The Time To Be Frugal Is Now! #frugal #prepping #crisis #extremefrugality #costoflivingcrisis #diy
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Maybe now is the right time to become frugal. We can learn from our past and pass lessons on to the next generation. Frugal …
American here….these are aligned with my family's beliefs, frugality all the time. Thank you for your insight from across the ocean!
I was born in the mid 50’s and don’t remember a time of pulling back but was definitely was by parents of post WWII so they were frugal. As I got older I realized that money was probably very tight but wasn’t spoken about. One December my Dad had come home with a bouncy horse on springs he had found by the side of the road. He spent weeks sanding and painting and replacing springs and when it showed up Christmas morning for my baby brother it was just beautiful. It wasn’t until years later I realized they didn’t have money to buy all the the things we wanted but we always had what we needed. I never knew we were poorer than others but times are different. I find myself now pulling on the memories of my parents frugally that I never truly understood before.
My Mum could make a silk purse out of a pigs lughole! She was so talented I haven't inherited her amazing talent but I sewed clothes for my children and enjoyed doing it, my forte was knitting and crochet but I still sewed my eldest daughter can sew and has learned to crochet (her mother in law taught her.) My eldest step daughter brings buttons and repair jobs to me to do!
So we have a mix of can and can't do it's. Lol
I can still remember my Mom ironing on patches to cover the holes in the knees of our pants. My Dad worked 2 jobs, we never went out to eat, my Mom cooked dinner every night.
I remember my mom mending socks. Not fancy socks just nomal socks from the store. We don't bother with that anymore.
Thank you for your honest and very informative video. So true on all points. There was an item on the news (Netherlands) this morning that there is a noticeable growth in having clothes mended (or reshaped) and sale of related crafts. It is happening as you predicted. Debt used to be a bad word, feared. If you needed money (as in to feed the family) you physically had to go to the pawn shop or a private moneylender. Debt now is invisible to the outside world. I think that creates a larger problem.Makes it easier in my opinion because there is no ''shame' involved. I am not saying to feel ashamed to feed your family like my great grandmother had to do many times, I just find it hard to get my head around people maxing out their credit cards on fun frivolities. Its Black Friday here (the whole week). Loved your video a while back on retailers (and their folders/adverts) just out for your money.. Thin k of it every time I see a BF commercial! No BF purchases here. M.
Thankyou for all your frugal videos Jane, I was born in 1943 so frugality comes as standard with us. Sadly the family just roll their eyes at us. Keep the videos coming as there is always something new we can learn.
Ma'am, you have described my great grandparent's, my grandparent's, and my parents too a tee. Thankfully it rubbed off and describes my family and our household
Thank you for the trip down memory lane. Best regards and GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS.
You forgot to turn the lights off when you leave a room. I lived through all that
Born in the late 1970 I can follow every word, the time for frugality is now! I have seen it, Grew up with it and I am very glad I did, because frugality is a habit/ behavior so it doesn't feel so difficult to me. Iearnt so many different skills because of it, from cooking, DIY and DIY repairs, mending cloth, gardening, plan ahead, to budget ( but I haven't always done that in my twenties) and be happy with what you have or in general. One advise:Look up how to do something on YouTube but make sure to check at least 4 different channels! talk it over with people, ask questions and start small! Do you have repair café close to you ? They have the knowledge or might know someone who can teach you… .
Thanks
I had to laugh at your comment about the tomato sauce. I grew up with homemade tomato sauce and the last part of the bottle was always runny cause it got watered down to get the last bit out of the jar. I still make my own sauce with the same recipe and water down the last bit!
My mom used to yell if we kept the side door open too long, “Shut the door, I’m not heating the whole neighborhood!”
Absolutely it is a taught skill through generations. And needs to get taught forward.
My kids are also taught to keep the earth clean. We will go to stores and they will pick up any garbage or recycle on our way through the packing lot. They get pretty upset about the laziness of people leaving garbage too.
Thank you for the video. Growing up there was 6 kids and only my dad worked until us kids were older. Somehow my parents made it work. We didn’t have extras and certainly didn’t waste. I find myself doing things differently to help cut down on costs. My guys used to get clean clothes in every day and clean pjs at night. Now I check them after taking them off and they will wear them another day if they can. Sweater and socks and shoes are on. My one guy won’t keep them on. Tonight I put a throw blanket on him while watching his movie upstairs. Not sure if he is keeping it on. Our upstairs is so cold in the winter.
Ah, such memories of my mum "doing the book" on Friday evening – you got your pocket money then as well!
