Latest news with #frugalliving
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
I'm a single mother-of-four living on a budget - my big supermarket shop costs £300 but it lasts me a whole YEAR
A mother-of-four has shared her secret for saving thousands of pounds on food and household goods every year. Charlene Woracker, from the UK, took to TikTok to reveal the hack, telling her 29,000 followers that she manages to save shed loads of cash by doing just one stockpile shop a year. The mother, who regularly shares her budgeting tips on social media, shared a list of 31 budget buys she swears by. In the clip, she shared a series of pictures showcasing an array of stockpiled goods 0 including tinned tomatoes, bin bags, cereal and a whole year's worth of toiletries. Charlene said she keeps costs down by doing big shops at the beginning of the year, bulk buying products that are on offer an stowing them away at home. Sharing her impressive yield, the frugal mother said she had spent a whopping £300 on the haul from Sainsbury's. First on the list, Charlene stocked up on multipacks of toilet rolls, with each pack having cost £1.44 using a Nectar card. Next was an armful of multigrain hoops, each costing 85p, and offering 12 servings per box. Penny-pinching Charlene also secured a barrel of bargain dinners with a tray of 20 tins of baked beans. The savvy shopper didn't just stock up on canned goods, but made sure the bathroom and cleaning cupboards would be well supplied, purchasing several Nature Source shower gels on offer at two for £2 as well as Colgate toothpaste for £1, shampoo for 79p, conditioner, hand soap for 59p and panty liners for £1.60. Piling the pantry with plenty of non-perishables, Charlene also stocked up on condiments and seasonings. She also bagged several bags of basmati rice, each priced at £1.79, posh Maldon Sea Salt, a handful of bottles of tomato ketchup for 90p, BBQ sauce for £1.15, and a dozen dinners' worth of spaghetti, each packet coming to just 29p. Charlene maximised her budget by buying very few branded products, including taking home a dozen packets of store-branded pasta which she insisted 'tastes just as good as branded packs of spaghetti'. The mother took home four litres of Greek extra virgin olive oil for just over £30 using her Nectar card. She also filled her pantry shelves with several packets of digestive biscuits for 59p each, real mayonnaise for 99p a jar, Fairtrade light brown soft sugar for £3.50 a kilo, and tinned tomatoes costing £1.88 for a four pack. Making sure she is prepared or any event, Charlene also stocked up on a few cartons of UHT whole milk, should she ever run out and need some in a pinch. Charlene maximised her budget by buying no branded products, including taking home a dozen packs of pasta which she insisted 'tastes just as good as branded packs of spaghetti' She bought unbranded sponges in a pack of six for 65p each, bin liners for £1.25 a pack, Sainsbury's own nappies for £3.59, and cotton wool pads for 99p for 200. At the end of the haul, Charlene said: 'Everything will last three to 12 months. It saves me thousands by shopping like this and brings down my weekly shop to about £50 a week.' The mother regularly posts cash-saving tips to her TikTok page, showing her followers how to prepare cheap meals, plan parties, and even go on holiday with a tight budget. The clip, which has since racked up 257,000 views, attracted attention from hundreds of budget shoppers looking for tips and tricks on saving their pennies. One wrote: 'Love the stockpile, will definitely look at the olive oil! Have you considered a cup over sanitary towels? They last for years so saves money and much better for the environment. And you get the benefits you would from tampons ie. swimming etc but without the health risks.' 'It may sound silly but how do you get started with doing this? I need to do this,' a second said. 'I can completely get behind this. I bulk buy essential items like loo roll/fabric softener and detergent from Costco and it saves me so much money every week/month in my usual food/household shops!', a third commented. Others though, were more sceptical about the benefits of Charlene's alternative shopping methods. 'Curious, what is the benefit of stockpiling opposed to buying weekly/monthly? Surely you're just shelling out loads in one go and have to find somewhere to store it. Do you not spend exactly the same,' one commenter questioned. Answering curious queries, Charlene left one comment explaining that the way she managed to save was by buying in bulk items that were on offer.
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
No booze, no flowers: Chinese officials told to tighten their belts
China's ruling Communist Party has ordered officials to cut down on government waste with a range of new rules: Expensive alcohol, cigarettes and gourmet dishes can no longer be offered at work-related meals; guests should not be seen off at airports; and conferences will no longer feature lavish flower arrangements. As China faces economic headwinds — from a continued trade war with the United States and slower growth at home — it has ordered officials to tighten their belts and 'lead the way in living a frugal life.'
