My humble beginnings.................. [Archive]

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Englishlady

01-17-2006, 05:24 PM

Most people seek out a site like FV when they feel a need to save money or get back on track, cut down or rid themselves of debt.

I think that I have been frugal for most of my life, although I am sure like most people, I too have wasted money on stuff that I didn't need/thought I wanted at the time.

I thought that I would share my journey into frugality with some pictures of the houses I first lived in.
Picture below this thread:

This were taken quite recently, when I went back and took photo's of my old houses, they have changed very little from when I lived there.

The first house is a Back-toBack terrace house, imagine a long line of children, stood in a row with an equal number of children stood back to back, this is how the back to back terrace is.

The only windows you see are all the rooms in the house, all the windows face one direction(the front) because there are neighbours on three sides.

The windows you see are, left hand side is the the one living room on the right is the kitchen on the left side above the living room is the only bedroom and on the right above the kitchen is the tiny kitchen.

There was a very small dark damp and dirty cellar which was the old coal cellar and there was a large cold, slightly damp attic.

This house is right on the pavement ( sidewalk), NO outside space at of ANY kind!), oh, I lie there is a yard every 7 or 8 houses for the rubbish bins, which also contains a couple of outside toilets that served about 10 houses in the days when they didn't have inside bathrooms!)

When I moved into my house it DID have an inside bathroom, but there were still some houses that were classed as "unmodernised" this meant no inside bathroom and just one cold tap in the kitchen!)

I bought this house when I was 19 years old and single about 28 years ago!!!!!!!!!! yet only 30 years ago a "husband" had to sign for the mortgage on a house as his wife wasn't allowed to?!! (I have only just recently found that out).

At the time I bought this lttle house, no one of EITHER sex of that age or even many single people of any age were buying their own houses, so I was ahead of my time!

Why did I buy it?

Well I left home at 18 and I was very independent! When I briefly had to go back home, my Dad would growl at me to turn out the light ( when I wanted to read in bed!) he was obsessed about that!

I was paying for my board, so that rankled me a bit!

At that time ( in the mid 1970's) renting a small bedsit ( a one room hovel where you had to share a bathroom and kitchen with any number of others) was costing about £11 a week I worked out that this house would cost me about £2 or£3 a week more and I would have to defer to no one but myself!

As a child I worked to earn pocket money from baby sitting aged 12 and 13 and progressed to working in a shop from age 14. I have worked all my life until my car accident just over 10 years ago.

When I got the mortgage on this little house it was for just under £3,000 more or less the cost of the house !( yes it seems strange now, a house being so cheap! Nowadays the cheapest house, indeed one just like this one, would cost you about £85-90,000) but things change and at the time I didn't want to over stretch myself.

My yearly salary at that time was about the same as the mortgage, so I thought I would be ok.

The interest rate on the mortgage when I started was about 6 or 7 %.

In the mid and late 1970's there was a lot of industrial unrest and lots of strikes and stuff and inflation went through the roof, my mortgage intrest rate peaked at 15 % !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although I didn't know it at the time I was doing the "envelope" system and I had a very detailed budget.

I had nothing in the way of luxuries and went no where except work and home, yet I didn't feel sorry for myself and I didn't feel deprived, even though this was the time when young singles were starting to go on cheap package holidays to Spain and such like.

Entertainment for me was library books ( I spent a lot of time reading!) watching my very old, small black and white TV with just the3 channnels we had in those days LOL!

I had a friend at work and we would cook for each other every other week on either a Friday or Saturday night, taking it in turns, that was our " night out" in each others house LOL!

We got paid once a month and my treat to myself was to have lunch in the staff canteen once a month on pay day! ( a hot meal cooked by someone else was a rare treat!)

My food budget was tight, though very healthy. Back then I didn't eat meat( haven't for 30 years) but I did eat fish.

I liked Pilchards in tomato sauce and I should have written a book on "101 ways with pilchards, or 102 if you actually eat them"!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, these were cheap and full of protein and I made fish pie/fish pasta, let's just say this was probably the start of my ability to make things up and "play with my food"!

I also ate tons of soup and stew and such..............so I find it hard when folks complain that you can't eat healthy on a budget, you can! You just have to find a protein that is cheap that you like the taste of and then challenge yourself to come up with new ways of serving it!

The irony is, that these days "oily fish"(like pilchards/sardines etc) are found to be the "in thing" as they are full of Omega oils and essential fatty acids!

I only bought one packet of biscuits(cookies) once a month and I didn't open them unless I had company!(I am talking cheap ones, we call them "Digestives" which are very similar to your Graham cracker's).

I put aside money each week for my Gas and Electric and phone and I tried to save a little each week, but I didn't have much in the way of savings and so when I had a crisis, then I had problems.

Not many people had Credit cards in those days and certainly no one I knew had one!

I managed quite well living on very little and it's only looking back I realise how hard these times were and just how little I had.

