Want To Save Money? Live Like The British. Live Like a Frugal Queen.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ค. 2024
- We tell you the very British things that can save you time & money.
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/
FaceBook / frugalqueeni. .
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Twitter / batt_jane
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I must add I’ve done and continue to do most of these money saving things most of the time.
I worked in Leeds for a bit (from Canada) and was so surprised that all of my co-workers had shoe care kits in their desks. We would all come in in the morning, and shoes would come off, get wiped dry, any mud or debris removed, and if needed a bit of polish added. AND they took shoes to the cobbler to be resoled or reheeled. I'd NEVER heard such a thing. We can all learn something from more frugal cultures.
Thanks for sharing
In some areas they still do that. Unfortunately cobblers nowadays are more expensive to use, and less likely to be found as professions. It is really good especially for boots and leather shoes mostly,
This is how I grew up. My mom was widowed young and really managed well. Not eating out, hand me down clothes, baking our desserts, fresh vegetables from my grandma's garden (she had a farm ), having a small garden, canning, freezing food, garage sales, rummage sales, thrift store shopping, ...were all part of our wonderful lifestyle. I was and am blessed.
Thanks for sharing
We live near Chicago. When I grew up, it was normal for two kids to bathe together. My kids are in their 40's, we ate at home, they eat at home, too. I brought a
sandwich for lunch at work for 25 years. My kids took lunch. My husband wouldn't do it. My kids got hand me downs, we passed things down, and my grandkids get
second hand clothes. A deli (huge) sandwich here, is the size of four to six homemade sandwiches. When we eat in a restaurant, we have 3 to 4 meals from
what we take home. I take a can of tuna, drain it, add 2 or 3 hard boiled eggs, some onion, some celery, and mayonnaise and we have sandwich filling for 4 to
6 sandwiches. Tina, Al's wife
Thanks for sharing
I am a Brit living in the US and have the space for a dryer, but about 15 years ago I challenged myself not to use it, after a year of realizing I didn't need it and was managing perfectly fine without it, I sold it. When the dishwasher broke, I didn't replace it and I don't have a microwave. It is very liberating to have less stuff to break and need fixing. Less is more!
Good to hear that.
I like the way you're living!
I'm American and live extremely frugally. I live in an 8x24 5th wheel trailer full time. I always hand wash my dishes, hang my laundry on a line to dry, cook all my meals at home. I don't eat out. I bake my own bread and occasionally sweets. I drive about 25 miles per month because I don't go anywhere except to the grocery or run what few errands I have. I'm debt free and live entirely on the small amount I receive from social security. I'm 76 years old and still get hand-me-downs from my sister. Learned frugal ways from my mom who grew up during the Great Depression. Oh, I also was and reuse Ziploc freezer bags only buying new when the bags are no longer useable.
Nice to meet you, thanks for sharing
Hiya, fulltimer here too! If you dont mind, Where (in general) do you have your rig parked to keep your miles so low? tyia
When I was pregnant, I was house cleaning and a client had all the baby stuff I needed , bed , stroller , i traded my work for the necessities, she was kind enough to give me some extra things ,,,
I was given everything as hand downs when I had my babies and I loved them all
Our current home had a dishwasher when we bought it. Our children, jokingly, asked why we waited to get a dishwasher until they were grown. I told them I gave birth to two dishwashers! Well, we all took turns washing dishes and I find it kind of relaxing to clean up the dishes. I do most of the things you mentioned. In fact, when we have our granddaughters here--ages 3 & 7--their favorite thing to do is go to the local park and pack a small cooler bag with their lunch, no matter how simple it is. After a good time playing on the playground, they're ready for a PBJ and fruit, with water to drink. Simple pleasures are truly the best!
Those simple pleasures are wonderful
My dad used to say the same thing, except he had four dishwashers. I love handwashing dishes as to me it's very relaxing.
A soft roll roll is a bap, a crispy roll is a cob in the midlands.
Dishwashers use less energy and water than handwashing.
I was raised by a widowed mother, she made all our breads, cookies, pies and meals. Our big treat was to go to fast food place and get a hamburger and fries- that was about once a month.
Thanks for sharing
Aww your mother sounds wonderful. ❤️
British now living in the US. I love hanging washing outside, we don't own a dryer. I can't fathom why more people don't hang out their washing. It's the ultimate solar dryer! Especially in places that have sun 300+ days a year.
I love air dried clothes, they smell of sunshine
Some US home owner's associations fine residents for hanging clothes outside.
@@annebremer8011 what a horrible lack of liberty and freedom!
@@annebremer8011 Given the way the world climate is going they will have to change their tune. I’ve never owned a dryer and line dry and live in Scotland. If we can do it here so can other places.
Some HOAs don't allow it. It makes no sense as hanging is the most efficient way.
American here, please don't assume that the folks on the internet are all of us... the description of what being "British" entails you've described my American experience. After all, if you take care of your penny's your dollars will take care of themselves.
Thanks for sharing
I loved this video. A walk back in time to my childhood in the northeast part of the United States. My mother was the youngest of 11 children of vegetable farmers. She did many of the things you spoke about. She cooked from scratch, we always ate at home, line dried our clothes outside unless it was freezing cold, or snowing/raining, washed our car in the driveway, grew vegetables in the garden, my dad repaired everything etc. Us kids learned to work hard, value what we had, be resourceful and be grateful because that’s what my parents emulated.
Times are so different now. When I asked one of my sons recently what he had done that day he said he washed his car and I thought to myself .. no, you took your car to a car wash and sat on a bench waiting while someone else washed your car!!!
