Regular viewers of my YouTube channel will be aware that recently I helped my Mum clear and sell the house she had shared with my late Dad for 33 years. There was so much stuff! It was time-consuming to go through everything, as well as being both physically and emotionally draining. This got me thinking […] The post Swedish death cleaning: more than just decluttering appeared first on Shoestring Cottage ..read more

I have been thinking about how hard life can be when everything is so expensive! And why embracing a frugal lifestyle can be so helpful. There are a lot of good reasons to be frugal, especially in today’s climate. My own experience of paying a mortgage on a low income whilst bringing up three teenage […] The post So many reasons to be frugal #costoflivingcrisis appeared first on Shoestring Cottage ..read more

As I write this, it is a beautiful, sunny September evening. The weather has been odd this week – really chilly and wet one day, warm and dry the next. One of my five frugal things should be that I resisted putting the heating on one cold night! I refuse to do that in September. […] The post Things I have done to save money this week appeared first on Shoestring Cottage ..read more

As I was chopping up some overripe bananas to put in the freezer this morning, I realised this was just one example of the everyday frugal habits that I do without giving them much thought. They are just automatic. I thought I would put together a list of my everyday frugal habits, as they might […] The post Everyday Frugal Habits appeared first on Shoestring Cottage ..read more

It’s an age-old question in a world where we seem to be constantly striving for wealth and its associated status. Can money buy happiness?  I should start this post by saying that a severe lack of cash leading to debt, homelessness and poverty is unlikely to make anyone happy. However, once you have enough to […] The post Can Money Buy Happiness? appeared first on Shoestring Cottage ..read more

I have called this post as an ‘almost staycation’, because to me a staycation means having time off work to holiday from home. Having days out, exploring your local area, catching up with family and friends or reading a book in the garden is what a staycation is all about in my book. Nowadays, when […] The post An almost staycation in Whitstable appeared first on Shoestring Cottage ..read more

Needs versus wants Recently I had a wardrobe crisis. How come? I have a wardrobe full of things! But I keep clothing for a long time, many items are pretty tatty and I am bored with the others. Most were second-hand in the first place. So I NEEDED new clothes! Obviously, I didn’t actually need […] The post Needs versus wants: how identifying your priorities helps you budget appeared first on Shoestring Cottage ..read more

This post is written in collaboration with Money Plus Advice. As somebody who lived with low-level debt for many years, I know how disheartening it can be. I used to look forward to pay-day, only to find a large chunk of my money disappeared into my overdraft or debt repayments. But there are ways to […] The post 5 ways to deal with debt appeared first on Shoestring Cottage ..read more

Well, January wasn’t a low-spend month for us. I often go for a no-spend start to the New Year, but I knew there were too many purchases we needed to make for it to be feasible. So, instead, I have been aiming for a frugal February! The plan has been to spend as little as […] The post Frugal February: a low spend month appeared first on Shoestring Cottage ..read more

This post contains affiliate links marked with *. If you click through and make a purchase, this site will earn a small commission. If you have decided to rein in your spending and save money this year, we have some ideas to inspire you. Here are 24 frugal things for 2024. 1. Make a budget […] The post 24 Frugal Things for 2024 appeared first on Shoestring Cottage ..read more