I always have to remind myself that I overspend both on discounted grocery items, as well as buying seeds for the garden. I never allow a bit of food to go bad, but I have 58 lbs of mushrooms currently. Things like that.😅 Sweat equity is my currency this year. Laboring in the garden with only composted manure purchased. No seeds, but to provide future food, I bought 10 blueberry bushes, small bare root, and 2 apple trees and an Asian pear tree. With patience and tender loving care, they will provide an abundance for us.
Jane, you mentioned ice-cream and biscuits! My husband has sweet tooth, every evening after dinner, he is like a mouse, looking for something in the fridge, and won’t settle!😡 I found a fabulous cake recipe on YT, which I make every fortnight, and it is so delicious, it can be eaten warm as a pudding with custard! And summertime? Have mastered lemon granita- lemon juice, sugar and water! Problem solved! So it can be done! And as I was born vegetarian, I have never had to buy meat! But have a pantry full if every dried bean from around the world! And we buy rice in 25kg bags, with spices from Asian supermarkets! Oh, and managed to both retire at 56, on the same day! I wouldn’t swap my life with anyone! So all those on this channel, if you have a goal, you WILL get there, sooner than you realise👍🏻
I am relatively new to budgeting and frugal living, coming from a family and background of over spending and accumulating debt. One of the things that help me is to see it as a work in progress, I am learning new skills and it takes time to implement and fine tune them. In the past 6 months I have tracked all my income and expenses, started a budget, cut some of our expenses by half and paid off a large percentage of our debt. Your channel is one of the best inspiration I found, watching your videos regularly helps me to keep learning and take the next step and the next, I feel hopeful and finding new joys in this lifestyle. Seeing my debt amount go down every month is so much more satisfying than buying another item I do not need. My biggest issue? I love traveling! With a passion! I would love to figure out how to have travel on my budget but for now I am cutting it out until all my debt is paid.
Really well done. I came from a family of half and half mum was thrifty dad a spender. I’m happy to say I took the mum route. The debt free including house day was the best day for me last July with a huge pride that I’d done it. Good luck to you - seriously worth it.
I was always overspending in my grocery budget. I was always going to the grocery store once a week. The best thing I did was to stretch that past once a week. If I run out of something try to find a replacement or meal plan around the things I have. This alone has lowered my grocery bill. Jane and Mike I appreciate all you do to help us with our frugal journey!
What resonated with me as I listened is that our 'society' has made us think that money equates with 'self-worth'. I don't shop (like you I just see blatant consumerism when I go out). I like to cook and sew and knit and garden (all stay at home hobbies). What I find is that my 'well meaning friends and my children also', give me an attitude of "you need to eat out once in a while", "you deserve a treat once in a while". "It's only normal to want to go on vacation". What they don't understand is that I'm not in want. I don't have to go somewhere to see nature, I just open my front door. I don't have to eat out-- because I can cook, I eat better than what you get in a restaurant. And yes, we need other people, other relationships, but that is not dependent on money. I know I will sound insulting, but I kind of feel like I've evolved as a person-- I've gotten past the surface of what consumerism/society has on offer. And if that's what it takes to fit in, then I don't want it. Thank you for providing a forum for outliers like me to be part of.
I too must be an outlier too as I don’t need to go out and eat to enjoy my food. When I go out to eat it is the odd occasion that I want to or I have found a cheap offer. I do like holidays but I save and budget for them. I buy what I need because I need it not because someone else thinks I should or to please someone else.
Amen sister, I hear you loud and clear. A family member kept telling me for years to go get my hair done at a fancy salon. Just do it you'll love it. Nope! Continues to home color and go to the budget hair shops. Her income was 4 times mine. Never have nails done either. I'm content and not missing a thing! 🤔😉 Ch-Ching! 💵💰💵
I'm with you!!! In the past I've been put down and criticised for just loving my home life with my husband and dog, my crafts and hobbies and the fact that we save for everything including holidays. We don't go on holiday every year though as we live right near the beach and the rainforest and we just enjoy day trips or being in our garden or pool. Then it's about my hair is my natural colour and I choose not to colour it or wear makeup everyday or get my nails done (I do them myself if I want to). It's got to the point where I don't have these people in my life or very limited and I'm then very picky who I do let into my life. The funny thing is we are the ones laughing as we are completely debt and mortgage free with Savings in the bank and we find the joy in the simple things. Big hug to you for being exactly who you want to be.
I agree with the notion that eating out should be considered a luxury and entertainment. It really should not be part of our food budget. Moreover it is soooo expensive and often underwhelming 😝
I try to set a budget when I go out. I'm single, and I go to the store once every 2 weeks. I eat what's in the pantry for dinner. Take my coffee to work, a salad for lunch that I prepare at home as well as snacks. It's not easy, but I can do it. 5 years to retire.
When your frugal living allows for a few treats in retirement. I retired a few years ago now and I still live by a frugal budget but it does include some discretionary spending most months. I call this my fun money which I can spend as I wish without feeling guilty. It allows me little treats and enriches my daily life.
When my daughter had just had baby #4 I made her a bunch of freezer crockpot meals- we live 5 hours away. I told her, I know some of these may not be your favorites but dinner done and they might be. A cooked meal is always better than the I have no idea and I have 3 hungry kids. I make up a bunch of freezer crockpot meals because that way I know I can have a done dinner. I think a lot of times when people say I don’t meal plan because I don’t know what I will want, they do not realize the power of I know I have a meal and it is done.
Confession. Lately, I cut back on sugar and other food consumption. I noticed that I am bored and finding myself wanting to shop because of boredom. oh the brain is funny. It wants a Dopamine fix, and the tricks it plays are remarkable.
Our goal is to do projects around the house, and come in under budget or free. We scrounge through what we have, and see if we can repurposing something that we already have. Free is our favorite DIY budget.😊
I'd rate this as one of your very best videos, Jane and Michael. Sometimes I, we, all of us, need to hear an honest opinion, regardless of whether it tweaks our feathers or not. You do this very well, very thoughtfully, and are able to get the point across without causing people (me) to get defensive. An excellent video that is getting saved to my rewatch list. I will definitely be watching it again before I hit my favorite garden nursery in a few months.
I meal plan 3 main meals and a pan of soup every week, main meal 1 on Monday soup at lunch time, same meals again Tuesday , main meal 2 Wednesday with soup for lunch, same again Thursday, main meal 3 on Friday and Saturday, sandwich or something on toast for lunch. Cooked brunch on Sunday the main meal is with family at their house.
You make a good point, Jane. Often we're out buying things for our home and garden projects INSTEAD of doing the projects. It's a kind of a stalling trick we're playing on ourselves. We tell ourselves I need to go buy those items before I can get started on this project. Then when we get back from the store, we don't have the time to start the project that day so we stash our purchases and forget about it for the time being. And our project never even gets started.
Wise words Jane. Meal planning saves me a fortune in money and energy! Also growing our own fruit and some of our veg. I grew a dozen squashes last year for the cost of a packet of seeds. As a winter project, I am currently working through my 'books to be read' shelf and a stack of puzzles, before I buy any more. I also like to 'shop the house' and see what I can repurpose from what I already have.
When we food plan, with a certain amount of budget however small. What about making each meal special setting the table nicely like our parents did "every night" make it look inviting no matter how frugal it helps to look forward to.meal times. I've just come out of a litersl no spend January - wow what an eye opener I've only spent £1.27 on.doggy poo bags............
We used to break our budget on gifts and argue about it. At the time gifts came out of an account called miscellaneous, see the problem? Once we cooled down and talked we realized that we knew the number of gifts we needed each year for family and friends. We totaled it up and added an extra gift for a wedding or something and divided it by 12 so we knew what to put away each month. This included Christmas. It was such a stress reliever!
Before I became a remote worker, I was traveling 3.5 hours round trip to my office, I found if I didn’t pack a snack for the ride home, I would go to either a fast food restaurant or grocery store that had takeaway/takeout and it was adding up each week. Lesson learned always either pack a snack or keep a granola bar in the car.
