Old Fashioned Frugal Living Tips
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- I run through some frugal hacks that people may have forgotten from the past
Frugal Queen in France
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We are a British couple living in Brittany on a budget.
Frugal recipes, days out, home renovations and day to day making do in France.
We’ll give you hints, tips, advice and an insight into our life in France.
Website www.frugalqueeninfrance.com/
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In my time in school they gave home economics classes (sewing & cooking classes) we need those back.
In New Zealand children still spend a term or two learning to cook and see and do woodwork when they are 11 & 12. My son made macaroni cheese and apple crumble and sewed a reusable bag.
Loved home economics at school. I can sew, cook, decorate, garden, mostly down to my mum to be honest but I love being busy and get great satisfaction from seeing things I have created and nurtured
When my now 25 yesr old was in junior high, I forced him to tske hone ec, now as an adult liveibgnon his own he can cook & can mend as beeded, while in college he taught himself to make sourdough bread fir AG dept gstherings he kept being asked to go buy a few,like3 loaves of san Luis sourdough at outlet oriced $5,xx per loaf! Henknew he could make the same amount cheaoer & it woukd be better, he grew up with ne,Mom bakeibgbhinemade bread!
I couldn’t wait for home economics in my freshman year but, didn’t get in😩to many people signed up had to take a different class😞I’m 63 years old now I guess I learned on my own 😊
Yes & money class & budgeting
I am a senior , my hobbies saving money and not spending money . Good afternoon all watching .
Well done Jeff
I'm a 24 year old heading off to complete studies in archaeology and history, and by proxy of my interest in these subjects, I have a firm belief in the idea that we can advance as humans by looking to the past. Not all of history was good, of course, but in the day-to-day survival of the common people (as we all would have been!), we can learn a lot. There's a reason things lasted longer, and I feel that in our modern world of hyper-consumerism and 'I want it now, but I also don't want to put effort into this', we've lost the art of helping things last just that little bit longer. I don't enjoy much that's 'brand new' , because I *love* the history that second-hand items often have. Nothing warms me more than picking up a secondhand - or fifth, as it might be! - book, looking at the inside cover, and reading a personal dedication to someone from perhaps 1898. It's like getting little windows into the lives of people like us.
I live in Saudi Arabia, life used to be luxury till the inflation hit. I started watching frugal living videos, it taught me a concept in life that I never learnt, life is not about materials and there are alot to enjoy in a simple life, I wish if I learnt this early, thank you so much for your videos💕❤️
Thanks for sharing
I used to say I'm "just" a housewife too now I take out the "just" and say I spend my life being happy and debt free with my husband and dog and taking care of my family the old school simple way 😊❤️
I hate the word "just" it's used either to minimize the impact of a negative behavior or diminish the impact of a positive one. It need to Just go back to being part of the word justice.
'We used to call that a duster' lol. You crack me up!
My 10 year old son said to me the other day “Why do you never pay for anything?” as we were driving around looking for a parking space that didn’t involve me paying for it. He thinks I’m mean!! I know I’m frugal. Today we had “the best day of the holidays so far” (same child) at our local beach. My reply was “you know why it’s so good? IT’S FREE!!!” We took a picnic, we paddled and we played football and it was fabulous.
Golden moments
Cherish those moments children are not children for long
Peel your own potatoes! Lol!🤣 I couldn't believe when a coworker saw me eating left over mashed potatoes mid week and said she would never have time to make them from SCRATCH on a weekday. I was shocked. When you've peeled enough potatoes it is a lightning fast process. They cook without needing to be constantly stirred and tended to and mashing takes about 1 minute at the end. I've never once used boxed mashed potatoes and I can't imagine all the extra energy that goes into creating that product and it's packaging for such a tiny bit of convenience. Frugal is usually better for the environment while we're at it.
Hello from the U.S. I love your videos! My husband & I are also early retirees, debt & mortgage free living on a budget.
We have a large garden, fruit trees & berry bushes that I make into jams, relish, pickles & chutney. I shop at thrift stores, make do with what we have, & barter when possible. Thank you for more frugal tips!
Thanks, plenty more to come
I always cut open tubes- toothpaste, hand cream etc then scrape out what I need and then pop the top back over the bottom until every bit is used up. Washing powder boxes are ripped apart to get at least another wash from the box. So just take apart all packaging to get to the bits that are always lurking in the bottom.
Keep it up
Always do this as there's always loads left in the container
Wow! excellent.
I just posted about toothpaste, Twinning!
Me too!
My niece teaches at a low income, inner city school. This year I have been going to yard sales and collecting coats for her school. I take them home, make sure they are laundered and make any repairs necessary (like sewing pockets, fixing any obvious tears etc.). People get rid of coats so cheaply. The most I spent was $2 for an almost brand new Calvin Klein coat. Most cost me around 50 cents to a dollar.
BLESS YOU!
Thank you, Sally. Thank you. 😊 💛 A bit of thread, your golden heart and a bit of money and time and some children who can walk in inner soul warmth and outer body warmth.
