Are you ever embarassed by your money-saving ways?

Mind_Overload

It was only up until a couple of years ago that i wouldnt go near the redcuded damaged rack at Tesco's, I use to think it was all rubbish, but now i have my 1st mortgage i love getting a cheap deal, today i managed to pick up 8 cans of stella for 2 pounds 20p, also a large Heinz Ketchup reduced from 2.89 to 65p because the lid was sligtly damaged:j

SlopingBird

At work today I salvaged from the rubbish bin (with permission) a brand new fluorescent yellow jacket - my plan was to make a running vest from it for the dark winter night (they cost a fortune!). Very embarrassing trying to explain why I wanted it but worthwhile I thought. Now my 14-year old daughter has 'stolen' it - thinks it's cool and whisked it off to her bedroom. Perhaps they have another somewhere . . .

pink_numbers

I thought I was going to be embarrassed tonight when I was going to have to pull out an A4 size 50% off la tasca voucher, until I saw three tables around us also pulled out the same vouchers!

mum2one

When the shopping vouchers were being accepted at Mr T's,my dad would get embarrased at me, as I use to split the shopping to 2 or 3 lots and put the vouchers throu.
He would put one lot through, but got embarrased with the others, but never complained when the voucher money went on treats and paid towards other things.
Our best return, had a helicopter flight, me, dd and dad, he was plzed the voucher money was used.

I always took meat home if I didn't eat it, our last dog use to know we'd been out, sure he could smell it.
The poshest place I took a "doggy bag" home was from the Orient Express, Whisky had partridge, pheasant, and grouse...x

jinny

nah not at all embarassed by my frugal ways, I am proud of the fact i am not involved with the secret santa at work. Its a fix anyway, the same people get each other every year ive noticed. I am not putting in for the booses prezzie either he will get a drink at the do and a xmas card. People at work are thinking the same as me but not brave enough to admit it. My grown up sons are getting a tenner each and a bottle of aftershave.thats it.

ceridwen

Actiongirl wrote: »

QUOTE (then watch them drop £300 per child for Christmas (and that's not a joke) plus £1000 on new clothes for their annual summer holiday.)

Seriously people spend that much on new clothes for one holiday? I had a really good job paying a great salary before I came off to have children, but even when it was me and OH I NEVER spent that much - not even close - my bikinis came from Batalan every year!!! I never had it. I always prioritise bills, mortgage and other essentials - surely to spend that much they mustn't have any bills...?!

Not so much that - but I do think a lot of people go through life telling themselves/and others that "They" will deal with things, "They" wont let them go under, "They" will always know the right thing/do the right thing/hand them over at least enough money to live on.

HUH! Big fat HUH! to that. Just who are these "all-knowing, all-caring" "They" that many people seem to think will deal with everything and - in our case - pay for everything?

I think this is the thing - that many of us would like there to be some great "They" that would always ensure we do have enough money always - so we ourselves can go on being as profligate as we like and "Payback Day" will never come. But - here on this Board - we know that isnt so and that its down to us personally to be good "stewards of our money". The people who "blew money right, left and centre" without thought will have ONE HECK OF A SHOCK if they ever find themselves in the position of having to manage on Dole Money. Good money manager as I am personally -I just couldnt do it and would have no option whatsoever but to use my savings to help "bump up" the measly weekly pittance to enough to even literally "keep body and soul together" - so I wouldnt fancy the chances of these spendthrifts if they ever land up in that position.:eek:

Actiongirl_2

mum2one wrote: »

Our best return, had a helicopter flight, me, dd and dad, he was plzed the voucher money was used.

I was very proud and not in the least embarrassed when I told everyone in my Canary Wharf Bank office that I had managed to get three nights in a hotel in Italy, with BA flights all paid for using my tesco vouchers!!!!! Most people were impressed and wondered how they could get to such a point. I think embarrassment is sometimes in the mind - often people are not being judgemental.

Steel_2

cindiedunkley wrote: »

In fact, hubby and I were invited for Sunday lunch at a friends house and he was going to chuck the leftover chicken, spuds, veg, stuffing and gravy. I made up a plate with the leftovers and took it home. I had it for lunch at work the next day (I must return his dinner plate sometime. I will wait for another invite to to lunch).

