Tips for a luxurious feeling lifestyle on a modest budget

[pengwig]

After reading a few threads on the cost of living I wondered if we could share tips for living a like that feels luxury on a bit of a budget?

My tips are home baking, even simple easy to make cakes are much nicer than even expensive store bought and served with a nice pot of tea or a coffee at home is more affordable and enjoyable than paying for a dried out, bought in cake sold in most cafes for 4 times the price.

Also instead of expensive candles I either use a little portable essential oil diffuser with essential oils or wax melts. I burn them in the hall and they seem to fragrance he whole house really nicely without being too strong.

Any other tips?

I've recently been converted to loose leaf tea - DD bought some to make chai with and had loads left over. I bought myself a cute little teapot with a built in strainer from a charity shop and the ritual of making a pot of tea in the afternoon, along with the flavour feels like a real treat.

National Theatre live cinema screenings - as a non-London dweller so much cheaper and more convenient.

I recently looked into an Art Pass for DD as she's moving to London shortly - they do a student one for £10, and much to my delight, school staff can get one for £25 instead of nearly £70. It lasts a year and gives free entry and discounts off all sorts of museums and galleries across the UK, including half price entry to the big London based exhibitions and discounts in museum shops and cafes.

Bookmarking this as i want the same, especially now its autumn

I have an Art Pass. Well worth it.

I once found myself visiting a National Trust Property on Christmas Eve, the gift shop began their reductions then so I stocked up on Christmas napkins and crackers.
Bake.Purchase a secondhand BeRo book on Amazon or google Mary Berry basic recipes. You will save plenty of money on picnics, and contributions of food to family/friends.
Iron your clothes and mend them when needed. Polish your shoes.
If applicable, swap things with friends/neighbours. Eg, you might make good cakes and a friend, good jam.
again, if applicable, have a clothes swap with friends and make an evening of it.

yes I posted about finding your perfect shower gel and body moisturiser. Neither are expensive or scented but the feel of properly silky skin is amazing

Agree with most of these. I use my best china and make tea in a pot most days - makes such a difference to my mood.

I buy less, but buy the best I can comfortably afford. Feels more luxurious and invariably cheaper in the long run. Absolutely no temu or sheen - tat that doesn't last 5 minutes and is often toxic.

I get my hair done at a local hair academy which means that I can get it done more often than if I was paying full price and do my own pedicures now.

I also make full use of loyalty schemes and freebies, but am mindful not to spend more to get rewards! I also do a lot of online surveys and use the vouchers to treat myself and the family

Slightly different approach from me but having a clean and tidy car (even if its just the interior) makes me feel like I've got my life together! Not having food wrappers everywhere is luxury!

An organised handbag with a pretty pouch for make up and a slim pencil case (Caroline Gardner), breakfast in the garden (through summer), early morning walks in green space, handmade placemats and nice crockery for everyday dinners, little lamps on the dinner table (usb cordless)...also lovely for outdoor dining, garnishes on everything (drinks - fruit or herbs, salads - toasted seeds, main courses - herbs), cashmere blankets for evenings on the sofa, Alex powered lamps that switch on at 7pm

Drinking tea, coffee or hot chocolate always tastes better from a thin china cup. Charity shops have loads. A matching tea plate for added luxury!

Use a cotton napkin or tea towel as a tray cloth. Loads of 1950s vintage tray cloths in charity shops.

Clean sheets - nothing feels as luxe as fresh sheet

Similar to this, I ‘shop my stash’. I’ve got so many clothes I haven’t worn in a while that feel like new outfits. I’m using some soap that was gifted to me last Christmas instead of buying fancy shower gel.

Renting a film on a streaming service. It’s only $3.99 and we get to watch something we like and it feels more special than putting on any old rubbish on Netflix or Prime.

Coffee beans and our bean-to-cup machine. Obviously an investment up-front, but then you can buy the nicest beans (with a bag costing the same as two takeaway coffees) and make great coffee. We joke that we make the best coffee in NYC, but I think we really do! Slowing down to drink it, or drinking in bed on a Sunday feels lovely too.

For me, I ditched cheap fabric clothing and bedding and only buy natural fabrics. Nothing fancy but they feel so much nicer and lasts longer than the fast fashion rubbish I used to buy.

Swapped out shower gels and soaps for natural products. Regularly buy cheap and discounted theatre tickets. Bought clear jars for storing pasta and rice and flour and anything else in the kitchen and they look pretty in the cupboards. Labelled them with chalk stickers - even fancier!

What else... Fresh flowers. A bunch under £3 every couple of weeks from Aldi. Brightens the room.

Wholeheartedly agree with the poster who said celebrate the little things. Couldn't agree more.