I got a winter coat from a thrift shop for £10. I looked it up on Google and its retail price was £700!
That is wonderful.
I wear an outfit for working at home for several days. Change if going out on errands & rewear several times before washing.
I cut my husband's hair and he hasn't been to a barber since we got married in 1970! I also never go get my nails done, but do my own.
I am not dressed for the day without an apron, and have a family of them hanging in the pantry. Being older than you I grew up practicing these frugal ways and never left them behind. We live, with great respect, in a 200 year old house and have not forced her into the 21st century..keeping modern conveniences to a bare minimum...washing machine and modest size fridge freezer. A humble life and so rich in satisfaction. Thank you Jane for sharing your wisdom..much needed! Best wishes, Susan
Thanks Susan
Your comment is very inspiring, thank you. Lots of love. ⚘
@@debbiekoortzen1154 thank you, Debbie for your kind words. Susan
I learned to cook and bake at home when very young and as I was so small my mum helped me to make my first apron using her hand operated singer sewing machine. We then made one from an old thick vinyl/oilcloth tablecloth so I could protect my precious clothing when doing laundry and cleaning. Working without an apron feels like getting into the car and trying to drive without my seat belt fastened! Mum saved our butter wrappers to grease the griddle on which we baked bread and pancakes and potato bread every day. Daddy had a workbench and tools in a shed attached to the garage where he mended household items and our shoes schoolbags and all kinds of things. We had a well from which we carried water for all our needs. I'm very grateful for the many and varied skills we were encouraged to learn as children and I think our parents would be very proud of us all!
@@peterleprevost2154 You are welcome, I can just imagine how beautiful your home must be. 🌻
Two ekstra tips. In Scandinavia we have very few daylight hours during the winter. We use a lot og candles and light during the day for month at the time. I keep all my candles bits and melt them to new one. I use a lots of Christmas led light to have lights on without it costing a fortune.
Tips number two: be prepared. We have a drawer with little presents bought on clearance or sale like nice candles, homemade tea towels, a nice package of tea or coffee, chapstick, fancy hair accessories, coloring books and coloring crayons, a good chokolade boks ,cocoa container, with birthday and Christmas cards and nice paper to make cards. We use this drawer to kid’s birthday at school, teacher appreciation day, last minutes diner invitations, pick me up to a friend and so on. We don’t have to dash to the store at the last minute which is very practical when it is minus 15 outside and you get a brain freeze on the bike😬.
Thanks you for all your old fashion tips 😎
Now instead of doing bedding in a hot water wash I simply boil water on the stove throw in washing machine
@@marciaburkoski4813 we can't do that, most of the european washing mashine are front loader. But I do boil water for my tea and dinner on my woodstove in the winter.
I agree with the gift drawer. I buy cards at the thrift shops. I especially love the vintage cards.
I've spent all of the late winter doing the same with candles. Learning how to set the new wicks was challenging but reusing the metal wick holder is a bit beyond me yet, but I have filled 2 x 12 oz candles with new wicks and reused wax. I feel much better now. I live in 78 Square feet so a candle can light up and heat the whole space!
Use cheap bleach to soak dishcloths after washing up. Then reuse the bleach water to clean your toilet overnight. Using a flannel and having an old fashioned "strip wash" using old your bathroom sink of water to wash your face and working down to finish by washing your feet. Uses a lot less water than a shower or bath. I keep all my small ends of soap in an old ice cream tub. When the tub is full they get melted into new bars of soap for washing hands.
I used to wash my hair everyday, what a waste of time, shampoo, conditioner and water! And not so good for the hair or scalp either. Now I wash it only twice a week.
My Mum used to peel potatoes onto a piece of newspaper and then wrap up the peeling to go into the old fashioned metal dustbin back in the day. I was always being sent out to rummage through the bin to find the potato peeler that had been wrapped up alongside the peelings 🙂
YES!!!!. Me too, the potato peeler and the small paring knife was always disappearing when I was a child. Into the tin bucket in the pantry to feed the six Bantam hens my Father kept at the bottom of the garden. 😍😍😍😍😍
@@ElsieJoy39, yes, we save our peelings and food scraps for our chickens. :)
I walk and I have weights to keep active & healthy at 71
Thanks for watching and commenting
I do most of these - Another good one is to rinse out bottles of detergent, shampoo, cleaners, anything where there’s a little left in the bottom. Don’t waste a drop. Thanks, Jane and Michael.
I cut toothpaste tube and squeeze it out and then do that at the top bit with my toothbrush head.
@@kellichandler2752 I do the same thing to my makeup tube. I probably used it for two weeks longer after the pump mechanism didn’t dispense makeup anymore!
Don't run the water while brushing your teeth. Get your shoes half-soled or resoled at the old fashioned shoe repair shop. Darn your socks. Diane in NC
Ive been reading more. Shutting T.V. off earlier to get a half an hour or hour to reading before bedtime.