I’ve hung my clothes for years now and have found myself reverting back to many thrifty habits of old and loving not only the challenge of it, but the great feeling of accomplishment it gives me. These hard times will surely separate the resourceful from those who don’t know how to answer the call of a challenge.
I am only one quarter English, but I’ve always loved everything British.
Thanks for sharing
ALL of these strategies happened in our house when I was a kid in Australia (50 yrs ago) which shows how strong the British culture remained. These are such joyful memories for me. Thank you 🥰 xx
Still common in UK now
I love the smell of clothes dried outside!
They smell of sunshine, or autumn or a frosty morning
I’m sending everyone greetings from SW France
Hi Susan, Elaine from uk
Hello and thanks for watching
Love to you from London.
I' m a canadian living in Quebec. My mum would do exactly the same things you are mentionning. I remember her scraping the last of the butter from the wrapping, leaving the oven door open to heat the kitchen when the cooking was done, drying clothes on the line outside, etc.. I am now finding myself doing the same things. Electricity is still affordable in Quebec, but I don't use my dishwasher, turn off lights, Keep the thermostat at 68F, etc... It resulted in a credit of $60.00 for the month of september and $6.00 less a month for the next year. Every bit counts.. Bless you Jane for reminding us that we are still in control and can make changes that will affect our lives in a positive way.
Thanks Linda
Great video yall, Kentucky, USA here raised on a beef cattle farm here. We do all of the same things except public transportation. We don’t have busses or trains I live in avery rural area 5 miles from where I was raised. We didn’t have a water bill because we had to dig a well. We didn’t get city water here until I was a grown woman and used a washboard and a handmade wringer and always hung our clothes out. Mine were on the line today. In the winter I hang them from wooden beams so my woodstove dries them quickly. There are many of us Americans that do all of those things. I was taught to make yeast breads, dinner rolls, buns, cakes, cookies, pies, and other pastries is what we call rolls and sub rolls, hoagie rolls. I don’t buy cake mixes or any other type mixes. I raise a 11/4 acre garden each year and have herb and medicinal gardens as well as orchards, berries, grapes, nut trees, chickens, ducks, geese for down pillows I also make my own soaps, clothes, quilts, curtains etc. There aren’t many of us left who value the old ways and being frugal. I have been laughed at and teased by coworkers because of the way I have always lived. They also have 30-40 year mortgage payments, car payments, pay people to cut their grass with a credit card. I have no mortgage, own my home 800 square ft and 5 acres, barn, chicken coops, smokehouse, cellar, woodlot for our firewood ,no debt, no car payments. They can have their way but I prefer my own. I can also fish, hunt, trap, tan hides, make moccasins, brooms, salt and sugar cure and smoke my meat in the smokehouse. For toast eggs and bacon, bacon and tomato, sos hamburger in gravy poured over hot toast, grilled cheese, ham and cheese, bologna and cheese with a green onion, peanut butter and banana sandwich, tuna fish salad, chicken salad, egg salad we like sandwiches as my dad teased and called them samiches !! We aren’t so different after all and have many things in common. The wealthier people and some of those trying to keep up with the Jones’s don’t do these things.
Thanks for sharing
A friend of mine moved to France three years ago and always tells me that the French are money savvy and do not waste money unnecessarily. Very little food wastage, fast fashion is not a thing, they buy quality over quantity. When she first moved there she was amazed at how little takeaway is available and nobody gets a takeaway coffee.
No takeaway where I live, no takeaway coffee.
I think it’s a thing only in French city centers. I don’t know of anybody that just grab a coffee on their way, when we go somewhere to have a coffee, we sit down and enjoy the experience.
However I’m afraid fast fashion is a thing in France, not to the extend of other countries though and it’s frowned upon by many French people.
I don't know if you've ever been to the US, but most of the things you're describing as British are the way I was brought up and lived most of my life. My family has always done things for ourselves, picnicked, carpooled, eat at home, bought second-hand, etc. We still do. And did on our last, recent trip to England. We've been in big homes and small homes in England, ate sandwiches of all kinds and sizes, same as home (except for beans 0n toast, only our niece loves those!. But beans were certainly part of our diet. ) There are many many Americans who live as you do in the UK, not all, but many. The one advantage the UK has is the availability of public transportation. We use it when we can and always do in the UK. It's improving, but the US has a lot of catching up to do in this area.
Thanks for sharing
Ditto
Same here! My dad was a preacher in parishes in Eastern Ohio, which isn't the most affluent part of America. So he wasn't paid much. Thankfully, church parishoners would give us hand-me-down clothes, mom would take us garage-sale shopping, where my sister and I would get toys, we would shop in thrift stores and budget stores (like Big Lots). We would grow a small garden, and parishoners would give us vegetables and fruit from their own gardens. We've always taken lunches to school/work, and mom made sure that we knew how to cook/bake and how to do some simple repairs on clothes. We also wouldn't run the tap when washing dishes, or brushing our teeth, and we were scolded about electricity use, as the church would own the parsonage and pay for utilities. Mom and Dad wanted us to be the best stewards that would could be and so we were reminded to turn off lamps, put a sweater on as the heater was turned down in winter, turn off the water, etc. Didn't realize I was British this whole time! ;) (Oh! I forgot! Mom and Dad had side-hustles before it became en vogue! Dad got his CPA license and did taxes for preachers in the area as preacher taxes are WEIRD, and Mom would take us around on trash day and we would find pieces of furniture out for the trash that we would repair, repaint, etc. and then sell... I still do that to this day and have made $300 this summer!)
Totally agree on all fronts and really hope eventually we get on the public transportation bandwagon! Only in the cities, really, unfortunately.
Agreed ... I do wonder though if more young people are doing a lot of the convenience things that weren't available when some of us were growing up.
