A New to Me Blog

sistercas

GreyQueen wrote: »

arris-out-yer-trousers underclassy

!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Softstuff

I'm curious to know which mens pants you wear Ilona? I've noticed the last knickers I bought less than 6 months ago are wearing transparent, whereas remaining older ones of the same brand are still ok, so somethings changed.

As for eating out of the same dish, very common in Turkey and I don't mind it a bit. I couldn't eat out of a pan though, too clumsy and I'd burn myself.

luxor4t

Just dropping in to say that I cheered when I spotted Ilona stepping out with Jo Brand :T

Ilona

Softstuff wrote: »

I'm curious to know which mens pants you wear Ilona? I've noticed the last knickers I bought less than 6 months ago are wearing transparent, whereas remaining older ones of the same brand are still ok, so somethings changed.

Hi. These are the type I wear, found on the Tesco web site. Struggling to find them in older boys sizes though, it seems they like boxers or trunks now.
http://www.clothingattesco.com/socks+underwear/f+f-7-pack-of-briefs/invt/aa539006&bklist=icat,5,shop,catgkids,older-boys-5-14-years,o-boys-socks-underwear

The men's version are called slips, there are packs of five for £5.

Best to look around at other supermarkets, they all sell similar. I have some that must be ten years old, and they get washed frequently.
Ilona

Softstuff

Ilona wrote: »

Hi. These are the type I wear, found on the Tesco web site. Struggling to find them in older boys sizes though, it seems they like boxers or trunks now.
http://www.clothingattesco.com/socks+underwear/f+f-7-pack-of-briefs/invt/aa539006&bklist=icat,5,shop,catgkids,older-boys-5-14-years,o-boys-socks-underwear

The men's version are called slips, there are packs of five for £5.

Best to look around at other supermarkets, they all sell similar. I have some that must be ten years old, and they get washed frequently.
Ilona

Thanks Ilona. Looks like the elastic is encased too, which would be great for me.

Mr_Singleton

Ilona wrote: »

My money saving tips are based on my simple way of looking at things.

Dear Ilona,
just read your moneysaving tips and have to say it mostly made me sad..... where does 'quality of life' come into your thinking?

Last night I did a 10k run and on getting back home I spent a good 10 minutes in the shower enjoying the steaming hot water. Later before bed I made a cup of camomile tea using a quality TeaPigs teabag. When I went to bed the freshly laundered linen sheets and duvet cover were wonderful meaning I slept fitfully and woke up fresh and ready for the day.

I could have zipped in and out of a warm shower, I could have skipped the TeaPigs tea and gone to bed in week old bedding but how would that have improved my life? The savings would have been minimal yet it would have made me feel miserable.

My grandmother left a near £1 million estate (property & investments) and I recognise so many of your tips from her i.e watering things down, not having the heating on etc and in the end she lived a miserable life. The money she saved depriving herself ended up being inherited and spent on holidays, cars, big TV's etc.

As I said reading your tips mostly made me sad.

PasturesNew

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

I spent a good 10 minutes in the shower enjoying the steaming hot water. Later before bed I made a cup of camomile tea using a quality TeaPigs teabag. When I went to bed the freshly laundered linen sheets and duvet cover were wonderful

I could have zipped in and out of a warm shower, I could have skipped the TeaPigs tea and gone to bed in week old bedding but how would that have improved my life? The savings would have been minimal yet it would have made me feel miserable.

For some, the "small" savings might add up to having something they'd not otherwise have had.

e.g. the extra cost of a shower at, say, 40p/day; some posh teabags at, say, 10p/day, posh sheets at, say, 10p/day .... is "just" 60p/day. But that's £220/year. For some, that £220/year might be the ONLY slack they have available for, say, a week away in a caravan in wet Wales, or to ensure they can afford to keep the boiler running/fixed so they have heating for the coming year.

It's easy to see that people are "skimping" if you've an abundance of money, so you never have to think about most things.... but others are simply skimping on things that have low value to them, so they have the spare cash to spend on things they find more meaningful.

You never know when a sudden expense might crop up ... car breakdown, heating breakdown, kettle blows up, TV's on the blink .... so you skimp on unimportant things, saving it "in case".

Pollycat

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

Dear Ilona,
just read your moneysaving tips and have to say it mostly made me sad..... where does 'quality of life' come into your thinking?

Last night I did a 10k run and on getting back home I spent a good 10 minutes in the shower enjoying the steaming hot water. Later before bed I made a cup of camomile tea using a quality TeaPigs teabag. When I went to bed the freshly laundered linen sheets and duvet cover were wonderful meaning I slept fitfully and woke up fresh and ready for the day.

