Recently when we visited Leigh on Sea we popped into the small museum in the old town. It was a fisherman’s cottage from the 1800s and was incredibly spartan. The people in those times lived a very hard life and had minimal possessions. No mobile phones, PCs, TVs or tablets for them. What we consider extreme frugality was just normal life for many people. I am not romanticising this life: I would hate to live such a harsh and basic existence and I like a few home comforts. But it made me think about the many things we possess, what we buy and what we actually need. There are so many things my granny didn’t buy, and even more if you go back a few generations further.
Some things my granny didn’t buy
What would my grandma not even have considered a possibility, let alone a necessity? Things that spring immediately to mind are:
Air fresheners
Kitchen roll
Mobile phones
Disposable nappies
Disposable dishcloths
Fabric softener
Baby wipes, face wipes, disinfectant wipes
Spray furniture polish
Different cleaning sprays for every job: bathroom, kitchen, windows, etc
Tumble driers
Ready meals
Takeout food in polystyrene boxes
Instant rice or noodles
Plastic carrier bags
Portable computer games
Computers
Liquid hand wash
Dishwashers
Satellite/cable tv/streaming services
Microwaves
The Internet
Botox
Fake tan
Fizzy drinks
Tablets (well, only the pharmaceutical kind)
Self serve checkouts
Social networking
Annual holidays
Cheap air travel
I could go on of course about things my granny didn’t buy. However, I am a realist. There are many things in the list above I would hate to be without and make my life so much better. My dishwasher saves so much time, the microwave is a boon to warm up leftovers and defrost soup from the freezer. As for the Internet and PCs, it’s not feasible for many of us to be without them nowadays. However, none of them are actually essential to being alive – they are all luxuries.
From the point of view of frugality it is useful to think about what I really could do without if necessary. Lots of the things on my list I already don’t buy – I will never give into botox, even if I win the lottery tomorrow!
If you would like inspiration on how to live a more frugal lifestyle and save money, check out my book: Extreme Frugality: Save Money Like Your Grandma.
frugalinsuffolksimple@gmail.com says
What a list! When you think that they had no rubbish collection and yet we don’t find one hundred year old rubbish strew everywhere you realise how little they threw out because there was nothing to throw.
lizard100 says
That’s a very thought provoking list. I’m glad many of them are not in our shopping.
Jen Walshaw (@Mum_TheMadHouse) says
I for one am glad of changes in the way we live sometimes. My MIL was born to a fisherman and was the youngest of 11, can you imagine?
AuntLeesie says
Oh, so much I’m grateful for! More than 3 outfits… one for work, one for day, and one for church. Floor cleaning tools beyond a broom plus bucket, brush and/or rags. Manufactured bars of soap (who’d want to boil lard and lye?), bottles of shampoo (even the cheap kinds), an actual washing machine (my grandma had a ringer washer when I was little). I suppose I could live without my automatic coffee maker, but I wouldn’t want to! I could go on…
thedomesticstoryteller says
I think it’s very interesting to think about our actual needs and wants in this day and age. I think we are very lucky to have all of the technology, for health purposes as well as personal comfort. But I know what you mean, I’m quite attached to my tumble drier!
Sam says
Many things on your list that came available during your grandma’s lifetime probably seemed silly. I think though how much easier to make sure I use leftovers with having a microwave, so to me it’s a frugal appropriate appliance these days but yes, not a necessity. After not having a clothes dryer to use on my trip and it took days for laundry to dry in November, I’m putting washer and dryer at top of most want to keep appliances. The one time use stuff I want to omit as much as possible, but then I do not have babies or toddlers in diapers now.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Good points! I use my microwave a lot actually, but I have not had a dryer for years. I do have a dehumidifier though, which helps dry things in the winter. My grandma didn’t have one of those!