But I had chosen to do this and I just LOVED being head of my own household and loved being independent.

Time went on and the interest rate started going up and up, it seemed like it was going up almost every month...............Families and people who had stretched themsleves financially found the jump from 6or 7% to 15% interest was more than they could cope with and houses were being re-possessed( foreclosed) in droves, many thousands of people lost their homes.

I just had to tighten my belt and cut down everything I could..........not easy when I was already being very frugal.

Then I had a problem, my roof started leaking and I had nothing to fall back on, yes I had saved £10 a month but it wasn't going to pay for the roof fixing.......................

So, I got a builder around to quote me for it fixing, and I can't remember the amount, I just remember that it was about half a months salary and I just couldn't pay for it with the few pounds I had saved up, what to do?

Well the leak was around the skylight in the attic a room I used just for storing the odd thing, so I put down a big plastic sheet and had buckets under the leak, I emptied them everyday and I did this for a few months, whilst I re-worked my budget.......I tightened up what I spent on food ( I cut down) and I gave up my once a month treat ( my canteen lunch).........

My twice a month trip to the laundrette went out and I just stomped my laundry clean in the bath tub with my feet, hand wrung it and hung it up on the clothes horse ( as we call them).!!

I went to the Bank and found out how much it would cost me per month in repayments to pay for the loan and then went home and looked again, if there were ways I cut down enough to afford the Bank loan so that I could get the roof fixed.

As it is so long ago I can't recall all the nitty gritty, I just know I spent a long time hauling buckets from the attic and the worry I had when I did eventually get the bank loan and get the roof fixed.

Looking back, this early start at taking responsibility for my finances and the choices I made, is what made me the person I am today.

I have always (since that house) been able to "cut my cloth" according to my financial status and have always been happy to experiment with food and ways of doing things that maybe others have not thought of.

I had just one thin coat that wasn't warm enough, so I found that by wearing a cardigan over the top of a sweater under the coat( I might look like the blimp), but I was a warm blimp! I also used to wear old tights one or two pairs dependingon how cold it was, under trousers as an extra layer).

Not everythng that happend in that house has given me happy memories, I was used and abused both emotionally and financially by people who were older and more worldly wise, which meant I found out as a young adult that there are some &%*%^@&%$ people out there.

But it was great training and I know I would have welcomed anything folks were willing to give me and would have been thrilled to be given any ones cast offs/clothes furntiture etc. But although I did get the odd item of furniture from an aunt or two ( for which I was profoundly grateful) there wasn't a lot of money around because a lot of people were working just 2 and 3 days a week and the rate of inflation was through the roof, mortgage rates 15%, everyone was having a hard time.

I think that's why I like to help people out, those who through no fault of their own are having a hard time financially, because I KNOW how much I would have appreciated it and what it would have meant to me, sadly everyone was in the same boat around me, so there was nothing to give.

So I get quite angry when others assume that I have never know what it is to be "poor" or had to go without, I do and I have and I am all the better for having been through it!

Englishlady

01-17-2006, 05:25 PM

This is the house I am talking about, this is a RECENT picture of it, it didn't look like this when I lived there!

homesteadmamma

01-17-2006, 05:29 PM

Ooooh Karen, more more!!!!! I love reading these kind of posts.

Emerald_Mommy

01-17-2006, 05:40 PM

Thanks for sharing! Very inspiring! :)

slowtypinwoman

01-17-2006, 05:40 PM

Very interesting Karen! Keep going I love reading your posts too!

Dedlered

01-17-2006, 05:48 PM

Thank you so much for sharing Karen

SewCrafty

01-17-2006, 05:57 PM

WTG Karen, we can do anything we put our minds too! There is a way if you just sit and think things through. :thumb:

jzkitten

01-17-2006, 06:19 PM

Thanks for sharing.

rap75

01-17-2006, 06:26 PM

Thanks for sharing. I enjoy reading your posts.

rose

Dixie

01-17-2006, 06:46 PM

I loved reading this, it's so inspiring! Like CJ said- I want to read more! :D

Mamaw

01-17-2006, 07:00 PM

Interesting post! It is nice to know that other folks have lived through hard times and managed! It helps to know that there is always a way if you think about it hard enough. Keep posting and sharing Karen! I always find your posts interesting and informational! And I am even cutting down on the amount of products I buy. Like you said in other posts, less bottles around the bathroom! ;)

Darlene

01-17-2006, 08:46 PM

Thank you for sharing your story Karen. From the darkness comes strength & light. Never forget where you've come from and smile knowing your a survivor, making do and coming out the other side strong and wise. I wish you good things.:)

AmyBoz

01-17-2006, 08:50 PM

Thank you for sharing this story! I love this kind of reading, and it's very inspiring!!!

