frugal – girlwithgloves

_{Photo by Benjamin Elliott on Unsplash}

Welcome to a chilly part of the UK. Our snow/ice has finally melted but it is still freezing.

Well I am pleased to report that the first week of my minimal spend/declutter has gone reasonably well. This week saw me tackle the toiletries stash and sort it out. I now have a few items on ebay, have sold items already and will only need to buy some hair products towards the end of the year.

I did the same with the pantry and again meals will be made based on what we already have in and we will not be starving or eating beans on toast for every meal; I imagine the soup maker and slow cooker will be working extra hard. Plus there is still a box of goodies that we are working our way through – and the budgie is doing the same.

I’ve also been utilising all those loyalty cards we now carry with us. I have money to spend at Tesco, Asda, Poundland, Sainsbury’s and Boots so wallet damage has the potential of being light.

For entertainment I must praise the modern library. Not only books but audio and ebooks, emagazine, talking books and jigsaws but also book sales; our local one does a “fill a plastic bag for £1” although having sorted out three boxes of books to read I’m not sure how much advantage I can take of that. Selling books seems to be a bit of a minefield. I’ve joined some groups for selling books and jigsaws but in all honesty there does not seem to be much selling going on. Selling websites such as We Buy Books (formerly Ziffit) are okay but offer as little as 5p per book…. Maybe a car boot is the way to go? I am loathe to donate to charity shops after seeing so many dumpster diving videos in skips behind charity shops. I am thinking about Facebook marketplace but have heard tales from friends about the pitfalls.

There is also a wealth of audio books, radio plays and vintage TV and films on YouTube which can while away a few hours.

I’ve also managed to pick up a reviewing job for a national tour of a west end musical. In exchange for a pair of tickets and sometimes an interval drink all you have to do is write a fair review of the production. I’ve been doing this for a while now after deciding that I was fed up of standing at music gigs whilst people were drunk around me trying to review a band whilst being jostled. It’s a great way of seeing lots of theatre productions, some you wouldn’t necessarily see, for minimal effort. If you are so inclined I’d check out local theatre websites to see if they are recruiting.

For tracking money I’ve signed up to Snoop which alerts me to what I have coming in and going out in the coming month and on which I can set budgets although my budgets seem to be under used at the moment.

_{Photo by Mathieu Stern on Unsplash}

Another resource is vlogs. I’ve long been a fan of frugal website and vlogs but it’s useful to seek out people also doing minimal spend. My favourite at the moment is Frugal Stu, a no nonsense bloke who wants to concentrate on life not stuff and the community is really motivating. Worth a watch.

Hopefully next week I will be able to update you on ebay sales, my use of the local freecycle group to divest items

Well that’s it for now. Back next time with more witterings……Let me know if you’re taking part in any downsizing activities…. let’s support each other!

Let’s talk about stuff. That nebulous conglomeration of stuff that we al have: it’s in the loft, the garage, the shed. Under the bed in neat little boxes. Crammed into the suitcase on top of the wardrobe.Or, a common sight now, in a storage unit on an industrial estate.

_{Photo by Simon Hurry on Unsplash}

We all have it in varying degrees and one thing is clear; we don’t need as much as we have. Even 20 years ago our surplus collections would have been less. Go back 50 years and we would be regarded as mad. True there are the highly disciplined amongst us who can ruthlessly divest themselves of stuff but in the main we all hold onto stuff as stuff is magical. It transports us back to our youth, the youth of others, a fond holiday memory or a long lost loved one.

This year I will be attempting to use up stuff. I have too much. There I said it. I have too much stuff. However unlike many my stuff is that which can be used; toiletries bought in a too good to miss bargain or gifted, cleaning supplies- especially Zoflora, craft supplies for that must have item that we never got around to doing, books, jigsaws…I could go on. This year I will be attempting to use up, make, “do”, read and then pass on.

_{Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash}

I may not succeed. I may fall at the first hurdle but it is day five of this new year and so far so good. Of course this will also have the effect of my not buying stuff. Items from the stash are to be used, repurposed, created with, entertained with rather than buying new. So minimum spend should be easy, right?

We shall see but I shall try and keep you updated on my journey and hopefully by the end of 2025 I will have less stuff and more money. Well that’s the plan. Come with me on my stuff journey, join in if you like. Let’s see how we can turn copious consumerism to our advantage and use up our stuff.