1. Always use towels / cloth napkins instead of paper products. 2. If you can , grow some of your own veggies 3. Use Goodwill or charity shops for clothing, items for home 4. Look online for free items that you can pick up in your neighborhood 5. Cook your own meals ! Bring your own coffee ! 😊6. Use less laundry soap and wash laundry in cold water 7. Shut off the lights and unplug things when not using 8. Turn down thermostat in winter 8. Try to do as much baking in one day as possible 9. Buy a used vehicle with cash , not one with a loan 10. Shop sales and discounts at grocery
Interesting fact about line drying... cold air is dryer than warm air. So a cold windy day will dry washing almost as quickly as a warm calm day.
I was born in 1999 and I never really learned any old fashioned tips so these will definitely help as I learn how to live on my own for the first time. I'll be moving into my own flat soon.
Good luck Emma and the best time to learn anything is now.
Learn now, make them habits for life!
Congratulations Emma, all the best. 🥳
Congratulations on wanting to learn and also on setting up your own home. Tasks learnt early in life stay with you throughout life continually saving you money. I have lived through 3 recessions and have still managed to remain debt free and this has only been possible by continually making small savings that all add up.
Worse, I was born in the 60’s , my mother knew sewing and knitting, but as a 6 years old remember been told, you don’t need to know any of this. You will be able to buy everything, now I wished I learned then 😂
I haven't had a Television since 2011 think the year all TV,s were converting to something or other and one had to change aerials to get reception.
I love to read, listen to music, take my dog on long walks. I can honestly say I don't miss a TV My life has enhanced as I don't have to listen to anything negative that's usually broadcasted. I visit family to occasionally watch dancing or musical, something that lifts one's spirit and not depleats one's energy. There I've rambled somewhat. Thankyou very much for sharing your frugal tips. I do most of them. Think I need to subscribe now. ❤
Thanks for watching and commenting
I live in Italy. I adore your videos. I am very frugal myself. Due to some experiences in life I learned it the rough way, but it doesn't bother me to be frugal.
I saw in one of your videos that you bought a savoy cabbage, here we call it verza.
With the outside leaves, that are though, I make a delicious soup called "zuppa di verza e luganega".
Luganega is pork sausage.
It is very filling and it warms up your belly in winter.
I sauté some onions and the sausage in a pressure cooker (you can use any pot but it takes less like this), then I add the cabbage leaves chopped up in small pieces and some carrots, also chopped.
When it is all whilted add stock of your choice and season to your liking.
Shut the cooker and run it for 40 minutes.
You can add potatoes if you like.
Have a nice day and keep up your good work.
Grazie Mille
My husband wanted to learn to sew, so for his first sewing project, he made an apron for me like the one in your photo. Its got a pocket on the front and I use it a lot!
A big hooray to him. So happy for you.
How lovely! 🥰
Maybe not old-fashioned but I save liquid from cans of veggies for broth, from cans of fruit to flavor my sun tea (also frugal), left over coffee frozen in ice cube trays and to fridge for iced coffees, veggie peelings and bones for broth. Fruit peeling (some) for syrup. Leftovers are makeovers in our house. For wardrobe everything is used or gifted, yes I mend and make over clothes. Dye faded clothes and I have painted my shoes before. I add water to stretch and use up the last bit of hygiene products ect. But I watch a lot of Y-Tube and ROKU TV. I also upcycle packaging as much as I can.
Good advice
With he cost of living crisis, I think laundering and drying clothes can be expensive, especially if using a tumble drier, so we need to cut costs where we can. I'm in England and I will always try and hang laundry outside if possible - even through winter. Theres a bit of a science to it - theres a change in air pressure at 9-10am and again at 3-4pm so I try and hang it out between 10 and 3 as it's less humid. If the concrete floor is wet this means the sun isn't enough to dry the floor so it won't dry your clothes. If its sunny and windy so much the better, but clothes will still dry if its overcast. The only time I dont hang it out of if theres more than 80% chance of rain all day. Clothes mostly get 80-90% dry outside then go on the airer indoors with a double sheet over the top to make like a tent over it? And you tuck one side down the back of the radiator. Dried the clothes very quickly. In Canada they freeze dry their clothes and the trousers come off the line able to stand up by themselves 😂 I've had that happen here too when it's cold.
Thanks for sharing
I have purchased things to embroider at thrift stores. I found a large stack of vintage items from the 1930’s and 1940’s to embroider. I am having so much fun finishing this items. It keeps me busy and it is not expensive
My grandmother taught us a lot but she taught us so many ways to play solitaire. And taught us to watch birds.
Isn't it sad that so many people don't know the things you talked about. I have always hung my washing outdoors [ or in the shed on wet days ], I always wear an apron for
messy jobs & cooking, cook my own dinner nearly every day, know how to bake, sew, quilt, knit, crochet, read every day & take pleasure from the small joys in life.
I don’t think it’s sad or a shame, we’ve had comfortable affluence for years and I’m glad people have that. These old fashioned skills are being learnt all the time when people have need.
Some great tips Jane 🙂 my tip instead of spending a fortune ordering books off Amazon etc ...use your local library ,a ticket costs buttons and you can even order something they haven't got in for free.i love dropping into our local library ,usually get three books a fortnight .it's also an inexpensive place to take little ones .they have activities and there's a children's book section x
Yes, libraries are wonderful!!
