Is frugal the new normal?

GreyQueen

ivyleaf wrote: »

I remember my mother saying to me "Always buy the best you can afford - it will save you money in the long run."

She died in 1979 and I'm still using some of her towels!

Another saying is Buy cheap, buy twice.

I can recognise quality items and have plucked them from skips and piles of discards left behind after booters have packed up and driven off. Many thanks to those people who left what became my omelette pan, casserole dish and bedlinen.:beer:

Equally, I've walked away in disgust from stuff in new shops which just doesn't cut the mustard. You should hear the derision with which Mum greets the boast of a 10 year guarantee on saucepans.

Saucepans, in our world, should last at least a couple of generations in daily use. Auntie is still using her wedding gift towels (marriage was over 50 years ago btw).

I went into a W8rose recently. It won't be a regular occurance as it's 3 miles from home in a direction I have no other reason to travel in, but I was passing on a Sunday bike ride and was curious.

I saw many basic items and greengrocery no dearer than Liddly or Aldee, and a few premium items which wouldn't be on my shopping list anyway. There were some YS bargains but not anything I wanted, but that's sometimes the case with any flavour of store. It's over decade since I last darkened their doors and my recollection was trailing my friends around, boggle-eyed with horror at how expensive it was, so maybe things have equalised?

I did like that they seem to be the only supermarket in town who has twigged that some people shop on a pushbike and have provided a few racks for them. I normally end up harnessing the steed to a shopping trolley corral as there's nowhere else to put it.:rotfl:

fuddle

Shopping on a push bike might be a middle class thing to do GQ I wouldn't know. You're correct in your observations though.

My receipt this morning:

5 bananas at 44p
Kale £1
Baguette 80p (I'm not eating gluten at the minute so buying bread instead of making it now)
Milk 89p
1kg natural yoghurt £2.25
strawberries £2

How is that any different elsewhere. Would the frugal thing be to pay bus fayre to go to Ald1 in the next town? I don't think so.

missyrichards

I shop at Ocado as I think the quality is good and I order online as we are a carless household. I don't scrimp on good food and my food budget is probably horrendous next to some of the people on here.:p

They have a low delivery charge and the delivery men are always so polite and they offer to bring the bags straight into your home for you. There is never any missing items or items substituted as well.

I don't work for them, honest.:rotfl:They just offer a good service IMO.

[Deleted User]

ivyleaf wrote: »

I remember my mother saying to me "Always buy the best you can afford

My mil used to say that and we did but often then it was second hand because that was all we could afford. We went the cheap route when we were younger ie it had to be cheap as we could not afford dear, never food as I took the family vegetarian because that was the best food for our money

Over the last 10 years or so, we/I have had to replace loads of these things, particularly items of furniture, nowadays I can afford much better quality but needs must too, always keeping that eye on future needs. We bought hypnos mattresses in december, thank goodness they were singles because no-one told us how very heavy even a single is. It took two men to carry one up one floor with a lot of effort. So tossing and turning the mattress is very difficult now and thank goodness I am down to one turn a season, it was every week to start. Brill mattress of course it is but not very practical in my older years

I shop via waitrose too, only online from time to time. Prices are very compatible and there are often very good offers. I love the quality and the kind delivery people and I know they will bring it right into my kitchen if I ask. I wish I lived near a waitrose

GreyQueen

fuddle wrote: »

Shopping on a push bike might be a middle class thing to do GQ I wouldn't know. You're correct in your observations though. .

I did feel that my Pashley Princess (cast-off from Mum, about 19 years old) did look rather appropriate outside the W8rose which is in a rather naice suburb.:rotfl:

Due to the leverage of my nearly 6 ft height and relative youth (coming up to 51 next month) I can presently power-lift the Hypn0s up onto its edge and use the slidy surface of the hardboard to turn it, alternate quarterly turnings being top-to-bottom and side-to-side.

My next mattress will be a non-turn model (they do exist) because I am expecting this mattress to see me til about 2032 and I don't anticipate being able to do this trick with the replacement.

