Lazy LAZY magazine writing on "being frugal"

[Bathsheba]

See if I see another magazine article where their ?top tip? for ?beating the credit crunch? is ?Give up your daily lattes ? that will save you £500 a year and loads of calories? ? I?m sure the same tip is given twice in this month?s Sainsbury?s magazine and has been the mainstay of such articles for years?

Do people really believe that everyone

A ? has a daily latte from a coffee chain
B ? hasn?t thought about giving that up

Okay, I?m a SAHM who doesn?t work in an office directly above a branch of Starbucks, but I?d say that 90% at least of the working population aren?t in Coffee Republic every morning for coffee.

Its lazy, lazy magazine writing..!!

When I worked in the City, most people on the floor turned up with a coffee and muffin/croissant/granola thing in the morning, usually had another latte on the morning coffee run to Pret, bought lunch from somewhere (cost around £5 each at a guess) and then maybe had another coffee mid afternoon. And most of us had gym memberships as well, mostly unused.

People do live like this, not everyone but some. And if you work in the City and are in your 20s, most people you know will live like this, so this advice makes sense to them. The only people in my bank who didn't behave like this were those in their mid to late 30s who had a family.

captainkarvol- yes- I have tried to freeze wine for cooking- it is naff... and then it leaks all over your lovely clean freezer

mercy quite simply marvellous advice, dismissing unnecessary servants..... of course these days it would cost almost as much to dismiss them with redundancy etc
Made me laugh out loud though.

Menu/meal planning really does save money though- providing you stick to what you planned, and don't buy extra stuff on your way round the supermarket- we have cut the food we waste now to nothing (was far too much previously ), cut our shopping bills, and it means we think properly about balance, and we don't have to spend the time coming home wondering what the hell to make!

My handbag cost £5

And I think some people would save lots of money if they cut back on the wine!!!!!

Most people I work with have lots of bought coffees and lunches out and gym memberships. and they aren't hugely well paid, they're academics, hardly city salaries. They tend to be working hard and thinking they don't have time to make coffee themselves or make a packed lunch. It can seem very normal.

Didn't see "Buy a Mooncup" on the list!

In fairness to India - she is writing for her constituency isn't she? She's not pretending to write for singe mothers on benefit.

Though agree about general maddening tone in magazines, usually placed next to adverts.

Who the hell has left over wine?

Wouldn't recommend no.28 - stop your pet insurance. Mine is £7 a month and already this year the blardy dog has injured his leg and required vet treatment costing £400 - which my insurance has paid up.

(Coz, like saving £7 a month is so going to help me survive the crunch.)

PMSL at dismissing the servants.. I wonder if I can get away with sitting on MN all day then telling dh, the cleaner, laundress, chef was unnecessary
Now, the tips I'd like are
how to really invisible mend the boys school trousers as they come home with a hole a week at least
ditto school shoes
how to clipper their hair so it doesn't look like I've attacked them with the lawnmower
how to get the cat to eat the mice, instead of going through the cupboards

Oh dear, you are all going to hate me!

I tipped a quarter of a bottle of wine down the sink yesterday. Couldn't freeze it, because already got the ice-cube trays full of the same, and I think the wine had "gone over" anyway because it had sat there quite a while.

Sorry

Actually.

no.51. 'Get rid of dog'.

That really will save a few quid.

how to really invisible mend the boys school trousers as they come home with a hole a week at least

are they 'small' holes?
if they are you can cut the fray and try to patch from the hem?
you can reinfore the knees by patching underneath when you buy them.
(been here before lol)

ditto school shoes

I polish our to death and get them glued as soon as any gaps show ....shoes like kicers the threads arent waxed and the cotton wears away - my friend 'colours' her kids shoes in with a black sharpie marker

how to clipper their hair so it doesn't look like I've attacked them with the lawnmower

you 'can' do this start off by using the big guards and zip over then the next size then zip over etc etc til youre at a good length then neaten with scissors and in time you can use a shorter one to blend it up so the back can be shorter than the top.

how to get the cat to eat the mice, instead of going through the cupboards

dunno bout this one lol......

