7 Frugal Ways to Love Your Home - How to make the most of your home without spending a penny.

Winter is coming. You're spending more time indoors at home. I give you my top tips for making the best out of your home with stuff you already have.

Frugal Queen in France

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We are a British couple living in Brittany on a budget.
Frugal recipes, days out, home renovations and day to day making do in France.

We’ll give you hints, tips, advice and an insight into our life in France.

Equipment used
Camera : iPhone SE (2016)
Mic : iRig MicCast2
Editing : iMovie on an M1 Mac mini

Music:

YouTube Audio Library
Apple iMovie*

[veemcg]

I pick some flowers from our garden and have them around the house enjoying the colours and lovely fragrances. If it's cold and miserable outside we light the fire and some candles and share a pot of tea and some cake! I like to put a drop or two of my favourite lavender or rose geranium essential oils on a light bulb in the table lamp or on a bit of cotton wool in the vacuum cleaner so when we've cleaned the place it smells good too. I love o polish my wooden furniture and shine all the glass and mirrors so everything sparkles and is well cared for. I've had to work hard for my lovely wee cottage and it's contents and so I love and appreciate everything we have and thank God for it.

[happyceratops]

1. Make yourself comfortable
2. Make meal times an event
3. Make time for structure
4. Tidy up your outdoor space
5. Declutter & organize
6. Change things up
7. Be creative

[pattyperkins]

Do you ever just stand back and look at your house and thank the good Lord for such a lovely place?

[wendytushingham]

Thank you so much Jane. What you are really doing is creating a community so that we don't feel so alone as we struggle each day with limited funds. Grateful for the work you and Mike put into this channel

[connieseward]

You have a knack for arranging your thoughts in a comprehensive, yet concise, manner. I really appreciate your videos!

[pamwilson]

An old expression has been brought to my mind by you this morning...Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have!
🥰

[sheila]

Hi Jane and Mike. I'm all for 'making do and mend'. I do agree that a quick wipe over the windows/sills and doors, as well as a brush around the outside, makes such a difference. As a way of saving money, I've also painted my kitchen doors in the past to delay a full renovation. I was surprised at how good it looked afterwards. The price of a cheap tin of paint bought me some time; a good few years in fact. Only when the carcasses went did I eventually take the plunge and invest in a new kitchen. I also make good use of my dining room in the way you mention. I have brightly coloured cushions and throws which I move around from time-to-time. I find pops of colour around the place brighten things up. I think over time savings such as this has enabled me to save some money and I've retired earlier than expected. As with many people, in the past I've spent money on stuff that I could probably have done without, but overall, I suppose I haven't done too badly. Thanks again to you both for this great video.

[lynnoorman]

Since I retired I give each day a job: Monday - washing; Tuesday - a proper clean of the house ( not just a lick and a promise) ; Wednesday- writing both fiction or letters to a friend; Thursday - through day ( catch up with what I haven't finished); Friday out with a friend; Saturday - volunteering at local Foodbank followed by a spot of gardening ( small courtyard garden); Sunday - walking with rucksack to local shop ( stops me spending beyond my list!). If somat more exciting comes along on one of those days then I can drop this routine instantly, knowing that deep cleaning, for example can wait till next week! To make house cosy for winter I get out the rug for the slate floor - put out throw blankets for the sofa - find candles out - put curtain over doorway to keep heat in and snuggle in for a good bit of knitting/ reading/ movies recorded earlier in the year! Long post - sorry!

[robinsutton]

Wonderful talk today, Jane! Just the encouragement I needed to switch things around. I am 5 months into retirement and realize now that I do need a morning structure or I flit around not accomplishing anything! So, I set my alarm, shower first, a bit of quilting or stitching for a half hour, off to the kitchen for a bite of breakfast, then clean up. One focused project for pick up and put away. One day a week for a few hours of house cleaning. It is amazing that after all of these years of structure while working, you are put into a situation of doing whatever you want, whenever you want, and all of a sudden you are drifting. I have finally dropped anchor and am finding my way. My goodness I spent alot of years dreaming of how it would be when I retired, now I need to do it! Thank you for being a part of my life, you are the best and most encouraging!!😘💖

[janfoster]

These are a brilliant set of approaches, especially during a winter pandemic. Thanks! I found myself rearranging furniture yesterday. I claimed it was to make room for a Christmas tree but now I see it was to make a change, just for me.

[mlbonventi]

Enjoyed your post, very much. As usual, your content is timely for many of us. We can all do with a reminder. I especially liked the idea of creating a cosy/comfortable space. I clean my spaces and declutter, instead of buying anything new or spending money (it makes me contented). I tell myself "I have enough of everything". When I need to replace something that's completely died, I buy the best quality I can afford and keep it.

[lindajacquot]

Good advice, especially about building structure into your day. 😊

[RetirementContentment]

“Love your home” is such a nice approach. So often I am critical of my own lovely little home, due to my difficulties in keeping up. I want to show gratitude for my home, appreciate what I have, and clean tidy and organize as you suggest. I love to be cozy so want to create a cozy corner for myself. Thank you Jane. 🙏🏻❤️🕊

[barbaracarbone]

A fresh coat of paint with a new color and a new inexpensive area rug (check thrift stores and yard sales) can do wonders to spruce up any space. Thanks for sharing.

[Jennheartsqs]

I own a lot of mugs and I keep most of them packed up in a closet and only have a few out. When I start getting the "itch" to shop for more mugs, I'll go to the box of mugs, and open it up and change out my mugs. It's amazing how much it feels like I got new things, and gives me that "boost", but I'm not actually spending any additional money.

[debracarroll]

Hello from America Jane and Michael! I want to tell you that I simply love your channel. I search for every video that I can find. I have learned so very much about frugal living. I and my husband are on a fixed income as we are retired. We do live a frugal life and we would not have it any other way. God Bless You Both!

[shivakat]

My mother was the queen of rearranging furniture. My father would say when he got up in middle of night not quite knowing how to get there.

[dawnmorandin]

Routine is important when you are retired, we do eat at the dinning table every night, morning is coffee and listen to the radio, we eat early, then a game of cards, a bit of Netflix and bed, I read for an hour or so. There's only the two of us so the house doesn't get too messy, I clean as I go, make bed in morning, a load of laundry when needed, dishwasher on after dinner. I only use one set of towels and one set of sheets so I wash and replace same day, no storage to deal with. People have too much stuff and that causes clutter etc.

[ruthfeatherstone]

Such a good idea to change things over, turning lights low by having tea lights in any pretty glass jars, making ginger and lemon tea from fresh ginger and lemon, knitting up any wool waiting to be turned into something warming and fussing over my cat and making him extra cosy too. Your vlogs are so inspiring - I don't really sew but I am thinking seeing you sew that I could possibly make a very simple table runner and napkins and maybe an envelope cushion (no zip needed) from fabric I have already.

[RhondaTowanda]

Absolutely fantastic video Jane!
I love to declutter! I also love to clean my house.
When I was a kid, I loved making furniture and other things for my play house.
So now I treat my house as my play house. I love sewing new curtains or slip covers.
My home is a log cabin, so now I am going minimal and Scandinavian like old Norse.
So much fun!