The Tin of Hope

It isn't all baton down the hatches and credit crunch gloom in the MDS house. No! We have the Tin of Hope. The tin houses all the loose change, it lays there dormant until full upon whence it travels to the coinstar machine. I did used to go to the bank with bags but coinstar is so easy and no moody cashiers to deal with.

My tin will bring me joy. Once it is full I will be able to use the money to spend as I wish. I love the Tin of Hope.

Why being frugal isn't the same as being tight

The trouble with being frugal (and Mrs MDS has been on this slope for over 5 years) is that some benefits are immediate, others more a hill to climb and a couple mountains to conquer.

Let's get the current pitfalls of frugality aired so the word is not associated with austerity or austerity measures, aka the UK current government who are hell bent on confusing personal frugality with ideological measures. To be clear, looking after your household/personal budget is not the same as a complex economic framework. Mr Osbourne might be found of referring to governance of the Treasury as if he were figuratively holding purse strings and all that is required to show some economic might is some tightening of a belt but the reality is an economy is not a pile of cost centres but a machine with cogs that interact, stagnate and fall apart depending on how they are greased. Application of measures designed to inflate, stagnate or stem an economy is not undertaken by one simple act - unlike our own budgets.

We are the masters of our own budgets and can fiddle with the purse strings as much as we like. We can increase or decrease the funding of a certain area of our personal finances without it causing a global economic crisis. We can if we try inject more credit into them too by working more or selling stuff. Lottery wins are always a hope.

an evening at MDS mansions!

21st century frugality is a mix of common sense, reality and a lifestyle choice. If you are poor then frugality is a means of survival. Poverty is a trap for many based on their social standing i.e. lack of education, opportunity and resource. Poverty of mind and soul has as much a bearing on ones social capabilities and coping mechanisms as lack of money. Often all contribute to a vicious circle.

Being frugal has become more a lifestyle choice due to lessons drawn from mass consumerism, a trend that grew in the 1980s and accelerated until the banking crisis in 2008 - bit of general sweep but this is a blog post! Mass consumerism has had a two fold impact, one being an increase in personal debt and the other being an increase in stuff.

Frugality is what Gordon Brown spent a lot of time talking about over many years - being prudent. No one really listened to Mr Brown's view on prudence. He did of course equally spend many years increasing the support to poor households and made it his personal mission to end child poverty. Typically, frugality for Puritans and Quakers meant ensuring you were careful with your money so that you could save it and allocate the savings for more charitable purposes. Mr Brown with his Calvinist background was particularly prudent so he could be charitable. He was fairly hopeless in terms of being 'liked or likeable' but in reality much of his ethos shaped our best times.

Of course for Mrs MDS as others, being frugal is a by product of personal circumstances, notably being rubbish with money for so many years it has caught up with one and not really saving for a rainy day. Truth be told rainy days sounded so terrible dull. Now rainy days look like sunshine compared to inflation, petrol prices and increased costs to everything. Now the fashion is to be frugal. None of us want debts, most of us wish not to have a credit card and a savings account is preferable to an 'it bag'. Spending seems like showing off. Now of course it is all about, sewing, vintage, allotments and home made things.

I have found my outgoings are much less than they used to be (the ones I can control) and I make every endeavour to keep the battle against waste going. Paying back debts is a mind field and there is conflicting advice but being debt free is probably a nice personal goal. I've not tried to be clever and avoid a lot of the Martin Lewis, money expert type advice and stick to the more palatable and nicer Alvin Hall.

Frugal, prudent, making do - it is all the same. Think before you spend, have a budget, think of others less fortunate and in need plus review your spending and budgets but don't forget to enjoy life! You can do lots for free, think libraries for books and museums and taking walks in town or country. Do things on a budget, throw dinner for friends with down to earth meals such as chilli con carne and find inspiration from others. You are not being tight with your money - it's frugal.

Do share your money saving tips...

