Top 20 Frugal Must Haves?

Butterfly_Brain

1. Wood Burning Stove
2. Solar Panels
3. At least 2 Water Butts
4. Wind up Torch
5. Good tool kit
6. Sewing Kit
7. Chest freezer
8. Warm Bedding including lots of fleece Blankets
9. Heavy lined curtains to keep draughts out
10. Hot water Bottle
11. Cobb cooker
12. Aldi
13. A good yeast starter for bread
14. Washing Line/2 good Airers
15. Chickens
16. A garden to grow your own
17. Good Store Cupboard with plenty of basics
18. A good stock of toilet rolls
19. White Vinegar
20. Bicarb

sonastin

For me...

1) an insanely practical partner who can make virtually anything out of nothing - currently finishing off a "£10k+" kitchen which cost about £2k in materials.
2) self-discipline to deprive myself of all those things I want but don't have the money for
3) tolerance to put up with "good enough" when "just right" costs too much
tools-wise:
4)slow cooker
5) breadmaker
6) electric blanket for the bed
7) fleecy blanket for the sofa
8) trailer for taking stuff to the tip so we don't have to pay for a skip
9) clothes line/airer
10) e-bay

Mrs_Vimes

Can I add mysupermarket.com? And the nice people who share their ideas on this forum?

Thank you.

[Deleted User]

1. My slow cooker which I use several times a week

2. my Remoska which is the best thing I have ever bought as I only put on the big oven if I am batch cooking so I have cut back on my electricity bills

3. Hot water bottle and my 'blankey' that i knitted (saves me turning on the CH too often

4. Large flask that I use when I boil up one kettle of water a day for drinks.

5. Thick jumpers and warm slippers i can keep my heating costs down very well if I'm wrapped up warm.

6. Batch baking portions of food so those plastic take-away boxes are invaluble (I get them from my eldest DD)

7. Jam jars that hold almost anything from screws to odds and ends and at the moment has one of my paint brushes in as I may do some renovating of an old chair over the week-end

8. My microwave as I can part cook the veg which save time and money on the cooker top

9. a decent knife, I have a thin kitchen devil which my sis-in-law gave me around 10 years ago and its fantastic

10. The ability to keep ones purse firmly shut and to stay away from the shops for days at a time:D

11. keeping a list by the kettle of things I need not want for when I go shopping

12. My knitting needles

13. My craft stuff that I have collected over the years and I make all of my own Christmas cards and birthday cards (saves a fortune)

14. My little red note book that lists all of my spending

15. only taking cash with me when shopping and only just over enough to cover what I'm buying

16. my large collection of cookbooks going back to the 1950s

17. my library card

18. my old potato peeler that I'd be lost without (I even take it on holiday with me )

19. This site which has been fantastic for ideas and hints

20. best of all my late Mum's wisdom and commonsense which she hopefully passed onto me along with her cooking and managing skills.She could make a shilling do the work of ten at times and she would have loved this site, a frugal, but great fun lady:D

samanthaneww2d

1. The ability to know the difference between WANT & NEED


read this on someone's list and think that's the most frugal thing to live by I have a steamer gathering dust a bread maker used all of five times and my slow cooker never:o

Horace

lollipopsarah wrote: »

Ah Stardrops - I can't get it here - grrrrrrrr! even Iceland have stopped selling it, shame wonderfull stuff.
A few years ago we were in yarmouth with friends and popped into a pound shop and I got 3 bottles - weyhey, I wish I'd got more.
Great thread.
I hate to admit to like my chip fryer, only used about once a week for a treat but quick and very nice.
xx

Do you have a Home Bargains or B&M Stores near you? If you have then they sell varieties of Stardrops e.g. Home Bargains sell the concentrated all purpose, bleach stardrops, anti bacterial whereas B&M sell the stardrops disinfectant and glass cleaner.

Hillbilly1

Does a Remoska do baked potatoes?

RosyRed

Hillbilly1 wrote: »

Does a Remoska do baked potatoes?

Wonderfully crispy skinned ones :rotfl:

anniebooklover

I haven't been on this forum for such a long time but could I suggest 'The Complete Tightwad Gazette' by Amy Dacyczyn? Use budgetboo's idea of your library card if you haven't heard of her. I borrowed the book and was so inspired I asked my children to buy me the book for Mother's Day (for £13.99 so a real bargain when you think it comprises three separate books!). So far this year I have squirrelled away £400 without altering things too much and feel good for doing that. Even if you have to pay the £13.99 a return like that can't be bad!! She has sections such as 'not feeling deprived' that really make you re-think your own spending and how you react to other people's ideas.

JackieO your advice on mum's wisdom hits the mark. I learned so much from my mum that I am now passing on to my own daughter.

I also agree with many of the other suggestions. My remoska has been invaluable to me.

uncommonadvice

Also surprised that no-one has said a Greenhouse.