I wondered what economies we PCers could share amongst ourselves:

Here's a couple of mine:

1. On finishing a jar of pickled onions, I utilize the aromatic surplus vinegar on my chips. Those lovely oniony flavours seethe through my french fries a treat . . . scrum scrummy and a few pennies saved towards that extra beer.




2. To combat hairdressers' and barbers' increasing extortion of the proletariat, I now cut my own hair. Two mirrors, sharp pair of scissors, a little artistic flair and hey presto. Okay the back sometimes looks a bit of a turd , but who cares if they're laughing behind me? What I can't see doesn't hurt!

I've been living the frugal life for many years. Ever since being a bare-footed flower-toting hippie.

I make all my own tidbits. All sorts of pickles, jellies, wine, cheese, cakes, bread and home canned veg. From scratch. I'd distill my own liquor, too, if it weren't fer the revenewers.

He-who-must-be-obeyed shoots deer, rabbit, and squirrel. Not to mention bass crappie and trout.

Frugal maybe, but I bet those preserves, vegetables and bread etc are far tastier and wholesome than anything bought in a supermarket, Lavonne

Squirrels!  You eat squirrels?  What do they taste like?

Don't make me say it. :)

Squirrel - fried or stewed. Only when the little varmits get too numerous.

I guess with all the running and climbing squirrels do, the meat would be rather tender.  I'm wondering if it's chicken-like, or more of a dark meat. 

I was once offered some beetles -the variety of which I forget- oil-fried in a wok while rambling in the Far East.  But the memory's hazy now and I can't remember if I sampled a spoon. They certainly didn't look appetising!


A money-saving tip has been posted in another group:

"When I get to the end of a toilet paper roll, I use the cardboard insert to wipe my butt.
It's not as good as using corn cobs, but it does a sufficient job and saves money, too."

Thx again Pattie :-)

No thanks! I'll stick to using the cardboard tubes for cat toys, Christmas decorations and doop-de-doops.

I have a squirrel-eating story.  If you're interested I'll tell you.

Frugal to me means don't spend so much money, so that's how I'm frugal.

c

I remember eating squirrels, and rook pie, during the war, and nettles were a substitute for spinach. Some, unkowingly, ate cats, as when skinned they appeared the same as rabbits, though with a slight blueish tinge to the flesh.  Whale meat was also on the menu, and horse meat. The latter very tough, as only horses past their working life were slaughtered. We didn't get to eat rats, as was common at sea or in sieges in older times. As is demonstrated by culinary favorites in many parts of the world, there are a multitude of possibilities.

Cheers

milner

Wonderful memories Milner! OK let's hear the story Cher.

Oh it will just make you sick.  milner's tales of rats and cats almost outdid me.

My ex-husband skinned a squirrel and hung it on a clothesline when I was pregnant with my first baby and had morning sickness.  Then called me out to the back to see it.  Not only was I shocked but it made me SO sick, that later when he made squirrel stew for family and friends, I couldn't do anything but throw-up all night back in the bedroom.  To this day, I can barely even think about a squirrel much less be around cooked squirrel.  Can't bare the thought.  And also can't bear the thought of eating anything wild.  Now and then I can eat venison, but only as chili or barbecue.

cheryl

Oh the trials of Motherhood!

changing the subject swiftly:


Summer being in the air, my thoughts are turning to tottering further afield for my nightly gargle.  But aren't beer prices dear in town-centre pubs?  Having tried smuggling my own cans into the pub in a small suitcase and doing the under-table quick pull and pour technique and been forcibly ejected - bloody CCTV!  It's omnipresent nowadays - I have come up with a new ploy.  My friend Roy, a cleaner at the local hospital, has pilfered me a pair of 3 pint catheter bags* from the urology dept.  I shall be strapping them on the next fine evening, filling them with supermarket bitter, extending the penile tube to an oral one and . . . cheers!

Summer in the air, my thoughts are also turning to romance.  I thought this year along with my new courting trousers, I might get rid of the gray hair.  But isn't hair dye expensive?  I know shoe polish doesn't have the same variation of shades, but dark tan is close and to avoid pillow-soiling, I'm going to seal my hair afterwards with a clear auto-varnish.  So job done. & cheaply.  Here's to the summer!


(*used catheter bags from the bin, I must stress. I don't condone stealing from hospitals)

Probably, the only thing I buy new is underwear.  The used market has always helped
my family not just get by, but thrive. Purchasing much of our needs second hand has
left us money for vacations and the ability to spend on special occasions that arise.  This
has been the most effective method of cutting costs for us.

However, it troubles me to see that what was once second hand, is now third or forth. Our
economic downturn has seen the emergence of a consignment industry. People who before
donated their surplus items, now profit from them. Consequently, the merchandise that now
ends up at thrift stores is of less quality and poor condition.

I have tried many things over the years, canning, coupon clipping, sewing.....but many of those
methods have a time investment that when factored in.....sort of cancels the actual savings.
Naturally, if one enjoys the activities, then time is not an issue for them.  I enjoyed sewing, but
I couldn't say it saved me money.  It cost more to buy the material new than buying a comparable
item used.

I think this was supposed to be a funny commentary.  I guess I don't joke about money.

Interesting topic, especially in these times. (And Desiree, I enjoyed your post.)

Good times or bad, I try to live by Thoreau's dictum in Walden: "Simplify, simplify." My car is 15 years old, a Corolla, and although it looks horrible (great deterrent to theft), it drives wonderfully, and I have no plans to rid myself of it until it refuses to budge. As to other possessions, I am constantly surveying what I use and what just sits and adds clutter to my life. I employ the "use it or lose it" rule in my life: If I have not used something within a year or so, I look at auctioning it off (thank you, eBay!) or throwing it away. Whenever I think now of adding some thing in my life, I ask what purpose it will serve, for how long, and I ask how difficult it will be to rid myself of it when the time comes. You would be surprised at how little you actually need to live and be happy. Take a walk around to look at the things in your "possession" now and ask how many of them you have used or even looked at in the last year. Make an imaginary pile of all of that stuff. Now throw it all away in your head. How much lighter would you be?

It is all too easy to become not only encumbered by our debt and our possessions but absolutely imprisoned by these as well. I loved Desiree's comment about being able to take vacations because of the thrift she exercises, for in her example we see clearly the advantage that thrift allows--the advantage of freedom to do things that, in the end, are truly important and meaningful.

I could go on and on about this subject, but I'll say just this: when many of us think back to the "happiest times" of our lives, we return to a period of few possessions, few commitments, little or no debt--in short, a period of freedom. The challenge is to maintain that state throughout life.

Ah, yes. As summer approaches, it might just be a good time to revisit Walden, a book I have not read in years. Summer is the perfect time for it.

---

Simplify, simplify. Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion. Our life is like a German Confederacy, made up of petty states, with its boundary forever fluctuating, so that even a German cannot tell you how it is bounded at any moment. The nation itself, with all its so - called internal improvements, which, by the way are all external and superficial, is just such an unwieldy and overgrown establishment, cluttered with furniture and tripped up by its own traps, ruined by luxury and heedless expense, by want of calculation and a worthy aim, as the million households in the land; and the only cure for it, as for them, is in a rigid economy, a stern and more than Spartan simplicity of life and elevation of purpose. It lives too fast. Men think that it is essential that the Nation have commerce, and export ice, and talk through a telegraph, and ride thirty miles an hour, without a doubt, whether they do or not; but whether we should live like baboons or like men, is a little uncertain. If we do not get out sleepers, and forge rails, and devote days and nights to the work, but go to tinkering upon our lives to improve them, who will build railroads? And if railroads are not built, how shall we get to heaven in season? But if we stay at home and mind our business, who will want railroads? We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us. Did you ever think what those sleepers are that underlie the railroad? Each one is a man, an Irishman, or a Yankee man. The rails are laid on them, and they are covered with sand, and the cars run smoothly over them. They are sound sleepers, I assure you. And every few years a new lot is laid down and run over; so that, if some have the pleasure of riding on a rail, others have the misfortune to be ridden upon. And when they run over a man that is walking in his sleep, a supernumerary sleeper in the wrong position, and wake him up, they suddenly stop the cars, and make a hue and cry about it, as if this were an exception. I am glad to know that it takes a gang of men for every five miles to keep the sleepers down and level in their beds as it is, for this is a sign that they may sometime get up again.

--Henry David Thoreau, from Walden

and from the great final chapter:

I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

http://www.princeton.edu/~batke/thoreau/ghindex.html

Not only does "less" save money, but time. You can spend half your week on the maintenance of your belongings - landscaping, household machinery repair, house stuff, automotive stuff, computer fiddlings, cell phone fiddling, bike repair, shopping for this or that or the other things.

Absolutely! "Less is more" is a cliche I rarely utter (except to myself) because it's a cliche, but I remind myself of it at every turn.

Back to Thoreau:

Thank God, I can sit and I can stand without the aid of a furniture warehouse. What man but a philosopher would not be ashamed to see his furniture packed in a cart and going up country exposed to the light of heaven and the eyes of men, a beggarly account of empty boxes? That is Spaulding's furniture. I could never tell from inspecting such a load whether it belonged to a so-called rich man or a poor one; the owner always seemed poverty-stricken. Indeed, the more you have of such things the poorer you are.

As to furniture itself, you would be surprised at what a good table a cardboard box can make!

...I needed so much
To have nothing to touch
I've always been greedy that way...

Leonard Cohen


Very pleasurable getting rid of things, liberating, I find it more enjoyable than aquiring things.  My local tip is a very busy place on a Sunday!

Desiree, I buy a lot of 2nd hand clothes too.  Get them from my local charity shops.  it's a nice feeling  - you get some bargain-priced gear and also the satisfaction of knowing the money's going to Red Cross, Oxfam, etc.  Also sometimes with 2nd hand gear, you're getting a top brand-name in good condition which is somehow more appealing than buying new clothes of an inferior label/brand.

Cardboard boxes.  Now that makes me feel normal.  Glad to know I'm not the only one who saves and uses them.  I love 'em all shapes and sizes.  Use them for storing all kinds of stuff, and on days when I'm feeling crafty I paper mache them, which makes them stronger and prettier, paint them, section them off for filing, use one side of a box for framing--the list goes on and on.  I remember loving boxes and playing with them when I was a little girl.  They make great doll houses.

Old books are the same way, if I don't want to keep them.  I'm embarrassed to say I'm a hoarder of all kinds of books.  I've learned to throw away magazines and newspapers--gosh, what a mess.  With books you can reuse the covers for art or framing, and use the pages inside for different decorative ideas, as well as digital art.  As writers go, I suppose, I love just about anything with the written word on it.  I may end up throwing it away, but I have to read it at least once.

This just in from another source:



Thanks again, Mango

quote from Jay "Ah, yes. As summer approaches, it might just be a good time to revisit Walden, a book I have not read in years. Summer is the perfect time for it."

I just peeked on my bookshelf and saw that my old dog-eared copy of Walden is still on the shelf -waiting - it is the copy I had in high school and it is all highlighted and written in......can't wait to take it down and revisit it!  It has been a long time.....

Michelle

 :D  ;D

A fear of barbers began when my mum used to insist I went once a month or so to a guy with nicotine fingers who discharged me like a bowl had been put on my head and cut around, and in adulthood I've never happened on a place, like in the movies, where the barber greets you by your first name, and knows exactly how you want your hair cut.  Now it seems to be unisex joints or young neo-rock'n'rollers who always ask me where I'm going on holiday this year. 

You too look to be doing a good job with the 2 mirrors, Silent.  As to my icon, now that would be telling!  ;)   :o

dear Peter

i saw this barber shop film Le Mari de la coiffeuse
when it first came out in 1990
and feel you might enjoy it.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hairdresser's_Husband

It won Patrice Leconte the Prix Louis Delluc.

