Are you more frugal than me?

Dora2010

Hi,

I am new to this forum and find the posts very useful.

Our youngest daughter returned to nursery late last year which together with our debt has left us little disposable income. Our cutbacks include;

Spending £200-250 on grocery shopping (monthly)
Making breakfast and lunch for work every day of the week
I have been wearing a wig for over a year which has saved around £540 on trips to the hairdresser
Only buying clothes from New Look/Primark/George at Asda

Sometimes I get very down and feel resentful that unlike my colleagues I cannot afford to go to the high street for lunch or buy coffees at Starbucks. I also grow bored of eating leftover dinners for lunch but cannot justify spending £5-7 for lunch unless I have planned it in the monthly budget.

Life is hard at the moment but I know things will change. By nature I am quite frugal, unlike hubby! I always look for a cheaper alternative no matter how much I like something.

Hopefully I will pick up more tips from you guys on the forum.

valk_scot

I'm flummoxed at the wig tbh. I don't go to the hairdresser either because I've grown my hair long. I trim the fringe myself and my sister trims the back every couple of months. You don't need much else done to poker straight hair. Home grown hair costs even less than a wig, surely?

thiftybee

Dora2010 wrote: »

Sometimes I get very down and feel resentful that unlike my colleagues I cannot afford to go to the high street for lunch or buy coffees at Starbucks. I also grow bored of eating leftover dinners for lunch but cannot justify spending £5-7 for lunch unless I have planned it in the monthly budget.

Leftover dinners are the BEST dinners - much better than some £3 two-bite sandwich! Try and make the lunch a little different from the dinner - most dinners can sit on a bed of cheap lettuce and look much nicer. Or add some spice to the lunch so at least, if you have it still cold, it's got more flavour.

I'm at uni with a lot of people who have either just got their loan through, or have mega-rich parents. They have a lot of posh coffees, and I know I can't afford this, so I get what that feels like. If you have (or can buy a cheap one from ebay/similar) a thermos, taking in hot soup/coffee/tea can make you feel lovely and cosy through winter, even if it only lasts a few hours. £3 in Starbucks every day is £15 a week. I used to do this - it's just silly spending and home stuff is pretty samey. If you want to go a bit luxe, you could always get the thermos from Starbucks! About a tenner, though, I think.

Have a happy lunch hour!

Sweet_Pea_2

I have been working for 25 years and I have always taken a packed lunch, I only treat myself occasionally if a friend at work suggests lunch out, but thats rare as I'm part time now and finish around lunchtime. It's never bothered me, I can think of loads of stuff I'd rather spend the money on. As for posh coffee - we have a coffee shop in our office building right by the entrance/exit, which I have to walk through every day, my colleagues are always popping down to get a coffee, they think I'm mad that I arrive with a flask. I'm sure they think I've got something alcoholic in it! I don't feel deprived, I just think of my bank balance

bluebag

I managed to get some instant cappuchino a good brand name in cups with lids @£1.20 for three, my dd takes one to work on the train, looks just as cool but at 40p a throw, not bad. She has a travel cup, but will she bring it home from work? nah!!

Alison_Funnell

valk_scot wrote: »

I'm flummoxed at the wig tbh. I don't go to the hairdresser either because I've grown my hair long. I trim the fringe myself and my sister trims the back every couple of months. You don't need much else done to poker straight hair. Home grown hair costs even less than a wig, surely?

I agree. I haven't been to a hairdressers since I was about 14 and my 21yr DD has only been to one once (with her grandparents) and even then I had to trim up the fringe afterwards. Long hair is really easy if your hair is straight.

Can't say about curly hair though. Maybe the OP has curly hair. Having said that someone I know wears wigs because of alopecia totalis and the ends of the wig hair get tatty after a few months so I am impressed that one has lasted a year.

Dazi

Sweet_Pea wrote: »

As for posh coffee - we have a coffee shop in our office building right by the entrance/exit, which I have to walk through every day, my colleagues are always popping down to get a coffee, they think I'm mad that I arrive with a flask. I'm sure they think I've got something alcoholic in it! I don't feel deprived, I just think of my bank balance

I worked somewhere like that 50p for a black coffee (in those days) and only got half a cup, used to take a flask, cos I like coffee strong, black and about 5 cups a day

I love my leftovers for lunch, pasta bake is so much nicer than an sarnie from the local shop/supermarket. Although now weather has turned a bit colder am making up a vat of soup to see me though the week, with either a HM roll or one of those part baked ones, stick it in the oven when I get up (on offer at co op/somerfield at the mo) Through the summer I used to take a wrap, would take it all separate and make it up at work, somtimes had so much salad stuff I couldn't fold the wrap! made the shop bought ones look very skinny and got a lot of envious looks.

