What can you do without?

foxblade

Thanks again everyone. I suppose I better put down what I do without as well!

- TV (haven't had one for years now)
- Ready Meals
- Magazines/Newspapers
- Handwash (As a PP said I use cheap shampoo)
- Anything above own/basic brand - (This one is amazing and I do not understand why more people haven't cotton on)
- Dishwasher or Tumbledryer (never had the space or need)
- Latest Gadgets (We keep our computer up-to-date-ish as we use them for work/play but we don't have ipods, latest smartphone, tablets, laptops etc)
- Shower gel, we use Soap

Thats all I can think of atm.

System

I'm suprised. I tried washing my hair without hair conditioner this afternoon and my hair is still lovely and soft and was tangle free when i combed it through afterwards, it has more volume too.

Guess i dont need to use it at the moment.

Linda32

Judi wrote: »

I'm suprised. I tried washing my hair without hair conditioner this afternoon and my hair is still lovely and soft and was tangle free when i combed it through afterwards, it has more volume too.

Exactly! These quite alot of things which you (I don't mean you btw, Judi ) think you need, when in actual fact you are being told you need it by the people who are selling it, or being paid to advertise it.

trailingspouse

Just the two of us at home, but with a seemingly never ending stream of 'offsprung' and hangers on who turn up with or without notice.
I never buy any of the following -

fabric conditioner (thought I was the only one!!) - hang it outside whenever possible instead
fizzy pop - we have fruit juices and I think there's an ancient bottle of lemonade somewhere. I never ever buy Coke.
ready meals and takeaways. It's quicker to cook something than to wait for a pizza to be delivered...
sausages, pork pies and other processed meats
tinned veg apart from tomatoes
frozen veg apart from peas
pedal bin liners - I use the plastic bags from the supermarket
any sort of air freshener type thing - just open a window, and clean the house from time to time!!
hair conditioner (again, I thought I was the only one!!)
have just stopped buying shower get. My OH always uses soap, but I was using some that was given to me as a gift. When it was about to run out I decided that it seemed daft to buy more - I'll use soap and maybe some kind soul will buy me some more at Christmas!!
Cigarettes - never have, never will. In fact, I've never understood how someone can spend that sort of money on themselves, with no benefit at all to the rest of the family. Even if it wasn't bad for you, it would still be selfish. But that's just my opinion.
I'm sure there's more - there are entire aisles at the supermarket that I don't bother going down.

MoaningMyrtle

What do people think of this decision?

When children's pet rabbits and guinea pigs died we decided not to buy any more pets. The main reason was the cost of bedding and food.

charlies-aunt

I don't think its about being tight, miserable or mean - I have to work hard for my money so its got to work hard for me. I prefer to have decent quality basics and no frills

I buy Basic/Value products mainly - only hold out for Yorkshire Tea

Don't buy magazines/newspapers/books, make-up or nail varnish, jewellery, liquid soap, cut flowers or house plants, sweets or chocolate, low denier tights (wear leggings or thick opaques), dusters or cleaning clothes, air fresheners, alcohol, exotic or out of season fruit and veg, fizzy pop or flavoured water, premixed detergent sprays, glasses from an optician, ready meals or takeaways, SKY, DVD's, nothing from QVC, designer/branded, cakes & biscuits, shower gel, body lotion, CD's .......and breathe!

I find living life at a basic level is enriching rather than depressing, you don't become blase & jaded by a high consumption lifestyle and treats are anticipated with pleasure, appreciated and fully enjoyed - little gifts from friends and family such a jar of HM jam , a basket of ripe plums or a few HM scones have a specialness that can't be bought in the supermarkets

marleyboy

My Desktop hooks up to my TV, so I could do without my DVD player as the PC has one already. My CD's never get played as my music is now stored on a Hard Drive, eliminating the use of my CD player and the disks.

I rarely if ever use the Microwave, but that's about it in the Kitchen.

System

MoaningMyrtle wrote: »

What do people think of this decision?

When children's pet rabbits and guinea pigs died we decided not to buy any more pets. The main reason was the cost of bedding and food.

I do think littlies need the opportunity to care for a pet. It teaches them how to care for something smaller and more vunerable than they are. My kids had various pets when they were growing up.

I had my dogs later in life when my children had grown up as i knew i couldnt give such a demanding pet as much attention and care as they needed when my brood were growing up.

Recently our chinchilla died. We have had him 9 years and i'd love to replace him with another pet however, in his 9 years of life he (and his brother who died when he was 2) has cost us an absolute fortune in vets bills, housing/bedding, and food and i am asking myself, do i really want that sort of financial commitment or responsibility. No, i have 2 dogs and they cost us enough. If they arent enough for me to cuddle and love, then tough.

As much as i love my dogs they wont be replaced either when they die. The expense when they are ill, when they need prevention treatment for fleas and worms and of course yearly vaccinations all add up to quite a considerable amount.

Patchwork_Quilt

Moaning myrtle, it's not an odd decision at all. We had a rethink about pets when the pastor from a Ugandan orphanage visited our church. We can keep two Ugandan orphans in his school for the annual cost of feeding/insuring a cat, so we did that instead of replacing our beloved Moglet when she died.

We do without central heating when we can by using the stove and burning gifts of wood/bits of the garden.

Pippin12

MoaningMyrtle wrote: »

What do people think of this decision?

When children's pet rabbits and guinea pigs died we decided not to buy any more pets. The main reason was the cost of bedding and food.

I can see what you mean but I have to say amongst my very best memories of childhood relate to the pets I used to have. My parents were on a very tight budget and there wasn't much left over for luxuries but I was always allowed to keep my pets. I had a dog, cat, goldfish and rabbits. I have some really wonderful memories of them and a lifelong interest in animals as a result of my early experiences.