by A 58-year-old woman from Chorley, Lancashire, says her economical lifestyle means that she only outputs £ 323 per month for invoices. Sharon Shaw may be a proud Penny Pincher, but she prefers the term “imaginative”.
The four -person mother says that her family did not grew up a lot of money, so she was always aware that she only spent it out and only bought what she really needs.
Now she refuses to spend a cent for nothing and has delivered her entire home with giveaways from Facebook marketplace.
“People think I’m crazy,” she says. “But I don’t buy anything unless I really have to get the most I need.”
It is a lifestyle that she has been doing well for decades. After Sharon bought her house with four bedrooms for only 21,500 GBP, he paid out the mortgage in 2015 and now lives without rent or repayments.
Your current monthly expenses amount to around £ 522.33 and include invoices, some foods, basic car costs and small expenses for pets. According to the latest figures from the Office of the Office for National Statistics, they are just more than 20% of the average monthly budget expenses in Great Britain of around 2,460 GBP.
Join Sharon’s monthly expenses.
A home full of giveaways and second-hand finds
Sharon says that almost every object in her house was covered free of charge, from the television in her lounge to the king-size bed where she sleeps. “I’m just looking on Facebook Marketplace,” she says. “You would be surprised at what people give away.”
Her best bargains include a 400 £ Divan bed and a sofa worth £ 600 – both picked up free of charge on site. If she has to buy something, she always opts for second-hand. “The only thing I want to update is the bathroom,” she says. “It is only the tiles that need to be replaced, so I hope to find someone who can do it cheap.”
It also avoids clothing. “I can’t remember the last time I bought something new,” she says. “I get hand-me-down from my daughter or pick up things from Freebie sites.”
From the allocation to Olio: Essen for £ 40 a month
One of the greatest savings from Sharon comes from the cultivation of her own food. Their allocation delivers 85% of their meals, including potatoes, apples, pears and plums, while their 10 chickens supply fresh eggs, which they sometimes sell for additional money.
“I use the change for the bare essentials such as sugar and tea,” she says. “Sometimes my partner also misses a few parts.”
It rarely buys meat and shops only in supermarket -reduced sections. For everything she cannot grow, the Olio app uses them to give away excess articles free of charge in the user.
“It changed my life,” she says. “I don’t eat a snack and I don’t waste anything. There is always a lot.”
Old -fashioned tricks to keep invoices low
To reduce energy consumption, Sharon avoids unnecessary devices. “I have one of these old-fashioned Ewbank carpets, so I don’t have to put it into vacuum,” she says. “And I only turn on the heating from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and then wrap it into ceilings.”
Your electricity, gas and water bills amount to 89 GBP per month, with taxes on 45 GBP. It has a basic mobile plan of 6 pounds and pays £ 20 for broadband. “I don’t like big bills,” she says. “I’m so much time anyway why an empty house heating?”
“My family think I’m crazy, but I’m proud of how I live.”
Sharon’s self -sufficient paths were shaped early. Her mother, a former Brownie leader, gave: “If you don’t have it, do it.”
Sharon firmly accepted the approach and now even makes homemade birthday cards and gifts for your children: Philip, 37, Daniel, 33, Alex, 27 and Anna, 23.
“They roll their eyes when I give them something homemade,” she laughs. “But it’s still a gift.”
She lives with one of her children and has a long -term partner, Terry (73), which she says, who does not always come on board with her money -saving manner. “He thinks I’m crazy, even though he can sometimes see the logic,” she says.
After the recent death of her father, Sharon inherited three classic cars, including a Citroën 2CV, and plans to keep them all. “They are worth around £ 21,000,” she says, “but I will never sell them.”
No shame to ask for help
While some people hesitate to ask giveaways, Sharon says that she “has no shame” and it doesn’t matter what people think.
“My motto is: If you don’t ask, you don’t get,” she says. “I have a good life. I always had food, I have my house and I have savings. I am proud of how I live.”
In total: £ 323 per month
Sharons additional editions:
Additional reporting of SWNS
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