The reason a lot of people live in large homes is because back in the 1970s the government started regulating the size of home you could build and it had to be at least 1,000 or 1200 square feet in most places.
American here…I must have some British DNA because I’ve always done these things… except for public transportation because I live out in the country.
I don’t decorate much for different holidays, because then I’ll have to take them down and pack them away! One of my least favorite things to do. 😉
Thanks for sharing
Fellow American here and I agree with you! My neighborhood is between two corn fields so no public transportation for me either. 😊
Also, as a Brit I've never understood why other countries decorate their homes at Easter, thanks giving, Halloween. I watch TH-cam videos of American homes that treat these celebrations like Christmas. It just seems so expensive to decorate all year round. I love putting up the tree for Christmas and a few window lights. I'm not sure we will be using the window lights this Christmas with all the cost of living increases x
I think it’s charming but it must be expensive
It is not only an expense but is time consuming to put up, take down and store the decorations. Looks nice but too much trouble for most holidays.
@@judithvallembois2744 I have a pumpkin with a light that was my son's, we put it in the window for fall. I also have a stuffed scarecrow that was his that also goes in a window. For Christmas we have a small tree, lights and fake pine around the banister and hutch. We do have some outside lights but only one string around the porch. That's the extent of our decorating, because I'm lazy about it. With the exception of some new lights every few years the majority of our decorations are over 20 years old. Because they still work and I'm too cheap to buy more. I'm American and I don't understand all of the decorating, I know people at Christmas that have huge trees in every room!
I often pick up decorations at garage sales very inexpensively. Once you have a set of decorations for a holiday, you are set.
LED fairy lights can be more cost effective than normal lighting. I'm with you on the decor. My home has two 'seasons', Christmas and not Christmas. I like the put the decorations up at the start of December and take them down at the end of January, which is actually quite traditional. That way I get to enjoy them through the darkest month when a bit of sparkle is needed the most.
The ride sharing program is called a S.L.U.G. (self loading utility guests)line in the U.S.These lines are formed at the bus lots where people pay monthly to ride a bus from the suburbs into the city. Sometimes even though you’ve paid for the bus it may be full and you have no way to get to work. This is where the SLUG line comes in handy. Cars pull up to the SLUG line and announce where in the city they are going and theSLUGS hop in the car so the driver can drive in the high occupancy lanes to zip into the city in a fraction of the time. SLUGS don’t pay for the ride they just afford the driver the ability to use the high occupancy lanes. It works for both parties. It works the same going back home. This was common practice several years ago in Washington D.C. I have since retired so I’m not sure whether this is still common place or not. I saved a lot of money on transportation costs this way though.
I love hand-me-downs!!!! Friends threw us a baby shower, but besides those gifts, I don't think our kiddo had anything NEW until about 6yo. His crib, stroller (pram), bibs, toys. bottles - everything was received from cousins, friends, and neighbors. I loved it!!! Then when he outgrew them, I was glad to pass on to the next momma and daddy.
That's superb
I love beans, tuna, cheese, marmite, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, etc, on toast. There are so many things.
One kitchen I had was so small I could reach the sink, cooker and washing machine just by turning round in a circle with my arms open wide. Only one person fitted at a time. 🤷♀️
And I've always had a clothes horse.
I always had a dish washer, he was called 'husband'.
I loved my tiny kitchen at thrift cottage, I loved the cosiness of our tiny house
@@FrugalQueeninFrance ❤
Love your dishwasher model name "husband". Seems it will do a better job than the dishwasher model: child
😂😂😂
We had a Rack to dry washing, I've heard them called a Sheila maid. Ours was made of flat wooden poles slotted onto ornate cast iron endpieces & was pulled up to the ceiling with a rope pulley - dried thr washing really well. My mother had a ' modern' version latterly made of plastc coated metal rods & plastic end pieces but it wasn't as sturdy as the old ones (tho' the 14 foot ceilings in her house, a Victorian school, left room to hang full sized sheets with no problem - I've even dried large girl guide tents on it!). I've just managed to buy a smaller wooden version, only 4 foot long, & am putting it over my stair well for winter drying, when it's too wet outside.
Hello from beautiful Greece 🇬🇷
My eldest daughter and the second are two and a half years apart😊
The good clothes and shoes of the 1st daughter,before they wore out,I put them away so that the little one could wear them more everyday…
I have saved a lot of money that was used elsewhere..
After a few years I gave the opportunity to a friend of mine to choose and get for free ,what she wanted for her daughter 😊
I am very glad that I do that ,to save me and my friend a lot of money.
Thanks Angeliki , I’ve missed you in the live chats
I LOVE the British and I LOVE your mid week money chats!!! 💕👍😀
Thanks so much, we’re a lovely nation.
I’m in the US but I love a good sandwich! Not a meat bomb- a slice or two of meat, maybe a bit of cheese, a thin layer of Mayo or mustard. With a few potato chips (crisps) on the side and maybe a pickle if I’ve got it, that’s a meal for me!
My grandma (British heritage) always made us creamed tuna on toast, with peas. SO delicious. Now that I’m grown and I make it myself, I realize how far you can stretch that! Makes a load with just one can of tuna.
For washing, my washer and dryer is in our basement in a second bath. I take out all denim and hang it on hangers on the curtain rod. Also shake out all towels so the drier doesn’t have to work so hard to get them uncrumpled. Those things cut my drying time in half.
Working from home has saved me a TON of money on fuel.
Thanks for sharing
Put a dry towel or a microfibres towel in with your wet towels and they will dry quicker.
@@jackleentoop7693 no kidding!
@@jackleentoop7693 I will have to try that-thanks!
