Is frugal the new normal?

lessonlearned

Goldiegirl - I too love cruising. They suit me. I don't like flying so am happier trAvelling by rail or ship.

I actually think that cruises often represent very good value for money. They are not nearly so extravagant as people seem to think.

I have booked a 33 day cruise around the Caribbean for November, sailing from the UK so no flights.

I make no apologies, it's my first holiday in 10 years, having spent 9 years looking after my sick husband and then both his and my mothers death during the last year.

I feel that ive earned this one.......;)

It's my first holiday on my own - ever - and I'm a bit nervous of striking out on my own so a cruise ticks all the boxes in terms of safety, and companionship etc.

Maybe one day I will pluck up courage to strike out on my own and travel Independently. There is so much of the world I still want to see.

Ive been on several cruises in the past and enjoyed them all. They are no longer the preserve of the idle rich who "dress for dinner" every night. To me they are a comfortable and safe way to see a bit of the world.

I'm sorry if any of my posts made you feel uncomfortable.

Yes I do,find extreme conspicuous consumption distasteful but I,don't think we have to live like hermits wearing a hair shirt and eating nothing but porridge and lentils. . We can still travel, have lovely homes, wear nice clothes, eat good food etc

We can spend and make ethical choices, I don't think the two have to be incompatible.

VJsmum

I quite like porridge and lentils ....



Apart from that I agree with all you say. Enjoy your cruises, my best friend loves them. Many people find my idea of holidays totally dull

cbsexec

I think the main thing to remember is to be happy and content with your life and the choices you make whatever they may be. You are the only person who can make that come true.

[Deleted User]

I love porridge and lentils and flying but we don't live on them or fly all the time. It's a really good thing that we can all come to the same thread and reach an understanding with each other whilst still being individuals with our own likes, dislikes and preferences in all aspects of our lives. That to me says we celebrate the diversities of life, enjoy the things we like on a personal level and understand that what is meat to one person is poison to another. Life as it SHOULD be without becoming a homogenised and bland business where everyone is the same!

Goldiegirl

Hello everyone


Mrs LW - I'm glad you mentioned being confined to the ship, as that's one of the other 'pre-conceptions about cruising'.


It's really important to choose your ship carefully, and some ships have lots of outside space. There's nothing like walking on deck, seeing the sea in all it's different moods and colours and then seeing dolphins, whales, flying fish or other sea life. Then there's the ports - get the itinerary right so you can see places that are of interest to you.


As you are close to Southampton, you are ideally placed for a weeks cruise to Norway. Just two sea days, then typically a stop in Stavanger with it's pretty old town, Bergen, ideal for a walk up Mount Floyen, plus two smaller ports, with amazing green scenery.


Sounds ideal for you ! :rotfl:


Caterina I wouldn't say I feel I need to defend myself, and I don't feel judged. But I have replied extensively, so people can see there are different reasons for peoples choices and different ways of thinking. I think balance is needed in all things, and I think it's good to add balance to debate, buy throwing other other ways of thinking into the mix.


I think people can look at things in black and white. i.e. you are either 'Old Style' or not. The truth is the majority of people are in the middle, but the 'hard core' at either end can sometimes not see the middle ground. I think it's useful to represent the middle ground, and I'm enjoying this thread.


Lessonlearned - you have in no way made me feel uncomfortable. In fact I think we seem very much alike in our views.


I live reasonably most of the time, so that I can still have the things that I enjoy

Yes I do,find extreme conspicuous consumption distasteful but I,don't think we have to live like hermits wearing a hair shirt and eating nothing but porridge and lentils. . We can still travel, have lovely homes, wear nice clothes, eat good food etc

I could have written that myself - it's exactly how I feel.


I like porridge and lentils as much as the next person. In fact I have porridge for breakfast most mornings, and often look for recipes that have lentils in, especially as we like to eat vegetarian a couple of days a week.


I hope you enjoy your cruise, as it's an excellent way to travel alone. Please let me know how you get on, especially as we are going away for 35 nights next February (to southern USA and Caribbean) It's quite daunting to be away for so long, so I'd love to know what you think!




To sum up, I'm loving the discussion on this thread, and love that I can add a slightly different view from time to time, without getting flamed for it!

