Frugal and minimalist living

What does frugal living really mean and how does it make you a minimalist?

When I first dipped my toe into minimalist, or 'intentional' living, I had no idea that the two years of embracing the lifestyle would prepare me for life in a pandemic. From forced frugality, to a seemingly never-ending lockdown, our minimalist values were tested to the last. I've reflected back over the past ten months and find three key areas of our simple lifestyle that held us up during these difficult times. They are frugality, slow living and doing it yourself.

Being smart, not being mean

In this article I tackle the first on that list - frugality, and show you our five key minimalist spending habits which supported us the most during the restrictions placed upon us by the pandemic here in the UK. From growing our own to culling our shopping apps, I hope you will find some inspiration for your own minimalist journey here. Lets get started...

Frugality - spending and saving with intention

Since 2014 my husband and I have been renovating our 1930s home. Bought as a dirty half-empty shell, there was nothing that didn't need repairing. From broken floorboards to missing doors, gaping ceiling holes to unintentionally exposed brickwork, nothing could remain untouched. Maxing out our mortgage to the very most we could afford enabled us to live in the small town we dreamt of, but there wasn't much change from a tenner left to do the work. It has been an exercise in frugal living for six years.

1. Have a budget and track your expenses

Having a clear understanding of how we spend our money has given us perspective on how to align our spending with our values. It also prepared us for the nine months we endured during the pandemic on a single income which was reduced to 80% for nine months. This was not something we had planned for when I resigned from my job three months before the pandemic hit.

We have a spreadsheet which maps our income and all regular monthly outgoings. [We use Google Sheets so both my husband and I can access it independently from our own devices.] This gives us the basis of how we split our income and expenditure. Our regular monthly expenditure is broken down like this:

Mortgage 40%

Groceries 30%

Water rates 2%

Council tax 8%

Gas & Electricity 4%

Building & contents insurance1%

Life insurance 1%

Pet insurance 1%

Car insurance + breakdown cover 2%

Road tax 1%

Car repayments 9%

TV License 1%

Internet and mobile phones 2%

Subscription services 1%

For expenses that don't occur as regularly as once per month, such as the car's MOT or the dog's groom [every 10 weeks], we add up how much it costs across a year, and then divide that by 12 and add the figure to our monthly outgoings. Each month we dont spend it, we put it away ready for when we need it.

From surviving to thriving

Seeing those figures, like your mortgage or rent, council tax and bills, as percentage values is a real eye opener - realising our mortgage alone took up 40% of our monthly income was [is] terrifying! That percentage became an excellent mantra for when we spent money. Want to buy a coffee? 40%. Want to buy those shoes? Still 40%. We have invested so much into our home, we wouldn't want to loose it. Reminding ourselves that our home isn't ours until the mortgage is cleared helps keep our spending in perspective.

During the pandemic, we closed down every additional expense we could. In fact, those percentage values above shows we were living outside of our means. The mortgage holiday saved us, as did our savings, but there wasnt room to buy anything non essential. When my husband returned to full pay in December, we created a 10% monthly figure for 'additional expenses' which include a toddler group, any shoes or clothing, household / garden items, gifts and trips out. If we dont spend it, we put it away in an attempt to build up the savings we used in 2020. I figure if we can save during the holidays, the rest of the year must be a doddle, right?

Financial security is as important to us as our health. Keeping that in mind as our priority is how we are able to live solely on my husband's income so I can be home for the children [and squeeze in writing my books too.].

2. Thrift

Every one of these types of frugal living lists online will tell you to embrace secondhand. Here, I want to acknowledge the power in accepting and asking for 'hand outs.'

I am fortunate enough to have three nephews, so when my son came along, there wasn't much call for buying clothes for him once I told my sister's I would happily take any clothes off their hands. For many, admitting you need support can be mortifying, embarrassing and undomfortable. It takes practice, for sure. This is where embracing a sustainable approach to life comes into its own. I now accept second hand things with pride knowing I'm doing my small bit to help create the kind of circular economy our future depends on. Plus I set myself a rule - if it was free to me, it should be free to others. So if I was given anything as a hand me down, and it is still in good condition, I pass it on or donate it to charity. Wouldn't it be incredible if we all behaved this way? If I thrifted something, I usually try to recoup what it cost me by selling through eBay or Facebook marketplace. I give myself a timescale of a few weeks to sell it, and if it doesn't go, it gets donated. No hoarding here, that's not very minimalist after all [even if donating baby clothes get me emotional every time.].

Thrifting: its a whole different habit

My husband and I have always looked for furniture second hand simply because we prefer mid century design and furniture that's made from solid wood. [Being married to a designer has it perks.] However clothing, toys, and some household furnishings can be tricky to find preloved. We don't have the big warehouse-style thrift shops here in the UK. Charity shops are often small, difficult to get into with a pram, and very hit and miss with stock. To shop second hand, you need two things: shop little and often and plan for the future. I don't give it a second thought now about buying a dress for my daughter two sizes up if it's hanging in a charity shop, and popping it away until she's ready for it. Or if I spot an excellent toy, I'll store it for a rainy day or in my 'birthdays basket'; a place I collect things throughout the year to give as gifts.

As our understanding of climate change grew, we approached shopping from an environmental perspective and thrifting quickly became the norm. In fact, I find it a far more pleasurable way of shopping; seeing if you can find what you are after preloved in a charity shop or on eBay, or getting creative with what's on Freecycle often at a saving to its brand new equivalent. Going into big chain stores is such an assault on the senses now, I find it overwhelming and I see that as proof of how quickly anyone can become used to a different shopping habit.