Buck rarebit , poached egg covered in cheese sauce, lovely , also remember being bathed in the kitchen sink , your neighbours were auntie and uncle and collecting worms for your neighbours to take fishing , the windows being frozen inside in the winter and going to the shop to buy broken biscuits, oh the memories 😥
Oh the broken biscuits. We loved them as kids.
Oh broken biscuits! I used to wake up with thick patterned ice on my windows
When I was in the office I bought my breakfast, lunch & snacks and tea. Coffee was provided by the company.
Me too? I kept s box of oatmeal, a jar of peanut butter and snack breads for a late afternoon sack. In the morning, I would grab a yogurt and a frozen lunch entree and a piece of fruit. I would drink company-provided coffee in the morning and water after that
I’m sure you know that sharing baths is where the phrase “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water”. During Victorian times baths were shared in order of age. So the baby was always bathed last. Super video yesterday again Jane xx
It’s fun bit of history, but mucky but fun.
I live in South Africa and have realized that the UK roots - 2 generations ago - are well and truly alive still in my life and in the lives of my children
Thanks Janet
In the Netherlands most of us use clotheslines, make our own lunches, bike to work or school. We are thrifty people too.
Good to hear
I’m half Dutch and half English living in Australia, so I understand being frugal from both sides. My Dutch father hated any sort of waste, so did my English Nanna.
I've never bought a lunch out this past year. If I don't have time to make something I bring dry oatmeal and add water and microwave it at work in the break room. The container is a tall Tupperware that doesn't let the oatmeal boil over. A banana chopped up with my spoon into the oatmeal fills me up just fine and costs very little.
I grew up on a dairy farm in the 1950s and 60s in Wisconsin. We did every one of those items except public transport as there was none. To this day I still do the laundry, dishes, food, sandwiches, cloths etc. the same way. It saves money but is also rewarding self-sufficiency and a practical assist to the environment.
The Brits still do those things
I wish I lived somewhere that had good public transport. Sometimes I want to go somewhere but don't feel like driving lol
I live in England and never have takeaways…I lived in France and my next door neighbour knew how to stretch a Franc! She also tracked every single cent she spent! No waste whatsoever!
Thanks for sharing
People wonder how we afford overseas holidays because they see us living frugally and assume we don't have discretionary money. We addressed the big things first to save $ like paying off a smaller house, no debt, solar power, retirement savings, and recently got rid of our second car and a trailer. We also do all the everyday frugal things you listed. So we put $ aside for emergencies and bills, plus we save extra for our holidays! It's definitely our frugal choices that provide some latitude for other choices. Cheers Jane!
Thanks for sharing
And nothing store bought or bakery made can beat the deliciousness of home cooked and baked! 💖❤💖
So true- lemon drizzle cake- staple ingredients! How easy is it?
When I was young we had an outside toilet but my father being a bricklayer put in an inside toilet with the help of friends who were in the building trade. In the UK the water rates are normally done on an all you can use system as they are worked out on the rateable value of the home from 1991. Modern homes have water meters, I live in a flat that was probably built in the 50's and had a water meter fitted in 2019 and since then I've used just over a years usage of water and paid a few pounds more than what they were charging me per year prior to 2019. I boil a kettle for just about all the hot water I need, even to fill a bowl for the washing up, then add some cold water to drop the temperature and leave the stuff I've washed up to drain on the side of the sink in a rack.
We grew up here in America doing the same things and continue doing them. I grew up in a very small house 🏠 around 900 Sq ft with 5 people living in it no heat or air conditioning in Central Florida. Temperatures would get above 100 degrees we would go outside and play under a shade tree drinking water and sometimes kool-aid or lemonade.
Everything piece of clothing was hung up on the clothes line. Many people here where I live still hang up laundry. We do same things here in America. Most people don't but we keep it Simple.
We(my husband and I) lived in a 1207 square foot home and sold that and now live in a 904 square foot house in the country in Middle Tennessee.
We bought a Used but in the box new wood stove off of Facebook Market place this summer will be using in the winter here. Price for Electric has gone up over $80.00 for us last month. Not sure what this month will be. I've turned off everything that are phantom drainers in our house for last 3 months and bill got higher.
We have Mini Split Heat pump system for house like in Europe and Japan. I have a health condition that if I get to hot I could pass out so on hot days I have to run it.
Even though your British and we are American we have done and still do same things. Have a Blessed Day!
We are the same, there’s more that unites and we’re only divided by the ocean
I read recently that it is perfectly safe to wash dishes in cold water with washing up liquid. It's the scrubbing action and detergent that kills bacteria.
As an American, I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
My Mother was from Birmingham (Born in Belfast Northern Ireland but raised in Birmingham) and my Dad was from Cork, Ireland. They both lived this frugal way of life, use it up, wear it out, don't replace it till it's broke and passed all that on to me!
They moved to the USA in 1948 and then in 1965 I came along and when I was 10 we moved to Cork Ireland. So I grew up the same way too!
With the bath, I was the only child so I got the bath to myself, but Mum was known to get in after me.
Hand me down clothes? Oh yeah, my Mum had a number of brother and sisters as so did my Dad, so since I was the 2nd youngest granddaughter(youngest grandchild is a boy) So, oh boy did I get ALL the Hand-me-downs from clothes to bicycles and roller skates!
Every day we eat at home except for a special occasion when we would splurge and go out.
Brown Bag lunch to school and work - Oh yeah! We did that! Still do it today!
Sandwiches? Oh yeah everything from Fish-stick sandwiches to Chip Butty
Beans on Toast?? Oh yeah! We had that quite a few nights a week!