[Deleted User]

Hi GOLDIE funnily enough DD1 and He Who Knows have both done the Hurtigruten cruise up the Norwegian coast to chase and see the Northern Lights, they've done both halves (not in the same year) and been up as far as the Russian border and they loved every second of it. I don't travel terribly well on water, never seem to have found my sea legs I any way so the prospect of being on a ship for a protracted period is daunting to say the least. I've been seasick and it's not something I'd like to do again. It's really important on a thread to have the different views, really important also to understand that no one is right or wrong, just an individual and that there is room in this wide and wonderful world for each and every one of us, foibles, warts and all!!!

fuddle

There are many strains to OS living. I see myself 'hardcore' in terms of main meal prep but look in my fridge and you'll see nice ham, cheeses, pates and olives on a good day. I'm 'hardcore' in that I have a store cupboard of ingredients, not foods to snack on but that doesn't mean I don't make the food to snack on. We're hardcore in that we don't eat out much but we will have a takeaway. I'm hardcore that everything in my home earns it's place and not one for shelves full of things that make my hone nice. I've fairy light on twigs for that, plus candles and a few photoframes. I have made my kitchen curtains for less than £10 but that doesn't mean I don't have a pair of nice ceiling to floor lined Dunelm pair in my living room, with matching cushions.

Posessions? Our TV is small compared to todays standards but we have a 2 year old VW passat estate outside, ours from brand new. Oh but judge you may... it's a company car belinging to DH's depot. It's not ours at all. We don't own a car.

I am walking round (and naughtily so as it's bad for my knees) in a pair of £2 black flip flops while both my children are in Clarks shoes at school. DH is eating chicken dinner for his lunch, from last night but I am booked into Prezzo at the weekend when family come to stay, even if it's not the norm and I really don't want to do it but I am!

It's all reletive. I am frugal, yes I am. Do I know how to make a small budget work for us in terms of food. Yes, I do. Do I squander. Absolutely not. Do I try to buy the best I can afford when it matters, yes I do. Does the car we 'have' say nice respectable family doing ok for themselves when actually we don't even own a car. Do I envest money into making my home, a home. No I don't. I invest time to keep it nice, fresh and will be redecorating the living room in the coming weeks but aside from a few thing on the wall shelves, it's us, cushions, TV and rabbit hutch.

Do you see what I'm saying? No one is ever 100% this or that. I like the OS mindset. The OS mindset has got me through some sticky situations and will always be the way I go about things but not 100% of the time. I do see the middle ground but what I don't like is being labelled or put in a box. I shop in Waitrose on a Wednesday and in Aldi on a Saturday.

Goldiegirl

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Hi GOLDIE funnily enough DD1 and He Who Knows have both done the Hurtigruten cruise up the Norwegian coast to chase and see the Northern Lights, they've done both halves (not in the same year) and been up as far as the Russian border and they loved every second of it.

The Norwegian cruise we did, was during the summer, but I hope to do a winter one, one day, to try and find the Northern Lights

fuddle wrote: »

we have a 2 year old VW passat estate outside, ours from brand new. Oh but judge you may... .

Don't worry, if you're going to get judged, then I will too.... we've got a 3 month old Toyota Yaris, and it belongs to us!:rotfl:


Our previous car was bought from new, in 2003, and it had served us faithfully, and was reliable and economical. However, it was getting to the point where it was going to need a costly repair, so we decided it was time to sell it, and get a new car.


Our new car is by the same manufactuer, so we know it has all the reliability and is now even cheaper to run. We are hoping that it will serve us as long, if not longer, than our previous car.


We have no angst about depreciation the moment it's driven off the forecourt - it's a long term buy so we have no interest in selling it. I hope to get 15 years of use out of it, so it's an investment, not something for the short term with a view to do it again in a couple of years time.


I have no idea what owning a 3 month old Yaris says about us, and I don't care either. We bought it for us, not for what other people think about it

fuddle

I have 'owned' in my own name a brand new Yaris, brand new Avensis and a brand new Corolla. I say owned. They were all on personal finance and they all depreciated. No wonder I ended up bankrupt eh?!

The car I have just given up was 14 years old. It was taken away for £50. I had to pay more for cancelling the insurance. No car is an investment unless you're able to play the classic car game succesfully.

[Deleted User]

If it's confession time over cars we own a brand new Skoda Octavia picked up on Thursday last week, we decided that we wanted an estate rather than the hatchback we had and the garage gave us a very good deal on part exchange and are fitting us a tow bar and we've got a 'colour' both of which they put into the deal. We are very lucky to have the frugal/thrifty/do it yourself/don't need it/ save as much as you can philosophy as that approach to life enabled us to save what we needed before we decided on the newer car. Being frugal is not totally about abstinence for me, it's about having enough but not excesses, not going without and struggling, sack cloth and ashes is not comfortable whereas being prudent and careful and contented with 'enough' and making the most of opportunities in all areas gives you the slack in the system to purchase what you DO need without making you totally broke!