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
TikToker claims this hack on meat will slash your grocery bill: ‘I don't have to pay for my chicken anymore'
A frugal money-saver has gone viral online for sharing her hack to get free chicken – and it works nearly every time, she claims. 'I don't pay for my chicken anymore,' TikTok user @amandahugnkiss says in the viral clip posted earlier this week. 'And I'm gonna tell you how you can get yours for free, too.' The TikToker, who shares money-saving hacks on her account, weighs all the meat she buys from the grocery store – and will seek a refund from its producer if it doesn't match what the label claims it weighs. 'I would say maybe one out of 10 packages actually meet the weight that's on the label,' she said in the clip, which amassed nearly 200,000 views as of Thursday. She then shared a photo of Perdue chicken she recently bought that has a label saying it should contain 3.97 pounds of chicken – but only actually came out to 2.6 pounds. 'I called Perdue. I reported all the information on this label and within a day or two, or three or four days, I'll get a check in the mail for the price that I paid for this meat,' she explained. She noted that she usually has to provide photos and a receipt in order to get a refund. The TikToker noted that while others may call her cheap, she believes companies should be held responsible for making sure their labels are accurate. 'I believe that if a package says 3.97 pounds, there should be 3.97 pounds of meat,' she says, later noting, 'That is without the packaging. Companies are not supposed to include that in their measurements.' She then encouraged viewers to weigh their meat, noting they'd 'be surprised you're getting ripped off as well.' The federal Office of Weights and Measurements, which she mentions in the video, 'works to ensure that consumers get what they pay for and sellers get fair payment for the goods and services they sell by promoting a uniform and technically sound system of weights and measurements,' according to the agency's website. People on TikTok lauded the hack – and urged others to do the same in order to hold big food companies accountable. 'I don't find you're being cheap. Let's hold these companies accountable for unfair pricing. If I'm buying 5 pounds of meat I expect to have 5 lbs,' one commentator wrote. Another chimed in: 'it's smart, and if everyone did it maybe they'd stop cheating us.' 'They call you cheap but they have no problem with a billion dollar corporation PHUCKING the little guy,' another added.
Independent Singapore
14-05-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Jobless Singaporean who gets by on $1K/month asks, 'How much do you need to survive in Singapore?'
SINGAPORE: A Singaporean who has been without a job for five months now asked in a Reddit thread how much a person needs in order to survive in Singapore. They added that they've surprised themself because they've been able to survive on $1,000 a month. 'Makes me wonder where the rest of my money went while I was still working,' wrote u/Actual_Eye6716 in a post on r/askSingapore on Tuesday (May 13). 'My question to you, how much do you need to survive?' they asked users on the platform. The most upvoted answer came from a university student who says they spend between $500 and $550 per month, adding that they are paying for their own school fees. They set aside $400 for food and between $100 and $150 for transportation fees. However, they added that they live and eat very frugally, cooking at home and preparing meals on Sundays. Also, they never take private hire vehicles or order food. 'Might get called a cheapo, but when prices for meat, dairy, and veggies are on the rise, I think it's pretty reasonable to save up,' they added. In another comment, they wrote that they don't accept every invitation from friends to spend time together, choosing only those that they really want to go to. Another wrote that they can survive on a 'bare minimum' of $1500 a month if they have no mortgage. They warned, however, that this means a life of no luxury, adding, 'Goodbye to travels and fun.' ' If only food and transport are of concern, minimally $500-$600 will do, but it is barely enough to get by as well, due to many affordable food options not being that affordable nowadays. If you want to have some leisure or entertainment and socialising treats, then perhaps $800-$1,000 will be sufficient if you spend about $50-100 on weekends,' a commenter weighed in. Another provided a breakdown of his expenses, excluding rent. 'I have been spending around $600 per month. Actually, the food and transport in Singapore are pretty affordable if you think about it. I'm single, mid-30s, male.' He spends $15 per day on food, for a total of $465. His commuting budget is $100, and he allocates $27 for miscellaneous expenses. This prompted a commenter to add, 'I was looking for the most realistic calculation, and this is it. Those who say $1K is not survivable haven't been poor or tried to live within this budget before. I have a friend who earns $700, his rent, utilities are taken care of, and at the end of a year, he has $1K savings.' Others pointed out that the post author's budget does not apply to all because they don't need to factor in housing expenses, and others wondered why they don't have any payments for insurance. /TISG Read also: Singaporean man wants to quit without next job lined up, but others tell him he has options