Tiny Homes? Yup My Mom's childhood home was very tiny for 3 girls and 2 boys. My Dad's too with 3 sisters and 3 brothers in 2 bedrooms no less! Oh and the bathroom was OUTSIDE lol!
Oh the Wash Line!!! Yup, and I still love using one today! Nothing better! I still have a Clothes Horse.
Dishwasher??? Yep we had one - that was ME!
Public Transit? I miss the Double Decker ( I actually now Drive a 40 foot Public Transit Bus for a living in the USA - No Double Decker's here in the USA though)
Lift Sharing - My Mom and her sisters would do that with us all their kids on a regular basis.
Decorations?? It took me some time when I moved back to the USA to get used to seeing homes decorated for every holiday known to man-kind....I do have to admit that I do decorate for the Fall and the Spring though I have to say and I will put the Flag out for July 4th, Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Picnics? We had LOADS of those when I was growing up! I Miss all those get-togethers. All us kids are so spread apart all over the world now.
DIY? That's my middle name....just got off the ride-on-mower doing a 1/2 acre. Tomorrow it's weed-whacking, and mulching and jet spraying the front porch and back patio as well as the outside of the house.
It was great having parent's from the "Old Country" LOL!
Thanks very much for watching and sharing
In belfast I lived in a terraced home with a cement back yard, when I married an aussie and flew away. Australia's standard houses are massive, my standard basic home at the moment is 3 bed, with seperate bathroom and seperate laundry, front and back gardens and most houses are standalone, and all on one level
Lol you are describing home life exactly how it is, It's called a barmcake in the North I love cheese on toast or almond butter and bananas bacon or egg , I eat bread everyday it's a way to fill up, I love a chip butty it's comfort food or a fish finger butty, when we we're little we had whatever was in on a butty brown sauce, jam , sugar although I never had that, one of things I've adopted from the french is I make coffee from a cafetiere it's part of my little me time ritual.we never go out to coffeeshops or takeaways everything is made from scratch.
So nice to hear that the Brittisch have learned to be frugal from their Dutch neighbours, the inventers of Frugality😉😁 most of the things the Dutch do as well and I know the Germans and Finnish and Scandinavions do too. Except beans on toast. That is very, very Brittish! And yes, Dutch nurses also have to pay for parking as the hospital. Love our public transport, when they are not on strike. We call lift sharing carpooling.
We took “drying racks” for our dorm room at university
My British Grandma would make stewed tomatoes on toast. Yummy.
I love tinned tomatoes on toast
Chipped beef and gravy on toast; a smear of cream cheese, fresh sprouts, and a mix of chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro and jalapeno on toast, the list could go on for a long time, couldn't it! My family history includes many of the things you mentioned, and I only recently found out we are about 90% from the British Isles ~ traditions do not die out; I hand wash dishes, line dry clothes, grow things, do my own cleaning, sewing, and repairs, cook, walk in the fresh air, and celebrate all of the small things that bring joy. Thanks for reminding me of these things.
We Americans do this. We call it SOS;sh-t on a shingle. I believe that is a WW2 Army term. I love it. I hang my clothes but have a dryer. Like you both, we have one car by choice. We eat most meals at home. We heat primarily by wood. Solar energy. I am not good about bringing food out with us, but I am inspired to do better. Two years ago we downsized to a much smaller home. Thanks for your well-planned and informative videos.
Thanks Bri.
Thanks Anne
Praise God for these ideas May God bless us all with better ways to save. 🙏 Amen sister
Update. American sandwiches don't have many slices of meat any longer. That day has come and gone. Cut backs were made a couple of years ago in different types of eateries. Deli sandwiches have 2 or 3 slices now compared to years ago with 6 to 8 slices. Cut backs were also made on tomatoes and lettuce.The prices for sandwiches have more than doubled.
Glad to hear that.
So many of these things I can no longer do!! It's a shock when you find how much you have to spend on cleaner, gardener etc. as you get older. Mind you, I never have cleaned my own outside windows. I'm lucky to live in a terrace (of 8 houses) where my neighbours help keep my home warm/cool depending on the time of year.
Thanks Val
I'm not British, but I often eat avacado dip on toast as a meal when I come home from working and am tired. It gives me enough energy to get thru the evening chores until bedtime. I live alone, so I don't cook much for just myself.
Thanks very much for watching
I live in an apartment that does not have a laundromat or laundry hook up. So to save money I bought a portable washing machine that is made for campers or tiny houses to wash my laundry and then I just hang it up to dry. Saves so much money by not going to the expensive laundromat.
Good idea
Thank you for the tips. And thanks to Miss Lori from Whipperwill Holler for sharing your channel. May God bless you as you bless others.
Indeed, a huge thank you to Lori.
Back in school during home economics class one of the first things we learnt to cook was Victoria sponge :)
You make me proud to be a frugal Brit. PS Fried egg on toast and marmite 🙂
I have a dishwasher but haven’t used it in years and years. Use a plastic dishpan, usually only wash once daily- just me and my husband.
It’s so funny that most ALL of these things used to be normal in the US too. I don’t know what happened. Of course, we still do most all of it ourselves… yard work, pressure washing, cooking, baking, hand me downs… Ride sharing used to be a thing in the US (now my husband works virtually from home, so no ride needed). We don’t eat everything on a sandwich, but there is hamburger gravy over toast, sausage gravy over toast, and even creamed tuna over toast… mostly in the southern US. I also learned to wash dishes in the right order, in the sink, with no dishwasher. With 4 kids, I did end up with a dishwasher. Sorry, can’t do EVERYTHING!
Thanks for sharing
I shared a bath with my sister as a young child. I don't share bath water now, but I do save shower water collected in the bath to use to fill the toilet cistern!