You can also use the library to do any household paperwork & to keep warm
French toast, Stratas, bread puddings to use of old breads
We keep all meat bones in the freezer, vegetable scraps, when the container gets full. Put the scraps in crock pot on low overnight. Strain it in the morning and pour into old food containers. And freeze it. You will have all the broth you want. I save all the egg shells from my chickens. When the bag gets full I bake this when I'm roasting a chicken or something else in the oven. Cool them and crush them with a rolling pin. Sprinkle this in your hens food, sprinkle on your garden and it can be used as a scouring powder for pots and pans and scummy hard surfaces.
Thanks for sharing
Thank you Jane for yet another informative great video. This is a frugal tip my mother used to do, she would have been 100 years old next year so has lived through the Depression, 2nd WW and the rebuild of the UK with rationing still. She had very little money but managed to save. Never had a debt, saved for anything she needed. Amazing! I remember her unpicking a favorite item of clothing that had seen better days and using it as a pattern to reproduce a new one. She would cellotape newspapers together and pin and draw around the unpicked pieces, writing on the newspaper wat it was (front panel etc). The unpicked pieces already included seam allowance.She made so many clothes this way. We also had a button tin. If a piece of clothing was not wearable anymore, she would cut all the buttons off using the rest for rags. I am amazed how expensive buttons are these days. She worked with a shopping list and had set days for set meals, like chicken on Sunday, mince on Wednesday. Heating and lights off in rooms not in use and a hot water bottle to bed. Keep up the good work! So appreciate your info.
She was a wonderful woman
Bread crumbs blitzed in a food processor and then a little oil or cheese stirred through makes a great savoury crumble topping. If you stir in a little sugar and melted butter it makes the topping for a fruit crumble. My gluten free bread is far too expensive to waste even a thin crust so I gather them all in the freezer until I have a useable amount.
And delicious too
Has bread gone stale? Yes I have binned the heels of bread. Now I blitz them in processor and freeze in jam jars (don't like plastic) and they are available for nut stuffing (am vegetarian) gorgeous with veggies with white sauce or gravy.
I cracked up as we called that a duster😂
Clearance clearance the way to go.
Years teaching my 16 yr old how home cooking tastes better, heathier and costs less. Finally sinking in.🎉
Love your videos.🎉
So true!
So much commonsense has been lost. I’m just glad I discovered frugality when I did and have time to really lead a more simple and content life.
I actually have my great grandmothers laundry scrub board. 😉
Still in use. My family call me the “Stain removal Queen” 👑
Fantastic, I have just purchased a mangle for my bit of laundry, I have arthritis in my hands so cannot wring out clothing easily.
oh how incredible for you.
@@Briardie I'm so sorry, Amanda. I'm not a medical professional, etc., but my mother sits under a cheap red heat lamp to ease her arthritis and/or lung congestion. it seems to ease it quite a bit. The lamp and the bulb together cost about 20. u.s. dollars. It is just the kind used to keep chicks warm. I hope you find lovely relief in an easy way. Be well. 💛
I'm sitting here watching this with my apron on 😆, always wear an apron at home during the day, comes off at night before dinner.
I wear mine for all housework
I am wearing an apron right now, too! I always wear them at home! The pockets are handy for clothespins and small garden items! Today I put two English cucumbers and a handful of jalapeño peppers in one pocket! I the other I put some garden shears to cut some zinnias for a bouquet! I love aprons and wear one every day. Sometimes I forget to take them off when we go out!
Above comment by Deb Gnagey, Gary’s wife!
@@garygnagey3569 i remember mums at the corner shop in their pinnys
We make solar tea in our gallon glass jar. We make solar hot water in our gallon empty milk jugs.
We warm/bake food in our homemade solar oven. We plant seeds in our tins, onions, etc. We use scraps to grow pineapples, avocados, onions, cabbage, lettuce, celery, etc. We split flowers apart and replant them into another pot or the garden.
I grew up with all your money saving tips. Have tried to pass them to my daughter who understands but sadly has a husband who does not. She has managed to get him eating leftovers. They make a little fun at my kitchen filled with jars I've saved or bought at thrift stores. I just love it when they ask for one and I get a little revenge😄
We have to keep passing on those thrifty tips
I don't think you can say it too many times Jane: ' Take your coffee with you, and treat it as an occasional treat'. It's not the £2.50 it's the cumulative effect of this. Put the £ in a jar, take your own coffee and see what you have at the end of a month or year.
My motto is also ' You can read, so you can cook, so you can eat' Anyone can get a good basic cookbook from a library, charity shop or reciepes online. There are weeks in the past that I have relied on ready meals. They are the weeks I have felt most unhealthy as well as them being financial draining.
Waste not want not needs to be the new favourite phrase.
Another great video Jane and Michael x
Thanks Margaret
Such great ideas!
