It’s time to be innovative and spend less. Three frugal women share how they have been able to stretch their budgets as they give you essential survival tips.
We all are witnessing bad days in the year 2020 due to Covid-19. Most of our incomes are threatened. We however, need to survive.
With our pockets now thinner we need to take effective steps to stay safe and also to be more strong financially. Here are some pointers from those who have been thrifting for years.
Pillie Nkasara, 28, is the founder of EasyPizi Fruits & Veggies, an agribusiness that deals with large and small scale supply and delivery of fruits and vegetables. She lives in Lower Kabete, Nairobi.
“Growing up, food wastage was considered abominable at home. My mother made sure everything was stretched to the last. I loved accompanying her to markets from which I learnt the art of bargaining. Today, every trick and rule I know about thrifting is just a page off her book. Here is what saves me.
Groceries:
Meat:
You will save close to 30 per cent of your money if you buy meat at the Burma Market, or if you buy directly at the slaughterhouse in Kiamaiko and the Ndonyo slaughterhouse in Dagoretti, Nairobi.
Vegetables:
Source vegetables and fruits directly from the market instead of buying from the supermarkets or mama mboga. Buying groceries through green grocers who source from farmers and deliver directly to consumers will save you more money than when buying from third party vendors.
How to make your groceries stretch
Leafy vegetables
Wash your leafy vegetables such as spinach and sukuma kienyeji, lettuce, dhania, and mint under running water.
Allow them to air dry, then wrap them with paper towels and put them in zip-lock bags or air-tight containers. Then, place them in a refrigerator. They will last for up to three weeks.
You can also blanch your leafy vegetables for five to 10 minutes with half a tablespoon of baking soda. This will help retain their colour.
For herbs, such as dhania, basil, and parsley, cut off the stems, dry the leaves, then drop them in a small cup of water.
Once there are in the cup, place a loose plastic bag over the top of the herbs for optimal preservation and freshness. This method will see the herbs last for up to two weeks.
Tomatoes
Store your ripe tomatoes with the stem scar facing up at room temperature and with a couple of lemons. They will last for about one and a half weeks.
They can however last longer if you blend them into a paste and refrigerate. Use fewer tomatoes when cooking, and instead add a teaspoon of tomato paste to your meals.
Garlic, ginger and onions
Buy your garlic and ginger in bulk. Mash them and add a little oil, then put them in the ice cube tray. You will now only take them out one at a time when cooking.
Garlic and ginger are best stored in a cool dark place. In the same vein, store your onions in a single layer.
This should preferably be in a mesh bag, in a dark, dry, and well ventilated place. You should nonetheless regularly spread them out in the sun.
Do not store your onions together with fruits and vegetables. They will absorb odour and moisture, and end up decaying.
This method will see your onions last for up to four weeks. Buy spring onions instead of bulbs as they are cheaper.
Potatoes
Potatoes and other root vegetables should be stored in a cool and dark place like a closed up cardboard. They will last for up to four weeks.
If you buy potatoes, don’t store them using plastic bags at home. The moisture will cause them to sweat and accelerate their decay. Do not also store them together with onions.
Carrots
Remove carrot tops or stems, clean them, drain off the moisture and put them in a plastic container or ziplock bags and refrigerate.
They will last for four weeks. Do not store your carrots with fruits as they are prone to absorb odours.
Cereals
Your cereals can last for up to one year when stored well. The correct way to stretch them is to store them in airtight containers away from light and heat.
When cooked, ensure that they are cooled completely, drain any excess liquid, and store in single serving portions in sealed airtight containers or freezer bags. They can be stored in the freezer for up to six months when packaged this way.
Fermentation
You can also preserve your vegetables such as cabbages through fermentation. Chop and salt your cabbage using three tablespoons for a full cabbage, submerge the cabbage in its own brine in a container, and then tightly seal the container.
You’ll only need to loosen the container after every few days to release the fermentation pressure. Fermenting certain foods such as milk is easy. You can just use a bottle to ferment.
* * *
Fatuma Mohammed, alias Thrifty Phat, is a personal shopper, fashion and style enthusiast. She also runs a thrift shop in Mombasa County.
“I am a 30-year-old mother of one based in Mombasa. I have been thrifting clothes for 15 years now. It is an art that was passed to me by my parents. If you want unique, affordable and quality outfits this is the way to go. For example, I still have and wear some of the clothes I thrifted back in high school, and they are still in perfect condition.”
Thrift clothes
Looking good doesn’t have to be expensive. The trick is to know how to pair your outfits. Unlike many other items, clothes are not too easy to thrift.
They require lots of patience. You must be patient enough and have a keen eye to scour through heaps of clothes at open air markets.
Identifying an item is the first thrift step. How you bargain for each item is the most important step.
You may lose or acquire an overvalued item based on the strength of your bargaining skills. Always bear in mind that in thrift shops or open air markets, prices are hardly fixed.