I could have zipped in and out of a warm shower, I could have skipped the TeaPigs tea and gone to bed in week old bedding but how would that have improved my life? The savings would have been minimal yet it would have made me feel miserable.

My grandmother left a near £1 million estate (property & investments) and I recognise so many of your tips from her i.e watering things down, not having the heating on etc and in the end she lived a miserable life. The money she saved depriving herself ended up being inherited and spent on holidays, cars, big TV's etc.

As I said reading your tips mostly made me sad.

I think Ilona explains herself very well in this post:

Ilona wrote: »

Good morning. Doing the rounds of my favourite sites, listening to Sounds of the Sixties, before I get busy in the garden. I am a big MSE fan, often directing people here, and hopefully my little contribution to the forum might give money savers some ideas.

My money saving tips are based on my simple way of looking at things. Switching on appliances and utilities costs money. Mucking up pots and pans costs money to clean them. Being over zealous with the cleaning and toiletry products costs money. Jumping in the car for a short journey costs money. Buying boys pants which last years, is cheaper than buying ladies knicks which fall apart. Wearing freshly laundered clothes every day costs money. Not looking after your teeth costs money. Eating junk food costs money, not only in monetary terms but is detrimental to your health. Poor health costs money. Being a slave to housework costs money. Booze and fags costs mega amounts of money. All common sense really.

You will find a few jokey money saving tips on my blog, I don't want a simple frugal life to be perceived as all doom and gloom, let's make it fun. Living within your means can be very liberating. Ignoring all the trappings of a consumer based lifestyle frees up lots of time for enjoyment. I feel no pressure to conform to what is seen as the norm. I feel no pressure to keep up with the Jones's or anybody else.

I save money on my day to day living expenses, so I have enough for treats, a nice car, holidays, my pets etc. My ways will not always suit people with families, but I hope it gives food for thought. I don't know everything so it's up to the individual to do as they think best. Sometimes this might mean a change of mindset, to do things differently, look for new ways of budgeting.

I've posted earlier that there are some things that I wouldn't personally do but it is personal choice.

It doesn't sound to me that Ilona doesn't have 'quality of life' - it sounds like she has fun in her choice of how she lives.
She economises in ways that suit her and spends those savings in ways that please her.

Wednesday2000

Ilona wrote: »

No worries, Pollycat. What did you say :think: oh never mind, already forgotten. After all the sarky comments written about me on newspaper articles and Facebook pages, I don't give a stuff.
Ilona

I have responded to some of the annoying comments online and defended you. I think you were portrayed in a sensational way and some people got the wrong end of the stick, most of what you do seems like common sense to me.

I follow your blog and love the pics of your lovely animals, especially Rocky.:A

[Deleted User]

Pollycat wrote: »

I think Ilona explains herself very well in this post:
It doesn't sound to me that Ilona doesn't have 'quality of life' - it sounds like she has fun in her choice of how she lives.
She economises in ways that suit her and spends those savings in ways that please her.

Indeed Mr Singleton's thoughts is that his Grandma led a miserable life ,but that is only his opinion .perhaps she, like many of us on here, enjoyed making small savings here and there.

I have been frugal for most of my life and enjoy using what money I have on doing things I enjoy.

I holiday with my family for two weeks in August, and we have a great time and the things we do probably wouldn't sound exciting or fun to many people, but my DGS and DD, son-in-law and myself enjoy a peaceful family holiday doing things like 'crabbing' on the beach, kite-flying,french cricket ,fishing and picnics, and in the evenings we play cards or scrabble and have old fashioned family entertainment .

We have a 'blow-out ' meal on the last night when all the food in our self-catering holiday home is used up.

This is achieved by careful budgeting thoughout the year by both myself and my DD. The boys do their bit and save some of their pocket money and birthday cash towards their holiday spending money.

My DD has four sons who all luckily enjoy our family holidays They don't whinge and whine about things they know their Mum and Dad can't afford thank goodness.

They know the value of money and are pretty good at spotting bargains as well, doesn't make them underprivileged in fact I think they will grow up to appreciate the cost of things and alreadyat 20,16,14 and 11 know that family and caring for each other is more important than having laundered linen sheets, teabags and big tvs.

Ilona's lifestyle may not suit everyone, but she seems to be a perfectly rounded individual who is very happy and contented with her life, and how many folk can say that I wonder.

I applaud her for doing what she wants to do and I think she is a far nicer person than that rather silly pampered women Vanessa, whose catty and unecessary comments do nothing but enhance my opinion of the 'chattering classes' as being rather daft and superflous to requirements .

so as Grey Queen says

Ilona rocks :):) so Rock on Honey we are behind you