Cutting your cloth….

Many of us have heard the saying “You need to cut your cloth” probably with the exception of the younger generation! The main reason being they may have never had to! So, what does it mean? It is mostly a British saying and means; You limit what you do to take account of the resources you have, to shop or act in accordance with one’s financial limitations.

As we are fast approaching a cost of living crisis where everything is set to increase in cost for various reasons, many people are looking around to see where they can cut costs. Petrol and diesel for the car, could we walk more and use the car when really necessary? That would certainly save money as well as benefit you health and well-being! Heating in the home? Try turning down the thermostat a few clicks, or setting the timer 15-30 minutes less or later. Extra layers to keep the warmth in, layering is one of the most effective ways to trap warmth, and actually moving more will increase your bodies own heating system!

One of the most obvious ways to save money is to become more economical and less wasteful with our food, so that really starts with a shopping list, only buy what you need! No unplanned items in the trolley will save you plenty!

The same is also true of foods that you would have thrown away if they are a little past their best, cook and freeze them, batch cooking? It’s easy to say I’ve not much room in the freezer, sort it you’ll be amazed at whats lurking in there, and you’d never eat it anyway! Roasted and bagged vegetables are great for soups, casseroles, curries, chilli and stews, this time of year we have lots of cheap produce it’s thinking ahead and utilising them.

Chicken is still one of the cheaper meat items and again not just for 1 meal, think back to how many it had to feed years ago, and how they didn’t continue to pile the plate until it had all gone in that one meal, they had to be creative. How could you create other meals from the leftovers? Risotto? Stew? Soup? Rissoles?

Pulses are also extremely versatile and cost considerably less than meat, they are a great source of protein and add different flavours and textures to any meal, they also benefit from slow cooking so as we’ve previously said a slow cooker is a great investment and costs less to run than an oven. They also stretch your meals, making them more filling and satisfying for example adding lentils to carrot soup or using them in a curry as an alternative to meat.

Another way to economise is not meet up for coffee at a coffee shop! The average cup of coffee at a well-known cafe is about £3.45 and that’s not with the obligatory cake, pushing it up to nearer £10. You don’t need many of them a week to add up! Why not go back to the good old days where you met at each other’s homes!!

There are so many ways we can “cut our cloth” most of us have a whole wardrobe full of clothes we loved enough to buy, and maybe don’t fit in them, let this be another way to shed lbs and save £££’s Frugal is as frugal does, the ball is in your court, make changes while still achieving the new happier and healthier you!

Improvise, Adapt and Overcome!

clint eastwood