Still stuff to be had in the sales (and a rambling to boot)

Normally, I'd be fully absorbed in the new items hitting the stores, I'd have left last season behind without a by your leave. Sales, pah! Who cares about the sales has always been my mantra...but... a combination of forces, global economics (actually I'd love to be more specific and execute a rant about a bunch of ****** who played monopoly and one player failed to tip the board up to prevent the game going to far, I'm big into digressing at the moment), personal circumstances and the fact fashion went too far, or more specifically the retailing of garments went bonkers. Equally this time last year I'd be chomping at the bit for my weekly fix of Grazia and I was also fresh to blogging, I'd been reading quite a few and then decided to join the party too. Well my views on sales have changed and my life has changed due to blogging - bizarre!

On the sales front there are still plenty of desirable items to be had. Take these going out shoes in Reiss at £74.50 they make more sense than at their original £149.00 price tag.

Still at Reiss this belt at £24.50 is bang on colour for the coming S/S09 season. It is a hip belt and the leather is quite iridescent, not quite patent, but nearly. I quite like hip belts because I can pop to my little man at Bond St tube heel bar and he punches new holes in the belt and I can get more use out of it wearing it on waist or hip. He keeps telling me I can buy better hole punch pliers in B&Q and I keep telling him do I look like I want to go to B&Q!

Of course, the reason sales are better is due to a downturn in spending and also over proliferation of stores and garments in the high street. However, I will wait in future to see what the sales deliver on items that are nice but indulgent when I can spend again!

What changes have you made? Are sales more appealing than before?

PS. Plus more on my rambling later...

High Street pick of the month

The rationale behind this is to identify one key fashion item each month that adds to a wardrobe. Keep with me on this one....think about it if you only buy one item a month you can save the additional money you would have spent.

Now what I select each month isn't going to be to every ones taste and there are some of you who are superb thrifters and others who are not currently buying or making their own. If that's the case then look at it another way - it's a savings plan. If you actually put aside the amount the High Street pick of the month costs - you could in 6 - 12 months time actually buy that divine Dior number, the cute Chloe chiffon, a Marc Jacob bag - whatever is your must have!

It is an alternative to spend spend spend, and equally not a reaction to doom and gloom economy issues. I haven't bought the Oasis dress so technically I saved £70 already.

Protecting the purse strings - beauty products

Summer wardrobe, check. Holiday booked, check. Bikini bought, check. Euros, a few...Money saved for A/W clothes, zero, zilch.

OK, that gives you June, July, August and September to put some pennies and pounds away. I always think that October is the perfect month to make ones purchases. It is easy to be beguiled by the new items filling the shops late August and in September, but if you can sit tight for one more month then some real gems appear from October 1st. You also get a real feel for which way the trends are going - embrace or reject as your views dictate.


One area you can make great savings is with beauty grooming products. It requires effort, a plan and determination. No salon treats!


Essential ingrediants are body scrub, body lotion and self tanning products. A razor, shaving gel, wax products and oil.


None of the above have to be expensive. Supermarkets and Pharmacies stock a great range often with special offers and two for one deals. If you go online to Veet you can get a free SATC beauty guide plus a 20% off token for Figleaves which is valid until 31st December 2008!

Use wax for bikini line and underarm. Use Aqueous cream to sooth skin after waxing and the same for after shaving legs. I prefer men's razor and shaving gel to get a great smooth finish. If you find your legs getting dry then rub in some olive or rapeseed oil.

If you're self tanning your legs or using products such as Johnson's, Doves or Nivea's body glow gradual tanning lotion, make sure you exfoliate before applying. Any body scrub will do - go for a cheap and cheerful one or make you own with Maldon sea salt and some olive oil, it's very easy just mix together.

If you do undertake a mega grooming session then just add a hair treatment product, again you can get sachets from £1.45. By the time you've finished your grooming you can rinse it off and have lovely soft hair to boot.

One other treat is a scrub and buff for your feet, particulalry needed if padding around in ballet pumps and/or flip flops. Use the scrub to invigorate the feet. Soak in hot water with lemon and then apply Scholl Footcare's deep moisturising cream. To get super soft feet apply oddles of the cream and put on a pair of socks for an hour or so.

One salon treatment for all these thing is about £110 verus an initial outlay of £25 - £30. Put the money you save towards your A/W clothes fund and don't forget practice makes perfect. My first bikini self wax was rubbish but now I could give myself a Brazilian at a push!