Make adult decisions? How unreasonable of you! Isn't it peculiar that adolescent, irresponsible spending is the norm in consumer societies? Don't forget the most important reason for not overspending: the less we consume, the less environmental harm we cause. Since I love Mother Earth more than a new pair of shoes, reducing my spending does not make me feel deprived, it makes me feel I'm doing my part. ❤️
Thank you for saying meals don’t have to be fancy 🙌👏❤️ I get tired of the channels that put pressure on us home cooks to be master chefs 😂 (also totally unrelated but your quilt is super pretty. Your very talented dear)
This year I am reigning in my unnecessary shopping when I am feeling bored or depressed, and it feels kind of like emotional eating, especially on clothing and Amazon orders and randomly food shopping at the grocery store. We stopped as a family eating out so much because food out has gotten expensive! Food at the grocery stores has gotten really expensive! I can cook pretty well but I have gotten burnt out during the last three years of the pandemic and I have days I cook from scratch and days we eat with mainly convenience foods from the freezer or pantry. And I have stopped going out regularly for a Starbucks coffee, that was really hard. I just completed my No Spend January and I cannot believe how much I have saved! Thank you so much for your inspirational videos they have really helped in keeping me on track!
It's so nice to hear that you also struggle with frugality. It's tiresome to hear other channels tell you to stop whining, toughen up, just do it because it's easy. No it's not easy and its disheartening to hear that. We have a very tight budget and try hard to be as frugal as possible but its not always easy. Thank you!
I really appreciate you admitting that frugal living is hard for everyone. It just is. I have only recently gotten good at doing a stock check and planning meals from that BEFORE I check what is on sale. I used to buy what was on sale pretty routinely. The difference is really helping our grocery budget! Many thanks to you, frugal jo, shoestring Jane, and Tess! 💜
My mom always had a small calculator and I remember my grandmother had a little red plastic counter. You would click the white buttons and it would add up as you went along. Becausse back then there were no credit cards and no one wanted to be embarrassed by not having enough cash to buy what was in their cart so you added it up as you went along. Worked great in preventing overspending on groceries.
Tesco have the handheld scanners so you can see the total as you shop or better yet the free click and collect service so you know in advance. Obviously Lidl and Aldi are cheaper again.
I buy essentials, meat, veggies, and fruits. The only treats snack item is only popping corn kernels to make popcorn at home. Only go to market for big shopping every other week. In between, fill in fruits or veggies.
Those small amounts add up quickly at the thrift stores. Great point, Jane! And excellent advice about reading the books we have and wearing the clithes we already have!
This video was so good Jane to underline the realistic side of living on a budget! It’s not always easy for anyone but we have to be sensible! We’d all love to go out and splurge on something frivolous, but we know we’d hate ourselves afterwards! Such a good reminder that times for most of us are tough!
Behaviors are learned. It has taken me about 6 months to stop the spending. Trying to become even more frugal and I sometimes fall off the plan, but I am getting there.
Hello Jane and Mike Two years ago I only owe my house. I did wrongs with the budget and I’m in Debt again. I know how to get out of it and I will not make the same mistakes. I know I need to save 6 months of my salary so when unexpected things happened like they did and I didn’t have the money. Anyway. It’s a learning process. Thanks for your videos. They are very helpful. Hugs from LA.
I was surprised that 40% of your regular viewers haven't hit the subscribe button. Perhaps some of the less tech savvy viewers don't realise it is not signing them up to anything, is totally free, will just notify them when there is a new video, if they choose, and will help spread the word about your great channel. Such an easy way to support the channel, no strings attached!
that meal plan information was really helpful to me.....a sausage roll and baked beans can be a quick, cheap and easy meal...instead of always feeling i have to cook from scratch...thank you
Annie, Aldi's frozen vegan sausage rolls are 4 for £1.19 and make a lovely meal as you said with beans, really tasty , add a slice of bread or a spud and filling too!
Listening to this as a strolled along the beach home, a free commute and workout. I've always been pretty good with the grocery budget and this month I've been taking a calculator & doing even better. My partner struggles not taking his lunch to work..sometimes he goes without but even a $10 meal adds up. That's where it hurts. I really resonated with the thrift store/op shops... those can be hard. I don't go there very often but when I do it's mostly for clothes for my son. I find it better to shop alone there as my mother in law while it can be fun, I'll admit I'm more easily influenced. A timely reminder, I need to stick closer to my boundaries in that case. I don't myself biscuits or I don't drink alcohol and I've been like that for awhile.
My problem is the way I treat my daughters and grandson. They come over for lunch or I buy clothes or I prepare pies to take home. I can't resist it.Thanks as always for your interesting videos I keep watching everyday Take care ❤
I truly appreciate your advice as well as sharing your personal financial experiences. You are very helpful!! I'm truly overspending. Your advice has helped me to take stock and prioritize. Taking cash is a great idea. Thank you!
My struggle is just with breaking old habits. I did more returns to various stores in January than I ever have before! But, things are improving. I caught myself in the act of an impulse buy (is was "just" $2), asked myself the questions you've highlighted, and put the item back. Progress! Thanks for the great ideas and thoughts.
We eat out occasionally but have learned for example lunches are cheaper than at dinner time..we find place s that sharing a plate is fine with the portions being served..drink water...we also have signed cup for rewards and birthday programs and quite often get buy one get one free vouchers...
And for gardeners....our local high School has a horticulture class...each spring they hold plant sales selling what they have grown...much cheaper than a nursery or store...
This week, my meatless meal consisted of a baked potato topped with a bit of butter, grated cheese, Manwich (didn't look to have any meat in it) and broccoli. I'm planning to have two meals this week with leftover frozen salmon, thawed and made into patties. Meal planning helps me to eat well and always rethink my options.
Thank you so much for your videos! I am learning so much. I just recently learned you make money from the ads so I am now letting them run.Looking forward to learning more and implementing them in my life.
Such a great video! Lots of good points and reminders. One thing I’ve struggled with in the past is, I would shop every two weeks for groceries and even with a list I would occasionally miss something or run out of something requiring a quick shop. Invariably I would get the thing plus a few more items. To remedy this if I do run out of something or have forgotten to put it on the list, I send my husband to pick it up. He is great at getting only what is on the list. I enjoy reading the comments, I learn so much from what others are experiencing and sharing. I really like what you say about giving ourselves the grown up talk, sometimes we need to do the hard(er) things so that we reap the benefits of a better choice.
I've been developing much more frugal habits over the last two years once finally recognizing that I needed to take control over my debt and pay it down . I have been watching your videos which have helped tremendously with strategies and motivation to help me along the way. It is so easy to fall back on old spending habits if one doesn't keep focused on one's goals. With increasing interest rates monthly and rising costs of energy and groceries, it sure doesn't make it easy trying to make ends meet despite my best efforts with frugality and improved financial habits.
I 2nd that, frugal living is not easy, but once you have your method down, It becomes easier and it challenges you to live within your budget. For me, it’s a choice that I am making as a lifestyle, even though I don’t have to be frugal. It’s a personal preference and it’s fun for me to challenge myself. It makes sense. I Don’t waste food, I use and reuse usable items, I take care of my things and help my church, family and others.
We live on retirement and fixed income. Eating out is rare and not my husband’s thing but I enjoy lunches out with friends, once or twice a month, how I have balanced it was to lower grocery spending. We are well stocked on groceries, I shop twice a month now. I cook from scratch. I meal plan. IF I stay off Amazon we save money. And I do now stay off Amazon and THAT is a savings. With the cost of EVERYTHING up 30-50% this is a life saving plan.
