Frugal living? Anyone tried it?

Bluey · Community Moderator Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 4751

Thanks, kitty.

I clean glass and mirrors by rubbing a damp newspaper over it and rubbing it off with a dry one (not 'cos it's cheap but because it works.). My clothes do get recycled as dusters. I even launder j-cloths which is a v.stingy.

I'm lucky enough to live around the corner from where I work but I am fixing up my bike as I'm unlikely to be that close with the next job. I take a pack lunch to work most days.

Have to think about the herbs - no garden - and I tend to kill those that I buy in supermarket in pots.

I don't live near a supermarket or a market but living with a veggie means lots of cheap pulses, pasta and veg based meals.

TaraGlacier · Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 7:10 pm Post subject:

hello.. i am new to this forum.. but i am not new to the concept of living simply. for the past two years i have lived in voluntary poverty.. i dumpster dive for food (you would not believe the volume and selection of food thrown away at my local grocery!).. i have only a few articles of clothing, which i repair when need-be, instead of buying new. i use as few commercial products as possible.. instead vying for natural or DIY methods of cleaning, cooking, grooming, gardening, etc. i grow a lot of food too. i ride a bike. // the list goes on and on.
i can say from experience, that simple living is certainly liberating. i live in america, under a government that i cannot support, and it is a bit more comforting to know that i am doing all that i can to remove myself from underneath their thumb.
i live and breathe and enjoy life.. and it costs me less per month than what most people spend in a day.
and i am extraordinarily happy. so there.

Bluey · Community Moderator Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 4751

Taraglacier,

Can you recommend any particular websites?

What would you say is your key expense saver - transport? clothes? food? How do you save your biggest money?

And how do your friends and family feel about what you are doing - that you are deluded or brave?

I wonder how my relatives will feel about getting a jar of Piccallily for Xmas instead of jewellry and electronics....

Bluey

THE TRUTH HURTS · Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 262

This is a pikey thread.

I feel sick, you tight assed bastards

Bluey · Community Moderator Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 4751

indiedoll · Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 15 Location: London

After 20 years the Animals Scientific Procedures Act 1986 is being revised, which means the conditions for animals in research will be improved! This is fantastic, however I am fighting for a total ban on primate testing. I understand that not all animals can be exempt from testing, however I think it is unethical to use monkeys. I know some of you will have a different opinion and I accept that, however if any of you share my view please click on the link below to sign my petition (and if the link doesn't work please copy and paste the url).

www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/577022376

Thank you!

Jaylan.

lonely lady · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 258 Location: Edinburgh

I live pretty frugally. I recycle tons and hand things in to charity shops, etc. When I need to buy anything, I always try to find it at a car boot or in a charity shop before considering buying from a retailer! It's funny, when I go to a car boot for something in particular, I usually get it and very cheaply, too! I feel as if somebody up there is looking after me.
As for food, my menu is dictated by my local supermarket's reduced section and anything I haven't used completely gets scoffed by my Labrador bitch - who is the picture of health, by the way, before folk start lecturing me on what not to feed one's dog!
I hand carrier bags into charity shops for reuse instead of recycling them first time round at Tesco or Asda. I also use them in my bin and living alone, as I do now - well, apart from my wonderful canine companion - I only have about 4 carrier bags full in my wheelie bin each week so I could easily cope with fortnightly collections.
I have only £40 per week to spend after mortgage and bills. Out of that £40 have to come mobile phone top-ups; baccy, etc and petrol!

strawman · Joined: 05 Jul 2007 Posts: 10 Location: cornwall

why not make xmas presents from empty washing up bottles and some sticky back plastic.. last xmas i got a orange carton covered in glitter and filled with gravel from my mum [imagine my surprise when openning it!],,, cardboard boxes are so versatile, i ve made shoes and waistcoats for the kids!! Idea

Any uses for the red wax off baby bels anyone?
ps peter purvis is God, in my book

lonely lady · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 258 Location: Edinburgh

Red wax off Babybelles: (also Edam, if you ever buy it!)
Could you maybe melt it down and add a wick and make candles from it?
I know that Carberry Tower candlemakers collect used cooking oil from greasy spoon restaurants and chippies to make into their candles. Maybe you could collect it for them?
Very Happy

maccy · Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 432 Location: dunroaming!!!

devilsown · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 995 Location: Third nipple

lonely lady · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 258 Location: Edinburgh

I used to have the recipe for homemade Bailley's but stopped making it when LIDL opened in Edinburgh cos they sell a lovely chocolate/cream/ whisky liqueur - 16% at least - for £4.95 all year. It's much better than Bailley's which I found sickly after trying the LIDL one.
Also used to have a recipe for elderflower champagne which was nice as well but lost all of these last time I moved house.

lonely lady · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 258 Location: Edinburgh

lonely lady · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 258 Location: Edinburgh

My VERY frugal living is still leaving me at least £20 a week short - just to pay my bills, mortgage, etc!

Julie Baker · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 2

Hi there

I'm new here. Trying to be frugal myself out of necessity. I've picked up hints and tips from this website.

Anyone tried looking at this website:

www.mrsfrugal.co.uk

It's reasonably new and looks good. Very Happy

Hope this helps.

minefield · Joined: 18 Sep 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Sydney, Australia

too much of a lifestyle change. looks good though

Julie Baker · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 2

Living frugally doesn't have to be a complete lifestyle change. Different people see frugal living differently to other people. I myself, try to live frugally without it changing my lifestyle.

For example, I freeze my loaf of bread and take out slices when i need them, 10 minutes on the work surface and they're defrosted.

