The good ol' days
Change your way of thinking
Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money. I remember me and my sister huddled around a Calor Gas fire in the living room, getting dressed in the winter months; my dad walking me to nursery in a pushchair because we didn't have enough money to put petrol in the car. We did however, have knitted bed socks and Granny Square blankets for our beds - love was in abundance and we always had everything that we needed.
How much!
Coming from a frugal family means that I have carried this way of thinking with me into adulthood. In past years, I would look at the cost of yarn and think "I'm not paying that - you could buy a whole jumper for less than it would cost to make it". Sound familiar?
Coming from a frugal family means that I have carried this way of thinking with me into adulthood. In past years, I would look at the cost of yarn and think "I'm not paying that - you could buy a whole jumper for less than it would cost to make it". Sound familiar?
Change your way of thinking
There are ways around this and here are my top 5 tips for saving money when things are tight:-
Good things come to those who wait
Just like my mum and dad say, "If we look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves" Never a truer word has been said.
- Birthday/Christmas money - save it up and put it towards that yarn that you have been hankering after; take it to a special event like EYF.
- Charity shops - Find that yarn bin that could hide that special 50p bargain. I love my local St Peter's Hospice clearance shop (yes they exist)
- Indie Dyers just starting out - they are out there and if you search on Etsy, there are bargains to be had. Caledonia Dye Works is just one of the new Indie Dyers out there who produces beautiful yarn.
- Frog a WIP or a project that has been grown out of - sentimental projects aside, my Nana's were forever recycling jumpers or blankets to make something new and useable.
- Substitute yarns - Use Yarnsub to find alternatives if the price tag on the suggested yarn is out of your budget (example below)
Good things come to those who wait
Just like my mum and dad say, "If we look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves" Never a truer word has been said.
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| Choosing a substitute yarn, I saved over £20 on making this jumper |
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| My £1.50 charity shop bargain! |
I'm a frugal kind of gal too, most of the time. Sometimes I do splurge (when I'm on holiday I tend to treat myself). I am a big fan of frogging an old project too. That's a good tip about indie dyers starting out... thank you!!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to splurge (fab word) when we have the money. There are so many newbies out there finding there feet and trying to price competitively, that there is definitely a bargain to be had while helping them up the ladder
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