What did you learn in 2011?

Ken68

Switched to reading the Groceries and Grabbit boards more. Now £500 richer and a stone lighter and a cupboard full of stuff for the winter. Free stuff mostly, certainly nothing full price.
Meal planning is whatever is in the garden then whatever is in the store shed then whatever is in the pantry, not forgetting the dehydrator stuff.
Did a similar thing over the last several years with the gas and electric.Got consumption down down down just by changing habits.
Never shop now without a list and a price limit.

Lippycow

Not to take any notice when workmen they say they will be at your house at 9am, and i'm still waiting at 9.51 for him to arrive...sigh:-(

Fulham_Mark

my top tip is:

Buy a bunch of spring onions from the supermarket that still have lots of roots. plant in a small plant-pot with a little plantfood and leave by a sunny window.....

They grow like crazy and you get free spring onions for a few months.
You only get the green bits not the white parts that most countries around the world don't bother with as they are a bit tart and give you smelly breath.

cost = 70p
saving = £5 to £6

oldandwise

I have learnt not to take anything for granted, the only thing is it was a long, long time ago

tenuissent

I learned that my lovely new daughter-in-law from Bangkok is a keen forager and delightful companion to her mother-in-law. She collected and skinned for me about a kilo of little walnuts. She helped me collect over 2 kilos of sweet chestnuts, which are now in the freezer, boiled and skinned, for enriching casseroles and soups and putting withsprouts at Christmas. She and a visiting sister picked enough elder flower heads to keep me in elderflower cordial for the year. With permission, we picked a sackful of overgrown, dried runner beans from a neighbour - they will go into casseroles and bean salads and be free seeds for next year. I had to steer her away from beechnuts and acorns and horsechestnuts.....

PolkaDotsAndLace

I learned to crochet and managed to make a good sized throw - half way through another which will be finished when I can buy more yarn.

How to make a few more kinds of soup.

OH learned to brew beer that is actually drinkable!

Ballymackeonan

The main thing I've learnt is that it's OK to be content with having enough - rather than being dissatisfied because I don't have the latest of everything!

Most people don't value their coping skills enough....

I found some tweed at a CB for a couple of pounds - and learned how to adjust a paper pattern, use a sewing machine and finally made a more-than-passable skirt (on the basis that the experiment wouldn't cost a lot!) I'm wearing it at the moment.

I've since been finding material, patterns etc at CSs, I'm really getting in to making my own unique "designer" wardrobe (especially after finding that the local dress material shop was selling off all his vintage patterns at £1 each...!)

Also found that CSs can be good for wool supplies etc - I'm currently knitting a warm wooly aran jumper!

p-pincher

What a lovely thread

Things i've learned

1-How to mealplan, i've always been very careful with my grocery but my meal planning can be a bit off, learning how to love leftovers has saved me a fortune in lunches
2-Not to buy something because its on special offer, but to stock up when its something im certain im going to use. Got plenty of fairy liquid, washpowder and value pasta as i know we'll use them, but my stockpile off cheap pasta sauce, that i prefer to make from scratch now, is sitting there laughing at me !!!!
3-To check my online bank regularly- Do not bury your head in the sand
4-That its ok to say 'no , i cant afford it'. Whether its a work lunch or a night out with friends
5-That my kids prefer my home cooking to ready meals/takeways. We do still have them occasionally but not very often now.

Fulham_Mark

I learned that people who suffer some terrible disaster or are told they have a terminal illness are unhappy for a short period of time but after a while their happiness level returns to what is was before.

In otherwords the happiness of people who have had some really bad stuff happen is pretty much the same as those who haven't.

So your happiness is pretty much down to you. You can't blame other people or some boss or some government. It's your attitude to life and possibly due to the genes you are born with.

Same as how the happiness level for rich people, poor people is pretty much the same. Same for beautiful people and ugly people, old people and young people.

Nothing makes you happy except yourself (plus genetic factors).

this was from the woman who wrote "my beautiful genome" - I can't remember her name.

his_missus

I have learnt (mainly from the MSE forums) that.

1. If I have mad cooking sessions the day after I have got my shopping, instead of cooking daily, and freeze it all, I don't have to throw away food that is past its best anymore.

2. Freeze food in bags in plastic containers so they freeze in a brick shape, then remove plastic container. I can fit loads more in the freezer.

3. Keeping a record of my spending/debt really helps.

4. Meal planning cuts down on amount of shopping needed, amount of food wasted and saves time deciding what to eat each day.

5. I spend more when I go shopping with DH - unfortunately he is the driver.

6. Despite thinking online shopping would solve #5, I end up buying loads more than I planned.

7. Finally, MSE forumites offer loads of advice and support and I don't know how I managed without them!