Great video Jane ( and Mike) I agree that going into stores often is a trap. You end up buying things you really don't need. It does add up.. I limit my trips to the stores. I take a list. I take into account what's in my pantry and freezer . I think a meal plan is a great idea... I'm going to do this.. This will be kept in my kitchen for easy reference... Being frugal is not that hard once you have that mindset... I have always been that way and it does work if you keep at it. . As for eating out,I prefer. My own cooking . Cheaper too. Thanks again for a very useful video . Plenty for people to think about.. 💐
That's me, the missing essentials off a list and then having to go back a few days later for just those things but thinking "Oh I'll just get one of those, oh and I'll run out of biscuits", etc. I now keep a few lists, one for essentials, one for cats and birds, one for 'extras'. And I've adopted many of your tips over the last year, and buying things that can be used instead, such as long life powdered milk, those part baked baguettes in sealed bags, they are great! And got a bread maker now too!
Last year we down sized which freed up a good amount in my budget however it was difficult for me to save that money as I no longer "had" to be so frugal. So this year I'm determined to change that.
I work in the town centre and so many times I find I'm popping into charity shops and buying things to pass the time on my lunch break. Imm trying to get into the habit of leaving my purse in the office and going for a walk instead. And I discovered that the library are happy for you to eat your sandwiches in there on a rainy day, so fingers crossed I'll stick with it!
Hi Jane! Thank you as always for your wonderful advice which we are doing our very best to follow. Your quilts are always so beautiful but the one behind you today is especially! 💕😊
Jane, thanks for all the good information you provide. I really like the quilt on the back of your sofa. Could you show a picture of it spread out, so the full pattern could be seen? Thanks!
@@FrugalQueeninFrance I'm not on Facebook. I used to have a Facebook page, but I feel it stealing more of my time than I was willing to give and I closed it. I know I miss out on a lot of pictures and news from family members and friends, but I surely did not know how to control it and felt it was controlling me!
Here in America we can order groceries online and they will bring them to your car. The HUGE advantage to this is you do not have to look at all the goodies and only get what you can afford and keep to the budget.
We can do that in the UK although I’ve never done it as I like to pick my own fruit and veg. Found out recently that the shoppers for the online delivery can’t pick from the reduce/yellow sticky produce. I get a lot from these reduced items - just means I have to walk past a lot of the other goodies but I’m quite good at that as I’m a bit stingy and hate spending money. Plus I won’t pay for delivery!
I felt that I had perhaps got a grip of my money until, you said buying for the sake of buying, for me especially second hand books, I purchased on Monday, and I can honestly say this video has pulled me up, to examine even these small purchases....thank you Jane xx
I try and make big savings on power, car, appliances, medical, holidays, clothes, etc first. For grocery purchases I think I might try it based on costing out each meal per person. For example: Sausages and eggs (1 meal= 2 snags $3, 2 eggs $0.60) as standby. Home made pizza (1 person= 1/2 cauli base $2, ham $2, cheese $2, mushrooms $2 plus onion, capsicum, sauce base). 1/2 whole chook $4. So the fakeaway is more complicated, more carbs, more fiddly to prepare and far more expensive.
My husband and I are having a romantic Valentine's dinner at home. It's so expensive at restaurants and we prefer not to be around lots of people. Before anyone says it.. Valentines day doesn't have to be commercial and every day we say I love you not just on this day but for us we enjoy a nice dinner with a nice view in our garden and it makes us happy ❤️I cook the main meal my husband the dessert and not from expensive ingredients. I even got some reduced white chocolate today that is still fine so because he's a wonderful husband I'm going to make him some white chocolate truffles in a heart shaped box I cut out myself. You can make it special because of the love and thought not money.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance yep...same here Jane... every day together is cherished. We spend our days and evenings together and we love it ❤️. It's nice to hear someone else say that Jane as we've been scoffed at in the past for actually loving each other and enjoying spending our time together
I find your first suggestion of the list of easy meals incredibly helpful! I don't mind cooking but even I get stuck at times and 'the list' is terrific as a starting point/inspiration to get a meal done. The other essential for me now is a list of the fresh veggies I have on hand - and that list is always in a prominent spot on my kitchen bench, prompting me to use veggies with a shorter shelf life first. I'm very visual, and out of sight out of mind applies!! I'm not always 100% successful but it's really helped me cut down on waste. Being frugal is a constant battle like so many things in life and the little victories need to be savored!
One of the ways that I have tamed the shop because I love it, is to go to one of many wonderful museums locally. It fills that "get out of the house and go look at an inventory" urge for usually a nominal fee if not free. Many times, my friends and I get together and we swap plants, cuttings etc, and it's really nice especially because we always do a pot luck sort of thing featuring one of the things we grow. In January (and this is California) we featured citrus because we all have lemon and orange trees. I got a lot of great ideas from that, beyond lemon pie or orange salad. There are a lot of public gardens that are splendid locally, and just taking a walk around is great training for my service dog. The service dog support group is a resource for things the puppies go through rapidly, and I was so pleased to re-purpose some of Nike's vests and halters to others. Those things get expensive fast and are absolutely necessary.
It is just me and while I usually plan ahead, sometimes I don’t, so this is my always-in-the-pantry, emergency, not-too-unhealthy meal: 1 package ramen cooked, add frozen veggies, a scoop of peanut butter, and curry seasoning to taste. It is relatively well-balanced between carb, protein, veggies; it is creamy, warm, and savory; it is cheap. If worried about sodium leave out the flavor packet.
Oh YUM! Stealing this idea for sure! Lunch is often my problem with 2 of us at home now and this sounds quick and easy! I buy the bulk packs of thin noodles from the Asian stores as they cook quickly and are healthier and cheaper than the packet ramen but I struggle to make them 'sexy' - this idea will fix that - THANKS!!
Always love your videos Jane! I agree with everything. Especially about the garden. I have a specific amount I spend each year for everything, plants, fertilizer, soil, etc. and that's it. I do this with everything else too. I've seen people spend $500 on flowers and more! And these are annuals! Most of the time, less is more!
Thank you for the questions and suggestions. Everything resonates.// An idea. As turkey and ham we're on sale over Christmas and now are on clearance, I've cooked them up and put them in meal sized packs in the freezer. Then made broth, and froze it. These are the meat portions of a meal. I buy sale veggies and have those on hand and just add a vegetable or two to the "meat" and a starch. It's not exactly meal planning, just mix and match. This allows for flexibility as we have a small garden. If something comes up fresh it can be incorporated spontaneously. The only downside, if I forget something in the back of the freezer. //We plan any eating out. That helps. // Thrift stores. "Charity shops" are a personal sore point. A running list really does help. Spontaneously getting stuff for the grands is a weakness. // As far as garden plants, do you have friends you can swap slips and bulbs with?
Keep a running inventory for your freezer, this will remind you what’s at the back/ bottom of the freezer. As my freezer has 4 drawers I put which drawer it has gone into.
Morning y'all 🤠 This was a good eye opening video Jane and Mike. I use the jar method with a goal sheet hanging right next to the see thru jar shelf. Can't argue with an empty jar....
It seems to me the quality of many items including much food at restaurants has declined. I received a gift card for a chain I love. However, the food was definitely not up to the usual standard. Found out this business was sold and the new owners made changes. Not going back.
I must admit, during the Covid lockdown, when we were only supposed to shop once a month, I spent quite a lot less. It was having to buy what we needed in one go. My supermarket is about 200m away so it is far too tempting to just pop out for......and it doesn't focus the mind for making sure I have everything. I am not going over my budget (£200 a month for me) but I think I could be more organised. And probably spend less.
I've just been out to the shed with a torch and list. I had a reasonably good idea what was in the tall freezer out there, but found a few nice surprises which have come off my shopping list (shopping tomorrow). My son finishes gcse mocks tomorrow, so I let him decide on the Friday and w/end food, but gave him a list to select from so just need a few extras. I am rather amazed that I seem to have amassed rather a lot of rolls of varying types, so that's lunches sorted for everyone for the next week or so! Last time we ate out was for my son's birthday last September, don't miss it at all, but have bought some new spices and tried a few different meals to make things a bit more interesting. Going to watch your video on "How to pay off debt quickly" later/tomorrow, as need to focus and get mortgage paid down as well as agreeing the budget for summer, already have some £s put aside, but it's working out what we need to save over the next few months to see what we can add on.