BOGOF offers are great. I'll buy them one week and put one of the items away for the next week, then i don't buy that item that week.

Also, supermarket own brands - i'm not saying all of them are good, but there are some e.g. fruit juices, where you cannot tell the difference between Asda own and Del Monte.

zipzap99 · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 22

Hi again

TAL · Joined: 10 Jul 2008 Posts: 50 Location: London

Hello out there!

I notice last entry was April - but there's so much more to say! At least, I'd be very interested to hear more about living frugally. I'm about to go off and volunteer on organic farms. This might be anywhere in the world. My own experiences of living frugally were when I went off cycling through Europe back in 1994. After spending money on a bike and panniers, I went off with my tent and asked to sleep on farms each day. Sometimes I got to use my tent, but you'd be surprised how often I was invited into the farmers house, given a bed, a shower and a meal. I often happened upon people having parties and getting invited to everything. It was great! I was away about 3 months cycling from London to Athens, and spent a total of about £200!!!

So anyway, when I travel this time I will have no choice but to live frugally. For me it will be the travel that will cost the most money. Anyone got any tips on how to travel cheaply? I'll be in the UK until winter, and then off to perhaps to warmer parts of the States.

Thank you!

the beak · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:16 pm Post subject:

travel cheaply?
shanks pony

TAL · Joined: 10 Jul 2008 Posts: 50 Location: London

Er, okay, the beak. Thank you for that!

Besides walking?

What about hitchiking? Anyone got a good method of hitchiking around the UK? What if you're a woman? I'd love to hear your experiences...

TAL · Joined: 10 Jul 2008 Posts: 50 Location: London

I just wanted to let anyone who's interested in frugal living know about L.E.T.S. This stands for Local Exchange Trading System. Some of you will have already heard about it, but do you use it?

For those of you who don't know, it's a great way of trading without using money.

Check out this website:

http://www.letslinkuk.net

Wikipedia also gives an overview of what it is.

Here's my own description of it, although it's just an overview and you'll need to look at the websites to find out more details:

1) You live in or near Brixton, so you join Brixton LETS. Brixton LETS trades with 'bricks'.
2) You list all the things you can offer, as well as all the things you might want, and the co-ordinator adds you to the membership where other people involved in the scheme can see what you're offering and wanting. You also get to see what everybody else offers and wants.
3) Someone approaches you because they have a friend visiting them from Germany for a week and they don't have the room to put them up but know from the LETS directory that you do have room and are willing to 'rent' it out in this way. You agree to put the German friend up and make arrangements. You also negotiate how many 'bricks' you want for this service. Lets say you decide this is worth 50. The other person gives you a piece of paper saying '50 bricks'.
4) You've got a bit of a backache and want to see someone about it. You see there's plenty of choice of people offering bodywork of different types, and you choose one who is giving osteopathy. You contact them and arrange to see them. They charge you 35 bricks, and you give them a piece of paper indicating that figure.
5) Someone approaches you because they want to 'buy' some home-grown tomatoes, so they give you a piece of paper saying '1 brick' and you give them four tomatoes.
6) You see someone on the directory has put down that they want regular lifts to Cardiff, where you drive to once a month. You contact them and arrange for them to get a lift with you next time you go. You charge them an agreed price.
7) etc., etc.

One of the great things about LETS is that people and things are valued in a way that society doesn't usually. If you're into growing your own vegetables and always have surplus, then you can 'sell' this to locals who will appreciate it, without having to get into the problems of packaging and legalities of safety etc. It's an agreement between you and whoever's interested in buying. You agree the price etc.

LETS is completely legal, by the way, because you're not trading with real money. The powers that be can't get you!

So yeah, when I belonged to LETS before (I don't at the moment because I have no fixed abode), I 'rented' a pick-axe for a couple of weeks. I agreed to 'pay' 2 bricks, but when I took the pick-axe back to its owner he just said to forget about it. I'm a bit of a wanderer so I didn't get into the scheme long enough to get the most out of it, but I believe it would be a really great way of meeting new friends.

Check it out my frugal friends!

anna_esq · Joined: 15 Aug 2008 Posts: 1 Location: Cape Cod, MA, USA

The frugal living movement is slowly gaining steam in the US, moved along in part by the down economy and energy concerns. Although it is steadily growing, it has not become mainstream with the average, everyday consumer who still heads to the mall for a weekend of shopping entertainment on their 28% interest rate credit card.

We're still waiting for that "100th Monkey" effect to tip the scales as far as outright anti-consumerism is concerned, but participants are beginning to see widespread acceptance for less controversial aspects of the movement (such as recycling, energy independence, local food, etc.)

Several large food chains now offer 5-cents off your order for every plastic bag you reuse, shopping at thrift shops and yard sales has become more socially acceptable, fundamentalist churches are beginning to preach that part of their Christian duty is to take care of the planet God gave us, simple living discussion groups crop up in many areas, and weekly farmers markets are beginning to crop up in most towns.

Still ... many people still fail to see the connections between big government, big business, big banks, big corporate-owned media, and their wallets. Both current presidential candidates are stuck in the old big-business consumerist mindset of the past and voter support is bitterly divided because, although many people are not necessarily making a direct connection between the advertisement on the television and why they can't make ends meet despite working 70+ hours per week, they are realizing SOMETHING is wrong. Once that "100th Monkey" figures it out and tells the 101st, I think you'll see a sudden and drastic shift in what is an acceptable lifestyle in the USA. It's coming...

For a mainstream look at frugal living movement in the US (and Canada), visit wisebread.com; the dollar stretcher forum, or frugal living at about.com. For a look at anti-consumerism, visit www.verdant.net.