I used to buy large sacks of potatoes and a tray off eggs from a local farmer…I have a brush, I scrub the potatoes clean and use them with the skin on
I used to buy potatoes, veg and and eggs from a trailer behind a tractor at the side of the road.
I had old fashioned home economics lessons. I can make a whole chicken stretch for at least 3 meals and have chicken stock leftover x
I use the water from boiling eggs for my plants and compost everyday. Old bread I freeze and use for breadcrumbs at a later date
“Potato smiley faces!? 😂😂. Don’t these people own a potato peeler?? “ 🤣🤣. I’m dying laughing! It really is absurd how convenient and expensive we have made products!
We call my mum the stain queen. She’s brilliant at getting stains out. I was about to put some pillowcases in recycling as had yellow stains where my husband sweats. Googled it and soaked them in white vinegar and bicarbonate, then washed them. The yellow stain has gone, was so chuffed with myself 😇
Bicarb & vinegar is an excellent stain cleaner, and no need for commercial products 👍
I think we are all going to need some frugal tips this next 18 months to 2 years of life. I spent time fixing one of my son's school bags this week. It had split from him over stuffing it. He said to me, Mum, I'm going to be year 11 and not get lots of use from a new bag - lets mend this one. I'm also buying very little in the way of new school uniform. At one point I'd have been trying to buy all new but its not necessary and it will save me a fortune that can go towards other things that are needs and wants. I'm trying to remember all the things I did in earnest in 2008 that got me through then, knowing it will get me through again. Also training the kids in how to survive in this modern scary world of ours.
It’s good for them. We learned’ survived and took those skills with us.
May I also add , a follow on from jam jars? I have a friend who is a whisky drinker, and saves me the metal canister the bottles come in. They happen to be the perfect size to store spaghetti and linguine! I then cut off the label and sellotape it on the canisters! Also, I save my potato peelings after I wash and towel dry them, I freeze them in a bag. Then whenever I am turning the oven on, I put my potato skins in a tray - just mix some oil with salt, garlic granules, paprika, black pepper and rosemary! They crisp up nicely in 15 minutes, perfect with a glass of wine!
Thanks for watching
Great list of old fashioned tips! I do all of them whenever possible.
I cook extra portions and freeze them in recycled containers that something came in when I bought groceries. I LOVE the glass gallon sized pickle jars for storing grains in them.
I buy pantry staples in bulk and make up mixes for things like cakes, brownies, pancakes, biscuits, hot cocoa, dressings and dips etc.
When I want something sweet I can easily add the wet ingredients to one of my homemade mixes and bake a sweet treat in less time than it would take to drive to the grocery store.
I dehydrate extra produce and herbs from my garden to use later in the year. I home can and preserve the garden extras too!
I crochet and knit as well as sew and quilt. Those are really useful things to know how to do because they extend the life of any textiles items that you own.
Look for quality fabric or yarns in charity shops or thrift stores. I’ve bought sweaters and unraveled them to repurpose the yarn. I’ve used clothes to make patchwork quilts.
I’ve made boot liners from old wool blankets to help keep my feet warm in the winter while I’m shoveling snow and tending to the chickens.
You are awesome, Patrice. My mother had a friend who escaped from communist China (back in the 60s) and she was always knitting and/or laughing or cooking. When she wanted a new sweater, she would unravel and semi-boil her yarn (to take the kinks out) and then make a new style. She could knit in the dark at the outdoor movie theater where we would all go. I loved her so much; such a fabulous woman.
I have half gallon jars in my pantry with bean rice evt. Ladt Chrustmas I gave my children each a 1/2 gallon jar& a bix of tea for hine made tea ( the old fashioned sun tea can be made compkedtely in the fridge). My chikdren all love iced tea in the summer were quiet happy yo receive these large jars.😊
Patrice, you are amazing!
Love aprons and need to get back to using them.
Hello from USA Northern California. I spin my own yarn from cotton, wool or silk and I knit, crochet and weave. I never buy wash cloths, rugs, gloves, hats, scarves, sweaters, blankets, and soon socks (they take me the longest). A lot of farms give away beautiful fleece for free. Its one of my most useful skills. Love your video
Thanks for watching and commenting
Hi Jayne, I tear up the ends of bread and feed the birds! That gives me such joy.
Jam jars - lids get painted as a winter hobby and contents made for Christmas gifts - contents home collected seed, dried herbs, pressed flowers in bath salts ,baking , knitted dish clothes, dry fruit from the garden.
A cook on tv once said children by age 15 should have 15 go to recipes. And I guess my daughters do have .
Thanks for sharing
It is one extreme to the other with me! The last video I looked at was a journalist with a collection of Galliano haute couture gowns and now it is frugal living! As for pre-peeled potatoes, why do people even peel potatoes at all, let alone buy them peeled? Even mash potato is fine with the peel included and by not peeling them you keep all the vitamins in them! Thank you for the video!
Thanks for watching
I am a letter/note writer. Yes I have to pay postage but what a treat for someone important to you to receive that letter or card. And it entertains me while I am in the process.