For flowers I plant more perennials that come back every year. Also plant veggie seeds, tomato plants, cucumber plants. The annual flower plants are getting too much for my budget.
Thank you Jane and Mike. Another extremely helpful and enlightening video. Certainly appreciated the information given and the fact that some really resonated with me. Thank you again 😊
You have given such good advice in this podcast. " We have to be adults " will probably stick with me ! Maybe as children too many people have been given too much & now they can't imagine not having everything they see. I must say that I can't understand the excessive eating out that people do. There is nothing nicer than a meal around your own table with your family. You are right to say that meals don't have to be fancy or elaborate - could that be due to food shows ?
Brilliant advice👌 It's good to know your weaknesses and make plan for it. I used to get low blood sugars while walking in town or in the country or while doing groceries even afther work . So I ofthen had to buy a bottle of pop, a snack, a sandwich to keep going to get home safely from my discretionary spending. When I knew this fact I started having something decent to eat before I go, and I always have a gf bar emergency in my bag. But if I go out and about I take water and a gf sandwich🥪, homemade box fruit /veg🍇🍎🫐🍌🍅🥒🥕🍊, smoothie and a piece of cheese 🧀or a hard boiled egg🥚 with me (raisans and nuts 🥜keep for weeks in a tiny tupperware). It was only little costs every once a week (sometimes hubby joined in on the " fun") . In total it was about €25,- to € 40, - every month.... I put this amount aside for when we are on a long drive or every now and than. The rest is food and comes out of our foodbudget.
So true...meal planning etc. Is just part of adult life...we go through childhood thinking adults have got life sussed...not really hehehe we are still growing up and learning as we live life as adults...one step at a time no matter that the issue :)
I find meal planning makes life much easier! I save money, use up stuff that needs using and I know what the heck I need to get out of the freezer and/or prep. Much easier than trying to plan on the fly and less wasteful. The struggle is keeping to a budget when the prices keep going up! I have also tried a lot of the recipes i’ve been meaning to try. Not always a rousing success but I know what I won’t make again! We don’t eat out….can’t remember the last time except for a cheap breakfast sandwich on errand day. No drink or fries. I also can’t remember last time I bought clothes. I found a site where I get free books plus I can get free from my local food bank. I am a quilter and I will admit I bought some fat quarters recently, but finished a project with them.
Very good advice and information today. I agree keep away from the shops and use the precious time to be creative . There is so much more interesting and exciting things you can learn and do. So much online free tutorials on utube. Thank you great video. I have just taught myself to use a sewing machine at the age of 60 and loving it. I bought the machine secondhand for £10 and it has given me so much pleasure.
Family of 5... We eat out IE takeaway every other week... Everyone sees it as a treat and really enjoy it. Going to a restaurant is for birthdays/special occasions only. I do 3 big shops too and 3 small just for bread/milk etc.
Sage advice Jane .I saw myself a lot here .I definitely overspend on grocery shopping at times ( I admittedly love it especially if unleashed in Morrisons or Sainsbury's) We've totally stopped eating out since lockdown ( not because of it just coincided) I love making a fakeaway at home so much more. We've also started a book exchange in work which is great . I shuddered when my mum got "Spare" off Amazon and thought she was getting a bargain at £14 . I have a friend who's got it,read it and said she could have borrowed it at her leisure 🙆🤦
Thanks Jane! On point once again. With regards to eating out, if there is money left over at the end of the month from the food budget, we put it towards a meal out. It makes us double careful at the supermarket food shop knowing that we can have a treat. Actually, we are going out to eat tonight, but that is because hubby was given a very generous restaurant voucher from work for Christmas. If we are careful, we might get 2 meals out!!!
I went out for a restaurant meal for the first time in a year. I went at lunch time, where the cost of a meal is 1/2 price of the dinner service. The portions are smaller, but that is ok. There was enough food to fill me up and make me feel satisfied.
Such a timely video. Just finished doing my bills and giving my $$ a job. I have a birthday lunch out with my daughter (her twin lives in NH) and grandson next week. Yes, she had him on her and her twin’s birthday. I upped my eating out budget due to that. And the thrift store part made me giggle. Two weeks ago, I found the things I needed and actually, first time ever, I’m sure, didn’t look through the blouses and tops. I heard your voice, Jane, asking if I really needed another blouse. Nope, I don’t, so nope, I didn’t!! 🎉
Sound advice Jane 🙂I struggled at first with the portion size after making meals for two to just myself & wasted food.I still make for two but that other person is me for another day,no waste although you never have waste when you have dogs xx
Thanks as always for your wise words. I have always detested shopping, but the thrill of hunting for a bargain in a thrift store or at a garage or estate sale is my downfall. I always carry a list of needed items, but I realized I was still cheating, so I'm not allowing myself to go to any of those types of places until I have a definite need and a specific money amount saved up. Meal planning is so freeing; as I heard someone else say once it alleviates decision fatigue. We only grocery shopped three times last month and saved a nice little chunk of money; I'm going to keep trying your idea of 3 grocery shops a month. Thanks!
Hi Jane thanks for the post, you are speaking exactly to me when you talk about plants and other things that I spend money on but they are just hanging around without me doing anything with them, including books and tools. Got to cut down on the beer and whiskey too, which is a bit easier to do!
I love that you tell us the hard truths in such a kind way and with peaceful music. It helps make thinking about these things less stressful!
I always have to remind myself that I overspend both on discounted grocery items, as well as buying seeds for the garden. I never allow a bit of food to go bad, but I have 58 lbs of mushrooms currently. Things like that.😅 Sweat equity is my currency this year. Laboring in the garden with only composted manure purchased. No seeds, but to provide future food, I bought 10 blueberry bushes, small bare root, and 2 apple trees and an Asian pear tree. With patience and tender loving care, they will provide an abundance for us.
Thanks so much for sharing
Jane, you mentioned ice-cream and biscuits! My husband has sweet tooth, every evening after dinner, he is like a mouse, looking for something in the fridge, and won’t settle!😡
I found a fabulous cake recipe on YT, which I make every fortnight, and it is so delicious, it can be eaten warm as a pudding with custard!
And summertime? Have mastered lemon granita- lemon juice, sugar and water! Problem solved! So it can be done! And as I was born vegetarian, I have never had to buy meat! But have a pantry full if every dried bean from around the world! And we buy rice in 25kg bags, with spices from Asian supermarkets! Oh, and managed to both retire at 56, on the same day! I wouldn’t swap my life with anyone! So all those on this channel, if you have a goal, you WILL get there, sooner than you realise👍🏻
I am relatively new to budgeting and frugal living, coming from a family and background of over spending and accumulating debt. One of the things that help me is to see it as a work in progress, I am learning new skills and it takes time to implement and fine tune them. In the past 6 months I have tracked all my income and expenses, started a budget, cut some of our expenses by half and paid off a large percentage of our debt. Your channel is one of the best inspiration I found, watching your videos regularly helps me to keep learning and take the next step and the next, I feel hopeful and finding new joys in this lifestyle. Seeing my debt amount go down every month is so much more satisfying than buying another item I do not need. My biggest issue? I love traveling! With a passion! I would love to figure out how to have travel on my budget but for now I am cutting it out until all my debt is paid.
Thanks Rachel
Really well done. I came from a family of half and half mum was thrifty dad a spender. I’m happy to say I took the mum route. The debt free including house day was the best day for me last July with a huge pride that I’d done it. Good luck to you - seriously worth it.
I was always overspending in my grocery budget. I was always going to the grocery store once a week. The best thing I did was to stretch that past once a week. If I run out of something try to find a replacement or meal plan around the things I have. This alone has lowered my grocery bill. Jane and Mike I appreciate all you do to help us with our frugal journey!