Sides-to-middling! Mind you, you need a decent quality of sheets to start with. It's years since I did it, but I have done it.
I was brought up by my grandmother who for many years we lived from her pension so learnt loads of frugal tips and habits. I am grateful everyday for the lessons learned even though at the time it was hard feeling like the poor kid.
Dear, a little frugal problem: my first quilt (30y or more) has lots of wear and tear. How do you mend an old quilt? Do you have an solution for that? Many thanks from the frugal Netherlands (I think we invented it, back in the 1800)
My grandma taught me well, how to look after every penny. She wouldn’t waste anything and my grandad would mend anything and everything to avoid having to buy new. They weren’t tight scrooges they were just wise, very wise. I really needed some curtains for my kitchen so I sorted through my scraps of leftover fabrics and made some postage stamp curtains. I’m so thrilled with them and they cost me nothing but the thread and lining that I already had.
Thank you for your timely reminder to be frugal. Explaining how and why you are frugal so helpful.
I love your house so cosy.
Loved this, Jane. I live this way, but times are so hard right now. Life is so hard right now. Just got to keep hoping that at some point, life gets better.
Being careful I mean…
Hopefully this will Happen!!!
Definitely I have had a mind shift since watching your channel. I’ve never wasted money just because .. as I’ve never been that well off really but, as a working mum, I’ve definitely drifted towards the paying for convenience end of the scale. I’ve also had frugal skills learned from my parents as I was born in the 60s and it’s now I’m drawing on those again and I’m finding it really a positive thing that I never expected. I love reading tips and tricks and saving money where I can. I feel I’m getting one up on the world and take great joy in producing a decent yet frugal meal. It’s led to me wanting to minimalise and I’ve started to sell things I simply don’t need and probably never did. It’s much less stressful to live more simply and value what we have. Sorry for long comment but your mind shift comment really made me think. I really do like where I am more and I’m enjoying this learning curve immensely 😊
I was born 1965 in Australia.
My parents were born in the UK in the 20’s. My parents were very frugal, never borrowed money ever, started with nothing but I never noticed any hardship growing up. Rode my bike, went on bushwalks. Happy childhood.
I remember mum buying me an eiderdown quilt for winter when I was little and I know know it must have cost alot as mum looked after that quilt religiously.
One tip that helped me was always fill the gas tank every payday even if you only need 5 or 6 gallons! You won’t believe the peace of mind that gives you always knowing you have had to get to work, the pharmacy and the grocers. Plus you don’t have a huge hit when the tank is low!
Another great blog guys. I think your right, being frugal is a mind set. I always look for the most economical way of doing everything. All my friends have just been given my Christmas gift of Home made door wreaths. Besides the time they took, the actual layout was a fiver each. The shop/florist price £35/45 for the same thing. Does it appear frugal or mean to my friends. No they loved them.
Im just sat here with my receipt from our shopping, working out the weeks/2 weeks meals plan, so I can prep, slow cook, freeze some meals, dehydrate onions and celery etc for stocks, etc. A bit back to face, but shelves are being stripped of certain products here in Norfolk, so we look at prices for meat, veggies etc, and buy best prices and plan afterwards! By prepping though I can ensure no waste and lots of meals. I too am a 60’s babe, grew up to eat up leftovers, reuse, recycle etc. Just oven cooking some sausages and then putting a slow cooker sausage and bean casserole for tonight’s dinner. Carrot peelings are dried and powdered for adding to stews, potato peelings are dried and added to the woodburner so soot is broken down, old sheets are used as backings for drawstring bags, other sewing projects. Men’s shirts I use to make tubes for shopping bags or tights, the cuffs make neat little cable bags, bottom of the shirt is elasticated round waist to be popped under a jumper to cover your bum when in leggings, jars kept for dried and powdered foodstuffs. Cat food left over is popped out for hedgehogs or birds.
I’m a 60’S girl aswell. I’m 1 of 6 children. My dad would say switch the light of not lighting the street.😂 we grew up dad would take foraging and l still do it now. Mum use to unplull jumper and make another one. We were 6 kids and our neighbour had 10 children. And my mum was really good friends and they use past things over the fence to help each other out. And we were brought up to save money aswell. Love the beautiful robin in your vlog.
I was born in the 1950s when fixing things was just part of life. Today, fixing things is still the way to go but only if they can be fixed. Many items can't be taken apart and cars these days need far more than a spanner and a screwdriver. Getting the spare part of whatever item you're mending can also be a lottery. So many parts are no longer available and in some cases the spare part is more expensive than buying a completely new piece of equipment. Last year our 14 year old Meile dishwasher required a new water pump and it was cheaper to buy a new LG dishwasher than simply replace the water pump. I am a 'Frugal' and do everything you're talking about today and the world requires more of us. Thanks Jane and Mike.
