Englishwoman Kathy Musgrave can rightfully be given the title of the most thrifty mother. And all because, having decided to reduce expenses, she stopped buying new things for herself and her two daughters. And, as it turned out, she made the right decision – just a year later, with the money saved, Katie, her husband and children were able to go to a ski resort.
It all started in December 2016, when Kathy started her holiday spring cleaning of the house. Having dumped the contents of the wardrobes with the clothes of 2-year-old Ariadne and 4-year-old Eliza on the floor, the woman was simply horrified.
There were not just a lot of children’s things, but a lot. Moreover, some dresses, blouses or panties were worn only once or twice, and there were even those that were still lying unopened at all. And most importantly, the girls have already grown out of most of the things.
Frustrated, Katie went to her closet and found the same picture – a mountain of rags that were already out of fashion or simply tired.
“I was just in shock: the house was littered up to the very roof with junk, most of which is “dead weight”. And as soon as I imagined how much money was spent on all this, I just felt sick, ”Katie says.
After sorting through her and children’s things, Katie realized that they were provided with clothes for all occasions. Therefore, there is no point in spending money on buying new things.
“I decided to conduct an experiment and during the year buy myself and the girls only second-hand things, and not only clothes, but also toys too. Let’s see, I said to myself, what my savings will lead to, ”recalls the young mother.
No sooner said than done. For the whole of 2017, Katy became a regular at various sales and charity fairs. True, shopping in such places turned out to be more tiring and not as pleasant as in ordinary stores. In addition, many relatives and acquaintances not only did not understand Katie’s idea, but also condemned her: «I’m completely crazy, she dresses children in secondhand.»
But the young mother was frankly spit on the opinions of others. She already realized that buying second-hand things is very profitable and rejoiced at every successful purchase.
“My little ones really wanted to have a dollhouse and I was lucky to get one for just £10. And what a huge one – half a room. Jackets, boots, suits – I bought all this at the most ridiculous prices. Moreover, the things were of very high quality and almost never worn, ”Katie smiles.
“By buying books at sales, I collected a whole library for the children”
According to the woman, her little ones did not even notice that they were not wearing new things. But they liked that mom can satisfy all their desires.
“I found out that on sales you can find not only clothes, but also books. And my girls got their own big library, ”Katie shares her experience.
The only thing that a young mother could not buy in a second-hand store was diapers for her youngest daughter, and then only because they simply do not exist second-hand. In addition, she did not save on food and things for her husband.
In the midst of the experiment, Katie discovered that she was pregnant with her third child. But even this did not stop the thrifty mother. On the contrary, she enthusiastically took up buying second-hand things for the future baby.
“Friends gave us a crib for nothing, their child has already grown out of it. And I managed to buy a car seat and a carrier very successfully at sales, ”Katie rejoices.
At the end of 2017, after summing up her frugality, Katie was pleasantly surprised – she managed to save more than £700. At the family council, it was decided to spend them on a vacation at a ski resort, which previously could only be dreamed of.
“Now I already have three children, but I do not intend to abandon my experiment. I highly recommend other moms do the same. Because, succumbing to the tricks of sellers and advertising, parents often buy their children a bunch of useless and unnecessary things, which then lie around idle, ”says Cathy Musgrave.