Thanks very much for sharing
What resonated with me as I listened is that our 'society' has made us think that money equates with 'self-worth'. I don't shop (like you I just see blatant consumerism when I go out). I like to cook and sew and knit and garden (all stay at home hobbies). What I find is that my 'well meaning friends and my children also', give me an attitude of "you need to eat out once in a while", "you deserve a treat once in a while". "It's only normal to want to go on vacation". What they don't understand is that I'm not in want. I don't have to go somewhere to see nature, I just open my front door. I don't have to eat out-- because I can cook, I eat better than what you get in a restaurant. And yes, we need other people, other relationships, but that is not dependent on money. I know I will sound insulting, but I kind of feel like I've evolved as a person-- I've gotten past the surface of what consumerism/society has on offer. And if that's what it takes to fit in, then I don't want it. Thank you for providing a forum for outliers like me to be part of.
We think in exactly the same way.
Proud to be an outlier with you!
I too must be an outlier too as I don’t need to go out and eat to enjoy my food. When I go out to eat it is the odd occasion that I want to or I have found a cheap offer. I do like holidays but I save and budget for them. I buy what I need because I need it not because someone else thinks I should or to please someone else.
Amen sister, I hear you loud and clear. A family member kept telling me for years to go get my hair done at a fancy salon. Just do it you'll love it. Nope! Continues to home color and go to the budget hair shops. Her income was 4 times mine. Never have nails done either. I'm content and not missing a thing! 🤔😉 Ch-Ching! 💵💰💵
I'm with you!!! In the past I've been put down and criticised for just loving my home life with my husband and dog, my crafts and hobbies and the fact that we save for everything including holidays. We don't go on holiday every year though as we live right near the beach and the rainforest and we just enjoy day trips or being in our garden or pool. Then it's about my hair is my natural colour and I choose not to colour it or wear makeup everyday or get my nails done (I do them myself if I want to). It's got to the point where I don't have these people in my life or very limited and I'm then very picky who I do let into my life. The funny thing is we are the ones laughing as we are completely debt and mortgage free with Savings in the bank and we find the joy in the simple things. Big hug to you for being exactly who you want to be.
I agree with the notion that eating out should be considered a luxury and entertainment. It really should not be part of our food budget. Moreover it is soooo expensive and often underwhelming 😝
It should be. We also shouldn’t expect others to wait on us.
Eating out is underwhelming for sure.
I try to set a budget when I go out. I'm single, and I go to the store once every 2 weeks. I eat what's in the pantry for dinner. Take my coffee to work, a salad for lunch that I prepare at home as well as snacks. It's not easy, but I can do it. 5 years to retire.
Love that!
When your frugal living allows for a few treats in retirement. I retired a few years ago now and I still live by a frugal budget but it does include some discretionary spending most months. I call this my fun money which I can spend as I wish without feeling guilty. It allows me little treats and enriches my daily life.
Thanks for the tough love.
When my daughter had just had baby #4 I made her a bunch of freezer crockpot meals- we live 5 hours away. I told her, I know some of these may not be your favorites but dinner done and they might be. A cooked meal is always better than the I have no idea and I have 3 hungry kids. I make up a bunch of freezer crockpot meals because that way I know I can have a done dinner. I think a lot of times when people say I don’t meal plan because I don’t know what I will want, they do not realize the power of I know I have a meal and it is done.
Thanks so much for sharing
I love stout and lemonade, so expensive , so I'm making it , what a saving it is and I'm enjoying a new hobby
Confession. Lately, I cut back on sugar and other food consumption. I noticed that I am bored and finding myself wanting to shop because of boredom. oh the brain is funny. It wants a Dopamine fix, and the tricks it plays are remarkable.
Thanks Jen
Our goal is to do projects around the house, and come in under budget or free. We scrounge through what we have, and see if we can repurposing something that we already have. Free is our favorite DIY budget.😊
Mine too
I'd rate this as one of your very best videos, Jane and Michael. Sometimes I, we, all of us, need to hear an honest opinion, regardless of whether it tweaks our feathers or not. You do this very well, very thoughtfully, and are able to get the point across without causing people (me) to get defensive. An excellent video that is getting saved to my rewatch list. I will definitely be watching it again before I hit my favorite garden nursery in a few months.
Thanks Linda
Eating out is nonexistent because we have goals that we want to accomplish.
Good for you
I meal plan 3 main meals and a pan of soup every week, main meal 1 on Monday soup at lunch time, same meals again Tuesday , main meal 2 Wednesday with soup for lunch, same again Thursday, main meal 3 on Friday and Saturday, sandwich or something on toast for lunch. Cooked brunch on Sunday the main meal is with family at their house.
Thanks Pat
You make a good point, Jane. Often we're out buying things for our home and garden projects INSTEAD of doing the projects. It's a kind of a stalling trick we're playing on ourselves. We tell ourselves I need to go buy those items before I can get started on this project.
Then when we get back from the store, we don't have the time to start the project that day so we stash our purchases and forget about it for the time being. And our project never even gets started.
We’ve made a rule now, we can’t buy anything else until the last project is finished.
I even have that problem with food prep. Was gifted a waffle maker. Bought mix, cooking oil was out of date. Bought oil, but still haven't done it.
Wise words Jane. Meal planning saves me a fortune in money and energy! Also growing our own fruit and some of our veg. I grew a dozen squashes last year for the cost of a packet of seeds. As a winter project, I am currently working through my 'books to be read' shelf and a stack of puzzles, before I buy any more. I also like to 'shop the house' and see what I can repurpose from what I already have.
Love that!
I always carry snacks when I go out. Eat before going out to run errands.
And a drink too xx
When we food plan, with a certain amount of budget however small. What about making each meal special setting the table nicely like our parents did "every night" make it look inviting no matter how frugal it helps to look forward to.meal times.
I've just come out of a litersl no spend January - wow what an eye opener I've only spent £1.27 on.doggy poo bags............
Thanks very much
We used to break our budget on gifts and argue about it. At the time gifts came out of an account called miscellaneous, see the problem? Once we cooled down and talked we realized that we knew the number of gifts we needed each year for family and friends. We totaled it up and added an extra gift for a wedding or something and divided it by 12 so we knew what to put away each month. This included Christmas. It was such a stress reliever!
Thanks very much
Before I became a remote worker, I was traveling 3.5 hours round trip to my office, I found if I didn’t pack a snack for the ride home, I would go to either a fast food restaurant or grocery store that had takeaway/takeout and it was adding up each week. Lesson learned always either pack a snack or keep a granola bar in the car.
Thanks very much
Make adult decisions? How unreasonable of you! Isn't it peculiar that adolescent, irresponsible spending is the norm in consumer societies? Don't forget the most important reason for not overspending: the less we consume, the less environmental harm we cause. Since I love Mother Earth more than a new pair of shoes, reducing my spending does not make me feel deprived, it makes me feel I'm doing my part. ❤️
Thank you for saying meals don’t have to be fancy 🙌👏❤️ I get tired of the channels that put pressure on us home cooks to be master chefs 😂 (also totally unrelated but your quilt is super pretty. Your very talented dear)
Thanks very much
This year I am reigning in my unnecessary shopping when I am feeling bored or depressed, and it feels kind of like emotional eating, especially on clothing and Amazon orders and randomly food shopping at the grocery store. We stopped as a family eating out so much because food out has gotten expensive! Food at the grocery stores has gotten really expensive! I can cook pretty well but I have gotten burnt out during the last three years of the pandemic and I have days I cook from scratch and days we eat with mainly convenience foods from the freezer or pantry. And I have stopped going out regularly for a Starbucks coffee, that was really hard. I just completed my No Spend January and I cannot believe how much I have saved! Thank you so much for your inspirational videos they have really helped in keeping me on track!
