How long did it take you...

clutterydrawer

...to get into a thrifty/OS way of thinking?

I know its an ongoing process for everyone as we all keep learning new things but am interested into how long it took to become a "habit" in that you did OS things without really thinking about it.

I've started cutting back because I took a new job on a lower wage but I still lapse quite a lot, not really got the hang of it yet!

Bella79

im still trying lol one thing i found has really helped me id drawing cash out of the bank everyweek instead of jst using my debit card all the time helps me manange my money better week to week
so when im out shopping i dont get impulse buys cos ive only got what ive got

EssexHebridean

Depends on the thing I think - I'm extremely good with turning lights off now - to the extent that I have a habit of turning them out when I leave the room regardless of whether Mr EH is still in there or not!

It's just a case of sticking with it I think. If you've always been used to cooking from scratch then that side of things will be simple, but like me you may find using up leftovers to be more of a challenge. I'm working hard now on energy monitoring - without question when we monitor on a weekly basis we do use less power, but keeping the motivation to do it is tough. Having recently had our immersion heater thermostat replaced we're now trying to ascertain the cheapest and most effective way of managing the hot water - whether in fact turning it on each night to heat on the thermostat is better than just giving it a couple of bursts on peak rate during the week plus 20 minutes or so each morning on the night rate....

Maybe try doing one thing at a time initially - once you've got to grips with that, then move onto the next thing? Trying to do it all at once can be a bit daunting!

skintchick

I got the hang of it really quickly cos I started at a time when I was very skint. My new husband has taken more time to get it but he went to Tesco for me on his own yesterday and came back with custard saying 'Igot this big one cos it's on offer so it was cheaper by volume and we can freeze it cos I checked.' oh I'm so proud!

Olliebeak

skintchick wrote: »

........ he went to Tesco for me on his own yesterday and came back with custard saying 'Igot this big one cos it's on offer so it was cheaper by volume and we can freeze it cos I checked.' oh I'm so proud!

Wtg skintchick - sounds like you've got him trained/indoctrinated .

Mine is doing well - but he succumbs to choccie treats far more than I do! Then has the audacity to offer me them - like he's trying to make out that he got them for me . He does have his little favourites though and I am trying to wean him off them.

For instance Dorset Cereals Muesli - for goodness sake! - have you seen the price of it? I know it's good stuff, but it ain't THAT good! And when I send him for Asda Bran Flakes - he's prone to bringing back Kellogg's.

Managed to train him to bring only semi-skimmed milk (or full fat) so it can be watered down for use as skimmed . Only use it as semi-skimmed for when grandkids visit and have soya milk for dgd (13mths) with milk/lactose tolerance problems.

He also likes expensive tea-bags - but I've no right to complain at that as I prefer Kenco decaff coffee. Though I will have Asda decaff when absolutely skint! Have to admit that when I do the shopping, I will only buy Asda's own tea-bags - up to him whether or not he drinks it :rolleyes:.

I've been OS more or less all my life - through upbringing and then through necessity as ex-OH very rarely worked and I had to bring up my 3 children most of the time on benefits. I had slipped in recent years, kids grown-up and earning more money etc. But it's been like 'coming back home again' and I love it now .

skintchick

We've had words about fruit juice and cereal which are so expensive IMO - i never used to buy them at all, but now he understands they are way more than generic ones.

I said if he really hated own brands we wouldn;t get them again but it was worth trying them. He seems happy enough.

katholicos

I've always been a bargain hunter, mostly through necessity, but even if i had money to waste, i would still be a savvy shopper.

I started baking my own bread a couple of months ago, and it's saved me quite a bit of money, and then i got thinking about how i can cut back in other ways and during a search online (to find other likeminded people) i found these forums. Now i have more than enough incentive to live more economically, and whats more, i'm really enjoying all the fab ideas, tips, bargain hints etc that i find here and now whatever i am buying i think 'could i manage without this?' or 'is there a cheaper way of doing this?'.

MissThrifty_2

Olliebeak wrote: »

For instance Dorset Cereals Muesli - for goodness sake! - have you seen the price of it? I know it's good stuff, but it ain't THAT good!

Must confess that I have a weak point for Dorset Cereal! It is pricey, but it's good stuff - and the Spelt one is delish. I buy 1 x box a month and pour small bowls to eke it out.

I adopted my thrifty ways after getting married, emigrating, going freelance, having a 3 mth honeymoon and buying a house - all in the space of 16 months! I guess I didn't really have a choice...

emay

owens3116 wrote: »

im still trying lol one thing i found has really helped me id drawing cash out of the bank everyweek instead of jst using my debit card all the time helps me manange my money better week to week
so when im out shopping i dont get impulse buys cos ive only got what ive got

I started doing this a couple of months go and can't belive the difference it made, before I used to spend all my wages in the first week then have nothing for the next 3. I now use 2 bank acc, 1 has all my dd's coming out, so when I get paid all bill money and grocery money goes into that acc, then i know whatevers left in the original acc is mine.
I go shopping once a fortnight and (as many people have said in previous threads) make a list and stick to it, and take a calculator with you shopping. I budget £60 per trip and if I spend less the extra goes onto a christmas savings card (not nes for christmas but if there's one trip when u spend over budget the extra's on your card)
My b/f laughs at my list (but it works for me and my terrible memory) I have printed off this shopping list 4 times http://organizedhome.com/printable/household-notebook/pantry-inventory
(1 for cleaning, 1 for fresh, 1 for frozen and 1 for grocery)make a list of everything you have in your cupboards (or should have!) and then shopping morning i go through and tick what i've got, cross what i haven't, nothings ever forgotten and nothings ever duplicated.

btw, i'm very sorry if you follow the link and get sucked into the terrible world of printing planners for everything!!!!:D

clutterydrawer

skintchick wrote: »

I got the hang of it really quickly cos I started at a time when I was very skint. My new husband has taken more time to get it but he went to Tesco for me on his own yesterday and came back with custard saying 'Igot this big one cos it's on offer so it was cheaper by volume and we can freeze it cos I checked.' oh I'm so proud!

that's brilliant, well done for training him!

olliebeak - maybe it's a man thing? I know a lot of my friends' partners do this, own brands don't seem to register with them, they won't buy anything but the most expensive.

Obviosuly not implying that *all* mn are bad at grovery shopping Maybe its just that whichever partner doesn't normally do the shopping, has less idea of the value of things.

I'm doing ok tbh, I've always been good at stretching out ingredients, using leftovers, gathering wild food etc...where I fall down is *little extras*...I seem to think that a bar of chocolate or packet of biscuits here or there won't make a difference, but it adds up!

I am learning some willpower though.

painted_lady

Well, my mum was quite OS when bringing us up and it rubbed off on me.
Mum had to cook from scratch, do batch baking, all our clothes were knitted etc.As a teenager I LOVED trawling the charity shops for 2nd hand clothes and records, was especially proud of some vintage stuff I got for next to nothing when I was about 17.
I stayed on doing thinkgs like this when I went to uni but gradually (like mum) started doing things differently. I now have DS and have started doing things more OS. He has 2nd hand clothes, knitted clothes (although often it is cheaper to buy from GEORGE than buy the wool, but he gets different clothes you dont see other kids in), I have recently acquired a breadmaker, experimented with baking again, started growing some of my own produce (limited atm, but am trying).
I would say for me, its been a gradual journey to where I am now, but its a long road and will always be on it. I think I did it because I wanted to be o maternity leave as long as possible, so had to make the most of the money i had.