2022 Frugal Living Challenge

2Scratters

Today I finally got a pair of shoes out of the shoe cupboard and made use of the new purchase of shoe stretchers. I missed being more frugal and bought a product that is supposed to help the fabric/leather fibres release themselves a bit. I tend to purchase preowned footwear for the simple reason they are stretched a bit already and can get my wide foot in them. Fingers crossed it will be a success as there are other shoes/boots that need the special treatment
We had home grown rhubarb and custard for desert it was delicious. I had batch cooked homemade meatballs and DH is not keen (doesn't like them). Well that's my work meals sorted up to Christmas there are 12 meals for 2 people

2 Scratters xx

JinJinBlue

We've had rain and I'm so relieved. My water butts are OK for a while but I'm still using grey water on my garden and for flushing the loo. We've had high winds as well. Not so happy about that because stuff gets blown over. Mind you, living at the top of a hill has its compensations. I don't get flooded for a start. Anyhow, I'm treating water like liquid gold, (it might even get to be as expensive) and I'm trying not to waste a single drop. 

London_1

No water here in my part of north Kent for ages, the ground is rock hard, and the grass is brown and even the trees are dying back. I have a large cypress tree at the bottom of my garden that is being taken down tomorrow, as its dying and the ground is cracking badly and I worry about it falling. 

Southern Water hosepipe ban starts 12th August I think. I feel for the folk who have been growing extra stuff to help streetch their budgets. As previously stated it would be good if Southern Water got its act together and sorted the leaks, and not dump effluence into the sea so often round the Kent coasts.

I have a meter and have had for several years, and I'm on their 'essential tarriff' which gives me a 20% discount with Southern Water, and my water bill is £9.60 per month as I am as frugal with water as I am with everything else

I shower and wet my hair then turn the shower off and wash my hair, and myself then switch the shower back on and rinse off. My 'grey water' I collect in an old 5 ltre paint bucket and it usually goes down the loo ,or on the shrubs in the back garden.

My late husband worked on contract in the Sudan in the 1980s and instilled into us all the importance of saving water and using it wisely.

I heard on the wireless this morning that there is a good likelihood of a recession for the coming 6-9 months so squirell away as much as you can chums,whether its cash, or food stocks, its going to be a tough time ahead for awhile I think.

JackieO xx

JinJinBlue

I heard that a a recession is on its way too Jackie. Its worrying because back in the 80's, people lost their jobs and homes. It was that recession which brought us up here. I feel for people who may have those worries to cope with in the near future. I'm so blessed. I'm retired and my property is my own so nobody can take that away from me. I may have to live out of my cupboards and freezer but I'll survive..At church every Tuesday, there is a free lunch and bag of groceries.for people in need. One of the big supermarkets is on board and donates to it. It was heaving yesterday. The local community is not an affluent one and the food banks and church and community groups are seeing more people than ever before. Something tells me this won't be ending anytime soon. Good advice again Jackie, to squirrel as much away as we can. By doing that, I may be able to help others if needs be as well. Thank you for your uplifting and supportive posts. X

HelenaPinky

Thanks for your tip about the bucket with the grey water. I am wondering how I can use the kids’ bath water - maybe for one toilet flush, a couple of trips down to the garden and then fill the bucket one more for a toilet flush later that evening? Maybe I should buy two buckets? 

Can someone explain simply why the recession would mean we need to squirrel away cash and food? Would a recession make items more expensive, so better to buy a bag of pasta now at £1 rather than when it increases? 

Primrose

HelenaPinky said:

Can someone explain simply why the recession would mean we need to squirrel away cash and food? Would a recession make items more expensive, so better to buy a bag of pasta now at £1 rather than when it increases? 

Put very simply there is less money circulating in the economy and less activity. People have less money to spend so shops and employers can,t make a profit so they make people redundant when they can,t afford their wages any longer.  . That means more unemployed who cant pay their bills, rent mortgages or credit card bills so the growing band of unemployed  spend less which means shops and businesses make more losses and eventually have to close down. As people see unemployment rising they fear they may be next so cut back their spending, so businesses make even less profit.  Thus the cycle continues until everything drops through the basement floor.

if the local shop you depend on for grocery shopping has to close down (and even big branches of supermarkets get closed) you may not easily be able to buy certain goods you depend on.  Or you may have to spend more on petrol or bus fares to travel further to buy them so your housekeeping doesn't stretch so far and you buy fewer goods or cut out out spending which leads to more businesses .going bust.  Or a factory which makes certain foods may close making all their staff redundant.  So it makes sense to keep a good stock of basic items you need.  When factories  close, or grain from Ukraine runs short  that means a shortages of goods so demand for them is fiercer snd prices rise.  Wealthier people can pay higher prices, poorer people can't.  So next time you go to buy something increased energy costs will have driven the price higher so it makes sense to buy at a lower cost and store it. 

Recessions make people anxious about their futures, their jobs and unemployment  . We all want to do what we can to reduce that stress. Keeping a good stock of essentials means we need to worry less about what the future has in store.   

MazzieD

@London_1 Jackie, firstly I find all your posts really interesting.  I read quite a lot of threads on OS Board so see quite a few of them!.

Southern Water must have decided to impose another hosepipe ban in their area if you are in North Kent.  Hampshire and Isle of Wight one definitely starts on Friday 5 August, we all got a letter on Monday/Tuesday. 

I noticed that South East Water who also seem to cover Kent are starting a hosepipe ban on 12 August.  Bit baffled by the borders of different Water companies, just had a look at a map of all the Southern England Area boundaries, Southern Water seem to have bits and pieces all over the place!.

joedenise

It's definitely not Southern Water - I've checked their website and as you say @MazzieD it's Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
 
It's South Eastern Water is imposing a hosepipe ban from 12th August.

JinJinBlue

Thanks for explaining that Primrose. I couldn't have done it so clearly.

When the recession hit in the 80's, we were house hunting. We viewed one house that had been repossessed. Everything that could be taken out had been. Lights,  radiators, kitchen cabinets etc. My late husband said that it would be wrong to buy a cheap(er) house off the back of someone else's misery and misfortune. So we didn't and ended up in North Wales when the recession really kicked in. I found the move very hard but now, nearly 40 years later, I love it. Looking back, the only thing that we didnt have to cope with was a pandemic. Aids appeared around about then but that was a different thing. It was dreadful and many people worldwide suffered but I don't think that it was declared a pandemic. (Was it?).

We can't prepare for everything but in our own small way, we can do what we can to ease the situation and reduce worry and stress. As I said before, we would maybe be in a position to help family and friends and perhaps donate to the community groups that are working their socks off to help if we prepare now.

Good luck with your preps everyone. Please keep posting the tips and advice. It is all so much appreciated. 

Primrose

Waster saving hint if on a meter.
.  Leave your cloakroom or bathroom basin full of water for hand washing after visits to the loo.  Reuse the same water throughout the day with soap and empty the basin at  the end of the day.  How   many times do you visit the loo and hand wash if at home all day? 

Add a dash of disinfectant if you,re squeamish  about potential germs in water. Obviously  don't do this if you have an open cut or abrasion on your hands but it could come to this iif we get to a "standpipes in the street" drought situation.  

Always a good idea to have a couple of bottle of emergency drinking water in store.  Water companies will be increasing their efforts  to repair water leaks more quickly now supplies are running low  which could result in periods where water supplies are temporarily cut off.