5 things we can no longer afford to buy! And, what we're doing instead! #frugalliving #alternative

Years ago, I was very low on funds. However, I wanted a hedge around my small back yard to keep my small dogs contained. I went to a greenhouse in our vicinity. The hedge bushes were $14 for a 1 gal pot. I purchased one, brought it home, and cut off branches to start my own nursery of hedge. I managed to get close to 50 branches. About 30 made it to root. The next spring I planted them. They took off. It took three years to realise my dream of a thick healthy hedge. It takes patience. I saved $420 dollars, and learned a lot about wants vs needs. Thank you for your wisdom. It's much appreciated.

I am vegetarian and have been finding the rising prices of fresh produce challenging, to say the least. Today, I went to the store just to buy 1 red onion that I wanted for a specific recipe. I always check the "reduced produce" rack first, and today, I got a mixed bag of produce for $2 Cdn. The bag contained 2 red onions, 2 apples, 1 orange, and 1 small eggplant! I live alone, and the eggplant is big enough for 2 meals for me. The apples are going into my oatmeal tomorrow for breakfast, and I already ate the orange! None of the produce was bad at all. The onions are quite fresh and will last quite a while.

I borrow all my books from the library, but went into a book shop with my daughter last week to buy a book as a gift for someone. We found the book we wanted, but my daughter said dont buy it here and walked me to kmart where the same book was exactly 1/2 the price. It really pays to shop around. I was proud of her.

Was going to go for a day trip to a resort town, but figured that the gas alone was too expensive. Instead ,took my dog to the local state park that I can go into using a senior pass, packed a lunch, and went for a 2 hour hike with my dog. The weather was wonderful and a perfect day.

We have never subscribed to streaming services. We just get DVDs out of our local library.

Jane, the way you present lovely alternatives to things and activities that have become unaffordable to so many people is heartwarming. Thank you!

I do my grocery shopping online due to being disabled. I shop sales and keep a stock of meat in my freezer. Weather permitting, two of my neighbors and a couple other friends will join together for a pot luck, where we each contribute what we have to the dinner. I only go out to eat when a friend takes me to doctors appointments. I buy their lunch as it costs less to buy 2 lunches than it would to take an Uber or other ride share round trip.

My kitchen curtains fell apart in the washing machine. I remembered I had a blue linen tablecloth from a charity shop that matches my decor nicely.. I made new curtains out of the tablecloth. I hemmed my daughters bedroom curtains and saved the pieces I cut off the bottom. I turned them into patio cushions and used old pillows to fill them. I saved and dried the flower seed heads for this years garden. I've given jars of seeds as a gift for house warming present.

We recently went to a fundraiser that had a silent auction. I got a dvd player, charger, and 4- dvd’s. I gave my autistic great nephew everything but a dvd that was not appropriate for him. He loved it, my sister said he was so excited that he was laughing and jumping up and down! Loved it!❤️❤️ oh I paid $15 usd. Eating less meat is actually a healthy option.

We no longer go out for drinks or dinner with friends, but instead entertain at home. When the weather is nice we have "happy hour" on our patio and have all the guests bring their own drinks and an appetizer to share! It is so much fun!

Your socialising is like going back fifty years and more this is how we did years ago.. In the UK in the 1950’s this is how my parents lived they would never have thought of meeting in a restaurant or tearoom.

I love listening to you talk and love all your frugal tips.

Thank you for making this a positive video about finding alternatives. I love the challenge of "beating the system" by finding ways, that are still enjoyable, to make do with less and/or less expensive alternatives. We have an amazing library system where we live, and that is where the majority of our entertainment - books, DVDs, so many free video streams per month, jigsaw puzzles, online e-books and audio books, reference sources and more are gotten. Library usage is paid for in our property taxes, so I make sure we take full advantage of it. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else is doing to make do and find alternatives.