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
I'm a professional cheapskate, I clean my house with rainwater and won't make tea or coffee at home
A woman who describes herself as a 'professional cheapskate' her tips on how to keep cost the cost of living down. Taking to her TikTok Diary Of A Cheapskate, the woman, who lives in a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Yorkshire, with her husband and two children, showcases her money saving hacks. The 32-year-old, who describes herself as a 'big fan of cheap hacks, reusing, living frugally', claims to be mortgage free thanks to her frugal life. She revealed how she stocks up on free food, only drinks tea and coffee in work and collects rainwater to flush her toilet and clean. Sharing five tips to save money with her followers, she revealed the 'little frugal things I do daily', saying she replies on the Olio app for free food. In a clip, which racked up more than 440,000 views, she explained that she uses the app which facilitates the sharing of surplus food and other household items among neighbours. She said: 'Here are five things I did today as a cheapskate to either save me money of stop me spending money. 'I started the day by going to pick up a bag from the Olio volunteer that lives near me, I said it before but Olio is free to use, anyone can use it, you don't need to be means tested. 'It's for anyone to pick up free food if you have a volunteer near you. This is the selection I got today just a little bit of bread, some fruit, broccoli and some mini wraps.' Elsewhere the frugal women said she also made some money by selling items on Vinted, however she made sure to not waste any money on packaging. She said: 'I'm not going to be one of those influencers who tells you to buy one of those pretty pink envelopes to put your parcels in. 'Use whatever you have laying around, if you have holey plastic bags or cardboard boxes use them.' The TikToker also revealed how she has bought period pants, so she doesn't have to pay for sanitary products every month either. She explained: 'It's one of those sustainable swaps I'd been putting off because it costs money to buy them in the first place. 'But these were from Next and I had a gift voucher so technically they were free. I'm not completely sold on them, I don't wear them all the time, if I'm at work I don't bother, I just need to get more of a gage on how long they last without any leaks.' Another cost-saving method she shared was when her toilet is broken and won't flush she uses a bucket of rainwater to get it going again. She said: 'Our upstairs toilet has decided not to flush again because it broke, we do have a downstairs toilet so it's not too much of an issue but for now we are using this bucket of water to flush it. 'Of course, the cheapskate in me loves this because we're not using paid-for water to flush the toilet, we're using rainwater. 'I'm not calling a plumber out to fix it we will have a go at fixing it ourselves. It seems simple enough to do.' Then she explained how she won't ever buy tea or coffee at home and waits until she is at work to have one, as the company pays for it. 'Now that I'm at work, I'm taking full advantage of the free coffee. I've said before I don't drink tea or coffee or anything other than water when I'm at home, but when I'm at work and it's free, I might as well. 'I'm the one who buys the tea and coffee for work so I may as well buy the ones that I like and I always use my Co Op card as well so even though I'm using work works card to buy it I get the points.' In another video she revealed that she collects rainwater in her garden which she uses to clean and water the plants. She said: 'I use this water butt outside to collect rainwater, I use it to water any plants or flowers I have in the garden, I also use the water to clean anything I need to clean outside. 'I never realised some parts of the world don't need to pay a water bill but here in England we do, so this is free water. 'I'm using it today to clean the trampoline , it's gone a bit green from just not being used in winter, so I just used some water and this scrubbing brush. 'I didn't use any cleaning products and it still came up clean.' Many rushed to the comments with their own thoughts on the TikTokers frugal lifestyle. One person wrote: 'Why won't you drink tea or coffee at home? We're allowed a little treat you know.' To which she replied: 'Water is free(ish)! I don't like drinking money or calories.' Another said: 'Free food should be for people who are struggling.' To which another replied: 'It's a food waste app. Not a food bank hun.' Someone else quipped: 'May this lifestyle never find me.' Meanwhile other were impressed with her level of frugalness, with some saying they have taken some tips from her. One person wrote: 'I'm the complete opposite to you - I love spending money and luxury however, I can never skip your videos. 'You fascinate me. Thank you for introducing me to olio! I've decluttered so much by just listing stuff on the app and people come pick it up! Keep doing you and posting. Your content is very interesting.' Another said: 'I love your content and completely get it. You have your priorities and work with that. I think it's just too odd of an idea for most people to grasp.'
