Is frugal the new normal?

[Deleted User]

lessonlearned wrote: »

Yes it's the Magellan. I agree she looks a nice cosy friendly ship. I think I might feel abit lost on a mega ship.

Apparently they reserve 150 places for singletons so I shouldn't feel too out of place.

I am glad you said that, I am going to put the ship details somewhere safe for when I am ready for a long cruise.

Was a marvellous day today, I even bought a couple of things that I wanted and got rid of the old ones, the cs was absolutely full of nice things so there are a lot of people giving things away at the moment. Nice to know that the local hospice will benefit and people will be helped

I am going to have a hell of a comfortable life in future, just laying the foundations now, while I can

and goldiegirl, go girl go :T

suki1964

GreyQueen wrote: »

It's not possible to be alive without consuming. At the very least we're consuming air, water, food and energy. We're also consuming foodstuffs, basic toiletries, clothing and footwear. We use appliances and they eventually wear out.

I own one pair of trainers at a time and use them for all my non-work footwear needs, but they wear out every 2.5 to 3 years, as just one example. I am a serial consumer of trainers, undies, socks, pasta, and any number of other items.

Today I have purchased a bag of books for £1 from a charity shop. Ten super books in lovely condition for £1 only. They will sustain an infestimal amount of wear and tear in my keeping as I read them, share them with family and then they will be re-donated to another charity shop for other people to purchase and enjoy. Hopefully, barring accidents and wanton carelessness, these books might have several more decades of useful life in them, and go on to entertain and educate many more people, generating modest amounts of money as they circulate.

Of course, I could just keep them on the shelf, fading and festering and becoming unpopular for 30-40 years until I die and someone else has to clear them out.............:rotfl:

your books have the same life journey as my own

I was in the second hand book shop last week asking if they had a particular author ( they hadn't ) and got chatting as you do, and I said I hated having to buy new books. The owner quite rightly said to me " some one has to else I wouldn't be here nor would you"

I am loathe to buy new books but I always get a new one for a Christmas pressie from hubby,along with my new slippers lol. A new book for Christmas fits the budget to a tee and gives me great pleasure, and then when I can bare to part with it, it gets given to a friend who also enjoys the author with strict instructions it's to be passed on to charity when she's finished. There was a time when I couldn't bare to part with my books but after moving box loads of them on three moves I've wised up

Still have all my Harry Potters ready to pass to the grand kids. Their mum has already read them when she lived with us as a teen

[Deleted User]

Frugality is by necessity an individual pastime, we all get there by different roads and for different reasons and what is a common sense step to some will be seen as ridiculous by others. There is not a set of rules that have to be adhered to in living a frugal lifestyle but it doesn't have to be sack cloth and ashes deprivation either. Surely the whole frugal ethos is to make the most of what you DO have available in terms of posessions, income and abilities as well as personal preferences and personal tastes? We need very little, we're content with what we've got, we don't need to always be out and about and things we do and have are enough to make us satisfied. If you like cruising and can afford it and it's your 'thing' then why not? If you want a top of the range LED TV set and can afford it and it will make you happy then why not? If you want your nails done once a month at a posh saloon again why not? being contented is also an individual thing and if you are lucky enough to achieve it then you've attained the level of frugality you need and it's no one elses business to tell you otherwise.

GreyQueen

Yesterday, while not feeling very well, I amused myself for several hours by reading one of my 10p books from cover-to-cover. In 5 days, it will be given to Mum, as I think it's something she'd enjoy. When she's finished with it, it will be added to the bag of other books and taken to their chazzer. Where, it will be sold to someone else who'll enjoy it, and hopefully come back again to that chazzer or another and be enjoyed again.

I'm very grateful that people buy new books otherwise there wouldn't be the contrail of used ones behind the new book market, for the rest of us to enjoy. Likewise, I'm grateful that some people make mistakes in their clothes buying (been there, done that, got the unflattering teeshirt:p) and donate lightly used or totally unused clothing so I can buy most of my clothing secondhand.

Twice I've politely turned down offers of TVs from pals who were changing their sets, and two people have been left slightly baffled. I'm not TV-free from necessity, I could afford a set, it's a lifestyle choice. I don't like watching TV very much, and aren't prepared to give one houseroom (and pay license fee) for the 3-4 programmes a month I'd be interested in watching.