Nothing wrong with hand-me-downs, or second hand clothes from charity shops.
Home cooked meals were and still are normal. Never use take aways. I used to take a packed lunch to work.
I'm not a great baker, but I use ready made pastry to make fruit turn-overs...
Fried egg, bacon, cheese in a bap with butter 😋 😋
Beans on toast with butter, topped with cheese and Worcestershire sauce - grilled.
Thanks for sharing
I remember my mum drying the washing infront of the fire on a clothes horse when she couldn't dry it outside.
Then she'd iron it and then put everything in the airing cupboard to air off. We couldn't wear anything that wasn't aired...
My favourite sandwich growing up was a crisp sandwich. Just bread and butter with plain crisps 😋
We had the same upbringing
What is an airing cupboard?
@@kathybreton4570 What is a British airing cupboard?
Definition of airing cupboard
British. : a heated cupboard in which sheets, towels, clothes, etc., are kept warm and dry.
Maybe I am a throwback to my Scotch/English roots. My family has been in America since the 1700's I think, but the other way of life feels much more normal to me.
We have hand me down of school uniform in my grandson's school.
You take in a couple of items your child has outgrown and take home the next size up of the same items. People tend to hand in all their year 6 children's uniform on the "own clothes" days at the end of the summer term as the kids are about to move on to high school.
Those 11 to 12 year old size clothes keep the pot boiling, being handed to the next year down, ready for the start of the next term in September.
Almost all the families take part. It is not a matter of income alone, but teaching the kids about waste and world resources.
For me, scrambled eggs on toast, canned sardines on toast, Novell on toast. Yes, I like toast!
Great lesson for the children to share too
Oops, for Novell, read Bovril..... The Kindle is on a mission to change what I say again!
I am in the USA and we simply call them drying racks. I grew up with eight brothers and sisters and momma washed us each night in the summer cleanest to dirtiest. She heated the water on top of a wood stove. We played outside in the summer and were quit dirty by evening. Bath time was right before dinner. She washed our clothes on a washboard in a wash tub. Hung them out to dry. Growing up in Alaska in the winter they would freeze dry out on the clothesline and then would be brought in and hung on drying racks by the stove to finish drying. Hand me downs were all we had except for underwear they were always new. Life was fun and full of adventure. My mothers sibling lived close by and grandpa also. Grandpa had an enormous garden we all worked in and it was shared among 3 families. We had a root cellar. It was always locked to keep the children out . We caught salmon and ate moose meat. Grew up on powdered milk. We ate beans at least twice a week. Loads of potatoes. Oatmeal and cream of wheat or pancakes were breakfast. Rolled pancakes with jam were lunch most days. I am in my sixties now and I am sure it was hard for my Momma but I remember that time as wonderful.
Many British people live like this now, I wasn’t talking about the past
@@FrugalQueeninFrance Yes , I knew you were not talking about the past. I still do many things as my Momma did but life was very hard then and now I have grown to appreciate everything she did for us. She was such a hard worker. Life then was very busy and I am sure a struggle at times. We had no running water just a well and no indoor plumbing when I was young. You channel makes me realize that sometimes I am wasteful and I will have to work on that. I am not big on shopping but I do tend to use to much water. I do not waste food. I could improve in many little ways and I so do appreciate the reminder. Many in America are wasteful and as you said in one of your videos "greedy". I really do enjoy your channel and I am learning that although I thought I was frugal thereis still much room for improvement.
It's common in my home ,to take gravy left over from a roast beef or chicken etc and have a meal with the gravy over toast. Very much a comfort food for me. I'm 67 years old and was raised by depression era parents so frugality was the norm in our home!
Yummy
Picnics are wonderful. Everything tastes better when eaten in a picnic.
Thanks very much and that’s very true
I grew up in rural US. We had chickens and a large vegetable garden. My mom cooked all of our meals and hung the clothes out on a clothes line. We had a wringer washer until I was about 10. We didn’t eat much meat, mostly eggs, fruit and veggies from the garden, and my mom made all of our bread. If a hen stopped laying, we would have roasted or fried chicken. Our only outing was the library every two weeks. We all had chores and washed our own windows and cut our own lawn. My dad was Scottish and Irish, so we had lots of oats and potatoes and cabbage. I was 12 the first time I ate out, when my mom was in the hospital giving birth to my brother, my grandfather took us to McDonald’s. I remember not being impressed with the food. 😅
Thanks for sharing.
I love your tips and have done most of them over the years... I am American. We are 2 adults and one teenager. We save a ton of money with all the little hacks. We are saving to put my son through college so we use the least amount of money and resources possible. We have one, twenty year old vehicle that we drive sparingly and mainly bike rides around our town. We may not have a ton of extra "stuff" but we have a lot of love and joy in our home. Not all Americans are wasteful and larger than life.
Indeed you are not. Thanks for watching.
In the US we are being encouraged to use our dishwashers since they use very little water and we are in a drought conditions in many areas. I run mine about once a week or less since I live alone.
Such a fantastic video Jane and Mike, I listened to you on my way home from work in the car. I kept saying ‘yes we do’ to everything you said. 😄
Thanks Marteena
In Canada - a bread roll is called a bun
In Canada 🇨🇦 (Gen X here) I bathed with my little sister and that’s how my mom grew up too - siblings bathed together or right after. And hand me downs! Siblings and cousins
What a great video. We do and have done all these things but I have noticed younger people aren’t anywhere as thrifty in the UK. American traditions and life style are creeping in. Supermarkets are full of pumpkins in October, and younger friends think we are strange because we don’t have a dishwasher or tumble dryer. My husband is my dishwasher and the washing goes outside on a the line and comes in to air or finish drying on a clothes horse, in front of our wood burning stove. Our house is very small, a kitchen diner, lounge, 2 bedrooms, bathroom and cloakroom, we use every inch of space. We also have a driveway for a car and a 6x4’ garden shed, which is my husband’s workshop. I do look forward to your videos, take care, stay strong and let’s hope the world’s problems begin to ease soon.
