What it's worth being frugal about?

I know that my efforts at being more self-sufficient and frugal in general hamper my efforts to increase my income (I am self-employed). Cooking from scratch using home-grown produce is rewarding and costs little, but if one were to place a cost on the time expended then it wouldn't be so worthwhile. YS shopping and using MySupermarket to track offers of regularly used items can save me pounds on just one item bought in bulk - e.g. toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. but the biggest saving I have found this year is to go to car boot sales and wait patiently until the required item turns up. Not only have I saved a huge amount of money but I have managed to buy items of far greater quality, often brand new, than I could normally afford. Charity shops are another source, although the range of goods for sale is much narrower.

Personally I don't think being frugal with heating or nourishing food is a goer, neither is being profligate with it a good idea. Car-wise I have a smallish, reliable vehicle which does everything which is expected of it in an economical way, but I wouldn't take any risks on safety to save a few pence.

I always try and get two uses out of everything like carrier bags, plastic bags, cardboard boxes, etc. I do hope I won't become a hoarder!

I suppose there is a difference between being frugal because you want to and being frugal because you have to. I am on a very tight budget so spend as little as possible on food. I cook from scratch, buy very few branded goods, use cleaning and laundry products sparingly etc.

However, although we are sensible with the heating I would have to be really desperate to sit in the house feeling really cold.

I used to be tempted to buy things just because they were cheap but I have learned now that this can be false economy and sometimes there is an argument for paying a bit more for something that will last longer.

Ooooh, old tat, MTSTM? That's what I make my living out of - let me at it!

And, £3-£5, PasturesNew? That's shocking. Usually 50p here, and we have two of the biggest in the land every Sunday - one often covers 3 full fields. Mostly full of modern electrical junk & baby stuff, but there's always good stuff somewhere in there; the trick is learning to see it past the junk. Zeroing in on what you want is an art...

I occasionally trade at car boot sales - offloading excess stock, normally - and would expect to pay £5 for a pitch if I took the car, £7 for my van. And I very rarely have to buy anything new; things that we want or need can usually be found at the boot sales, or at the Emporium I also trade at, for far less than I'd have to pay for an often-inferior modern equivalent, or virtually unworn in the case of clothing. But that's our style, as well as my business, and I can quite understand that not everyone loves "old tat" like we do!

We can even buy good home-grown no-chemical food at a couple of the sales we regularly attend. I paid 50p for a huge punnet of frying tomatoes last week, 20p each for big but tender courgettes, 50p for a big carrier bag of runner beans and apples are £1 for a big bag, though with 4 trees I don't need to buy those. We do grow what we can, but would never be able to grow enough for 7 in our little garden, so concentrate on soft fruit & herbs, which are easy to grow but expensive to buy in the shops.

Firewood - yes, I too can find it much cheaper than I can buy it - not just walking in the woods, some pallets have big chunks of solid wood as spacers & they're the best!

Keeping chickens has been a good saver for us. We usually have 6-10 birds, giving about 4-8 eggs a day. Their food isn't expensive & is eked out with leftovers/peelings and they seem to thrive in it; they cost about £60 a year to feed but I reckon I'd spend £3+ a week on eggs so for us, it's worth it. They live in an old shed with a run surrounded by Freecycled aviary panels, so housing doesn't have to cost a lot either.

Impossible question to answer without taking personal circumstances into account. So, as others have said a very different answer on whether you are choosing to be frugal or forced into it by very limited funds or whether you are retired or time poor.


When I was working 60+ hours a week I did buy some convenience food to save me time but I did do a meal plan and some batch cooking as well. I found that meant I saved time on shopping, saved waste and had some healthier ready meals. I often paid people to do jobs (like decorating and soft furnishings) that I can do myself as my time was precious.


Now I have more time so I can do more cooking, shop around a bit more and we do most of my own jobs around the house.


I'm in the fortunate position that the money saved can go on treats like holidays and eating out but I realise not everyone is in my position.