Spill the beans ... what's the most embarrassing MoneySaving thing you do?

7roland8

I am going to get my 17 year old DD to read some of these, she thinks its embarrassing that I have downshifted to some value brand products!!! She is off to uni next year, sure all her brand snobbery will change. I actually do a few of the things on here, she never notices.

Well she'll change her mnd when she has to pay for stuff!! My son living on small grant and he delights in getting bargains etc.

Frugalista

I still don't get why people are finding Moneysaving "embarrassing" :huh: :(.

embarrassing
adjective humiliating, upsetting, compromising, shaming, distressing, delicate, uncomfortable, awkward, tricky, sensitive, troublesome, shameful, disconcerting, touchy, mortifying, discomfiting, toe-curling (slang), cringe-making (Brit. informal), cringeworthy (Brit. informal) It was an embarrassing situation for all of us.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002


What hope is there for the future if children/young folk are brought up with this mindset. Do people really believe that a "buy, buy, buy" attitude somehow makes a person "superior" to one who is thrifty (and I don't mean miserly or cheap - there is a vast difference).

There is so much misery caused by people obsessed by keeping up appearances and living beyond their means. Why??

Maybe I am just a bit thick-skinned about Moneysaving - but I really cannot understand why in the world anyone would be embarassed (or any of the above definitions) to save money wherever possible.

Perhaps someone who has already posted about being embarassed could explain why?

Valli

This one embarrasses the Vallikids.

When I go shopping I pick up one or two sheets of bubblewrap from the fruit and veg counter - used in trays of apples and mushrooms (pre packed).

I don't 'just take' it though, I ask if I may - if there's a lad shelf filling I ask him, if not I ask at the till. Sometimes the 'lads' (fruit/veg section staff) check their trolleys for more for me! If I've bought frozen goods I wrap in the bubble wrap (to keep it cold) but the reality is it's for e bay. Bags and envelopes and small boxes get saved and passed to me at work.
ETA I've now read ALL the thread and NO-ONE in 'my' supermarket is ever disdainful when I ask for the bubble wrap - they just comment that it saves it going to landfill or being wasted or say nothing!

When shopping I have been known to ask for deals/discount (very politely) especially if there's minor damage. Again though, it'll be the Vallikids or the Aged P who feels the embarassment - not me;). I was buying an ironing board and the plastic cover was torn and there was a tiny mark on the ironing board cover. Pointed this out - wasn't offered a reduction but I was given a replacement cover, free. When we got it home Little Miss Valli was all for changing the cover but I just wiped it and I have a clean, new cover in stock for when I DO need a replacement!

ETA Asking nicely, with a smile and being able to accept a refusal without rancour really helps. If I believe I have a REALLY strong case for a discount and the person to whom I am talking can't help, then I politely ask for the manager or supervisor. But, underlying all this is the knowledge I am being a bit 'fly' so I have to have a strong case before I fight harder! It also helps if you are prepared to walk away rather than fight it. I've been on the other side of the fence, I've worked in shops, bars and a bingo hall so I know how the staff like to be treated;)

the_cake

Frugalista wrote: »

I still don't get why people are finding Moneysaving "embarrassing" :huh: :(.

embarrassing
adjective humiliating, upsetting, compromising, shaming, distressing, delicate, uncomfortable, awkward, tricky, sensitive, troublesome, shameful, disconcerting, touchy, mortifying, discomfiting, toe-curling (slang), cringe-making (Brit. informal), cringeworthy (Brit. informal) It was an embarrassing situation for all of us.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002


What hope is there for the future if children/young folk are brought up with this mindset. Do people really believe that a "buy, buy, buy" attitude somehow makes a person "superior" to one who is thrifty (and I don't mean miserly or cheap - there is a vast difference).

There is so much misery caused by people obsessed by keeping up appearances and living beyond their means. Why??

Maybe I am just a bit thick-skinned about Moneysaving - but I really cannot understand why in the world anyone would be embarassed (or any of the above definitions) to save money wherever possible.

Perhaps someone who has already posted about being embarassed could explain why?