I love pumpkin….roasted or in soup
@@FrugalQueeninFrance So do I. I tried roasting the seeds once but that was a complete failure.
Canadian here - grew up with beans on toast and spaghetti on toast - sometimes mixed together! I still east tuna or salmon on open faced toast and love it. Mind you, my grandmother was English, so maybe that's where it came from.
Of course, I forgot tinned spaghetti on toast
Lovely video. I lived in London for a couple of years during my studies. Absolutely love British livelihood. Missing some big breakfast from my regular pub weatherpoon. Greetings from Victoria Australia 🇦🇺
There is no better breakfast that what we call the full Monty
This explanation makes me feel better about not having things. No keeping up with the Jones's in our house! Play this vid to your kids when they feel hard done by like mine did growing up, especially the hand me down school uniform my youngest complained about. Remember buying a size too big to grow into to make them last even longer. They have their own careers now and a better understanding of the cost of living.
Thanks very much
Oh, and how can I forget... sliced, fresh tomatoes from the garden on buttered bread or toast (actually breakfast this morning). Most of the ideas you talked about are what I was raised on with a single mom who had to be frugal by necessity. And, many are things I see myself going back to. Thanks for the reminder, Jane.
Many Brits and this Brit still do these, in my case to save money but for some it’s necessity
Tomatoes with onions on rye bread is an evening staple as soon as our tomatoes are ripe. When the season is over, we do not buy tomatoes because they are expensive and taste horrible.
One of my favourite quick “on toast” lunches is pate or tinned mackerel in spicy tomato sauce on brown toast! 😊
I’m American and I do most of those things. I don’t decorate for Halloween but I like to put a fall wreath on our door, and the same for spring/Easter. I dry our clothes on a drying rack and hang things on a rod in our small laundry room. I cook every night and plan my menus each week. We do all of our yard work and we take care of our vegetable garden as well. I have friends who hire someone to clean their house but I actually enjoy cleaning and besides, no one does it better than I do!
Great money saving
Wonderful ways to cut costs.
Thanks Maria
Moving to my small apartment is the best thing I ever did. Halved the bills, half the work to keep up to it. Wish I had done it years ago.
Thanks Pat. I’m glad it worked out for you.
Great video!!! here in the US, when i grew up back in the 1970's we did a lot of those things and then something happened in the 80's ( everybody caught affluenza) and stopped doing them.
they did call the 1980's the era of decadence in the US. they were right.
Thanks again.
Just because we have money, doesn’t mean we have to spend it
Excellent point re affluenzq.
Dear Frank, "affluenza', what a briljant expression! Ahh, if only antibiotics would work against this serious yet common ailment!;)
Caught Affluenza--- 🤣 That's hilarious and true.
Hello. I am impressed with the British money saving lifestyle information. Thank you.
I was wondering if you had noticed habits, practises the French use to save money?
As well have you incorporated any into your brilliant world?
Their left wing politics is their greatest money savings. Great state pension, affordable childcare, socialized medical care and medicine, 35 hour working week and 6 weeks paid holidays
My Mum was raised in Birmingham and my Father born and raised in Cork Ireland. They did EVERYTHING you mentioned and I was raised that way too even though my parents came to America in 1939. Hand-Me-Downs??? Oh yes! My Mum had 2 sisters and the Hand-Me-Downs were passed back and forth to all their kids (my cousins) Beans on Toast? Many Dinners over the years that's what we had with a side salad.....and Chip Butty? Oh yes, I LOVE them. People here in America think its strange but whatever! When we lived in Cork Ireland from when I was 10 till 18 we had a "Utility Room" and that's where the washing machine was..no dryer it all got hung on "the line" When the weather was bad the clothes horse was set up in the bathtub.
Thanks for sharing, we still live like that.
I live in a rural area in the US, and our public transportation options are nil. Without a car, I wouldn't be able to get to work, the shops, etc, since they are all ten or more miles away, and the speeds of cars on our roadways make cycling a serious hazard. I used to live SIXTY miles away. I wish I had more transport options.
Hi Amy. I don’t speak of your circumstances but my own. I’ve only ever chosen to live where there is or was a transport network. I’d never choose to live where there wasn’t.
As an American, I do almost every single one of these. I don't have babies. But I do use my drying towel from my bath for one week before wash. I just hang it on the drying rack after each use.
Our buses have a rack on the front where you can put your bike to take with you between stops.
I've always dried my clothes on the line or rack indoors. My jeans have actually lasted longer by doing that and some are now 30 yrs old. 🙃
On toast I have mashed avocado and cucumbers- is my favorite...or cottage cheese and pineapple as a dessert.
I grow my own mint tea. I only get coffee or tea out when I have a gift card.
I came from very frugal parents and I do not know any other way.
Sounds lovely, thanks for sharing
Fish finger sarnies are tasty ! With tomato sauce even better ! Bread buns make a meal . Egg mayo - salad - toasties with cheese onion and tomato the list is endless ! If you've got bread you've got a meal . I've had left over veg - fried it and made a sandwich. Cheap and tasty . 👍
Yum
I love this video. I am quite surprise to hear that British people are quite frugal. I am from Malaysia, and many of these habits are a part of our culture as well, except for the bread and bath situation. But for us, everthing goes with rice. A large plate of rice with 1 fried egg, and some sweet soy sauce is everybody's favourite frugal meal or lazy meal. 😊
Thanks for sharing
Do you put kecap manis on that rice plate or is it something else? I want to try it.