That’s lovely
One of my favourite old-fashioned tips is to save all your vegetable scraps and turn it into veggie broth at the end of each week. I also cut up tattered clothes and turn it into rags. I love your videos have lots of helpful tips.
My sister and I were only talking about house craft lessons that we both had at school and at home Its really sad that younger generations cannot cook, clean and repair things to make them go around again. I have been called frugal but this last two weeks I have made a quilt and several fully lined tote bags, all without having to shop We are both in our seventies but not done saving yet Thank you for your videos, they are a real wealth of information
Necessity will teach them through times of hardship.
I admire people like you, Barbara. Already most people of my generation (early 1970s) can't craft a thing; when I suggest craft activities for our weekly meetings with friends, most of them reject them all, they just want to sit and talk, at most eat!
Whereas my friend Irma from Seehausen in Bavaria, Germany, sewed a beautiful, perfect patchwork quilt blanket in her seventies!!!
My husband bought me a sewing machine for my 38th birthday.. always wanted to learn! So far I’ve mad draft dodgers for my door & 2 pillow case for our bed! I am loving learning this new to me skill. Hope to do a tote soon! Bless you & yours
i mend all my clothes to extend their life. For some reason the new materials for underclothes always need a little mending. my family laughs when i tell them i have been wearing the same nightgowns for 25 years. I like them.
my table clothes and placemats were purchased the first year i was married. we have been married 44 years
Very good habits. They have always made the most sense to me. I love keeping twist ties, rubber bands, gift bag ribbons and string. My grandmother also taught me to save snagged pantyhose for gardening and crafting projects and to cut up used envelopes for frugal PostIts. Once you implement a few frugal habits you see more areas to improve your frugality. The best pleasures in life are the simple ones with those we love.
Thanks for the nudge. I waste water when washing dishes or clean veg. Will be more mindful. We have a well, but still should not waste the precious resource that so many in the world lack. 👍
For my birthday next week my family are taking me to my favorite seafood restaurant, we are taking chairs so we can sit on the beach afterwards, it's been 4 years since we ate there. Last year my daughter made me a chauteriue board for dinner. I think it would not be as special if we went every week !!
I love this video, because I already do lots of these tips 🙂 I'm especially proud that I cut up old clothes to make cleaning cloths.
Excellent Jane All true. I don’t have tv and don’t miss it.
Mostly rubbish anyway
My tip, don't peel vegies like potatoes or carrots at all. Most of the nutrition is in the skins! Turn bread into crumbs and freeze for later. I've never rinsed a dish I've washed. Bath towells and pillow cases are washed once a week, tea towels are fresh every day. I don't own a clothes dryer. Just got rid of second car. Cooking every meal. Harvesting my own tomatoes, spinach, rocket, cucumbers...easy to grow and minimal pests. Thanks Jane, love your vlogs, I'll start wearing an apron LOL!
You are so funny (and wise) in this. 😊 But I must give a Happy "Hoooray!" for Kdrama. Mostly so sweet. I also enjoy tossing on a period cape to go get the mail. I do it at night and enjoy a moonlit stroll before checking the mailbox. Adds magic to the day.
I love reading your viewers' comments. They have hit on the ones I was going to share so I say, "Yes, do those frugal tips."
I thought I had lost my 45 year old veggie peeler. I must have bought 8 of various brands. None of them were sharp enough compared to my old one. I ended up ordering an expensive Swedish one online that works great. I finally found my old one in the bottom of my towel drawer months later. Both of them on the magnetic knife strip now so they don't disappear again.
If you buy a bag of sliced loaf of bread and place directly into your freezer making sure its not squashed . Once frozen you can remove only slices you need so no waste. If you buy an unsliiced loaf buy a long handled bread knife . Place loaf on its side with chopping board underneath the loaf and carefully slice your loaf into slices . Keeping the now sliced loaf together place in a large plastic bag and freeze. Making sure the loaf doesn't get squashed , as before once frozen you only need to remove bread that you need. I think you can use the same technique for unsliced french bread, without toasting. We add frozen sliced bread straight from freezer to toaster as we like toasted bread for sandwiches
I think everyone is feeling how deeply nourishing it feels to share our experiences of making full use of what we have and of what comes through our lives. All over the world, people are Having to think of survival tips and we all want them/us to be safe. There is great joy, and bittersweet but deeply valuable memories of survival/hardship/the shared human condition; wishing wishing we could help others be safe and make our loved ones safe. May peace and prosperity return soon but may this shared feeling of coming together and thinking of the simple and truest values of life remain. bless you all and all the world. 💛
Also: EAT and USE your scrubbed potato and veggie skins, take sink baths, use used dish and washing up water to flush toilet and then only when brown, have mindset of SERVICE to and SHARING and simple contentment with others in need rather than of self serving convenience, self comfort, consumerism, self indulgence - me/myself/mine/us/ours- individually, nationally and more,
Jane, your introduction and theme music always make me smile. Thank you to you and Michael for making videos. I always look forward to them.