Pepper

01-17-2006, 09:07 PM

Thank you for sharing!! :D

joyofsix

01-17-2006, 09:50 PM

Thanks for sharing your story. It is good to know others have just "always" been frugal and have worked out how to get the things they truly need. Where there's a will there's a way.

hollyhill

01-18-2006, 12:31 AM

Thank-you for sharing, Karen. I can't wait to read the next installment!:D

Julia Kimber

01-18-2006, 03:30 AM

Really interesting reading Karen and although I only left home when I got married we had nothing at first and were grateful for other peoples cast-off furniture for quite some time.

The house looks like the one I was bought up in until I was nearly 14.:D We did have a little yard and garden at the back though which my dad kept nice.

Julia

Scattymum

01-18-2006, 07:28 AM

Thanks for sharing Karen, I love reading your posts:) , that house looks really similar to the one my brother is living in now:)

jlxian

01-18-2006, 10:53 AM

Very inspiring post! Thanks for sharing with us!! I love hearing experiences people have had dealing with hard times and making the best of those times.

Jellybeanz

01-18-2006, 11:22 AM

Karen, that was fascinating and INSPIRING!!

Thanks for sharing.. :)

Michele Annette

01-18-2006, 11:23 AM

I loved reading your story Karen, even though it was a very difficult time for you. Thank you so much for sharing it. I can't wait to read more. You are very inspirational and one of the kindest, most generous people I know. :hugz:

Missy

01-18-2006, 11:39 AM

Thank you for the inspiration of your story!!!. :hugz:

britbunny

01-18-2006, 11:43 AM

Cheers Karen - sounds like us now :) , only we're hauling water up through the floor not down from the roof !

I've never lived in a back to back , but know people that did - and not too many years ago either. Other than that your old house looks pretty much like the one we lived in in York just before we moved here.

With all the stuff Dh and I do (and do without) there are still people we know that complain to us that we have so much and do what we want whilst they have to rent or live with their parents.

Yet these are the same people that wouldn't accept free furniture if it were offered to them (unlike most things in our house) and who won't buy a house until they can get one that's as good or better than the one their parents live in now.

We are soooooo lucky in that our we and our families have been through this and have had to be good with money too. Myself and my brothers are reaping the benefits of this now when we're getting the second furniture - always the best that could be bought for the money. And also the know how, growing things, making and fixing things, knowing how to get the best deal.

You're right in that no-one had owt to give but they'd give it to you if they could. I've never felt poor though as we've always had what was needed and what was important, in a way that keeps everyone together - everyone either in the same boat or have been there and will swim out to get you. :)

KimSecret

01-18-2006, 12:34 PM

Thank you for sharing your inspirational story!

midwestgal

01-18-2006, 03:56 PM

Yes, please keep writing your stories! It was wonderful to read this and see your charming first little home. I'm waiting for the next installment.

rebecca

01-18-2006, 07:18 PM

Karen thank you for your story. It makes me inspired to me more frugal. I am getting child support for both my girls and in a few months time I will not be getting anymore child support for the one daughter due to her being 18. I am frugal to the bone now, but after reading your humble beginnings I know I can make it. Please continue to tell us how you were frugal to make ends meet. Again, Karen thanks!

graci42

01-18-2006, 11:07 PM

Karen,

You're always telling me that you have very little to say and then I find post like these....tsk...tsk...tsk...

My dear friend, you have oodles to tell and I love to hear!

I may be mathematically challenged, forgetful to the point of doubting my sanity but I ain't deeeeef. hehehe

Love your posts...inspirational!
Graci

SHOPGIRL

01-18-2006, 11:34 PM

Karen,

Thanks for sharing your story. You always have such practical, useful information to share. I love hearing your detailed stories. It's impressive that you purchased a house at 19. What a young, wise woman you were.:) Keep those stories coming!

SHOPGIRL

02-19-2006, 07:30 PM

:D :D :D :D

Vannie

02-19-2006, 07:54 PM

Karen,

Wow. What documentation. I hope you have printed this to save.

leeleeaub

02-20-2006, 09:24 PM

I very much enjoyed your story.

nodmicks

02-21-2006, 11:24 AM

Thank you Karen! That was wondeful!:smball:

alabamagirl

03-10-2006, 12:44 PM

I just found this Karen - you have such grit and charm under pressure! I can't imagine how you kept your spirits up while your friends traveled to Spain, etc. I would have held me one long pity party! LOL.

I bet a washer and dryer is something you can really apprecite now.

Debbie

joyb

03-10-2006, 02:07 PM

I grew up on a farm and I remember our little outhouse. I remember my mother canning for days on end. Looking back, we had so little, but I thought poor people were the ones who slept on sidewalks somewhere and had nothing to eat. We always had plenty to eat, but not much else. I credit my parents for doing whatever they had to do to the point that I just didn't realize how poor we were. Today I appreciate what I have and take good care of my possessions because I remember having nothing. Thank God for His many blessings.