First Cut: The Hunt For Britain's Tightest Person

mothershipton

i really enjoyed this program , thanks for letting us know that you are happy as you Ilona as I thought the program portrayed you as being a lonely spinster.

I had to endure the looks of the rest of my family as Ive started reusing everything and making people put jumpers on before I put the heating on. I can see how one can start making a few frugal steps and then get obsessed. I have enough toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, fabric conditioner, dish washing powder and washing powder for the year. All bought bogof in Makro. Ive started using aluminium foil to wrap sandwiches as I can reuse. I am however doing all this in the interest of the planet and not because Im tight.

My father in law drives me up the wall, in one breath he calls me tight and the next he is moaning about his son in law who has over mortgaged his family to the point of bankrupcy. We have no debts apart from a small mortgage and happy kids who know not to ask for every gadget going.


ooh rant over

Ilona

Thanks for your comments, I like the idea of cutting feet out of socks and using the rest, in fact I look for ways of re using anything. I am currently experimenting with knitting video tape, might make a bag out of it, unless someone has a better idea? Thanks for reading my blog, Jazzy, I put that in because people don't realise how saving pennies can make your life better. I got my first house when I was 27, and for ten years probably longer, all my money went into that, it was my priority. Whatever happened the mortgage got paid, never missed a payment in 32 years, and all the bills got paid, now it's 'me' time.

Got to go, I'm off on the free bus to Asda this morning, just to see if there is anything I really need, at a very cheap price, and a free browse through the magazines. Ilona

Primrose

Ilona - I enjoyed your spirited performance on the programme and the fact that you don't feel you have apologise for your principles. If you're happy with your life and helping to save the environment as well, you have nothing to apologise for. I thought the programme was marketed totally inapproporiately for a time when our economy is in dire straits because of debt and overborrowing, both at national and personal level. (But that's the media for you, always looking for something eyecatching). If it had been approached from a different angle, i.e. the frugality viewpoint, a lot of people who badly need to understand how to live within their budget, might have learned some valuable lessons.

Austin_Allegro

I think the programme didn't sufficiently distinguish between thrift and meanness.

The Yorkshire farmer just came across to me as bloody minded as he knew his wife would put up with it! When she was asked 'why do you stay with him' she said 'Well..I'm married to him!' I can't imagine many women saying that these days...

Also, the Welsh bloke struck me as a bit of an obsessive/control freak, because surely his major expense was living apart from his girlfriend. He could save far more by living with her than he ever could on recycled candles and duct-tape shoe repairs!

The castle lady didn't strike me as tight at all, just careful with money. If she was really tight, she would have sold the castle at the height of the boom and gone to live in a caravan or something! She was just being a good steward of her ancestral property.

Elona came across as the best person, a good sense of humour and happy with her lot, so should have won IMO.

geordie_joe

Austin_Allegro wrote: »

Elona came across as the best person, a good sense of humour and happy with her lot, so should have won IMO.

The program was trying to find the tightest person, being the tightest person was meant to be something bad.

If it had been looking for the thriftiest person, then she should have won, but Elona isn't "Tight".

jazzyjustlaw

Ilona wrote: »

Thanks for your comments, I like the idea of cutting feet out of socks and using the rest, in fact I look for ways of re using anything. I am currently experimenting with knitting video tape, might make a bag out of it, unless someone has a better idea? Thanks for reading my blog, Jazzy, I put that in because people don't realise how saving pennies can make your life better. I got my first house when I was 27, and for ten years probably longer, all my money went into that, it was my priority. Whatever happened the mortgage got paid, never missed a payment in 32 years, and all the bills got paid, now it's 'me' time.

Got to go, I'm off on the free bus to Asda this morning, just to see if there is anything I really need, at a very cheap price, and a free browse through the magazines. Ilona

I wanted you to know I read it as I dont want it to stop. I tried to comment on your blog but am having difficulty. Keep it up please.

Caterina

elona wrote: »

Caterina

You thought she was me? :eek:

I hope you have not watched the programme because I do not look anything like her. Hope I am more outgoing as well.

Hi Elona

I didn't know, and given that TV programmes are not always objective, but edited to show just the most AAAAAAH or WOW! effect bits, so in a way any good old moneysaver could have been represented like a raving mean money-hoarding loony if that is what the TV people thought it makes good watching!

Not that she did seem a loony to me, on the contrary she did a lot of the things that I (and I am sure, many others here) do, but she goes to a longer distance than I am prepared to go.

Caterina

noonesperfect

This may have been covered already but I only just got around to watching it last night!!

This programme amused me no end. The lady living in the castle (with 12 bathrooms etc) feeding her paying guests with food from Aldi. I love it!!! I bet they all pay through the nose for their food normally and assume everything they're being fed is from some tiny (and no doubt very expensive) delicatessen. The quality of the food in Aldi is remarkably good. It tickles me when I see people who normally go to (what they regard as being more elite) supermarkets picking things up in Aldi between finger and thumb as if it will bite them or looking generally uncomfortable about being in the place :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
OK they fall short on some things, and I couldn't/wouldn't do a "main" shop there, there are plenty of items for sale that are far better than you might expect.

I couldn't understand why she was cutting up Fairy dishwasher powder sachets and only using a teaspoon per cycle.
Why buy them in the first place when Aldi do their own dishwasher tablets?

For the benefit of those who haven't come across this website, it makes interesting reading......

http://www.supermarketownbrandguide.co.uk/

[Deleted User]

I went to Aldi's yesterday and bought their 5 kgs of spuds for 49p I did have a look around but didn't see anything else that took my fancy ,although I could kick myself as they had a kilo of caster sugar for 89p and I didn't buy it and when I went into MrTs 500gms was 69p.I will know again to check the prices more carefully.I only buy caster sugar now and again, but I will definitely check Aldi's if its something as basic as that first.

Pink.

Hi noonesperfect,

I've added your post to the current thread on this programme as it helps to keep the replies together.

Pink