Top 20 Frugal Must Haves?

PipneyJane

anniebooklover wrote: »

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.

That is such a good suggestion it deserves mentioning more than once. The Tightwad Gazette is my bible. It's the one book I'd rescue if the house was burning down. I've given copies to several people over the years.

My list:

1. Freezer.
2. Air-and-water-tight Lock'n'lock boxes for food storage.
3. Pressure cooker. (If you don't have one, go for the largest you can get, ideally one that suitable for bottling.)
4. Access to a Chinese or Indian supermarket for spices, pulses, rice and other dried goods.
5. The ability to cook.
6. My sewing machine (and the ability to use it).
7. Knitting/crochet supplies, including my stash of yarn bought at a discount.
8. Slow cooker.
9. Veggie garden. (I wish I was best friends/neighbours with Alys Fowler, but failing that, her gardening books will do.)
10. My DH who is frugal to the core.

OutofDebt-NOT-OutofDanger

Living_proof wrote: »

Can you tell me a bit more about this OodNood? I didn't know hand held ones existed apart from the wallpaper stripper kind. It would cut down a lot of effort as well as chemicals, and as I don't see so well I think it could be a boon.

Probably the better ones available are Domotec or Polti. A good hand held is around £30. Mine is never in the cupboard as it's so easy to use and makes light work of most cleaning chores - even cleaning the oven is quite easy and no smelly chemicals.:j

The other reason I use it is because the cats get everywhere and steaming everything means that you can leave everything clean. If you get one the first time you use it you'll be amazed at how dirty everything really is :eek: (even if you've just cleaned it!)

Living_proof

OutofDebt-NOT-OutofDanger wrote: »

Probably the better ones available are Domotec or Polti. A good hand held is around £30. Mine is never in the cupboard as it's so easy to use and makes light work of most cleaning chores - even cleaning the oven is quite easy and no smelly chemicals.:j

The other reason I use it is because the cats get everywhere and steaming everything means that you can leave everything clean. If you get one the first time you use it you'll be amazed at how dirty everything really is :eek: (even if you've just cleaned it!)

Thank you very much. I will investigate as I find cleaning floor to ceiling tiles just too much sometimes. I use a food steamer almost daily (for food, not cleaning!) and where that has been operated - well, the dirt just runs down the walls but leaves it streaked because whilst I am cooking I am not in the right frame of mind to shin up a ladder and wipe it all down. One of these little hand held gizmos looks just the job!

Nicepeach

Absinthe wrote: »

I'm not sure about my top 20, but my favourite frugal buys are:

1. My slowcooker (The best thing ever)
2. Washing soda crystals
3. My breadmaker. Trouble is breads too scrummy so make infrequently
4. Tescos value Baby bath 12p (being discontinued )
5. Tescos value Baby shampoo 9p (being discontinued )
6. My JML Dri-buddy (invaluable in the winter)
7. Estee Lauder make-up artists collection. It may not seem frugal, but one can last me up to 5 years.
8. Online food shopping. I often meal-plan, and budget better, although I still use local shops.

Hi, really sorry for barging in but just read your post & :eek::eek::eek: I've only just discovered these & have been using them for a few weeks & they're FAB!

How did you find out they're being discontinued? And WHY? WHY? WHY? Please tell me why?

I'm in shock! (Can you tell?)

TheCatCameBack

Adding to my post, I've just brought another freezer (£20 from eBay, FIL heading over with it now - free delivery!) after realizing there is NO room in the current freezer we have due to my over-zealousness in batch cooking & playing bakery.

frugalgal73

Coming out of lurkdom just for this fabulous thread!
1. Slow cooker
2. Food processor
3. Greenhouse
4. Allotment garden
5. Sewing machine, rotary cutter and other gear for my quilting habit, although I am shortening sleeves on school shirts for monkey-armed DS2 at the moment too.
6. Laptop for finding out all sorts of useful things, from how to quilt, when to plant etc to balances on my accounts whenever I need to check
7. My Supermarket, for checking the offers and prices before I go grocery shopping.
8. My store cupboard
9. Discount "Best before" ignoring online stores (not sure if I can name names)- we wouldnt eat as well without em!
10. These forums- I have learned LOADS and saved a bloomin fortune!