Agree wholeheartedly with all of the above. Takes a lot to embarrass me, I am very proud of keeping our little household afloat in these tough times ... and I really hate this rampant, unthinking materialism; my most hated advert is the one which crows "Because you're worth it!" AAAAArrrrrrrrghghghghgh. We should accept each other for who we ARE, not judge ourselves by what we HAVE. Long live MSE and the many wonderful skills we share!

Churchmouse

Frugalista, I agree with you 100 % Any money saving techniques I employ, I'd not be embarrassed by. Any that would make me embarrassed I don't use *shrugs* I admit I'm far from hardcore OS, mostly I presume because I'm fortunate enough not to need to be, but also because I find a balance slightly outside those limits. It's all about what suits the circumstances of the individual. Each of us can only be true to ourselves. No need for embarrassment/shame/ whatever. You do what you have to do to survive

shandyclover

7roland8 wrote: »

Well she'll change her mnd when she has to pay for stuff!! My son living on small grant and he delights in getting bargains etc.

Isn't it funny how they change? I've noticed the DD who is most excited about bargains is the one now struggling to save, 3 years ago she would have stayed in the car and refused to come into the supermarket with us.

Justamum

foxgloves wrote: »

Picking up dropped pennies from the road!

I had to chuckle at this - my son who is 12 - is very good at finding dropped coins and is always presenting me with the odd penny or two he's found. I tell him to keep them and put them in his moneybox, but he knows we are always skint, so he gives them to me. Bless him.:A

psychopathbabble

My housemate thinks I'm weird and strange for having given away a few things on freecycle (one of them being my boyfriends i love you teddy bear from his ex), god knows what she would think if she knew about all these others things I could do!!

Good on you all for saving money in these ways though, I should take up one or two of them. Also, I agree that the consumables such as tea or coffee are included in the price and also if you have used the shampoo in the bottle then you might as well take it or it would just get thrown out when they replace them!

N.I.M

Fixed a window in my Garage with an offcut of MDF too small to cover it, holding a double layer of damaged bubblewrap in place with nails I'd pulled out of other parts of the garage as they were there as "Hooks" for the previous owner. My FIL who is AWESOME at DIY nearly cried when he saw it.

Whenever I go to the supermarket, always late in the day I'm straight to the discounted fruit n veg section to get the sub 20p bags of veg and fruit. I currently have 90+ portions of veg soup in my freezer which I take for lunch at work along with a smoothie made from the fruit. Low cal, high in minerals and vitamins. Overall I spend about 50p feeding myself for a day at work including cooking costs etc.

Denando

mishmogs wrote: »

Ok this is cringeworthy but it was a long time ago....

my mum, god rest her, use to work in a posh hotel/restaurant as a silver waitress and when meals were cleared away, she would keep the left over steak and bring it home for our dog. He was the best fed dog in the neighbourhood..... am so glad no one can see my face.....

when I found out and asked mum about this, she just shrugged her shoulders and said whats the problem, Butch is happy, fillet/sirloin/rump in gravy and biscuits? then she told me that the chef would keep the bones for her and then we started getting left over wedding buffet food. Am sure the chef had a thing for mum.

Lucky dog! That reminds me of a time when I stayed in a posh hotel for a company dinner dance/weekend thing. Because it was by the sea I decided to take my dogs so they could play on the beach the following day. I asked the hotel and they said pets were allowed as long as they stayed in the guest room and not public areas and they charged (I think) £3 per dog including their food. When we checked in they asked what time the dogs would like their dinner! So in the evening as I got all dressed up to go to the ball, there was a knock on the door and a waiter was standing with 2 big bowls of meat. Nothing else – beautiful chunks of cooked beef/pork/lamb/chicken, all mixed up. I guess the restaurant needed the nice neat slices for the plates and all the off cuts were trashed. It was the ONLY time ever my dogs hestitated before diving in to their dinner – they both looked at me (albeit briefly) as if to say “really? For ME?” Unfortunately, I think they got the better deal as I sat down to a mass-produced set menu along with my colleagues.