My lifestyle involves spending as little money as possible and making good use of any resources that I already have. Some one asked me the other week if my little, extreme, frugal habits actually make a difference. My reply was that if I had 10 habits and they saved £1 a day between them, then that would be £365 a year. That would cover my car insurance. I have more than 10 extreme frugal habits that save me money and so I am sure that I am saving much more.
These habits have built up over years. I couldn’t do them all when I worked, but now I do them without thinking. A habit forms if an action is repeated regularly and has a reward, in this case saving money. It then becomes integrated into every day life and becomes normal behaviour. Most of these habits you probably do or know, but it is good to get a nudge sometimes.
I think a lot of these habits were formed from watching older relatives as a child, and them being part of my own habits during my childhoood. Resources were more expensive and in short supply then. I did a post to my group after I chuckled to myself when putting some kitchen paper to dry and use again. It was funny how many of us shared the same extreme frugal habits.
These habits are not an exhaustive list, but just some that I noticed myself doing during the last few days.
1. Putting boiling water from the kettle into a flask to use later. If making a drink I will just boil the amount I need. However sometimes if I have boiled the kettle for water to boil the vegetables in, any excess will go in a flask.
2. Using the excess oil from tuna, peanut butter, or a jar of sundried tomatoes, to cook with. I also save bacon grease.
3. Walking to the shop instead of driving so that I save money on fuel, but also can’t buy much as I have a couple of miles to carry it back.
4. Have as many no spend days as I can in a year. I put a cross on the calender when I am successful and challenge myself to get more crosses than last month.
5. Rarely spend any money on entertainment. There are so many free events and activities available if you search for them.
6. Never buy a take away. I make ‘fakeaways’ that are healthier and cost a fraction of the price.
7. Don’t use the television. There are plenty of films and programmes for free on the internet. By not watching live TV or BBC, I don’t need a licence or rented set top box. That saved me over £1200 a year and we haven’t missed it.
8. Keep any string, elastic bands, bag ties, or ribbon and keep reusing. My plant ties are about 8 years old now.
9. I make my own cleaners from store cupboard items, and my own washing liquid from conkers. I do use washing detergents for whites, but use half of the amount recommended. I wash my windows with newspapers..
10. I save and reuse breadbags to store things in or as freezer bags (I double bag). We also save the inside bags from cereals as items like lettuce store well in them in the fridge and they are great for rolling out pastry on.
11. I wash out and reuse freezer bags. I do the same with jam jars and sauce bottles. If there is just a bit of jam in the bottom of the jar, I will add vinegar to it and turn it into a salad dressings.
12. Use potato or apple peeling to make crisps. I also make apple cider vinegar (scrap vinegar) out of apple peelings.
13. Collect water as the tap is running warm and use it to water fruit and vegetables, or flush the loo. Use grey water (bath water etc) to water flowers.
14. I cut open toothpaste, tubes of tomato puree, and other items to get the last dregs.
15. Save screws, hooks, washers, nails etc to reuse.
16. Cut off and save the loops inside clothes that keep clothes on coat hangers. These are great to hang Christmas decorations, use on gift tags, or use as ties.
17. Rarely visit a supermarket. I cook from what I have in, or can grow or forage.
18. Cook everything from scratch, including basics like yoghurt, bread, jams, sauces, hummus, wraps, biscuits, pasta sauces, etc. Preserve food when I have a glut or when lots of wild food is available.
19. Reuse baking paper, foil, kitchen roll (dry it on the back of chairs). I save butter papers to grease tins with when baking.
20. I cut up old towels, t shirts, etc to use as dusters and cleaning cloths.
21. Recycle jars to preserve in, cartons to make plant labels, and boxes to store things in.
22. Use any cardboard for my compost, or to help light my wood burner.
23. Use wood burner ashes to feed the soil.
24. Make gift tags out of old Christmas cards.
25. Forage for wood to keep us warm and rarely put the heating on.
26. Buy 2nd hand if I can.
27. Use old envelopes or bits of cardboard from food boxes to write lists or notes on.
28. Wear aprons or old clothes in the house to reduce washing when cooking, cleaning, or gardening. I have ‘going out’ clothes.
29. Shop around for the best deal for everything.
30. Access waste food projects. Some people use Olio or TGTG.
31. Ue soap instead of shower gel and hand wash.
32. Have stand up washes at the sink (I call them bird baths).
33. Line dry clothes, sometimes wash items by hand, and use the washing machine as little as I can.
34. Repickle veg using the liquid from picled onions etc, or put it on my chips.
35. Save wrapping paper and brown paper to use again, as well as decorative ribbons.
36. Reuse plastic boxes and bottles as mini greenhouse to protect young plants.
37. Use old double glazed windows to make cold frames.
38. Collect fallen leaves in winter to make leaf mold to improve my soil.
39. Use garden waste to make compost.
40. Use toilet roll middles to improve my compost or make into plant pots.
41. Use coffee grounds to hide scratches on wood work, or add to compost.
42. If clothes are worn out and need disgarding, I cut off buttons, or cut out the zip.
43. I cook outside in a fire pit during the summer to save on energy.
44. I dehydrate in my conservatory using the sun. I used to do it on the back shelf of my car.
45. I reuse cooking oil and store it in a jar in the fridge.
46. I take plant cuttings (sometimes from local parks) and propagate rather than buy plants.
47. I have no waste food. We use every scrap, or as a last resort it goes into my compost.
48. I add lentils, oats, bread crumbs and vegetables (chopped small or grated) to bulk out mince in meals like chilli or bolognaise..