A bubble bath, with a nice cup of herbal tea, read a book. Makes a bath feel like a frivolous, recreational affair, when actually, I'm just washing my hair.
I buy squirty cream for my hot choc, and add a little cinnamon or nutmeg to the top: looks luxurious, costs pennies.
I have fruit for breakfast, three fruits, whatever is in season, wash it, core or dehull it, and cut it neatly into slices and have it on a plate, and eat it with a fork: always looks posher than it is!
I add nuts and seeds to my daily salads, always feels a bit more classy that way.
A couple of drops of essential oil into my vacuum cleaners filter sponge, nice fragrance while hoovering the house.
I have a lot of houseplants, and I trim them and clean and polish the leaves, makes them look shiny and loved.
I add cooking oil, just a smidgen, to my cooker top, makes it look shiny, stops food sticking to it.
Accessories: sunglasses, a necklace, a scarf. Makes me feel put together even when I'm just popping to the shops.
I always buy fresh herbs, basil, parsley, chives, etc. They look pretty on the plate. Same with lemons and limes, and cucumbers: add a slice or two to my water, feels fancy.
I saved all my lidded candle jars (£3, home bargain candles!), washed them out, put my herbal teas in there, cut out a section of the box label to tell me what the tea is: feels extravagant, but really isn't!
Polish all the shiny things: the chrome radiator in the bathroom, the taps, the mirrors, the glass on the clock faces, the brass top of my mushroom table lamp
Steaming my clothes. Just in a t-shirt because I'm WFH: but it's crease-free, and I'm wearing perfume. For me.

I think, for me, it's all those little 'garnish' type effects that make me feel cherished.

I crochet and occasionally buy a skein of beautiful hand dyed wool - expensive but a joy to work with.

A batch of homemade biscuits or scones to have with a pot of tea in the garden.

A bottle of aperol over the summer - feel as if I'm on the Riviera in my own garden.

Some sweet pea seedlings have provided cut flowers from early July until this week - I put them in a little pressed metal vase I found in a charity shop. Also, 4 cherry tomato plants and a packet of basil seeds have provided lovely salads for weeks.

A cheap set of watercolour paints from the range or the works, some watercolour paper and a couple of paintbrushes - hours of calm and peaceful creativity.

I make sure I have decent tea and coffee and a decent cup/mug at work, and don't eat my pack up lunch out of a plastic box, but decant into a nice bowl or plate.

A Persephone book every now and then - beautiful editions, fascinating stories by mostly women authors.

I love Clarins Eau Dynamisante. Also original Coco Chanel body cream. Original as in not Coco Mademoiselle.

Where are people getting their soap from? I get Nesti Dante when I find it in TK Maxx and buy any which says triple milled on it. Is there anything else I need to be knowing soap wise?

There are definitely some you need to avoid if you or anyone in your home is pregnant. I had to Google it because I thought there was only one, but it turns out there are a few.

Pennyroyal: Contains pulegone, a compound associated with severe hepatic and renal toxicity, presenting high risks to maternal and fetal health.
Clary Sage: Contains sclareol, which can influence uterine tone and contractions, making it unsuitable for use during pregnancy.
Rosemary: Contains camphor and verbenone, which can alter systemic circulation and blood pressure.
Common Sage: Contains thujone, a constituent known to stimulate the nervous system and potentially affect uterine muscles.
Juniper Berry: Associated with renal irritation and potential uterine stimulation.
Thyme: Contains thymol and carvacrol, which are avoided due to potential effects on circulation and blood pressure.
Jasmine: Generally restricted during pregnancy due to its observed effects on uterine activity

I once read a tip that said when we can’t afford big luxuries, we can make life nicer by spending more on one or two smaller things we use every day — buying really nice coffee to make at home, having a fancy shower gel or nice hand lotion, buying one set of really nice sheets for your bed, etc. It still involves a bit of an outlay, but in my experience really does work to give you a little boost when things are relatively tight.

When our 4 children were young, instead of going out for breakfast, one Saturday morning per month I used to make up a big jug of pancake batter, have jar Tesco hazelnut chocolate spread, frozen berries and maple syrup and we would all assemble pancakes with home brewed coffee for the adults. It cost very little but our family if 6 had a delicious breakfast which felt special! Our adult kids still say how much they enjoyed those Saturday morning pancakes all together.

You also need to be careful with pets.

Pay for day to day spending on a credit card (pay off in full) that earns points. Save the points and spend on something that is a treat like a large joint.

Skincare and bath products from TKMaxx.

Decent fresh coffee.

Decorate your home with seasonal greenery from the garden and add a few flowers from Aldi. For example sunflowers at the moment, in a month some bronze crysanths, in December, find some holly in a hedgerow, in January, some old ivy with berries and so on.

Linen napkins (Sostrene Grene is excellent).

Decent towels and bedding (again TKMaxx) and iron the bedding.

The best mattress and sofa you can afford.

Keep the house tidy and clean, with well plumped cushions.

Buy decent clothes and shoes in the sale or at outlet centres. Less is more.

Home made granola over thick yoghurt for breakfast with fresh fruit.

Yellow stickers?

Also, this might sound a bit weird but..

I used to have many of my condiments (my salt, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, pepper grinder, that kind of thing) on my kitchen worktop just sort of shoved into a corner. After watching WAY too many lifestyle programmes I went to Homesense and bought a little woven basket/tray type thing. They are now all grouped together in a basket, they are much more accessible as I can pull the basket out easily without knocking over all the bits, and it keeps them looking tidy and a bit like a display rather than just 'things I put down somewhere', So I went and bought a woven tray to put my bedroom bits on instead of scattering them on a shelf and it's made my rooms look far more 'put together' and as though it's all intentional and luxurious in a 'hotel' way.

Even cheap stuff looks pricey and feels more luxurious if you have it on a tray!

@EvieBB Yellow stickers = reduced price food