Great video Jane. Now is definitely the time to be frugal. I think it’s something that should be taught in school, along with cookery, sewing, and woodwork! Showing my age now, not sure they still have those lessons😅 Of my two grownup sons, one is excellent with money, other one not so much. Babysat on Saturday, and went round turning off every upstairs light when they left. Old habits die hard! Thanks to you both for sharing your tips. Take care.
Great video! I’m a 60’s child too and I remember my mum “cooking the books” as she called it. Every pay day she would sit down and work out where every last penny was going to go. Things were so tight that she used to “ borrow from Peter to pay Paul” at times but always paid the mortgage. She would say keep the roof over your head and the rest can wait for a while. I also remember my brother and I eating our evening meal but mum not eating at all. She would tell us that she’d already eaten but looking back I now know why she got so thin. 😢The only food waste in our home was the vegetable peelings and we didn’t really waste them. We had a kind of scrubland behind our house where the local farmer kept pigs so we used to feed it to them. The farmer saw us doing it once and returned the favour by giving us swedes that he would grow to feed the sheep through the winter. I’ll tell you now that’s been many a life saver for us and I love swede still. In later years my aunt started a savings club for Christmas and holidays. We would meet up every Sunday and pay our money in and have a lovely catch up at the same time. It was fantastic having that money back on the last Sunday of November and know that Christmas was already paid for and I still do that now. I’ve saved since the 1st fri of dec last year and it’s more than covered all my Christmas including the food! There will even be a little left over to start me on next years savings. It’s given me a lovely warm, Christmasy glow!
Thank you for all you and Mike do to share so much of yourselves with us. I for 1 really appreciate you. Hugs from Wales. 😘😘
I too am a child of the 60's. There is one thing, that has stuck with me for 40 odd years. My first house, we built and repayments were 320 per month, by the time the house was built we were up for $640 per month !! About that time we knuckled down. Other houses came and went, the husband came and went, but that carried through with me, If I had $5 left in my bank on pay day eve, it went onto the mortgage. I made a game of it, if I saved $20 on shopping in a month, off the mortgage it came, If I took the bus and saved $x ….
No going out every weekend. Now, the mortgage is paid, the bills are paid, there is a little in the mojo account and I have a degree of financial security, as long as the world doesnt go to hell in a hand basket. I still say, do I need this? Will you want it next week. Can you wait until payday for it, rather than drawing down my savings. But its 40 something years of being a frugal tight arse that got me here
🙂
I do enjoy the creativity of being frugal. I find my cooking is a lot more interesting when I have to really think about using the ingredients I have. I learned how to preserve during lock down turned the back garden all into raised beds for vegetable and fruit growing got a dehydrator and a pressure canner but I tend to water bath everything as per le parfait. This morning I got 5 trays of dehydrated citrus slices out (to be used to decorate the wreath and Christmas presents and for slices to go on fire lighters that I make. I saved the vegetable cooking water yesterday left in the slow cooker over night to intensify the flavours and it’s now in glass jars in the water bath for 60 mins. Yesterday I made washing up liquid for the first time and it is amazing and an entire bottle is about 3p I’ve made laundry liquid and fabric softener that works incredible well. I used to spend about £6 a week on washing liquid and fabric softener but for about £10 I made a years worth. I started it out of interest but the thing with being frugal is start it when times are plentiful get in the habit so that when times are tighter it’s not such a shock and you can still live well. I’m a full time student and my son started university in September. £3k a term for student halls was quite a hit but having such a good pantry and store cupboards meant we didn’t have to do food shopping each week in-fact since September I think I have only done 2 very small food shops. We haven’t felt as if we have gone without. Being frugal gives you choices. But not only that because we prepared so well there we can also carry on helping others who are in need we don’t have to stop because our budget is tighter as we have an abundance to share.
oh what a marvellous video,I remember shaking the sauce bottle ,switching off the lights keeping the door closed.When I first married and we were married 50 years this year my Mother started me in a christmas club and also a shoe club.We were careful but happy no debts no spending willy nilly but we loved our lives and each other .
Every thing was rinsed & reused over & over new purchases many times were made based in ciukd it be reused.
Grew up with bittkes uo ended until rhe last drop was gone, adding a few buts if water ti stretchnout the kast but in shampoo ect. Ketchup ect. Rubber fkexibke soatula is my vest friend in the kitchen!😊
Growing up close the door!, were you raised in a barn!??