I do this too! I usually always say it's for the chickens, cats or hedgehogs! My FIL doesn't like curries, bubble and squeak or cold meats and dislikes reheated meat so if MIL cooks too much roast dinner, over to us it comes.

Also my MIL throws out everything when it gets past it's use-by date even if it clearly is still good to eat. I'm always getting slightly wrinkly veg - which I either soak in a sinkful of water until it plumps back up or throw it straight in a soup or casserole.

My best job was working as a silver service waitress over the Christmas holidays-they always made at least 20% more food than they needed so I once had enough roast dinners (on plates wrapped in clingfilm) stuffed in the freezer to last me well into February. People laughed but I didn't care. Free food...

No_more_usernames

Frugalista wrote: »

When we recently went for a Toby carvery I enquired about the turkey they were carving (nearly finished and the legs ignored and put to one side) - there was still loads of meat on it. I was told it was against Health and Safety rules for them to supply me with food to eat off premises . I even offered to sign a disclaimer, but they were adamant, so presumably it was binned :mad:.

Such a waste (in my mind I had already made a big pan of soup and a few portions of curry out of it ) - my family, on the other hand were mortified that I'd asked - especially when I gave the manager a lecture on food waste!!

Last Christmas I brought home all the left-over veg out of the serving dishes - made a huge pan of Cauliflower & Stilton soup and a cheesy vegetable crumble. My sister would have just chucked the lot :eek:!!

OMG!! I think I am just being thrifty and realistic - but reading this back it makes me sound like I am cheap:o:o:o!! Somebody reassure me that it's OK!!

Hi Frugalista (love the name btw!) I am reassuring you here and now that you are not being cheap.I loved the story of the carvery -I wonder if you had asked for the turkey legs to eat inside the restaurant (then sneakily took them home) whether they would have had to refuse that?

We are living in very strange times where hoardes of people have no money but want to live on credit because it seems to be the quick "emotional" fix for many . Meanwhile, the rest of us are increasingly looking at how we live and trying to live within our means . The reasons for this are varied - some have no money or less money than they used to (me), some have decided to cut down their acquisitive lifestyles for political or green reasons (me again) and some have always been thrifty but may have felt it was something they had to keep to themselves.

Yesterday, a colleague of mine was asked to buy some new decorations for the office Christmas tree - apparently this year they "have to be" silver, whereas in recent years we have tended to use gold, red or purple. So I went to our store room and dug out a load of silver decs - many of which are unopened from previous years and certainly good enough to use -and left them out. But my guess is that said colleague, who likes nothing better than retail therapy (and in particular when it is "authorised" spending such as this), will have raided loads of nasty shops and bought a truck load of tat back to the office. And I know I shouldn't care so much - after all, it's not my budget being spent - but I do care. It's unnecessary spending and we have enough stuff already! One or two new items I could understand but it won't stop at that......

sidsmum

In 1992, I was made redundant at the age of 50 and had to manage on the dole. I made spreadsheets for future bills etc, came from accountancy training, and we got rid of the car and just did it. I was able to take a job on subsistence pay, doing without what you haven't had for ages isn't much of a problem. I was bothered that there wasn't enough money for me to resume paying into the personal pension scheme I used to have and thought of retirement with no little dread.
I carried on working till 65, but OH was seriously ill and I had to retire to look after him. I get state pension and pension guarantee credit, about £40 a month from private pension schemes and a couple of lump sums like WFP from a grateful nation. (Now isn't that interesting, you say)
Out of this, I've managed to save money to have some work done in kitchen and bathroom and to buy a lovely new washing machine to replace the plastic table top thing I had before. And take DGD away to Butlins for a few days!
I always take cheese etc., home and carry a few plastic bags in my pocket. Don't get much opportunity, but if it appears I take it. And the dog I used to bring home leftover meat for is my pet name for OH. He's still alive despite lung cancer, but I suppose if he'd stopped smoking a few years earlier we'd have been a bit better off and ne might not have had the trauma of a huge operation.