Bare Bones

Pooky

Well we don't have any tv packages but the telly would be the first thing to go....the kids only seem to watch dvds, the only programme that I've watched of late is the Jamie Oliver Dinners one but apart from that I can't be bothered.

Next thing to go would be the car....I don't drive so not much of a sacrifice for me but would mean hubby getting the bus to work everyday...not sure he'd be so keen. Nearest town is 5 miles away so would just have to start cycling everywhere and can get the shopping delivered.

Would never get rid of my broadband now.....went back to dial up for a week when we had connection problems and it was just sooooooo sllllooooow....really couldn't give that up, also hubby wanted broadband but we couldn't afford it so he gave up smoking so we could...if I told him we were getting rid it would seem like all his 2 years of hard work down the drain.

I'm a nightmare for ebay, kids clothes mainly, I don't buy them much in the way of new stuff, just undies and shoes, everything else seems to come from ebay and I sell it back on when they've finished with it. I got them a posh party dress each for Xmas from there, paid under £10 for 2 dresses and delivery - they wore them twice over xmas and they wont fit either of them by next year -- but I shall sell them on and hopefully get back what I paid. That would be have to be one of my main sacrifices.

The only other thing I could cut down on is washing....I tend to go a bit crazy and walk round the house thinking...i'll wash it....that need's washing....what can I find to make up a load....hate having dirty washing hanging about. I must admit I've started putting the wash on after tea and then hanging it all on airers before going to bed, it's normally all dry in the morning and saves a fortune in tumbling!

Maybe I should think about giving up Xmas......would save a bomb!!

Galtizz

Bogof_Babe wrote:

Stop using the tumble dryer and drape clothes all round the house (don't know what I'd do with the bedding if it was too wet to hang outside).

Another good place is over the banister on the landing (if you have one) things seem to dry really quickly on their and you can spread big things like bedding out.

nicki_2

Galtizz wrote:

Another good place is over the banister on the landing (if you have one) things seem to dry really quickly on their and you can spread big things like bedding out.

This is what my mum has always done with their towels after a bath or shower. In their old house, she also used to put the bedding over it as the bedding was to long to hang on the washing line in their tiny yard. Then she got a tumbledrier when she had my little (now not so little at almost 19 years old) sister as she used terry nappies with her and needed to get the stuff washed and dried.

Bogof_Babe

Not here Galtizz, banister is about 18" long - just enough to dry the bath mat on!

I think maybe I'd just wait for a dry day and do it the really old-fashioned way!

Edinburghlass_2

nicki wrote:

I guess if things got really tight we could get rid of :

- Internet = £14.99 a month for dial up. Could always go up to my mothers and use thier wireless broadband like we used to when I first moved out.

- Home phone (£30 a month) or OH mobile (variable amounts. Supposed to be £40 a month budget) & possibly mine, but I spend less than £10 a month so its not too bad.

Tsk, tsk nicki, you should get yourself up the boards to the Telephony boards as I am sure we could save you a lot of money on those figures you are quoting

For a while I stayed in a small top floor flat and put an old fashioned wooden pulley in the hall for drying clothes on. In the winter the central heating radiator helping with the drying and in the summer I used to open the bathroom window and door and let the air through the hall. Paint the pulley in same colour as hall ceiling and you only notice it when there are clothes hanging on it.

Lillibet_2

Think we should remember that this thread is about what we could give up IF WE HAD TO, not just how to economise further on our everyday lives. As long as we can afford our personal current stanards of living, which will be different for all of us, then I don't see any of this as necessary just to get a few extra pounds in the bank account, just if we were really really up against hard times with bailiffes banging at the door!

Mrs_Thrift

Like Lilibet says, I'm very happy with our current level of spending (WHEN we stick to our budget that is, LOL!) but I'm also happy to know that we COULD go without certain things if we really, really had to.....

When Mr Thrift and I had our first flat together we went without a TV, phone, heating, PC, hardly went out and did our weekly shop on £10 a week, but one thing that helped us through it was knowing that if we could do it then, we would know that we could always cope with it again if things were bad and we had to do it. (Think I've used a lot of words to say something simple there, but I hope it makes sense!)

Ticklemouse

Cor, isn't it funny what we forget about. I was thinking about giving up stuff that obviously costs every month, like tv, phones, cars etc. But I also have a dishwasher and a tumble drier and an extra freezer in garage which I could turn off once I got to the back of it.

And if I was really skint, I have a garage full of camping equipment (3 large tents, several small ones, 2 cookers etc) to sell, Mr TM's barbeque, a portable air conditioner which isn't needed in this house, plus a huge selection of books, comics, records (all Mr TM's:D ). Just don't make me sell my crystal and ornaments please;)

Bogof_Babe

Lillibet wrote:

Think we should remember that this thread is about what we could give up IF WE HAD TO, not just how to economise further on our everyday lives. As long as we can afford our personal current stanards of living, which will be different for all of us, then I don't see any of this as necessary just to get a few extra pounds in the bank account, just if we were really really up against hard times with bailiffes banging at the door!

It will always be a matter of degree though, won't it? I mean when the chips are really down, we could always sell the house and rent a flat, as the ultimate cash raiser, but for most of us it won't come to that. Same as for most of us it would never come to having to have the phone disconnected, or give away the cat.

Another factor in the equation is that at some point, when people are on their uppers, the benefits system will kick in. Luckily we can still assume that no-one starves in this country.

Interesting and thought provoking thread though .

jazzyjustlaw

alec_eiffel wrote:

A couple of years back I was in a situation where I had to cut back on virtually everything :

Got rid of the car for 6 months - this was the first thing to go, I didn't sell it as I knew I'd probably want it back eventally, I just took it off the road ond got a rebate on my road tax.

got rid of sky tv.

Stopped eating meat and drinking alcohol. In fact when things were at their worst for 2 months I lived on a diet of tea, rice, popcorn and peas. (I didn't eat rice again for over 18 months) I almost wish I had smoked then I could have given up and saved some cash but alas, no.

I stopped going to shops altogether apart from to buy milk, it was a big surprise to me how little I wanted when it wasn't there in front of me.

Got rid of the phone,and internet - used the net at the library and also used this for other forms of entertainment.

To be honest I was surprised how much stuff I had, I was fine for clothes and toiletries thanks to years of over spending and never using and managed to find out about loads of free stuff in my area so I was never bored.

I eventaully got the car and sky back, but alot of the other stuff - like recreational shopping, overeating and going out every weekend never returned. there is still stuff I could cut back on now, but I save really hard in some areas so I can have sky sports and stuff like that.

Just wanted to say how awful it must have been for you to have only afforded to live on a diet of tea, rice, popcorn and peas.