3. Meal plan and tackle food waste

I love food but hate grocery shopping. There, I've said it. When the pandemic hit, we were forced to shop online and for two months didn't go into a supermarket once. For a while we used Riverford for our meat and veg, whilst our milkman delivered any dairy. [Of course using cloth nappies and other reusables helped too.] As our income dwindled, we struggled to afford regular deliveries. But having a veg box gave us an excellent basis for how to meal plan. It seems a bit of a backwards approach to grocery shopping and meal planning; seeing what came in the box and then deciding meals based on what we'd had delivered. But if you want to lower your food costs, seasonal eating and local producestand you in good stead. We have lost some of the connection to our food, and if I wasnt a hobby gardener Im sure I couldnt possibly tell you when asparagus is harvested [April] or raspberries come into season [June]. A simple print out of whats in harvest in your region will stand you in good stead, but personally, I love my Riverfood Cook Books.

Although we've gone back to budget supermarket shopping [for now], we have kept this 'backwards' approach. We limit how often we go to the supermarket - stretching it out usually to once every ten days. We take stock of our pantry and fridge and make use of what we have first before deciding the meals to buy for. If we run out of something, we note it on a white board that we keep inside a kitchen cupboard and take it with us when we shop.

How many times have we discovered a jar [or four] thats past its use by date; one thats left neglected at the back of the cupboard or fridge, sometimes only half used and growing a new life form? Weve all done it. But food waste is no joke. As a Zero Waste Week Ambassador, I hold myself accountable to those jars, especially as the 2020 campaign targetted food waste. We keep an 'eat me first' shelf in the fridge, and will even reorder our pantry shelves to utilise space so it's easier to see what we do - and don't have. This helps us see what space we have so we can bulk buy where we can but also look to buy smaller jars if we dont think we will get through an entire contents in the safe to eat period. I have two pull out larders and I organise them [loosely] into one for sweet and one for savoury. Adding additional shelving [like this one I have from Lakeland] inside big kitchen cupboards is excellent for making sure nothing gets lost at the back and forgotten.

4. But do I really need it?

Questioning why you want to buy something is a habit that takes daily practice. With quick buy on our phones or the tap of a card at the checkout, impulse purchases are out of control. I realise for many, this next point may be considered extreme: I don't have any shopping apps on my phone, except for eBay*. This one tactic ensures I approach online shopping with intention - I have to sit at our computer, without the children around, which only happens in a small window of time every day. I appreciate not everyone may have a computer, so instead I suggest you keep any shopping apps in a separate folder or screen on your device, ideally with a screensaver saying 'do I need it?'There aren't many times a non essential purchase can't be paused for a period of reflection. And if you don't buy it, you could transfer the money it would have cost into your savings account for a morale boost!

Almost every waking minute of the day now we are bombarded with ads. The message to buy, buy, buy and accumulate more stuff to feel valued has never been so loud. Some of this is out of our control. We can't avoid the bus stop posters or the fliers that ignore our no unsolicited mail signs, but the device in our pockets can be tweaked for sure. Mute or unfollow companies on social media whose sole purpose is to sell. Avoid TV channels with paid ads. Stop buying magazines and opt out from circulars so temptation is no longer dropping through the letterbox.

*I keep eBay on my phone as it's useful if you spy something whilst you're out of the house to check if it's available secondhand, or to set up an alert so you don't have to make a decision then and there.

5. Dont belittle the seemingly insignificant

Neither my husband nor I drink alcohol. In the playground I may hear other parents talk about how 5 oclock cant come soon enough [which makes me feel like an alien from another planet somewhat] but alcohol just doesnt work for either of us. Its also expensive. It was one of the first times I felt like I was truly putting my health [myself] first before what society expected of me - that and removing caffeine from my diet too. How many times do we act a certain way because that is what is expected of us? Can you think of one thing you do regularly just because thats what your peers do? It could be something insignificant, like buying fresh flowers with every grocery shop, or buying fancy birthday cards for all the children in your childs class, to having an elite car because it is a status symbol to others. It takes practice to focus on ourselves and our own needs, and in some part the pandemic aided that for many of us. If we have no one to show it to, is it really necessary for us to live our lives?

Other insignificant examples for our family include cutting our own hair, making some of our own cleaning products and keeping chickens for eggs and education. I only own five pairs of shoes, two bras and one pair of jeans. I only buy books for the children [which is quite a big deal for an author!]. For many, this may be considered an extreme for frugal living. For us, it ensures we are spending time doing the things we really want to and hopefully one day, spending our money in a way that is for the betterment of our health and that of the planet too.

Whats the point of frugal living?

To thrive in a frugal lifestyle I believe there are only two things you need - to know your values and have goals. These provide the motivation and determination to see it through - otherwise, what's the point of it all? I appreciate for many this lifestyle may come across as 'mean' but being mindful with how we spend the income we have is important to us. My husband and I have some bucket list dreams. We want to take the children abroad to a select few countries, starting with Canada. We also want, one day, to own our own land and be mortgage free before retirement age [or sooner]. Big dreams indeed for a single income household! But with every £2 we save here and there, we can see the journey to those dreams getting shorter day by day. It's up to us to get our priorities and our spending to align and my goodness it is satisfying when they do.

What's on your bucket list? Do you have a goal or dream you want to achieve in 2021? Tell me in the comments below, and if you're taking any steps to be more frugal with your spending in order to speed up the journey.

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