Are you ever embarassed by your money-saving ways?

I'm not at all embarrassed by my money saving ways. Maybe i embarrass others though?

It might sound sad to some but the first thing i do when i go on holiday (i don't go abroad, chance would be a fine thing) is to check out the charity shops in the area...even if we go out for the day i feel downhearted if i don't find a charity shop! I don't buy bric a brac but i love books and films particularly and often come across amazing bargains in charity shops that i wouldn't otherwise be able to afford. I also give loads to charity myself, and for everything i bring into the house i try to give one item away to charity, to church, to a friend or family member.

I am trying to implement the mantra 'reduce, reuse, recycle', so periodically i go through each room and gut it completely, i can be quite harsh with myself and the last donation to charity saw the British Heart Foundation van man filling his van up with about 12 bin liners full of unwanted gifts, clothes, CD's, DVD's and even a guitar. This way t i contribute to a good cause and keep these shops in business so i can continue to peruse the bargains in them.

Regarding being OS, i make my own jam, chutney, cakes, bread, scones, pizza, Christmas &birthday cards, i make Christmas hampers for gifts with bargains i buy throughout the year, i make soups and casseroles in bulk and freeze them etc. My close family think its brilliant because they get to enjoy home cooked and home made things that are carefully and lovingly made etc. On the other hand, i have other family members and friends who would be bemused by my money saving efforts (I don't see many of them often, it isn't like i hide anything from them). I have the last laugh though when their gifts to me and mine end up in my present-recycling box :rotfl:

The most recent of my money saving ventures is to make my own fat balls for the birds, they love my creations and last week i made 28 fat balls for less than £1.60! The birds have been really snarky with each other trying to get a look in with the fat balls i put on the bird feeder

Oh i forgot, cheese....yes i would have taken the cheese....though i might have said aloud that it was for my pet! (because i am one of those apologetic-feel-the-need-to-explain-myself-and-my-actions-type-of-people)

Steel wrote: »

From what I can gather from a few garden fence chats, their bills are high, they spend all of their income on luxuries and take out loans and credit cards for new furniture and holidays etc.

The hubby is scared and his job is in peril at the moment but the wife refuses to make cut backs...

When i was growing up, my parents were very sensible with money, and eventually, through consistently restraining themselves from spending, they were able to buy their house (after renting it for about 20 years). Our next door neighbours couldn't understand why our family had a black and white portable telly and why we only ever went on camping holidays (though we did go to Pontin's one summer - it was actually my least enjoyed family holiday).

The sad thing was that our neighbours bought (everything on credit) new cars, big tellly's, had holidays abroad etc and they *bought* their house only to re mortgage. Eventually, they were threatened with eviction....so...the husband went to work that week, bought home his pay, and instead of paying the mortgage or at least be seen to making some kind of effort....he and his wife went out to buy a pedigree Alsation dog.

They used to laugh at my parents (yet for years they knocked on for food to fee their kids every other day and my mother would never see their kids unfed) but now they are both in their late 60's and the last time i saw them they had practically nothing, they moved to Wales shortly after their eviction, I don't know what became of them. Very sad, but they did bring it on themselves.

So the moral of this story is to not give a care to what anyone else thinks about your money saving savvyness, you are being responsible, so many people live outside their means, i have too in my time, but thankfully now i have seen the error of my ways.

Cute_Mouse wrote: »

I am new to the forum, and this is my first post.
I am embarrassed but I am not sure why, after all the money saving tips I have gained so far will benefit me, and I am not really bothered what shops I shop in. May be it is other peoples reactions that are the problem.
For example, I was so excited about some offers that I told me my friends, but they were not really interested, despite telling me they have no money. I just don’t understand. If you have no money surely money saving ways are useful.
I was embarrassed when I was hovering around waiting for meat to be reduced in the supermarket. But I did get my reward, cheap meat!

Hi cutemouse, love the name! Welcome to the forum

I think the people who don't understand haven't realised the link between their spending and them being skint. As in they dont realise how many cust they can make and what a significant difference it can have in their disposable income! Basically, they haven't had their Lightbulb moment

LOL, I did feel "slightly" embarrassed in September when b/f and I took our leftover pizza from pizza hut trip the evening before (half price voucher from this site was used!) to the airport with us when we went on holiday. Went into pret a manger at the airport, bought 2 hot drinks, sat in a corner and sneakily brought out the leftover pizza! the snooty lady on the table opposite was not impressed I could see. Managed to get away with it though!
Recently plucked up the courage to ask my neighbour if we could have her empty jam jars (she uses the posh ones, with the checked effect lids) apparently she gets through one jar a week so I have asked for the jars in exchange for home made jam (made from copious amounts of blackberries picked earlier this year)... so next summer should have a stash of lovely jars in which to put my home made jams and chutneys which my Mum sells for me at the local chuch companions club!
Another recent foray which could have been embarrassing, on our dog walks we pass a boarded up house with a huge garden and beautiful apple tree, we managed to bypass the locked gate and shook the tree to get the best apples from it!

I do a circle of supermarkets after dropping D/D at school and only buy whats on offer or whoopsies .My friends all think its not the done thing! do I care no and would you believe they have less than me because I am money saving with everything.We eat good nutricious food,have cheap house and car insurance all taken from mse and a cruise if we are lucky from being sensible with money, and not a supermarket snob I love netto lidl aldi.and not afraid to pick up a bargain.