Most of our grandparents will have lived through times of austerity. Most notably WWII where basic necessities could be hard to come by at times. It is no surprise that grandparents always seem to have frugal household tricks to save money and live more simply. Here are some frugal household tips our grandparents used which stand the test of time and will save you money today.
After all, grandma knows best!
1. Hot water bottles
As soon as there’s a chill in the house, it’s easy to switch on the heating to feel snug again. But, do you know what grandma would have done? She would have tucked herself up with a hot water bottle and a cardigan and braved it out.
Hot water bottles aren’t just for bedtime. A great way of keeping warm is grabbing a hot water bottle and blanket to snuggle down on the sofa.
2. Insulated curtains
We all know that loft insulation is a must have to keep your house warm in the colder months. But, did you know that you can lose a lot of heat through windows? This is especially true if you have single glazing. The heat will just be sucked straight out! One way that you could combat this is by using insulated curtains. You can go out and buy insulated curtains yourself, but here’s a handy tip to save even more money! You could buy an insulating lining and sew this onto the back of your existing curtains.
3. Draught excluders
Those long sausage-shaped cushions that you’ve seen at your grandma’s house? They’re not just decorative. Draught excluders do exactly what you think- they make sure that there are no draughts coming into a room. They will also help contain heat within a room, so it’s yet another way to make sure that the precious pounds that you are spending on central heating are not lost and are instead contained in the room that you wish to heat.
4. Blankets
The humble blanket is not to be overlooked as a way to save money and can be used as a substitute for central heating- at least until around December. Put blankets on your bed and over the sofa to remind you to use them when the evenings get a little cooler.
5. Fireplaces
If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace or wood burning stove in your home, this is the perfect way to heat your house without needing to spend money on heating. You can collect wood from wooded areas around your home, and this is completely free and totally frugal!
6. Tin foil behind the radiator
Yet another trick to ensure that you get the most from your money spent on central heating is to place some layers of tin foil behind your radiator so that maximum warmth is reflected back into the room. This means that you don’t have to put your heating on for as long as normal as the room should warm up more quickly and stay warmer for longer.
7. Coupons
Cut-out coupons in newspapers and magazines used to be much more abundant than they currently are, but there are still some publications out there that offer coupons– these are usually found in the supermarkets themselves. Tesco magazine has regular coupons within its pages, but other supermarkets will often print out coupons at the till point after you have paid for your shopping- Sainsbury’s Nectar Card is a good example of this.
8. Cooking from scratch
Foregoing convenience foods and jarred sauces for old-fashioned home cooking could be the way forward if you want to save some money. You could make a healthy pasta sauce for a family of four for less than £1 if you make it from scratch- you’ll know exactly what is going into the food that you are making, and you can bet it will taste so much better than sauce from a shelf.
9. Make your own cleaning products
Grandmas all over the country will have homemade cleaning products that they swear by- whether it’s bicarbonate of soda to get rid of stains or vinegar to shine up the bathroom. Cleaning with these products is both cheaper than average cleaning products and kinder to the environment.
10. Make do and mend
Mending clothes is something that is often overlooked in the modern day, but by learning a few sewing techniques to repair rips and replace buttons, items will have a much longer lifespan. The same goes for repurposing other textiles- pyjamas and old t-shirts that are worn beyond repair make perfect rags for cleaning before they are eventually discarded.
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One Response
My Grandparents have taught me to do a lot of these things too! I definitely think that those who grew up during or just after the second world war are some of the most robust and most influential people I know. And they certainly know about how to save money because they had no other choice! Really enjoyed this great article! 🙂