@@happycook6737 some on the rice and some on the egg. But indonesia's kecap manis is a little bit different than our malaysia's kicap manis, ours is a little bit thinner and a bit salty and sweet. Indonesia's kecap manis is thicker and sweeter. I love both, especially with a some sambal. 😋😋
Hello most of the points you talk about are common sense that can help any body in any country,thanks for sharing.😅
I’ve done all these things, and passed on to my now adult children. I’ve never had a dishwasher or drier, so what you’ve never had you don’t miss.
Taking lunch to work is another lifelong habit, and then I had to smile when remembering Luncheon Vouchers commonly issued by employers in the 70’s as a (very small) contribution towards employees’ daily lunches!
Thanks Julie, we still do the same
Oh yes! I used to spend mine filling up the freezer each month, I took my own lunches to work then and still do today, saves me a fortune each month. Leftovers are known as my lunch-overs .
I had a friend who worked at the post office in the 80s and they had an amazingly subsidised canteen. He never cooked because he's get a hot meal and dessert for next to nothing every week day- if I recall for as little as 60p. I was at university then and a hot canteen meal was at least £4 to £5.
At 65 still working as a nurse in a retirement home, our meals are free at work 😊
I was raised that way as well on bathing when I was a child. I wore the neighbor's hand me downs because I was the only girl in our family. My kids wore each others because there 6 of them.
Yep! A typical British lifestyle, you’ll be having other nationalities feeling sorry for us, another thing we save money on is toilet flushing, if it’s yellow, let it mellow, I won’t go into further detail.
We don’t need sympathy, we’re just fine
Mushrooms on toast is delicious. I’m British and agree with everything you’ve said here, apart from the pumpkins at Halloween? I have four ‘clothes maidens’ and they’re all being used right now, there’s no way I’m using my dryer with the energy price rises right now. We also do everything ourselves around the house and garden, it saves us money and keeps us fit! Thanks Jane, I love your videos, you feel like an old friend to me now!
I think pumpkins for decorating is a pity, they need eating
@@FrugalQueeninFrance I know what you mean, I’m going to try and keep some of the flesh this year so I can make pumpkin cupcakes. It does seem wasteful now that I think about it!
Pumpkins as decoration is very American. It's not a traditionally British thing.
Fried mushrooms with a bit of kale, garlic and tiny bit of soy sauce is perfect with toast.
I need the recipe for mushrooms on toast! Never heard of it.
Jane I had to smile when you mentioned that anything can go into a sandwich, as mum was a huge proponent of leftovers sandwiches when I was a child in the 50s and 60s. Chip butties are a favourite of mine but mum trumped that by making what was my favourite sandwich for years. In early summer she'd slice leftover new potatoes, (the ultimate being the Jersey Royal)', added shredded spring onion and a goodly glug of salad cream. This went between two slices of buttered bread and was seasoned with freshly ground pepper and a very little salt. (Mmm... I think I might be moved to try one again... )🤣 And for toast? Some fried halved tomatoes, well seasoned with salt and pepper. I still love those! Again well buttered toast is essential. And I'm about to reap the benefits of tiny apartment living. (I downsized a few years ago). My one bedroomed home doesn't need heating in winter! Using a slow cooker for a couple of hours and I'm having to open a window on most occasions. And of course I wash up by hand. Some most enjoyable reminders that we can all start save small amounts and end up saving quite a lot!
Thanks for watching and commenting
What's a chippie butty? Is that a French fry sandwich? What else goes on it? I want to try it at home. We love the baked beans over baked potato!
My grown son even puts his 'cooked' dinner (roast) in a cob and even the next days chinese leftover takeaway in a sandwich! I have no dishwasher or tumble drier, I put the clothes on the washing line all year round and finish off if not dry enough on the ceiling airer above the log fire.We're from South Wales Uk.
We love beans on toast, garlic mushrooms on toast are great too. It's a bread roll where I live.
We use a clothes horse to dry clothes if it is raining, we do have a slimline dishwasher but rarely use it. I know some people in the USA have converted their garages to studio apartments and rent them out to generate income.
Very sensible renting the garage
Lovely vid Jane! I so relate to these stories. We all bath our children together and their clothes are shared between them and their cousins. Lots of us still hand knit winter kit for the kids too. Taking a home made cake is still done, especially to anyone who has just had a baby or been poorly. You can scarcely take anything more welcome! Some of our favourite foods on toast are beans and a fried egg, cheese, sardines and best of all a whole full English breakfast. In West Yorkshire a bread cake is known as a tea cake but slightly further south a tea cake has raisins in it. We dry outside in good weather and on a creel, that comes down from the ceiling, in Winter.
Thanks so much for sharing
I think most baby boomers from all over the world learned how to be thrifty because we basically grew up poor!
Most of us still are
Those who aren't poor have achieved that by being frugal in the past and make sure of not becoming poor again by continuing to do so.
Yes agree! 😸❤️💜💙
Appreciate the suggestions and insight into British Life. I do many of these things already and of course some are not possible living out in Rural America. Our new Version of Eating Out is actually eating out... yes picnicking. We really can't afford the gas and the expensive of dining out so if we do a little day trip I make sure to bring along plenty of food and drinks. My van is a Mini-Camper and I can even cook food in it. So we just find a nice venue, a lake or park, and open up the side doors and back hatch and have our own picnic. It's actually quite fun. Just today we went exploring several covered bridges as well as stopping a Lake and fish hatchery. The only expense was the gas for the van.
Thanks for sharing