! Loved the suggestion of warming up with a hairdryer! My feet are always cold, it seems. Never thought of using a hairdryer before, and it's going to be much easier and neater than a bucket of hot water!
I, too, am looking forward to when I can move to a smaller house. This one is paid for, but it is way too big for us and that's wasteful (and expensive).
My offering is linked more to learning/aquiring rather than doing without (I already do alot of that!). Im going to learn to mend and sew clothes in 2013 and improve my skill at preserving food that I grow or barter for. Love to you Froogs and I hope you & your family have a safe and peaceful Christmas. Im off line and unplugging for 3 weeks from Saturday x
ReplyDeleteAs Mike mentioned above, I was wondering whether you are using extra money to pay down your mortgage rather than heating? For me that seems like a choice rather than a necessity.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I can't tell if this comment has already posted. I too was wondering whether you actually cannot afford heating or are choosing to pay down your mortgage instead?
ReplyDeleteThis isn't meant as a criticism in any way, but I choose to pay down my mortgage rather than buy an expensive car. But to say that you cannot afford heating seems inaccurate.
Hi everyone. I am changing habits monthly. So far I have given up drinking midweek wine, (still have a glass or two on a weekend). I am planning meals and cooking at home, being more organised has saved that urge to order a take out, which we did too often.
ReplyDeleteI now batch cook, as I used to put the oven on to cook things one at a time. Now I stick a quiche in for our lunch boxes while cooking the tea. I have tried Frugal Queen's cornish pasties, (which were a great hit). Oh and I now make carrot cakes, as I was never into making sweet things before and the family love them so much I am making them every month. (Double batches of course).
I have made 3 Christmas presents this year, (first time ever). I have made 2 lap quilts and a bunting for my friends wedding next year. I reused a dress for my Christmas party which half of my colleagues had seen before, but they thought it was new! (Just goes to show)!
Changes for 2013 include starting to grow more of our own food. We do grow herbs and chillis now, but looking at expanding this side of things big time. Also going to make more home made gifts. x
It seems that everyone is needing to tighten up a bit. I have never been particularly frugal but now see the errors of my ways. I will be retiring soon from teaching and will have a decent pension but it will still not be as much as I was earning. I am preparing by keeping track of every penny spent no matter how small and charting it for a few months in order to produce a budget that makes sense.My husband and I are cutting way back on restaurant spending because it is never really the food - just getting out of the house and we can do that spending less. We have given our grown children notice that the parental bank is now closed.As far as presents go - no one needs anything really - everyone seems to get what they want these days and it is often impossible to think of what to buy for a gift. What is the point?
ReplyDeleteAll of this is not depressing it is invigoriating!
Nell