abitofhelp

Loved reading through this thread, i would like to see if i can get my list up to 20 (being quite new at being frugal)
1. veg plot
2. fruit pot (pots and a few things in the ground)
3. greenhouse
4. water butts
5. compost bins
6. microfibre cloths
7. stardrops.
8 money off coupons
9. bread maker (mine is well used for bread, dough for rolls and pizza)
10. slow cooker (also well used)
11. the ability to batch cook
12. to look at the cost per 100g when supermarket shopping
13. taking meter readings monthly(i have stayed in credit rather than be in debit this year)
14. free eggs from time to time from next door neighbour
15. empty jars from friends
16. knowing where to find damsons and blackberries
17 mse
18. the ability to adapt when shopping ( when i last stocked up on sugar for baking granulated worked out much cheaper than caster so that is what i bought)
19. oh friend is a butcher so we stock up on packs of meat from time to time when the price is right
20. saving instead of spending

oh my word i could go on, the frugal lifestyle must finally be sinking in for me, aswell as the above i keep a throw downstairs incase i am chilly in the evening.

Uniscots97

1) my clothes airer and washing line on a nice day

2) my energy efficient hair dryer I bought off ebay (uses half the electricity of a normal hairdryer, I have waist length hair and can't always leave it to dry on it's own)

3) slow cooker

4) poundland

5) charity shops

6) being able to sew, mend and make presents

7) growing some of our own veg

8) growing our own roses, which compared to the shop ones at least have a smell !

9) aqueous cream, fab for taking make up off

10) freebies sites, perfect sizes for going on holiday

11) Boots magazine, free and it means I still get my magazine fix

12) a cheap fleece meaning I don't need to turn the heating up.

13) stardrops it'll clean everything

14) a pair of sharp scissors (for cutting up old clothes into cloths)

15) Quidco

16) money off vouchers

Lazy_Liz

Loved reading this thread, so many great ides and intersting to see differing opinions on somethings (slow cookers!)
Not sure I can get to twenty but my faves are

1) breadmaker, so much nicer than bought and I can pack it with healthy, oils, seeds etc.
2) Old fashioned airer, the type that pulls upto the ceiling, uses the hot air up there and drioes things so quickly
3) my veg patch, so easy to grow rocket, much cheper than buying from supermarket, fresh peas...mummm, broad beans and runner beans. Plus lots of other things.
4) My greenhouse, for growing from seed plus tomatoes and peppers in summer and chilis (freeze and use from frozen)
5) Cookery books, for receipes or just inspration, what goes with what, how to cook a specific ingredient etc.
6) Mum and Dad, the best at frugal cooking and living without feeling deprived. Can make a meal from a dishcloth and money stretches so far. Other members of the family think they have much more money than they actual have, makes us feel so smug!
7)Internet, for all the reasons already mentioned
8) DH who is never afraid or embarrased to ask for a discount...this is beginning to rub off on me but I have a long way to go.
9) Planning, meal planning, holiday planning, to get the best out of everything and not end up having to buy things when they are expensive becuase you forgot them.
10) My electronic diary, to remind me byu e-mail of all the things I have to do.

BitterAndTwisted

Frugal Must-Haves? I would have thought that the true point of real frugality would be the facility to know what's truly essential and what's just nice to have.

I'd add that my theoretical must-haves would be not giving a fig what other people think about my chosen lifestyle or ratty old possessions, knowing what can be got free or very cheaply, how to mend things instead of looking for instant replacements, a very decent dash of common-sense and real, proper housekeeping skills.

Nearly everything we have we could probably do without bar a roof, some heat now and then and food. Everything else is a luxury. Luxuries which the other 99% of the world's population can only dream of having. Frugal for all of them isn't a life-style choice, it's the only possible way to live. I think it would do most of us good to try to remember that the next time we're eying up the latest bread-maker