Frugality is very personal. If you don't care about something, and don't use it, or use the simplest cheapest version, that's just being sensible. I don't drink coffee at all and never have, can't abide it. Other people I know love it, and make having a decent coffee part of their lifestyle, even if it means cutting back elsewhere. Horses for courses.

good_advice

Frugal - economical, simple and costing little
Oh that is so me ;0)
Always on a mission to spend less, I treat it as a game and we are always happy to buy what we need for less. Look around and use voucher codes.


I would love to swap and use the barter system more but I often find it going only one way. I agreed with my neighbour to exchange my local paper with her gardening magazine (weekly) but after a couple of swaps it is now only my local paper being swapped.

pennystretcher

Realised today that my laziness is also saving me money - was reading MSE blogs this afternoon and noticed it was time to go and wash my hair.. (Washing it in the afternoon means it's dry by the evening and I don't have to use the hairdryer...also means I only need a quick shower in the morning, so I can get up half an hour later )

In my previous place I had 2-rate meter, so it was cheaper to get up really early in the morning and do laundry, shower etc. In some way I miss that, gave me a reason to get up before sunrise and made me feel very MSE, but my circumstances have changed, so use more electricity during the day now though (But on flat rate now, so...)

tuskel

Sorry to be the thread necromancer here, but I have been really busy over half term (every day making some decorations and stuff, keeping the little'un amused etc. Of course go and enjoy your holidays - I was just saying that I would not do it. I have always had a lot of guilt over being human, I suppose. At a very early age (I was definitely under 10) I looked around me and realised that people are not treating the world and other life forms in it very well. And although I do hate it, I still contribute to it, so I can't help thinking "what can I do to offset the things I don't do" every waking minute. But that's just me.

However, OT, I am glad frugal is the new normal. By the way, I saw a book yesterday in the bookshop (WHSmiths) - 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism. It looked very interesting, anyone read it? (Guilty - I do love proper bookshops, I could spend a whole day in Waterstones if my family would let me xD)

[Deleted User]

GQ I agree my luxury is really nice fresh ground coffee,but i only have it once a week when my eldest DD arrives on a Sunday morning and we have a long chin wag and copious amounts of coffee.

I can live without the superflous 'luxuries' in life thought of as essentials to many,but I would so miss my coffee,each to their own I guess:)

Lynplatinum

Hiya

My luxury is also real coffee but my local 99p store does some delicious real coffee 125g for - guess what - 99p!!!!!

also love Green and Black's hot chocolate - and get people to buy me it for Christmas!! :-)

I have, since teenage years, been concerned about how much we waste and how much we are polluting the planet with petro chemicals (plastics - including supermarket wrappings and petrol and other fuels). It is part of the reason I am very OS and always recycle stuff. I put out 1 bag of paper/plastic/boxes every other week and a 1/2 bin bag of non recycle stuff every other week! The lady across the road puts out about 10 bags of non recycle stuff each week and never any recycling at all. Her household is the same size - she is definitely not frugal, nor eco friendly (not just on the bin bag evidence!) and finds it hard to manage. feel sorry for her and would like to help but the line between help and interference is a fine one!!!
Nite all

sistercas

Lynplatinum wrote: »

Hiya

My luxury is also real coffee but my local 99p store does some delicious real coffee 125g for - guess what - 99p!!!!!

also love Green and Black's hot chocolate - and get people to buy me it for Christmas!! :-)

I have, since teenage years, been concerned about how much we waste and how much we are polluting the planet with petro chemicals (plastics - including supermarket wrappings and petrol and other fuels). It is part of the reason I am very OS and always recycle stuff. I put out 1 bag of paper/plastic/boxes every other week and a 1/2 bin bag of non recycle stuff every other week! The lady across the road puts out about 10 bags of non recycle stuff each week and never any recycling at all. Her household is the same size - she is definitely not frugal, nor eco friendly (not just on the bin bag evidence!) and finds it hard to manage. feel sorry for her and would like to help but the line between help and interference is a fine one!!!
Nite all

I think the hardest thing is trying to get others in the family to think recycling , I am forever harping on about it , and yet everyday I am pulling recyclable stuff out of the waste bin , they just forget.
To me it's so important , I have always taken my own bags to the supermarket and bought loose fruit and veg when it wasn't fashionable to do so , I aim to reduce packaging as much as possible and recycle when packaging is unavoidable
It's a hard message to get across to others and so frustrating when you see others in your street not attempting to recycle , I agree though it is a fine line between help and interference and sadly so far I'm not brave enough to go near that line :cool: