The dark ages..

Getting turned off

Living within the frugal lifestyle as well as it’s erm interesting upsides(mainly cutting back on living costs, I will think of more along the way honest😁) there are those Disciplines you really just have to adhere to..like turning off those lights when you walk out of the room(do you remember your parents screaming at you to do this when you were younger?, I do and remember also as soon as I had my first flat, I left all the lights on all over, just because I could😁) I’ve now grown over the months not only respect this, but learnt the hard way why my parents were indeed right.(I have the bills to prove it), Unplug those things when not in use, yeah I hear you, (but your going to use them in a moment right!?, Wrong! As much of a bother as going round switching off things are, it’s far better to expend that bit of your energy, than pay some large corporation for the use of theirs, especially when your not using the item at the time.

Handwashing(wearing clothes is the bane of my life…..

On waking up, Ive become most grateful for these wonderful lighter mornings, not only does it mean I do not need to switch on lamps to avoid stumbling into objects, that I swear have moved about in the night, but I find I’m waking up that much earlier, I’ve fallen into this kind of routine, one my mother must of had over some fifty years ago…up until three weeks previously, my first thought on waking was always coffee!!, my mind normally just refuses point blank to function without its strong caffeine infused fix, But that was yesterday, now my first thought infact is, is it raining?, if not, I will look out of my window up into the sky to check out the cloud situation…it really doesn’t matter anyhow though as that washing “Will be done”!!!!, (No matter the weather), when you hand wash everything, the last thing you need is to let it build up until you have a mountain of dirty smelly smalls,(who am I kidding) And believe me dirty socks have a life of their own and will at any opportunity grab you by the throat in the night,. So each morning as the sun rises, the dawn chorus begins in earnest, (I throw open the Windows and sing oh what a beautiful morning!😁😁 ..No no what actually happens, is I fumble my way out into the kitchen and grab “the Soakinator!!!!!”, Sounds brilliant doesn’t it?, Almost like a new invention…But folks what this actually boils down too, is a large bucket I fill with cold water, a cap of bleach, cap of washing detergent and swirl with and old wooden spoon like crazy thing, (for other recipes😁)..to this add yesterday’s clothes, and leave to soak for two days,(sorry ok mean an hour or two,) then and only then you actually get chance to not only boil the kettle, but do anything else you can think of in the whole known universe before finally facing up to the dreaded “icy cold shower torture”, suddenly the thought of the upcoming washing, rinsing and repeat doesn’t seem near as bad…

Becoming rational

One of those highlights I was going to mention earlier,(no honestly there are some😁) you get excited by those things that until this point in life, Had become mundane, like tomorrow my rations will magically appear, via the Morrisons grocery truck(Morrisons is a grocery store), I never would have believed that having a few groceries delivered would become exciting, (hang on to your hats guys things are gonna get ultra thrilling now😁. Theres Nothing more magical to a frugal shopper than half price Falafels, no I’m not swearing at you I promise😁, their these little balls😳 of herby chickpeas goodness(how does one say Falafel I wonder?) I’ve no clue myself, but what I do know is they are on offer this week, their easy to use plus nice and filling…So of course I bought three packs😁, cottage cheese was another bargain, …shopping no longer is just a necessity, it’s a art form, one i am becoming increasingly good at, I plan my meals strategically, no more just spare of the moment flung together cooking for moi, oh no, it now takes care and forethought. My meagre budgeted rations now get stretched out throughout the week, Ive taken to eating those left overs,I would once have carelessly tossed away,, plus i make my portion size much smaller, I have learnt if I’m very hungry to pile up extra veggies on my plate(frozen veg being the cheapest form to do this).

We are though now into week three,and even I have adjusted to the changes, it’s not been all fun and roses, there have been mornings, like today, when .1. I didn’t sleep well so prising myself out of my bed to begin the dreaded routine took vast amounts of nagging at myself(this invariably never works) then much bribery of the coffee variety.. .2. Today was also a very high pain threshold day, pushing one’s shoulder back into its socket may be a great party trick and earn you free drinks all night normally😁(it has in the past) but not quite so much joy when your faced with a large bucket of cold wash to get through, … Then there’s the Cold showers when it’s taken you all night to get warm, this is also quite the experience believe me!, But what this does make you realise is the amount of things one wastes or has taken for granted, my recycling and rubbish bins are now both only getting a quarter of the use they had previously, this surprised even myself, I will from now on in be much more mindful…

Tips..

I’m open to suggestions from my fellow frugalers out there, anything from recipes, bargains, things you have found to work for yourself, like finding the winning lottery numbers 😁, no seriously though if you’ve come up with some good practical ideas please share them, ones never to old to learn…well speak with you all again soon, take care out there folks, look after you ❤