I have found it helpful, thriftily-speaking, to take a look at all the necessary things in my life and make a list of those that I just can't scrimp on.
Mine is not a long list. Among the the everyday things I'm prepared to spend more for is coffee (instant coffee just doesn't set me up for the day), good quality grass-reared meat and free-range eggs. I tend too to buy fresh food rather than canned or frozen, even though it is sometimes more expensive.
Among the items I've discovered that going cheap or cheapest makes very little difference is olive oil, dried pasta, plain yogurt, breakfast oats, household cleaning products, cleansing cream (Ponds cold cream remains the absolute best in my opinion and costs about 4 dollars) and dried herbs and spices. Canned tomatoes and pulses (beans) can be as cheap as you can find.
I never thought I'd ever say this - but BOOKS head up the list of "borrowing". We are avid users of our local library. No need to own a book when you can give it back for someone else to enjoy - free up those shelves for extra storage! And the same goes for DVDs.
But good butter, like good coffee, that's something I won't spend less on. It has to be the real thing, the best quality I can find and I'd rather skip a meal than spread my toast with margarine!
By Lucy from Oxford UK
Do you have a frugal story to share with the ThriftyFun community? Submit your essay here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_myfrugallife.ldml
