In the midst of a very 21st century financial crisis, it’s easy to think we have it hard. But even this downturn and the effect on our pockets would seem a walk in the park compared with the lives of those that experienced war and economic depression. As a result, and as your Grandma would no doubt tell you, when it comes to hardcore money saving tips, ‘old school’ is best.
Food
Simple Tips
The modern family throws away an average of £150 worth of food every year, according to consumer group Which?, and many of us admit to binning far more. Going back to our roots by shopping locally and frequently for the things we need, cooking from scratch, planning meals in advance, properly storing food and turning leftovers into bubble and squeak or a stew could banish the expensive habit of wasting food.
Going vegetarian can save up to 30% on the weekly shop according to advocates, but, if you need your meat, try cooking with cheaper, more unusual cuts such as beef skirt or pork hock. Resurrect the old skill of haggling for the best cuts at the best possible price and become a loyal customer. Going back to the same independent butcher could eventually earn you a nice free cut for your loyalty.
Grow Your Own
With rationing came a whole host of great ways to make food go further, from rolling citrus fruit on a hard surface to get the most juice out of it, to bulking up almost any meal with cheap but nutritious lentils. Growing your own vegetables is not only very fashionable but could save up to £1,000 a year and doesn’t necessarily require acres of space. If you can get hold of an allotment, annual rental including a water supply could be as little as £20, and could yield hundreds of pounds worth of fruit and vegetables - even eggs and chickens, depending on local council rules.
But allotment waiting lists can be as long as ten years in parts of London, and the charity Garden Organic believes a plot as small as 4ft x 4ft (1.2m x 1.2m) could supply vegetables all year round in return for £50 worth of tools, pots, seeds and any grow bags you might need. Even without an outside space you can grow tomatoes and herbs on windowsills, mushrooms under stairs and, believe it or not, potatoes under a sink in a grow bag.
Although a packet of seeds can be £1 to £2, and new tools could set you back an average of £130, raiding your parents garage for second hand tools and looking out for local seed swapping events could see you get started for virtually nothing. For absolute beginners, the Royal Horticultural Society is a great place to start.
Clothes
Getting out your grandmother's knitting needles and sewing machine and making your own clothes is cool again, and groups like Stitch'n'Bitch, a social network for knitters, have never been so popular. If you don’t have something you can re-use, embrace the hand-me-down culture you thought you'd escaped as a child by buying second-hand clothes. Charity shops in affluent areas may even turn up a designer item or two if you’re lucky. After all, you're the only one who will know that they're "nearly new".
At Home
It doesn’t take a domestic god or goddess to save cash on bits and bobs around the house. Use your new-found savvy spirit to make yourself a draft excluder out of old clothes stuffed into a pair of tights and tied at both ends. Hang old curtains behind external doors to act as another layer of insulation, or use old clothes as polishing rags rather than forking out £2 on new ones. Meanwhile, hang your clothes up to dry rather than using a tumble dryer, put a jumper on instead of whacking up the heating, and leave the oven door open after cooking to heat up the room.
Nor is it essential to splash out on expensive cleaning products - just raid your cupboards. Lemon juice can help to get rid of grease and marks, and mix it with olive oil to make furniture polish. Baking soda can get the grime off your bath and clear your pipes, or mix equal parts vinegar and water in an old spray bottle to clean your surfaces as if you were a 21st-century Mrs Beeton, Better still, go to www.mrsbeeton.com for her own wise, if antique, words.