Thank you
Meet your neighbors and offer extra items you have extra and/or borrow one-time use needs (like a wagon or a few folding chairs) that you return promptly.
when I’m deciding what to eat from a restaurant menu (which is not often), I choose something I don’t prepare at home. and when grocery shop I don’t select “convenience” food like pre-cut potatoes. There’s so much joy in exploring how to make something new at home. YES! collect bread and make breadcrumbs keep in freezer then use to top mac’n cheese or use to coat chicken to bake crispy! ❤ thanks for great tips 🇨🇦
Love that!
Sometimes you give me a chuckle. The potatoes.
I am mildly obsessed with one gallon glass jars (most often they are fom restaurants and originally had pickles in them). They can be hard to come by these days with much switching to plastic jars, but whenever I can get a gallon size, I scoop it up. All of mine have come from friends who worked in restaurants. I fill them with things like oatmeal, home made granola, etc. Just love how they look and they are free, resuable and have so many different uses. When I was a kid I absolutely LOVED when the milk man came to deliver. Not sure what the fascination was but as a little one, I used to get up extra early on those days just to say hi or wave fom the window. Wish I still had access to a milk deliver service. There is a local farm that does this but the price is way out of my budget.
Plastic jars are good for rice pasta oars and other dried goods.
My son was born in 1991 in the UK and I remember the milk delivered at our door on a glass bottle. Those were the days 😂
I’m 62 and in the 🇺🇸 I remember in my childhood up until the early 1970’s we had a milkman.
From before I was born (1959).
Plus my Grandfather was a Butcher ~
and ran the meat division for a major local grocery chain….
I went to cattle auctions with him as well as judging State Farm 4H club animals.
Lovely memories.
[ Yes, I can fabricate all 4 legged meat animals, fowl and fish. Plus make sausages]
I am also adept at canning, ferment and drying many things 👍🏻
We use a gallon glass jar for sun tea!
The dirty jobs i changed into my "scuffs"
I've tried to wear my "good clothes" cleaning, gardening etc,but i feel more at home in my scruffs. These are clothes I've had for sometime,and are looking worn.
My Moto for the loo. If it's yellow let it mellow. If it's brown flush it down...
When i go to bed i always take a glass of water, if i don't drink it or leave some,the water goes in a jug for my plants outside or in.
Clothes i wear twice if iam going out shopping etc. When i get home i changed straight away into my "scuffs" The clothes i have taken off gets turned inside out. So next time i wear it i know it goes into the laundry basket. Hang up,then sprayed with a hand sprayer filled with homemade scent and water...🙂
I have scruffs too
As a pensioner I try to buy only what I know I'll eat - I hate food wasted through missed "best before" dates. I'll admit my least frugal food purchase is Organic Potatoes. My supermarket sells them in 1.5 kilo bags @ approx twice the price of ordinary whites. But they are multi purpose, taste delicious and last much longer than the 4 days their label suggests. The 1.5 k is plenty for me - I rarely eat 3 lbs of potatoes in 2 weeks. I think they add to my quality of life.
The take out coffee thing can be quite an expense. When my daughter was a teenager, one day after school we picked up iced coffee & took a drive. We had such fun, we did it again the next day...and the next... At the end of the month I tallied up about how much we had spent. It was al least $90.00! What a shock that was. It didn't hurt my budget because I had some reserves, but we definitely reined it in after that. A couple dollars may not seem like much at the time but the cumulative impact is huge.
I only do once a week. On my payday every other week treat myself to lunch out.
I must admit, it’s not a habit I can understand.
@@gladyschandler6724 Good plan. It's important to limit that kind of spending, it's a slow bleed that can really add up. And with the cost of eating out costing more & more I'm less & less willing to put money there. But I'm glad you have built into your budget the chance to go so you can enjoy it. Knowing where the money goes is so important. I think lots of folks are in debt mostly because they don't actually look at what they're actually spending comparer to what they actually have. Tomorrow I'm getting together with a friend who I see only a few times a year & going out for lunch is on our agenda. I'm looking forward to it, since I rarely eat out anymore.
Take out coffee is a real bugbear of mine. I used to work with someone who lived about 5 mi s from the office and she used to drive 10 minutes to bring a take out coffee into the office!! What's wrong with a kettle when you get to work?! Ludricrous
@@amandahooper9807 😁, it's all about the habits we form, isn't it? Seems reasonable at the time!
I'm with you all the way on potatoes Jane. I cannot believe how many shapes and varieties there are of frozen or chilled potato products. Ditto chicken really and it seems that now kids have the expectation that they will be getting their chicken in nugget sized pieces along with some expensive fries. It's so easy, so cheap and so filling to peel and eat your own spuds!
I grow my own potatoes In my garden and I love digging them up each time I want potatoes for dinner!
I agree but my one exception is oven fries. If you factor in the cost of the oil to cook your own, frozen fries are really quite economical. They're a great time saver too. Cheaper than take away as an occasional treat.
I really enjoy watching you and your husband. Sensible living. Simple! 😊
Thank you so much!