I don't mind primark clothes, used to shop there before it was fashionable, we had one in Brighton, my kids used to look up and down Western Road to make sure none of their mates were around before they went in, mind, they did change their minds when they got a clothing allowance and had to budget, Primark suddenly became a very good place to shop.

Can't comment on the wig, as that is something I couldn't do, colour my own hair and go to somewhere like supercuts about every 8 weeks, hack at my fringe in the meantime and the back if it annoys me!

Don't be envious of your work collegues....you don't know the size of their credit card bills............

Penelope_Penguin

Dora2010 wrote: »

I have been wearing a wig for over a year which has saved around £540 on trips to the hairdresser

Only buying clothes from New Look/Primark/George at Asda

I don;t know what to make of this post

Firstly - we have a hairdresser come to the house. We wash, and she cuts hair for 4 of us and blowdrys for me and DD. This costs under £30 every 6 weeks. Occasionaly, DD goes to a salon, which never costs more than £20. Even if 4 of us went to the salon, it would be around £700/yr for us all.

Additionally, a good quality wig isn;t maintenance-free, to keep it looking realistic Do you shave your head underneath? I suspect it';s hot and itchy under there if you don;t :eek:

I have fine, straight hair, and need it trimming to keep it neat, but I'm sure you could save on hairdressing without a wig

As for clothes - have you taken a long hard look at your wardrobe? If it's anything like mine, you can probably get away without buying any clothes for a year. I haven;t bought new (apart from a pair of boots, 2 pairs of shoes, a winter coat, and a wedding outfit) for about 3 years. Charity shops have great bargains, and good for the planet, too :money:

I'll add this to the Tips Thread later

Pitlanepiglet

For posh coffee at work, I have a one cup plastic filter that I put disposable paper filters in and a couple of spoons of decent coffee (2 packs for £4 from Asda), add hot water and you've got lovely coffee. My colleagues thought I was a bit strange for a while but now I notice other people using one cup one use filters (couldn't bear the plastic waste myself) and small cafetieres (sp?) and someone else with the same filter. It's much better than the nasty instant coffee they supply us and much cheaper than £1.20 a cup in the cafe in our building!

kippers

No food is thrown away in our house....this is just wasteful. The kids have primark clothes....i don't have new clothes unless i can't possibly sew them up again (just bought a dye for my 2 pairs of jeans to make them look new again after i've patched them up once again). I always do a packup for my DD's and my DH. I used to have my hair coloured but i don't now as it was too expensive (i really liked it coloured better). Xmas is saved for all year round and people look at us funny when our presents aren't as expensive as theirs...but i know these people don't matter in our life...it says more about them than us!

Sometimes i get fed up like you, but on them occaisions i look at what i have got....a loving husband, two lovely DD's and a roof over my head. We have got a small debt but thanks to the website i have learnt how to cut back and enjoy life on a small budget....little things can make you feel better ie. my DH sometimes meets me at lunch and we share a bag of chips, a walk in the park etc It's a treat for me to get a book from the library and make time to read it.

Someone i know was very upset the other day as she was getting more and more in debt....in the next breath she told me about a cruise she is going on in January to Hawaii..I would rather have my life without the debt she has and also without the materilistic life she leads with designer clothes etc It's very easy to look at people around you and think they have what you can't have...if you scutinised their lifes then you will probably not want to swap with them after all.

Keep your chin up and plan some nice, free treats for yourself

rachbc

Well first of its not a competition on here.

I do have my hair cut but it costs nowhere near 540 a year - maybe £20-30 (depending on voucher savings) every 8 weeks....

I take lunch most days but always have as its nicer, and when I don't I never spend £7a time - maybe £2 on a roll and a packet of cold meat and some fruit from the supermarket.

Kids clothes are mostly handme downs and mine are pretty much exclusively CS or TK MAxx investments (new coat and shoes).

Luckily I'm a tea drinker so frothy coffee holds little lrue for me me and when I do go its to catch up with a friend so I see it as a £3 investment in gossip!