TiredTrophy

My -you have no intention of wasting tuppence on it-opinion is
Beware the miserliness trap! When your frugal or thrifty ways mean you resent spending anything and you become sour and joyless. It happens,
Some posters have mentioned the fun they have camping, or affording a more interesting pastime by saving elsewhere....or the satisfaction of providing for loved ones from very little.....this is fantastic.....but...well, you fill in the rest.
And I know there are those who have no choice, and there is still not enough, I hope better times come for you soon.

[Deleted User]

TT, the fun and sense of joyous achievement that came from `lets call it` frugality has enabled me to have a very comfortable old age and to quietly help my children and grandchildren when I see a need. I have never been without a happy sense of positivity in my life but then I have been able to adapt quickly to changing fortunes

Being able, in the past few MSE years, to pass on tips and virtual help to people who have needed to survive on little, has been very satisfying and uplifting for me. To know that what I learnt has been passed on in some small measure

Are you calling frugality miserliness? It is anything but that, it is being able to survive without being mired in debt. Part of frugality for me was dh having two jobs and me going out in the evening to work, just to put a roof over our heads. I am sure that a lot of people on mse would love to have the chance of being miserly. Miserly would be purely their choice and theirs alone. Frugality is a forced way of living and in all honesty, can be a very satisfying way of life when small things mean a lot

ivyleaf

Thanks for the warning about the weight of the mattress kittie! I just hope they send 2 burly deliverymen :eek:

Our son still lives with us so we'll just have to keep nagging him to help with the turning.

GreyQueen

kittie wrote: »

TT, the fun and sense of joyous achievement that came from `lets call it` frugality has enabled me to have a very comfortable old age and to quietly help my children and grandchildren when I see a need. I have never been without a happy sense of positivity in my life but then I have been able to adapt quickly to changing fortunes

Being able, in the past few MSE years, to pass on tips and virtual help to people who have needed to survive on little, has been very satisfying and uplifting for me. To know that what I learnt has been passed on in some small measure

Are you calling frugality miserliness? It is anything but that, it is being able to survive without being mired in debt. Part of frugality for me was dh having two jobs and me going out in the evening to work, just to put a roof over our heads. I am sure that a lot of people on mse would love to have the chance of being miserly. Miserly would be purely their choice and theirs alone. Frugality is a forced way of living and in all honesty, can be a very satisfying way of life when small things mean a lot

:T Most definately agree with the above.

And I always give credit to you, kittie, whenever I pass the happy info that you don't need to waste time blanching veg for the freezer. So I gave my blanching basket to the charity shop.

Overall, althoughI live very frugally, I don't consider myself to be a miser, to myself or to others. I've put my hand in my wallet for a fair few causes this year, figuring that some poor souls have greater need of a tenner than I do. Time was, about 30 years ago, when all I had in the world was a tenner, and that was a bit scary, tbh.

In the next few weeks, I will be stalking a good quality waterproof jacket throught the sales, as a gift for my hard-up brother, being something he needs and would struggle to fund himself. I shall aim to get best value for money for a good quality item which will keep him dry for several years. If I was less thrifty, he'd have to have something a lot cheaper, because that would be all I could afford.

By being thrifty, I don't have to panic if something needs replacing or a bill comes in a bit higher than anticipated. That peace of mind is absolutely priceless to me.

armyknife

GreyQueen wrote: »

.....

I did like that they seem to be the only supermarket in town who has twigged that some people shop on a pushbike and have provided a few racks for them. I normally end up harnessing the steed to a shopping trolley corral as there's nowhere else to put it.:rotfl:

Yes, they're generally quite good for that, sometimes the racks are in front of the windowed side of the shop, so it's nice to be able to keep an eye on the bike if it's an expensive one.

Asda seem the worst, I've yet for find one that has any cycle racks/facilities and worse still most seem to be windowless units, so you just have to chance leaving the bike locked to any random pole you can find nearby.