Thanks for sharing
It's so nice to hear that you also struggle with frugality. It's tiresome to hear other channels tell you to stop whining, toughen up, just do it because it's easy. No it's not easy and its disheartening to hear that. We have a very tight budget and try hard to be as frugal as possible but its not always easy. Thank you!
I really appreciate you admitting that frugal living is hard for everyone. It just is. I have only recently gotten good at doing a stock check and planning meals from that BEFORE I check what is on sale. I used to buy what was on sale pretty routinely. The difference is really helping our grocery budget! Many thanks to you, frugal jo, shoestring Jane, and Tess! 💜
Thanks for sharing!!
I remember using a calculator when shopping when my son was young and my food budget was only $50 a week.
I also did that. Didn't want a surprise at the checkout.
I still do it now
I did that when our kids were young and my budget was $40 per week..those were the good old days!
My mom always had a small calculator and I remember my grandmother had a little red plastic counter. You would click the white buttons and it would add up as you went along. Becausse back then there were no credit cards and no one wanted to be embarrassed by not having enough cash to buy what was in their cart so you added it up as you went along. Worked great in preventing overspending on groceries.
Tesco have the handheld scanners so you can see the total as you shop or better yet the free click and collect service so you know in advance. Obviously Lidl and Aldi are cheaper again.
I buy essentials, meat, veggies, and fruits. The only treats snack item is only popping corn kernels to make popcorn at home. Only go to market for big shopping every other week. In between, fill in fruits or veggies.
Sounds great!
Those small amounts add up quickly at the thrift stores. Great point, Jane!
And excellent advice about reading the books we have and wearing the clithes we already have!
So true!
Books I get from our library recycling center. I don't go back until I've read what I have and then donate them back.
Thanks very much
Another great video. Thank you for taking the time to help all of us to save money
You’re welcome
This video was so good Jane to underline the realistic side of living on a budget! It’s not always easy for anyone but we have to be sensible! We’d all love to go out and splurge on something frivolous, but we know we’d hate ourselves afterwards! Such a good reminder that times for most of us are tough!
Yep, we have to be adults.
Behaviors are learned. It has taken me about 6 months to stop the spending. Trying to become even more frugal and I sometimes fall off the plan, but I am getting there.
Good for you
Hello Jane and Mike
Two years ago I only owe my house. I did wrongs with the budget and I’m in Debt again. I know how to get out of it and I will not make the same mistakes. I know I need to save 6 months of my salary so when unexpected things happened like they did and I didn’t have the money. Anyway. It’s a learning process. Thanks for your videos. They are very helpful. Hugs from LA.
You're on the right track. Keep going
I was surprised that 40% of your regular viewers haven't hit the subscribe button. Perhaps some of the less tech savvy viewers don't realise it is not signing them up to anything, is totally free, will just notify them when there is a new video, if they choose, and will help spread the word about your great channel. Such an easy way to support the channel, no strings attached!
You and me both!
that meal plan information was really helpful to me.....a sausage roll and baked beans can be a quick, cheap and easy meal...instead of always feeling i have to cook from scratch...thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Annie, Aldi's frozen vegan sausage rolls are 4 for £1.19 and make a lovely meal as you said with beans, really tasty , add a slice of bread or a spud and filling too!
Listening to this as a strolled along the beach home, a free commute and workout. I've always been pretty good with the grocery budget and this month I've been taking a calculator & doing even better. My partner struggles not taking his lunch to work..sometimes he goes without but even a $10 meal adds up. That's where it hurts. I really resonated with the thrift store/op shops... those can be hard. I don't go there very often but when I do it's mostly for clothes for my son. I find it better to shop alone there as my mother in law while it can be fun, I'll admit I'm more easily influenced. A timely reminder, I need to stick closer to my boundaries in that case. I don't myself biscuits or I don't drink alcohol and I've been like that for awhile.
Thanks Deana
My problem is the way I treat my daughters and grandson. They come over for lunch or I buy clothes or I prepare pies to take home. I can't resist it.Thanks as always for your interesting videos I keep watching everyday Take care ❤
Nice if you can afford it, or you have a budget for this. If it is leaving you short of money, you have to deal with your behavior.
I truly appreciate your advice as well as sharing your personal financial experiences. You are very helpful!!
I'm truly overspending. Your advice has helped me to take stock and prioritize. Taking cash is a great idea.
Thank you!
You are so welcome! And keep going x
My struggle is just with breaking old habits. I did more returns to various stores in January than I ever have before! But, things are improving. I caught myself in the act of an impulse buy (is was "just" $2), asked myself the questions you've highlighted, and put the item back. Progress! Thanks for the great ideas and thoughts.
Thanks for the feedback
Thank you. This was so heart. Greetings from Ontario, Canada ❤
*heartfelt
@@KarenReusch-j1u thanks for your reply
We eat out occasionally but have learned for example lunches are cheaper than at dinner time..we find place s that sharing a plate is fine with the portions being served..drink water...we also have signed cup for rewards and birthday programs and quite often get buy one get one free vouchers...
And for gardeners....our local high School has a horticulture class...each spring they hold plant sales selling what they have grown...much cheaper than a nursery or store...
Thanks for watching
Jane, thank you for the reminder! It is really easy to fall into the habit of eating out. It is a money pit.
It really is!
This week, my meatless meal consisted of a baked potato topped with a bit of butter, grated cheese, Manwich (didn't look to have any meat in it) and broccoli. I'm planning to have two meals this week with leftover frozen salmon, thawed and made into patties. Meal planning helps me to eat well and always rethink my options.
Sounds great!
Thank you so much for your videos! I am learning so much. I just recently learned you make money from the ads so I am now letting them run.Looking forward to learning more and implementing them in my life.
Thanks very much
Such a great video! Lots of good points and reminders. One thing I’ve struggled with in the past is, I would shop every two weeks for groceries and even with a list I would occasionally miss something or run out of something requiring a quick shop. Invariably I would get the thing plus a few more items. To remedy this if I do run out of something or have forgotten to put it on the list, I send my husband to pick it up. He is great at getting only what is on the list.
I enjoy reading the comments, I learn so much from what others are experiencing and sharing. I really like what you say about giving ourselves the grown up talk, sometimes we need to do the hard(er) things so that we reap the benefits of a better choice.
We make the rule, if we forget it, we just go without
I've been developing much more frugal habits over the last two years once finally recognizing that I needed to take control over my debt and pay it down . I have been watching your videos which have helped tremendously with strategies and motivation to help me along the way. It is so easy to fall back on old spending habits if one doesn't keep focused on one's goals. With increasing interest rates monthly and rising costs of energy and groceries, it sure doesn't make it easy trying to make ends meet despite my best efforts with frugality and improved financial habits.
I’m encouraging you all the way with good wishes
I shop my pantry and meal plan. I then shop for what I need. Of course I am flexible when shopping but it really has helped the budget
I 2nd that, frugal living is not easy, but once you have your method down, It becomes easier and it challenges you to live within your budget. For me, it’s a choice that I am making as a lifestyle, even though I don’t have to be frugal. It’s a personal preference and it’s fun for me to challenge myself. It makes sense. I Don’t waste food, I use and reuse usable items, I take care of my things and help my church, family and others.
Thanks very much
I am the same as you.
I love your pretty scarf. Those little amounts of money add up so very fast.
So true and thanks very much
We live on retirement and fixed income. Eating out is rare and not my husband’s thing but I enjoy lunches out with friends, once or twice a month, how I have balanced it was to lower grocery spending. We are well stocked on groceries, I shop twice a month now. I cook from scratch. I meal plan. IF I stay off Amazon we save money. And I do now stay off Amazon and THAT is a savings. With the cost of EVERYTHING up 30-50% this is a life saving plan.
Love that!
Great video Jane ( and Mike)
I agree that going into stores often is a trap.
You end up buying things you really don't need. It does add up..
I limit my trips to the stores. I take a list.
I take into account what's in my pantry and freezer .
I think a meal plan is a great idea... I'm going to do this.. This will be kept in my kitchen for easy reference...