49. I swap or barter items that I don’t need for items that I don’t have. Sometimes it is foraged food that hasn’t cost me anything for another ingredient that I need.
50. I look for a free way to do anything before spending any money at all. I make do and mend.
A good read, I do some of these but have picked up a few more that I can do.
Thank you Toni. I hadn’t realised how many money saving things I actually do!
I keep my old Christmas cards and ribbons cut from clothes in a pretty box that no one opens without permission!
x
I bet there are ablot more you do without realising too x
Brilliant. Every penny counts 😊
I can’t do all of them at the moment as I work, but I will enjoy saving every penny once I retire.
You will x
Some great tips Toni, I use butter papers to grease baking tins, my mum did this, you are quite right I do many things now that my mum, and nana used to do to save money and waste.
Yes I do that, too. It is amazing how our relatives influence the way we live now. Thanks for sharing
Fabulous Tips. I do a lot but not all. Tend to pick up elastic band’s behind the Postman and always slice extra Onions in the Pink Onion Jars 2 or 3 times 😊
I collect those bands, too 😊 Thanks
Thank you Toni, I really enjoy your Blog. My mom did a lot of these tips, I actually forgot about some of them. I do quite a few of these tips, but will be implementing more. I am trying to get ready for retirement and every little bit helps.
It does. I think that the more you prepare for retirement, the easier it is as well.
Excellent post, I do lots of these things. I intend to do more when I retire x
Brilliant. Thanks x
Oh, this gave me a big smile this morning – and again, when I carried the bucket of initial (cold) water from my shower downstairs, to be used for washing floors later. I leaned that cold water is OK for washing floors from a Thai visitor years ago, he just didn’t understand why I used hot water.
I use strips cut from bicykle tubes for plant ties. The chappie at the repairs shop would happily give me boxes of the stuff, when I ask for a few, they can be reused for several years and actually make excellent soft ties.
I am very happy to have a mixer tap in my downstairs loo, as I can turn the tap on & off with my wrist. It saves me a lot of water, as I turn it off while sudsing my hands and then rinse. However years ago I realised, that what everone did was to push the tap handle straight up, thus starting warm water from the basement, filling the pipes, but not even reaching the tap before whoever had finished washing their hands. The modern mixer taps have solved this problem by giving cold water when you push it straight up; my solution was to dive in under the sink and turn off the hot water pipe leading to the tap… Who needs warm water in the loo?
I recall my mum ironing giftwrapper if crumpled. I might go with that. I do reuse the noncrumpled wrappers – and the ribbons, despite having once bought a whole shopping bag full of ribbons for a pound from the supermarked after Christmas :-)
You have just given me a nudge to again start selling my unwanted stuff. I spoke to some friends a few years ago about selling stuff. They had allready sold for 3500 pounds worth of stuff, they no longer wanted. Apart from snowdrops in the green, I haven’t sold anything at all for over a year. Must do. The snowdrops are a boon – I sold for 350 pounds last year despite starting a bit late. I replant all the tiny ones, too small to sell, and am getting more and more plants myself doing this.
Thanks for nudging.
Wow. Great idea about the snow drops. I have lots. Happy I made you smile. Yes I know someone who washes up in cold water but I prefere to use hot still. Thanks for sharing
Interesting read, thank you. I do many of these things too, my parents went through the war and never wasted anything, so it seems normal to me to do the same.
Yes I am the same, though when I was earning a good wage, I didn’t have time to do them all. Thanks for commenting
I do a lot of the things mentioned and because it is known I collect any bits of interesting ribbon, tape or string other people give me theirs. My sister saves jam jars but I have asked now that she only saves any jar a bit unusual as I have so many. They send round their egg shells too once they have a large amount of them.
I reuse vinegar but if it is considered a bit old I will find a weed to pour it on.
I use a walnut sometimes for any marks on a cabinet. We save small interesting boxes as they can be useful to put gifts in.
I save prescription bags to put seeds in from the garden, I also use one to put chocolate bars or other sweets in for my grandson for when we see him or for my son to take home to him.
A larger prescription brown paper bag has got some of our potatoes in at the moment.
I think everything before it goes out is looked at to decide if it has another use or if it can be donated or sold.
We do have the problem that we must declutter more. This does seem an ongoing thing but so much extra clutter was gained sorting out elderly relatives homes when they either died or moved I to a care home and wanted their homes cleared. All of the extra saved things that they were glad to find homes for have provided useful helpful gadgets over the years and as we declutter they have been sold at a few carboot sales so we have been grateful in the long run.
Lots of useful tips there. Thank you.
Some great ideas, thank you. My nan used to call a stand up wash a cats lick, made me smile remembering that. I make my own peanut butter from the red skin peanuts, much cheaper and no nasty additions.
I used to make my own but added seed oil which I am trying to avoid. This one is cheaper than buying the nuts and is 100% nuts. Aww glad that you got that lovely memory. Thanks for sharing
Number 35, wrapping paper. I use the outgoing road atlas when I get a new one for the car every few years. There’s a lot of paper in there! It’s nice when you can wrap in a piece of map that means something too, eg it’s of where the recipient lives, or grew up, etc..
That is a lovely idea. Thank you. Mine is usually quite dog eared but I am sure there will be some pages I can use.
So many great ideas from you and in the comments!