Dress comfortably when going to thrift clothes. Wear tights and a spaghetti top, this way it will be easier to try on pants at open air markets.
Go to open air markets early and, or before noon. Most sellers open their bales during this time.
* * *
Tsedaniya Delnessa, 39, is a photographer and woodworker. She runs Manakristo Designs, a business that makes custom picture frames, home and office accessories.
“I am a mother of three from Ethiopia and I live in Nairobi. I thrift to save on time and money. I grew up in a time where I didn’t rush to the store to buy everything our home needed.
My mother made her tea spices from scratch at home. She would also roast her own coffee, and even make homemade yogurt. Her ways became my ways.
In Ethiopia, every family has recipes for a mix of spices they use in their everyday food, and normally it isn’t done in small batches. You make spices to last a whole year if you had the means. It is much cheaper.
I have learnt amazing Do It Yourself (DIYs) tactics too. For example, I’ve painted a whole house because I couldn’t trust fundis to do it the way I wanted; I’ve put up an entire wooden fence in our garden when I was determined to keep my dogs out of our private area; I laid down over 30 tonnes of soil in our garden when we couldn’t find someone in time to do the work. All these have left me with an extra coin.
To DIY, look around you and see what you have at home that seems outdated, old, or unnecessary. Think of what can be repurposed or up-cycled.
When my kids outgrew their crib, I decided to convert it into a chest for blankets, sheets, and towels instead.
Similarly, I used a large tree trunk for a bedside table when the kids needed one for their room. I just added a splash of colour and got a beautiful and unique piece.
All I only spent money for the paint. I have a friend with whom I swap clothes for our respective kids.
With another friend, we swap vegetables; my beans for her tomatoes; my chilies in lieu of onions.
We had a huge pile of wine bottles sitting at home that I needed to find a solution for. I ended up using them as a boundary for our herb garden. Some of the DIY hacks that I have learned along the way include:
You can freeze and preserve milk. Milk jerry cans can be frozen for up to three weeks. You’ll only need to leave them out to defrost as you need.
You can freeze your extra ripe bananas if you’re afraid they’ll go bad. You can make banana bread with them later. You can also extend the life of your bananas by wrapping the ends in foil or plastic wrap
If your kitchen sink drains are clogged, pour a cup of baking soda into it then slowly add a cup or two of white vinegar. It will bubble away and clean your drain. You can then rinse it with hot water.
De-crust your microwave by boiling a cup of water and half a cup of vinegar. Let it sit there for a minute or two then wipe your microwave clean. All the grime will come off as you wipe.
If you want to cool a drink faster, wrap it in a wet paper towel and put it in the freezer. It’ll be ice cold in about fifteen minutes.
* * *
How to live a cheap but rich life now
Detergents:
“I save 20 per cent by buying my detergents at wholesalers at Nyamakima. These include homemade detergents which are cheaper and have higher quantities.” Pillie.
“I buy washing powder in buckets of 5kg. This is a one off purchase that takes me months to exhaust. It’s also cheaper than buying in sachets,” Tsadeniya.
“I wash in bulk once a week. This saves on detergents, which I buy in bulk from wholesalers,” Fatuma.
Electricity:
“I replaced my ordinary bulbs with energy saving bulbs. I also switch off any electronics that I’m not using directly at the socket, and use solar to heat water instead of gas or electricity,” Tsadeniya.
“I use LED bulbs that saves me 30 per cent on power. In case I buy an electronic, I usually go for the one with the eco option on it,” Pillie.
Meals:
“I do my kitchen shopping in bulk, then leave little portions in the kitchen and lock the rest away. It limits how I use items in the kitchen,” Fatuma.
“I make one large meal that covers a longer period instead of making small meals each time. It saves on ingredients. I also prefer foods such as sweet potatoes, arrowroots and pumpkins. They are healthy and tend to keep one fuller for longer,” Pillie.
Airtime & Internet
“I buy monthly bundles, which come with internet, talk time, SMS, and YouTube. Such bundles are cheaper than daily airtime top-ups,” Pillie.
“If your household doesn’t need total connectivity, you can opt for a monthly mobile bundle based on the strength of the provider’s connectivity.
You can also put a limit to the amount of data you use on your phone. You can text, do voice and video calls, and even international calls for free on WhatsApp,” Tsedaniya.
Make use of personal finance and budgeting apps such as 1Money, Spending Tracker, Monthly Budget Planner & Daily Expense Tracker.
Buy your household essentials in bulk in major wholesalers– Robert Ochieng’ financial advisor at Abojani Investments.
Kitchen gardens
Grow your own vegetables – such as sukuma wiki, dhania, spinach, and onions in your balcony or backyard using plastic pipes, gunny bags (terrace farming), old car tyres, and pots.
Water
Don’t allow your faucets water to continue running as you wash or rinse dishes, brush your teeth, shave or even wash your hands.
Always turn the taps off. Put water restrictors to minimise water pressure. Take a traditional bath instead of running water down on electricity powered showers.
Credit: Source link