14 things you only know if you’re extremely frugal

Some call it stingy – we call it sensible.

Senior Couple Saving Money In The Pink Piggybank

While many people are jumping for joy at the prospect of indulging in meals in actual restaurants, enjoying copious cocktails and jetting off on overseas escapes again, now that lockdown restrictions are easing, for others it’s not so simple.

Those of us on the more prudent end of the spending spectrum have quite liked having expensive activities ruled out, and watching our savings pile up – even just a little bit – over the last year has been pretty great.

Now, as things change, us frugal folk are going to have to double down on all our usual money-saving efforts…

1. You spend hours comparing prices to get the best deal, whether it’s on supermarket shelves or online.

2. When you’re in charge of organising social events you make sure they’re of the cheaper variety, like a BYOB picnic in the park, rather than a slap-up dinner.

3. You’ve joined every coupon, discount code and meal deal mailing list in existence. Martin Lewis aka the Money Saving Expert is a saint in your eyes.

4. When you find an amazing deal that’s going to save you tons of cash, it’s a massive heart-pounding thrill.

5. Practically allergic to taxis, you walk everywhere (even in torrential rain) and take public transport only when absolutely necessary.

6. You are very strict about the use of central heating. ‘Just put on a jumper,’ is pretty much your mantra at home.

7. Way ahead of the sustainability trend, your abstemious lifestyle has been helping the environment for years.

8. A takeaway tastes so much better when you only treat yourself every few months instead of indulging on a weekly basis.

9. While some people are scared to peek at their bank balance, you love logging on to look at yours. It’s probably gone up since last time you checked thanks to your lucrative side hustle.

10. Determined not to waste any food, you’re a master at whipping up delicious dishes from the weirdest combination of ingredients.

11. You’ve got drawers overflowing with jiffy bags, ribbons, bows and only slightly creased wrapping paper that you’ve salvaged from deliveries and gifts, ready to be reused.

12. You make your own compost from kitchen scraps and have a plant cuttings exchange going with your pals so none of you ever have to buy seeds or plants.

13. You judge other people for their lavish lifestyles. It’s not envy, though, you just can’t help imagining how much interest they would have made if they’d squirreled that money away in an ISA instead of splurging on luxury goods.

14. You wouldn’t have it any other way. You may have to contend with naysayers every so often, but you get a kick out of bargain-hunting and knowing your finances are always in order. For you, frugality is fun.