In 1991 it was nominated for "Best Foreign-Language Film" in the British Academy Awards.

~~~~~~~~~~

Have enjoyed this thread.  Nice to hear from you, Jay.

Less is more, and somehow, it's always the rich that say so.
Which begs the question....How would they know?

SL- Enjoyed the Yogi quotation. A good dieter's joke as well.

Peter- Thrift stores in the U.S. also benefit charitable organizations, and some of them employ disabled and mentally
challenged citizens. One does get a sense of helping the community. I have never felt compromised by shopping the used market. I think of second hand clothing as having been field tested for wash and wear. Whatever dye will bleed has bled. The zipper has upped and downed without coming off its tracks.  All that a good ironing can hide is found. Less lint clogs my dry cycle, and shrinkage is unknown.

Cheryl- My boxes are not as diverse as yours. Mostly I use them to haul stuff to the very places I buy from. 

Has anyone watched those reality shows about hoarding?  Just one episode can make you want to clean the garage.

Looks good.  I shall keep an eye out for that.  Thx SL

I cut out land lines for the phone a couple years back and used cells only. Two weeks ago tried the magic jack and after finding it works well I cut minutes on the cell phone plan. Look to save about $100 a month.

I too like the minimalist approach on "things" but can't seem to get the famdamily to concur.

JC

Love this thread.  So frugal, I count a found penny as income!  Keep track of every cent I spend.  Am always over budget but getting better.  Buy no clothes new except underwear, except this weekend I splurged on the Blue Crab Festival in Palatka, FL.  Bought myself the seagrass straw hat I have always wanted and three Andean music cd's.  And of course, a few bottles of lager while I watched and listened to the bands at the Downtown Blues Bar and Grille in Palatka.  11 hours of blues and rock and roll.  Was in heaven.
Sharon
 ;D

I refuse to bend over in the street for anything smaller than a 10p piece, Sharon  :-)


JC, I've been thinking about the minimalistic approach you mention and one of the great exponents of this is the tramp.   Feeding the ducks one morning my girlfriend was startled by a vagabond, carefree in the undergrowth.  

I sow no seed and I pay no rent,
  And I thank no man for his bounties,
But I've a treasure that's never spent,
  I'm lord of a dozen counties.

from John Drinkwater's The Vagabond  http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/53343-John-Drinkwater-The-Vagabond


Philip Larkin alludes to the freedom of the counterculture explorer with newspapers inside his winter shirt.  

Toads

Why should I let the toad work
  Squat on my life?
Can't I use my wit as a pitchfork
  And drive the brute off?

Six days of the week it soils
  With its sickening poison -
Just for paying a few bills!
  That's out of proportion.

Lots of folk live on their wits:
  Lecturers, lispers,
Losels, loblolly-men, louts-
  They don't end as paupers;

Lots of folk live up lanes
  With fires in a bucket,
Eat windfalls and tinned sardines-
  they seem to like it.

Their nippers have got bare feet,
  Their unspeakable wives
Are skinny as whippets - and yet
  No one actually starves.

Ah, were I courageous enough
  To shout Stuff your pension!
But I know, all too well, that's the stuff
  That dreams are made on:

For something sufficiently toad-like
  Squats in me, too;
Its hunkers are heavy as hard luck,
  And cold as snow,

And will never allow me to blarney
  My way of getting
The fame and the girl and the money
  All at one sitting.

I don't say, one bodies the other
  One's spiritual truth;
But I do say it's hard to lose either,
  When you have both.

Philip Larkin




When I slipped into unconsciousness in The Duck and Goose eleven years ago, I overheard my drinking comrade say:  I've seen more life in a tramp's vest

Enjoyed reading this. You spent your money on things that count. Love hearing that a straw hat was a wish-list item! Great stuff.

Think I touched a chord!  Hey, today I found a quarter, a state quarter, South Dakota, and it may be one I need in my collection (10 more sets to collect, grandkids you know).  Bless everyone here, great to be "aboard"!
Sharon  :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_State_Quarters

Just googled state quarters (I'm from UK!) - nice looking coins, the full set'll make a handsome display, Sharon

I once thought of getting a metal-detector.  I must think about it some more - can see myself buzzing down a beach or farmer's field treasure bound!

I've sent partial sets to my grandkids for birthdays, 9 remaining, one spent them all immediately on pot and cigarettes, go figure!  Well it was a gift!!  But I will save one for myself, and complete it, one set, Pittsburgh (I think) mint (or Philadelphia) and one Denver mint, harder to come by in the southeast.  It's fun and occupies my mind!!

this was just forwarded to me and thought it was just tooo humorous not to share it here !


How to Cook Lasagna in your Dishwasher


Watch This Video

http://www.partselect.com/JustForFun/How-To-Cook-Dishwasher-Lasagna.aspx


and more important tips
http://www.partselect.com/JustForFun/Dishwasher-Lasagna.aspx

Hehehe. 

Hey, you've got me thinking I might cook up a beef bourguignon next time I'm in the laundrette (that's a laundromat to you American football fans :-))

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Beautiful_Laundrette


by the way Peter i have lived in The Netherlands for over 30 years.

Tis a lovely country, Holland, friendly people too.


Money Saving Tip
Have been there on the Hull ferry to buy hand-rolling tobacco.  Much cheaper than England for Drum, Golden Virginia etc and cigarettes too.  
Money Saving Tip


The Dutch all seem to speak English too, whereas their wonderful-sounding language can be very difficullt to get one's tongue around lol  

Mijn luchtkussenboot zit vol paling.  Nog een prettige dag toegewenst!

i suggest not save but give, and the more you give the more you will recieve , otherwise it is all struggle and worry , fear , have no fear
give your money away and you'll see!

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.


Matthew 6:25-34 (King James Version)

Look!! the Lord uses emoticons!!

{:->)~  Yes, I did a double-take on that too!

dear Lavonne

that reminded me of how when i was a very young kid .......
and i watched how some creative people used to add an auxiliary windshield wiper reservoir under the hood
and run a hose through the dashboard .....and pumped shots of Vodka into the front seat.