My grandfather always kept his nails, screws and nuts and bolts in old glass jelly and peanut butter jars.... Memories. I also reuse mine and any packaging I can. I'm using what is known as "mechanics" clothes as cleaning rags/dish rags in my kitchen. I still have paper towels but am not using near as many of them. I always put my clothes through the "smell test" LOL. Usually get 2-3 wears out of tops and my jeans/shorts last all week long. I reuse my coffee grounds. I make a pot in the percolator(only about 3/4 of the whole pot and then add a spoon or two of fresh grounds on top of those grounds for the next pot the next day. I just set the percolate to extra strong brew. Love all of your tips. As inflation is hitting all of us, I'm trying to find more and more ways to not spend money. I'm no a no spend this year for clothing or shoes for myself... only purchasing underwear/bras. Even though I shop thrift stores for most clothes I've just decided I have plenty and need to wear what I already own. Love all of your tips.
Thanks for sharing
From old Bread we make' poor knights'.( Arme Ritter)
Take them through Milk and an egg,and Bake them.a little bit of sugar.the Kids always Loved it
Learn to make your own
- kefir (no milk boiling needed)
- yoghurt (some cultures require no milk boiling)
- ricotta cheese
and avoid producing all that plastic waste.
Since I've started producing my own kefir and yoghurt, I've never bought a ready-made one again and I also saved the effort of transporting them.
I’m collecting a couple of logs a day all through summer from the forest on my dog walks ! Along with pine cones to use as kindling I’ve got quite a stock going of free wood ! Summer is the time to collect it when it’s dry .I always line dry my clothes and I hang my towels after use on the line for a couple of hours in these light warm evenings or in my boiler room on my Shiela maid over night to keep damp out of the house . I use my peelings dinged in the microwave to feed my chickens they love them ! I make bread crumbs from old bread always or use them for croutons for soup ! I read charity shop bought books instead of tv and knit and make cards in the winter. I collect what’s left of the straw in the fields after bailing for my chickens nests and onions , potatoes ,carrots and leeks too after harvest (gleaning is an old fashioned ritual in the country ) free food .Blackberry and wild plum picking too !
I live by most of these. Great video. My old fashioned tip is forage for food like blackberries, dandelion greens, go fishing etc.
Great tips I do a lot of these but I always learn from your videos. I've saved money on stain remover since wearing my pretty apron 😃
I enjoy my coffee with my husband and dog every morning looking at our garden and listening to the birdsong.
I crochet our dishcloths and dish scrubbers and then when they get a bit raggedy I use them for Cleaning. Then they go to my husband for use outside. My husband is a dab hand at sewing so he makes my reusable sanitary pads. I get comments like "ugh" but they get ignored. I've saved so much money on these items and I'm helping the planet too.
Sounds a great life to me
Yup to keeping jam jars, peeling potatoes, stocking up the kitchen, wearing an apron and washing only dirty clothes, spot cleaning, cooking, and washing rags and handkerchiefs! Crocheting! Line drying if I possibly can! (I think we’re the same generation.) My favorite: baking and cooking at home!
You are more than “just a housewife “ dear, you are obviously a household manager and do it well. Great video!
Thanks very much
I loved the term household manager. Thanks for that
I heard of a lady who always put MDA after signing her name, what other people do when they have earned a degree. Well this lady had not been to university, but had really earned her MDA as manager of domestic affairs!
Great tips - I think I do all of these! Another tip is to minimise electric gadgets to what are really needed for your household (of course different households' needs will vary). For instance I have by choice, very few kitchen gadgets or appliances - and no microwave. I also have a non electric carpet sweeper and a hand cranked sewing machine. We also have no electric tools - just hand tools. This might not suit everyone but it certainly ensures our electricity bills are as low as they can be.
Well said on all counts - especially line drying, saving water and wearing your clothes more before putting them in the wash bin.
My grandson does not eat his crusts. I place them in the freezer till I'm ready to use them. I spread them with butter and sprinkle garlic powder and toast them under the grill... delicious as soldiers with boiled egg or with soup as bread sticks.
As always fab tips jane. White vinegar is amazing to clean windows, your bathrooms, use as a softener in your laundry and mirrors. I always have some in a spray bottle.
I clean with vinegar
Hi Karen, how do you use it as softener? Just put it in the washing machine drawer? Do I need to mix it with water?
I'm never without white vinegar - it's the best thing ever for cleaning!
Oh how I long for those 25kg bags of potatoes that last 3 weeks my potatoe peeling knife is as old as our marriage we just sharpen it. I lived this video all the frugality way of life learned at my grandmother's knee and I still do them all. Thank you .
We do them together
"Dining on a Dime" youtube channel usually has their first cookbook as a free download. I bought the actual book, and it was definitely worth the money. There are recipes for everything imaginable, seasonings, etc., and they all use real, simple foods. There are suggestions for using up leftovers also. They have a gluten-free, dairy-free book as well but it's not a freebie. MIght be worth checking out.
I’m guilty- I had a coffee yesterday and today. We use to eat out Everyday- sometimes twice daily! I put the brakes on and also reminded my hubby that since we live 20-25 minutes from town we saved $ on gas as well.