Miss Thrifty

We have a black leather sofa and armchair in our sitting-room. They are cast-offs from the in-laws and they are old old old, but you can’t tell because I take care to keep the leather soft and polished. This sounds like a Stepfordian pain in the butt, but it isn’t really; it takes about ten minutes, once a month.

I used to use a cream called Leather Food, which is a blend of waxes and oils costing about £8.00. You dip a clean cloth into the pot, then apply it to the leather. It stops the leather from drying out and cracking. Leather Food smells delicious - but it is pricey, and the pot empties quickly.

So now I opt for a more old-fashioned method: (more…)

Well, I couldn’t think of a better day on which to begin. Credit crunch hysteria is at fever pitch.

Today the UK’s biggest housebuilder has announced that it is cutting a fifth of its workforce. Our Beloved Leader, Gordon Brown, has told us to cut fuel costs by learning “eco-driving techniques”. (This seems a bit rich, coming from a man whose fuel bill must create a carbon footprint the size of Madagascar. Mind you, yesterday he told us to stop wasting food - shortly before tucking into an eight-course banquet at the G8 Summit.)   London’s stocks plummeted into a bear market. The British Chambers of Commerce warned that the country is at serious risk of recession. And the bad news continues to pile up.

Predictably, we’re now seeing a glut of cost cutting and careful-with-your-money stories in newspapers and magazines. Just as predictably, the majority of these stories seem to be written by bright young things with names like Henry and Penelope, who propose “solutions” such as changing credit card providers, sharing Abel & Cole boxes with neighbours and buying fewer designer clothes. But let’s face it: if your purse is being squeezed and you are looking to slash your outgoings, sharing out your organic vegetables will only get you so far. (more…)