We no longer go out to eat and pack our own food for day trips/overnights as well. I have completed changed how and where I buy our food (canned to dried beans, making own broths, meal planning and selective shopping). Buy only meat on sale or yellow tag. We also had to cut out single use cleaning products like paper towels and disinfectant wipes. Turns out microfiber cloths are just fine! Frugality makes us adaptable and creative.😊

I buy whatever meat or fish is reduced on that day or it has to be on a really good offer. I haven't bought or eaten steak for a few years now as it's just too expensive. I tend to buy frozen veggies except for carrots, onions and potatoes. I rarely buy fresh fruit, using tinned or frozen. BUT I do grow fruit and veg on my allotment and preserve it lots of ways to use throughout the year. My current supermarket budget is £25 per week for just me (includes cleaning stuff, TP, toiletries etc) and I've stuck to it since the start of the year. I cook from scratch all the time and I do eat very well 🙂

Hi Jane and Mike, it's all about making ends meet isn't it. Meat and fish are very expensive now and I always look for reduced before I shop for what's on my list. I will look at the reduced and if beef mince is on my list but there is minced pork that is reduced I will buy the reduced pork instead of the beef. On mother's day my boys did a surprise Sunday lunch for me at my eldest son's house. My youngest who is my carer helped to set it all up and my eldest paid and cooked it. My youngest hasn't a lot of money but his effort was his payment in his brother's eyes. My son bought and cooked roast pork and a half leg of lamb, along with all the trimmings. Oh my goodness it was amazing, my youngest and I can't afford lamb so it was such a treat. It's the first time I've had lamb in nearly a year and that was on my birthday last march. When I asked how much all this food cost he said £60, I nearly fell off my chair 😮. He said mum stop worrying, knowing you have enjoyed it so much it's worth every penny. He then gave me a bottle of my very favourite gin, Whitley Neal, rhubarb and ginger with an amazing card, my youngest gave me another stunning card from him and a beautiful heart shaped plate breakfast set and a new set of kitchen scales he knew I wanted. I am so lucky to have two loving and caring sons. To be honest I cried. I haven't had the best of times over the last month and a half so they really made me feel special. What concerns me is that everything is so commercialised these days. I am extremely grateful for what my boys did for me but I do worry about the financial impact things have on them. My birthday is on the 25th of march and they are determined to take me out for the day. My eldest has booked a day's holiday. He said I'm taking you shopping and you are not spending a penny, I said no you can't afford it and he said I've been doing overtime so yes I can mother. He calls me mother when he is being bossy. A homemade afternoon tea would be much cheaper and just as special. It's the thought that counts and knowing they love me but unfortunately they follow their mother for being stubborn 😅. We try to draw in on spending because everything is so much higher in price than before COVID. It's so difficult to try and put a little money aside these days. I really worry about the younger generation and how they will survive. Great video as always and thank you both so much for sharing. Kind regards Angeline ❤️ xx 🇬🇧

I am old enough to remember the late 1960s and 70s, when my parents entertained friends from work or church. My mother served coffee or tea, a nice cake, and often a dinner. My wife is very social, so we continue that tradition at our home. And it gives me an excuse to trot out the china and silverware that my mother left!

Times are really tough but you are managing exceptionally well. Thank you so much for all of your helpful tips - you are both such an inspiration!

Nowadays I buy meat and fish on yellow sticker from the supermarket. I also sometimes buy in bulk and then sort it all into individual portion size before I freeze it. If I’m having a celebration day (birthday, Xmas and yesterday it was signed off from cancer!) then I’ll buy some lamb without the yellow sticker if I’ve nothing left in the freezer. I’m really careful for the rest of the year but sometimes it’s time to celebrate!

I enjoyed the format - what you cut and what you do instead! I've made a lot of cuts and not too much alternatives put in place. I mostly entertain by having friends or family over for a meal. This way I can manage my costs, have tasty food, and keep some social life going. I take long transit rides to work to cut down on gas on weekdays. I shop mostly foods that are on sale and buy a little extra if I can so next time when not on sale I don't have to buy it. Occasionally I have a friend shop for me as sale items get depleted while I work. I watch You Tube and write comments to be part of the communities I enjoy rather than paying for streaming. I pay extra on mortgage principal when I can to save a bit on interest to keep overall long term costs down while some prices really escalate that I can't change. I rarely shop for nonessential items, so I come to want less. I plan to declutter and sell items rather than buy stuff I don't need. I do have one hobby to DIY build out my minivan for fun and future travel, using funds from selling my newer car to get an older one (and pay for any repairs). One must find acceptance and contentment upon adjusting.