Roman prices

The lovely Coco of Coco's Tea Party had a great little visual and piece on gladiator sandals. For those of you who even balk at a £30 price point for such summer numbers then these little beauties are £8 at Matalan

But a cautionary note re:gladiators - a la Style Bubble , less floral dresses more imagination!

Bits & Bobs

A couple of people who bought books to enter Style Makeover competiton haven't forwarded receipt and info to kate.battrick@googlemail.com - please do asap as I don't want you to miss out on draw taking place over weekend!

Also as this is the start of the new financial year I'm going to get really focused on helping you make do and mend in style. This really is the new year - celebrate and think about what goals you'd like to achieve between now and next March. I've reduced my credit card limit to the lowest possible amount the provider will allow - they get quite sniffy about it so I've changed to another one. Posts will focus on fearsome budgetting!!

I'm skipping out tonight to a 20% off evening at Kurt Geiger to get my summer sandals - I've got my eyes on these in navy blue and saving £28 is not to be sniffed at. Mind you my pal and I are off to have a large cocktail in the Donovan bar before heading home so not such a saving afer all!

Spend it at savings rates

If the current cold weather and forecast of snow this weekend is making you reach for thermals or hiding under the duvet with Easter eggs, rather than getting your spring/summer wardrobe - then hang on!

Wait until Friday April 11th and have fun at the DWS womenswear April sale. Save your pennies now and you'll be in the mood to pick up some bargins, See by Chloe, Prada, London fashion week designers such as Daniel Blake and the lovely Ann Louise Roswald will be some of the brands on offer. http://www.designerwarehousesales.com/

Purse wisdom for skin

To look good within budget, or to pay off credit card debts, one has to be clever when it comes to all manner of things. This year my bread making and preparing of allotment for future produce has netted me some lovely savings. Of which I splurged on a pair of sunnies as detailed in he who dares wins.

Now I may have saved myself £59 on that purchase but my savings aren't great and my credit card debt is still too high. Once my S/S 08 wardobe is sorted for work and self satisfaction I will be attempting to clear it all by the end of the summer.

Always on the look out to keep the household budget on track, plus incorporate my beauty needs into it, I've made a lot of compromises along the way. My birthday and Christmas list is with out fail Laura Mercier's almond coconut body range and Chanel (no need to narrow the potential). When it comes to products I love Environ, I save dollars and always make someone on a US tripmget me Kiehl's Creme de Corps. When I go to France, it's straight to the pharmacy for Embryolisse and Bioderma Crealine H2O.

So when Emma Cook reviewed SPF moisturisers in the Guardian Weekend, I was captivated by the review for Skin Wisdom's Reverse ultimate lift day cream SPF 15, £8.47, by Bharti Vyas for Tesco, 0800 505555.

Price aside, Bharti Vyas is an amazing facialist. Her recipe for acne which off the top of my head incorporates tumeric, honey and salt - don't rely on me for this one - all combined has saved many a young person from the torment of acne within a month!

Monday morning I hot footed it to Tesco - only to have been beaten either by Janet Street Porter or the Guardian reading population of South London/Surrey. Instead I purchased a detox facial mask for 69p, the energising facial scrub and the creamy facial wash. I'd just run out face cleansers. Across the aisle I was tempted by the bnatural body products, so opted for the conditioning salt scrub and intensive body cream. Having lost the receipt I'm guessing I spent at max £12 for all 5 items.

What do I think? The energising facial scrub is delightful - this is from the person who adores Chanel's Gommage microperle eclat. It delivers the same gentle feel and gives your skin radience. It is March and I've been looking like someone in need of the sun for the last 12 weeks. Perfect start to the day, the lemongrass does the trick. The creamy facial wash is nice and I like the ease of use. But bear in mind, I struggle to find the perfect end of day wash - I've done it all from Eve Lom to Liz Earle. Anything that scrubs me up at the end of the day without a muslin cloth and isn't a wipe, suits me. It doesn't seem to strip the skin and so far so good. I'm saving the mask until the weekend!

As for the body stuff, well the scrub is nearly on a par with Elemis! It is really good! The intensive cream is very thick and is good for knees and elbows but probably not absorbant or nice enough for rest of body - a good staple alongside Vaseline intensive when money is tight.

I'll be fighting you for the day cream....

Image supplied by BMA Communications