Probably increasingly relevant to many, however for me personally I've never earned a lot of money and my financial future has always looked sketchy so I've long-been pre-occupied with thriftyness.
On top of that it keys in nicely to a moral rejection of the disgusting and unsustainable consumptive / disposible culture that blights our society and all the ills that come with it, while I think there's a certainly amount of satisfaction to be had from spending wisely when others seem determined to piss their money away.
Below are a few ways I try to make the most of my dwindling funds:
Motoring: I drive an old, relatively economical and practically worthless Jap motor, so depeciation is a non-issue and running costs (so far) manageable. Fuel economy is generally good anyway, but I capitalise on this further by my choice of use and driving style (long, non-urban journeys with minimal traffic at a steady speed, minimised braking, defensive driving etc). The car only gets used when necessary and I walk or cycle any local journeys. Once the utility bike's finished I hope to undertake more necessary journeys on this that I'd otherwise have done in the car.
Cycling: I view bikes as lifetime purchases, so am fully invested in steel with quality components that conform to proven, long-lived standards. All but one of my bikes was bought new (or found!) and tbh I can't see me ever purchasing another new one.
Food: I won't eat cheap crap but do baulk at the spiralling costs of feeding myself so my first port of call in the shop is always the reduced section. I try to avoid convenience food and make stuff from scratch, although I'm crap at planning ahead and this is something I could definitely improve upon (at least in theory). I try to stock up on non-perishibles when on offer and always seek to minimise food waste in the house.
Clothing: I rarely buy new and even rarer from high-street outlets as they're expensive and often of dubious quality. Most of my recent purchases have come from charity shops or off ebay; with decent used clothes usually costing a fraction of what they would have new.
Consumer Electronics: I try not to buy into electronics / tech as it depreciates so quickly and tends to be both materially and financially wasteful. When I do I try to buy quality that will last / can be repaired (admittedly a tall order with most tech). My mobile is a faithful and utterly dependable 15yr old Nokia. My stereo is a 25yr old Technics. My desktop PC is a 13yr old Dell that I've maintained with new bits as nec. and is still flawlessly doing what I need; it's monitor also a Dell item that's now pushing 16yrs old. My laptop is relatively new at 4yrs, however this cost me about a 20% of what it would have when new and is a decent brand so should hopefully last. I don't own a TV and avoid supurflous electronic trinkets like the plague..
General Consumption: I try to buy as little as possible, and then it's thoroughly researched in the hope that it'll retain value / give long service / be repairable rather than disposible.
Energy Use: I try to use as little enery as possible; so it's a jumper instead of putting the heating on, only using appliances when they're properly full, ensuring lights are turned off etc.. I still need to address a few issues around the home that are probably wasting a fair bit of energy.
One nice little trick I've learned recently is to wash my hair first with normal soap then rinse and follow up with the more expensive shampoo - meaning significantly less of the latter is required
Ultimately there's a lot more I'd like to do, but I guess that's a start. I'm interested to hear what everyone else is doing in an attempt to rein in their spending / consumptive footprint
On top of that it keys in nicely to a moral rejection of the disgusting and unsustainable consumptive / disposible culture that blights our society and all the ills that come with it, while I think there's a certainly amount of satisfaction to be had from spending wisely when others seem determined to piss their money away.
Below are a few ways I try to make the most of my dwindling funds:
Motoring: I drive an old, relatively economical and practically worthless Jap motor, so depeciation is a non-issue and running costs (so far) manageable. Fuel economy is generally good anyway, but I capitalise on this further by my choice of use and driving style (long, non-urban journeys with minimal traffic at a steady speed, minimised braking, defensive driving etc). The car only gets used when necessary and I walk or cycle any local journeys. Once the utility bike's finished I hope to undertake more necessary journeys on this that I'd otherwise have done in the car.
Cycling: I view bikes as lifetime purchases, so am fully invested in steel with quality components that conform to proven, long-lived standards. All but one of my bikes was bought new (or found!) and tbh I can't see me ever purchasing another new one.
Food: I won't eat cheap crap but do baulk at the spiralling costs of feeding myself so my first port of call in the shop is always the reduced section. I try to avoid convenience food and make stuff from scratch, although I'm crap at planning ahead and this is something I could definitely improve upon (at least in theory). I try to stock up on non-perishibles when on offer and always seek to minimise food waste in the house.
Clothing: I rarely buy new and even rarer from high-street outlets as they're expensive and often of dubious quality. Most of my recent purchases have come from charity shops or off ebay; with decent used clothes usually costing a fraction of what they would have new.
Consumer Electronics: I try not to buy into electronics / tech as it depreciates so quickly and tends to be both materially and financially wasteful. When I do I try to buy quality that will last / can be repaired (admittedly a tall order with most tech). My mobile is a faithful and utterly dependable 15yr old Nokia. My stereo is a 25yr old Technics. My desktop PC is a 13yr old Dell that I've maintained with new bits as nec. and is still flawlessly doing what I need; it's monitor also a Dell item that's now pushing 16yrs old. My laptop is relatively new at 4yrs, however this cost me about a 20% of what it would have when new and is a decent brand so should hopefully last. I don't own a TV and avoid supurflous electronic trinkets like the plague..
General Consumption: I try to buy as little as possible, and then it's thoroughly researched in the hope that it'll retain value / give long service / be repairable rather than disposible.
Energy Use: I try to use as little enery as possible; so it's a jumper instead of putting the heating on, only using appliances when they're properly full, ensuring lights are turned off etc.. I still need to address a few issues around the home that are probably wasting a fair bit of energy.
One nice little trick I've learned recently is to wash my hair first with normal soap then rinse and follow up with the more expensive shampoo - meaning significantly less of the latter is required
Ultimately there's a lot more I'd like to do, but I guess that's a start. I'm interested to hear what everyone else is doing in an attempt to rein in their spending / consumptive footprint