By IdrisTheDragon on Wed 14-Jan-09 11:22:38
My handbag cost £5

idris i got a fab leather jasper conran bag yesterday for - 30p!!! at a jumble sale lol.....im still skint tho.

Thanks Nickschick

I do all of those things (including the black sharpie) and even though they are washed, ironed, polished and brushed every day they always look a mess.

Oh well

I know a lot of people who spend a fortune on lattes. In my office I am regarded as delightfully eccentric for using the kettle and the teabags and milk provided by the company, rather than buying several lattes a day.

They don't even go to Starbucks - they all go to some VERY fancy place under the office that sells coffee and tiny little bags of foil-wrapped chocolates at 10 quid a throw. I wouldn't like to be the owner of that place - I'd be starting to sweat now.

Thanks Nickschick

I do all of those things (including the black sharpie) and even though they are washed, ironed, polished and brushed every day they always look a mess.

bet they dont - i see kids going to school in mud crusted shoes - perhps the mud protects the shoes lol,i was very impressed with the sharpie results lol - her little girl said to me 'Dee will you colour my shoe in for me?' one morning

Agree with Onlyaphase about young people who work in the City and live thoughtlessly extravagant lifestyles. There's India's audience.

India K was writing in Sainsbury's magazine - its not Netto I know, but a pretty broad and nationwide readership all the same.
I can't imagine she is badly paid. But I will stand to be corrected if I am wrong. (I thought 'named' columnists on nationals were pretty well paid? I mean doesn't Boris get over £100k for his column, on top of the day job?)

I don't think it is just young people in the City though.

I have to manage alot of people and i have had to have a few conversations with quite a few of them in their twenties about money management. (arranged debt counselling and given budgetting advice etc)

They all had a common theme, they were (mostly) bringing a "packed lunch" but this would be a bought sandwich or ready meal plus bought fizzy drink plus pre packaged fruit etc so not cheap at all.
They all seemed to have a "i want it now" attitude.

Also, none had had any sort of moneymanagement education so basic things like shopping around for the best deals, only buying things if you need them and saving for treats were completely alien.

My staff are spread all over the country by the way.

Another issue was a lack of basic cookery skills which meant they were buying a lot of expensive readymeals and takeouts for home.

I really do believe that money management skills should be taught in schools, as well as basic (useful) cookery. Not the crappy classes where you learnt to make macaroons and crispy cakes by the way.

I think a lot of people live very extravagantly because they think they should be able to.
I know folk who eat out every meal, hang out in swanky bars, wear designer kit yet they live in absolute shit holes.
I also know people whose income does not put them in the bracket for independent school yet because they think it jolly well should they do.
Barmy, barmy, barmy.

I think mnetters are generally a relatively frugal bunch. The reality can be quite different.

I have always been quite frugal, but since joining mumsnet and discovering MENU PLANNING..... I've upped it from frugality to downright scrooginess!!

Latte? Whats a latte then?

seuss - are you suggesting its bad to look like Mr Tumble? This has been my signature look for some time now.

I got India Knight's Thrift Book for christmas. Have to admit I also have her 'shopping' book (book about spending money in shops) and her 'diet' book (eating organic veg and lots of free range meat - possibly the most expensive and useless diet have ever tried). So, have to say, all in all she comes across as bit of a hypocrite. Will save money by not buying her books.

For those of you that haven't read it though, here's a quick run down of tips:

knit/sew your own clothes
knit/sew/bake/make presents/cards
Join a library/the WI
Get an annual pass for London zoo or similar rather than doing individual tips
Clothes swap (mr tumble ahoy), don't save money by going to primark as ethically unsound
Don't shop in supermarkets, go to local shops and buy daily needs (alright if you live in the 1950s, on a street with grocers, bakers, butchers etc)
Grow your own food (yes, really)
Make your own bread, butter, cheese (wtf??)

Join the WI? Why?