thinking thrifty

Whenever I read a blog or piece on how to be thrifty I realise how much I just do naturally. Putting myself through uni and living on basically nothing taught me some valuable life lessons, and I'm glad that even when my income's gone up, my spending's still stayed on the frugal side. Of course, I do splurge. A new Chanel nailpolish can do so much for a gal - but I normally only buy one per season. Apart from that - I'm thrift-central.

For a start, if a hem comes down or a button comes off, I sew it back on. Badly, but I'll do it. If a zipper breaks I'd rather pay someone $14 to sew in a new one than buy a new pair of trousers. We do enjoy going out to dinner - but it's rare, and so much more special that way. When I cook it's from fresh ingredients - with the odd sauce from a jar if need be - but my meals come from the ground - not in a box. I always turn the shampoo and conditioner bottles upside down at the end of their life. Then I'll take off the lid, add a few drops of water, shake and get another two washes from them.

We pay our mortgage fortnightly, and pay more than the minimum in order to pay it off quicker. If ever we get an unexpected windfall (pay-rise, tax refund...) that goes straight off the mortgage too. I'll also walk an extra block or two to use my own bank's ATM - I loathe paying the extra $2 you're charged for using another bank's machine - and it can add up too.

I'll also buy big ticket items on sale - or negotiate my butt off for the best possible price and then pay cash to get even more off. My clothes virtually always come from op-shops or sample sales and if I feel the need for a fashion fix I'll buy some cheap beads, a lippy or nail polish in this season's hottest colour.

But I don't do this to feel virtuous - I just do it because it feels right. There's no point in cutting costs and scrimping if it makes you feel deprived and awful - you just need to make cuts in the area where it doesn't matter so you can save enough to spend a little more where it does.