Being frugal is not that hard once you have that mindset...
I have always been that way and it does work if you keep at it. .
As for eating out,I prefer. My own cooking . Cheaper too.
Thanks again for a very useful video . Plenty for people to think about.. 💐
Thanks for watching
That's me, the missing essentials off a list and then having to go back a few days later for just those things but thinking "Oh I'll just get one of those, oh and I'll run out of biscuits", etc. I now keep a few lists, one for essentials, one for cats and birds, one for 'extras'. And I've adopted many of your tips over the last year, and buying things that can be used instead, such as long life powdered milk, those part baked baguettes in sealed bags, they are great! And got a bread maker now too!
You’re doing great
Last year we down sized which freed up a good amount in my budget however it was difficult for me to save that money as I no longer "had" to be so frugal. So this year I'm determined to change that.
Thanks for sharing
I work in the town centre and so many times I find I'm popping into charity shops and buying things to pass the time on my lunch break. Imm trying to get into the habit of leaving my purse in the office and going for a walk instead. And I discovered that the library are happy for you to eat your sandwiches in there on a rainy day, so fingers crossed I'll stick with it!
Enjoy your walk
Hi Jane! Thank you as always for your wonderful advice which we are doing our very best to follow. Your quilts are always so beautiful but the one behind you today is especially! 💕😊
Thanks so much
Jane, thanks for all the good information you provide. I really like the quilt on the back of your sofa. Could you show a picture of it spread out, so the full pattern could be seen? Thanks!
Have a look at my Facebook page. I share my quilting there.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance I'm not on Facebook. I used to have a Facebook page, but I feel it stealing more of my time than I was willing to give and I closed it. I know I miss out on a lot of pictures and news from family members and friends, but I surely did not know how to control it and felt it was controlling me!
Here in America we can order groceries online and they will bring them to your car. The HUGE advantage to this is you do not have to look at all the goodies and only get what you can afford and keep to the budget.
Thanks very much for watching
We can do that in the UK although I’ve never done it as I like to pick my own fruit and veg. Found out recently that the shoppers for the online delivery can’t pick from the reduce/yellow sticky produce. I get a lot from these reduced items - just means I have to walk past a lot of the other goodies but I’m quite good at that as I’m a bit stingy and hate spending money. Plus I won’t pay for delivery!
I felt that I had perhaps got a grip of my money until, you said buying for the sake of buying, for me especially second hand books, I purchased on Monday, and I can honestly say this video has pulled me up, to examine even these small purchases....thank you Jane xx
Thanks for sharing!
I try and make big savings on power, car, appliances, medical, holidays, clothes, etc first. For grocery purchases I think I might try it based on costing out each meal per person. For example: Sausages and eggs (1 meal= 2 snags $3, 2 eggs $0.60) as standby. Home made pizza (1 person= 1/2 cauli base $2, ham $2, cheese $2, mushrooms $2 plus onion, capsicum, sauce base). 1/2 whole chook $4. So the fakeaway is more complicated, more carbs, more fiddly to prepare and far more expensive.
Thanks for sharing
My husband and I are having a romantic Valentine's dinner at home. It's so expensive at restaurants and we prefer not to be around lots of people. Before anyone says it.. Valentines day doesn't have to be commercial and every day we say I love you not just on this day but for us we enjoy a nice dinner with a nice view in our garden and it makes us happy ❤️I cook the main meal my husband the dessert and not from expensive ingredients. I even got some reduced white chocolate today that is still fine so because he's a wonderful husband I'm going to make him some white chocolate truffles in a heart shaped box I cut out myself. You can make it special because of the love and thought not money.
Every day is Valentine’s Day in our house.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance yep...same here Jane... every day together is cherished. We spend our days and evenings together and we love it ❤️. It's nice to hear someone else say that Jane as we've been scoffed at in the past for actually loving each other and enjoying spending our time together
Thank you, Jane and Mike. Always good information and encouragement.
Our pleasure!
I find your first suggestion of the list of easy meals incredibly helpful! I don't mind cooking but even I get stuck at times and 'the list' is terrific as a starting point/inspiration to get a meal done. The other essential for me now is a list of the fresh veggies I have on hand - and that list is always in a prominent spot on my kitchen bench, prompting me to use veggies with a shorter shelf life first. I'm very visual, and out of sight out of mind applies!! I'm not always 100% successful but it's really helped me cut down on waste. Being frugal is a constant battle like so many things in life and the little victories need to be savored!
Thanks for sharing
One of the ways that I have tamed the shop because I love it, is to go to one of many wonderful museums locally. It fills that "get out of the house and go look at an inventory" urge for usually a nominal fee if not free. Many times, my friends and I get together and we swap plants, cuttings etc, and it's really nice especially because we always do a pot luck sort of thing featuring one of the things we grow. In January (and this is California) we featured citrus because we all have lemon and orange trees. I got a lot of great ideas from that, beyond lemon pie or orange salad.
There are a lot of public gardens that are splendid locally, and just taking a walk around is great training for my service dog. The service dog support group is a resource for things the puppies go through rapidly, and I was so pleased to re-purpose some of Nike's vests and halters to others. Those things get expensive fast and are absolutely necessary.
That’s great
It is just me and while I usually plan ahead, sometimes I don’t, so this is my always-in-the-pantry, emergency, not-too-unhealthy meal: 1 package ramen cooked, add frozen veggies, a scoop of peanut butter, and curry seasoning to taste. It is relatively well-balanced between carb, protein, veggies; it is creamy, warm, and savory; it is cheap. If worried about sodium leave out the flavor packet.
That's a great idea!
Oh YUM! Stealing this idea for sure! Lunch is often my problem with 2 of us at home now and this sounds quick and easy! I buy the bulk packs of thin noodles from the Asian stores as they cook quickly and are healthier and cheaper than the packet ramen but I struggle to make them 'sexy' - this idea will fix that - THANKS!!
I enjoy a poached egg or two boiled in the noodle water. The yolk becomes the sauce
Always love your videos Jane! I agree with everything. Especially about the garden. I have a specific amount I spend each year for everything, plants, fertilizer, soil, etc. and that's it. I do this with everything else too. I've seen people spend $500 on flowers and more! And these are annuals! Most of the time, less is more!
So true!
Just to say that I watch all your videos and always come away with a bit more knowledge and thoughts. Thanks
I appreciate that!
Thank you for the questions and suggestions. Everything resonates.// An idea. As turkey and ham we're on sale over Christmas and now are on clearance, I've cooked them up and put them in meal sized packs in the freezer. Then made broth, and froze it. These are the meat portions of a meal. I buy sale veggies and have those on hand and just add a vegetable or two to the "meat" and a starch. It's not exactly meal planning, just mix and match. This allows for flexibility as we have a small garden. If something comes up fresh it can be incorporated spontaneously. The only downside, if I forget something in the back of the freezer. //We plan any eating out. That helps. // Thrift stores. "Charity shops" are a personal sore point. A running list really does help. Spontaneously getting stuff for the grands is a weakness. // As far as garden plants, do you have friends you can swap slips and bulbs with?
Thanks very much
Keep a running inventory for your freezer, this will remind you what’s at the back/ bottom of the freezer. As my freezer has 4 drawers I put which drawer it has gone into.
Use what you have in the pantry
Most important quality that is necessary is self discipline. Not fun. 😉
I strive for contentment and peace of mind.
Morning y'all 🤠 This was a good eye opening video Jane and Mike. I use the jar method with a goal sheet hanging right next to the see thru jar shelf. Can't argue with an empty jar....
Great idea!!
Homemade food tastes so much better than restaurants. Lately I find eating out to be sub par.
Thanks for sharing
It seems to me the quality of many items including much food at restaurants has declined. I received a gift card for a chain I love. However, the food was definitely not up to the usual standard. Found out this business was sold and the new owners made changes. Not going back.
I love your tough love money chats, Jane! We all need a kick in the pants sometimes. You give great advice and I really enjoy your channel
Thanks so much!
I must admit, during the Covid lockdown, when we were only supposed to shop once a month, I spent quite a lot less. It was having to buy what we needed in one go. My supermarket is about 200m away so it is far too tempting to just pop out for......and it doesn't focus the mind for making sure I have everything. I am not going over my budget (£200 a month for me) but I think I could be more organised. And probably spend less.
Thanks for watching
I bought a meal planning grid for the fridge and that's helping! When I come home tired from work no thinking involved
I've just been out to the shed with a torch and list. I had a reasonably good idea what was in the tall freezer out there, but found a few nice surprises which have come off my shopping list (shopping tomorrow). My son finishes gcse mocks tomorrow, so I let him decide on the Friday and w/end food, but gave him a list to select from so just need a few extras. I am rather amazed that I seem to have amassed rather a lot of rolls of varying types, so that's lunches sorted for everyone for the next week or so! Last time we ate out was for my son's birthday last September, don't miss it at all, but have bought some new spices and tried a few different meals to make things a bit more interesting. Going to watch your video on "How to pay off debt quickly" later/tomorrow, as need to focus and get mortgage paid down as well as agreeing the budget for summer, already have some £s put aside, but it's working out what we need to save over the next few months to see what we can add on.
Thanks very much
For flowers I plant more perennials that come back every year. Also plant veggie seeds, tomato plants, cucumber
plants. The annual flower plants are getting too much for my budget.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Jane and Mike. Another extremely helpful and enlightening video. Certainly appreciated the information given and the fact that some really resonated with me. Thank you again 😊
Thanks very much for watching
thanks this was helpful and a reminder.
Glad it was helpful!
You have given such good advice in this podcast. " We have to be adults " will probably stick with me ! Maybe as children too many people have been given too
much & now they can't imagine not having everything they see. I must say that I can't understand the excessive eating out that people do. There is nothing nicer
than a meal around your own table with your family. You are right to say that meals don't have to be fancy or elaborate - could that be due to food shows ?
Thanks Marty.
Brilliant advice👌
It's good to know your weaknesses and make plan for it. I used to get low blood sugars while walking in town or in the country or while doing groceries even afther work . So I ofthen had to buy a bottle of pop, a snack, a sandwich to keep going to get home safely from my discretionary spending. When I knew this fact I started having something decent to eat before I go, and I always have a gf bar emergency in my bag. But if I go out and about I take water and a gf sandwich🥪, homemade box fruit /veg🍇🍎🫐🍌🍅🥒🥕🍊, smoothie and a piece of cheese 🧀or a hard boiled egg🥚 with me (raisans and nuts 🥜keep for weeks in a tiny tupperware). It was only little costs every once a week (sometimes hubby joined in on the " fun") . In total it was about €25,- to € 40, - every month.... I put this amount aside for when we are on a long drive or every now and than. The rest is food and comes out of our foodbudget.
Thanks very much for sharing
So true...meal planning etc. Is just part of adult life...we go through childhood thinking adults have got life sussed...not really hehehe we are still growing up and learning as we live life as adults...one step at a time no matter that the issue :)
We’re always learning
Excellent video, hard topic and emotional subjects, but well done on tackling them head on. Thanks Jane and Mike.
Thanks for watching
Really good talk. Thank you Jane and Michael!
Thanks for watching
Thank the Lord I dislike shopping. Great blog yet again.
You and me both!
I find meal planning makes life much easier! I save money, use up stuff that needs using and I know what the heck I need to get out of the freezer and/or prep. Much easier than trying to plan on the fly and less wasteful. The struggle is keeping to a budget when the prices keep going up! I have also tried a lot of the recipes i’ve been meaning to try. Not always a rousing success but I know what I won’t make again! We don’t eat out….can’t remember the last time except for a cheap breakfast sandwich on errand day. No drink or fries. I also can’t remember last time I bought clothes. I found a site where I get free books plus I can get free from my local food bank. I am a quilter and I will admit I bought some fat quarters recently, but finished a project with them.
Thanks Kathy. I buy fabric, it just comes as vintage bed sheets
I love nothing more these days than "shopping my wardrobe, my craft cupboard, my make up drawer".
You are shopping your own shelves!
@@healinginteriors haha yes and it's fun I find stuff I forgot I had 😊
Saving for a smart jacket to wear to have tea with a friend - that is a lovely scenario.
Thanks Michelle
Thanks Jane & Mike. All very true. Regards. Rose 💐
Thanks for watching
Caught you live!!!!!!!!
Me too!
Thanks for watching
Excellent video Jane ~ this one really hit home! Thank you!
Thanks very much
Very good advice and information today. I agree keep away from the shops and use the precious time to be creative . There is so much more interesting and exciting things you can learn and do. So much online free tutorials on utube. Thank you great video. I have just taught myself to use a sewing machine at the age of 60 and loving it. I bought the machine secondhand for £10 and it has given me so much pleasure.
I love that! Thanks for sharing
Family of 5... We eat out IE takeaway every other week... Everyone sees it as a treat and really enjoy it. Going to a restaurant is for birthdays/special occasions only.
I do 3 big shops too and 3 small just for bread/milk etc.
Thanks for sharing!!
Sage advice Jane .I saw myself a lot here .I definitely overspend on grocery shopping at times ( I admittedly love it especially if unleashed in Morrisons or Sainsbury's)
We've totally stopped eating out since lockdown ( not because of it just coincided)
I love making a fakeaway at home so much more.
We've also started a book exchange in work which is great .
I shuddered when my mum got "Spare" off Amazon and thought she was getting a bargain at £14 .
I have a friend who's got it,read it and said she could have borrowed it at her leisure 🙆🤦
Thanks very much for sharing
Our backyard needs help in the spring a little at a time. I do buy flowers every other week, a thrifty bouquet.
Thanks very much
Thanks Jane! On point once again. With regards to eating out, if there is money left over at the end of the month from the food budget, we put it towards a meal out. It makes us double careful at the supermarket food shop knowing that we can have a treat.
Actually, we are going out to eat tonight, but that is because hubby was given a very generous restaurant voucher from work for Christmas. If we are careful, we might get 2 meals out!!!
Enjoy
I went out for a restaurant meal for the first time in a year. I went at lunch time, where the cost of a meal is 1/2 price of the dinner service. The portions are smaller, but that is ok. There was enough food to fill me up and make me feel satisfied.
Such a timely video. Just finished doing my bills and giving my $$ a job. I have a birthday lunch out with my daughter (her twin lives in NH) and grandson next week. Yes, she had him on her and her twin’s birthday. I upped my eating out budget due to that. And the thrift store part made me giggle. Two weeks ago, I found the things I needed and actually, first time ever, I’m sure, didn’t look through the blouses and tops. I heard your voice, Jane, asking if I really needed another blouse. Nope, I don’t, so nope, I didn’t!! 🎉
Thanks Wendy
Thank you Jane for another money saving tips.
You are so welcome!
Sound advice Jane 🙂I struggled at first with the portion size after making meals for two to just myself & wasted food.I still make for two but that other person is me for another day,no waste although you never have waste when you have dogs xx
Great job!
Thanks as always for your wise words. I have always detested shopping, but the thrill of hunting for a bargain in a thrift store or at a garage or estate sale is my downfall. I always carry a list of needed items, but I realized I was still cheating, so I'm not allowing myself to go to any of those types of places until I have a definite need and a specific money amount saved up.
Meal planning is so freeing; as I heard someone else say once it alleviates decision fatigue. We only grocery shopped three times last month and saved a nice little chunk of money; I'm going to keep trying your idea of 3 grocery shops a month. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback
Hi Jane thanks for the post, you are speaking exactly to me when you talk about plants and other things that I spend money on but they are just hanging around without me doing anything with them, including books and tools. Got to cut down on the beer and whiskey too, which is a bit easier to do!
Thanks for watching and commenting