The following is what she told me: her “rules for living frugally but well”. A lot of it is common sense. Some of it is left field. Much of it flies in the face of modern convention around household expenditure. But there’s plenty of ideas in here to help get you through the pandemic and into the recovery.

Food rules:

1. Cook for yourself with fresh ingredients: every meal, except on special occasions. No snacking, except fruit.
2. Never throw out left-overs. Eat them the next day and the day after. Or freeze them. They will not go bad in the fridge for a few days (see point 4).
3. When planning meals, always make more than for just one meal. This works especially well for soup, stews, pasta, pizza and curries. Any that you don’t think you’ll be eating over the next two days freeze the night you make it. Label well, with the date.
4. See ‘Use By’ or ‘Best By’ dates for what they are: commercial guides. Your nose and taste buds will tell you much more accurately if something has gone bad. Do not be conned by producers wanting to sell you more product before you need to. Your nose and tongue kept our ancestors alive for thousands of years. Refrigeration was invented in 1755 and wasn’t commonly available until very recently. (PS I’ve never, ever been sick because of food poisoning with food in my own home. PPS For example, today I used the last of a bottle of fresh milk with “Use By” date of 17/06/20. Most people would have thrown out that litre of milk 4 days ago. I’ve used it. I’m not sick.)
5. Don’t pander to children’s likes and dislikes. (Of course if they have real allergies that is different). Make a meal (not too rich and spicey of course) filled with good ingredients. Sit together at the table. No devices. Have real conversations. If they don’t eat it, or leave the table, there is nothing until the next meal. Don’t cave in. It’s a waste of the earth’s, and your, resources. Fussiness is a First-World problem.

Energy rules:

1. Turn off the lights when you’re not using the space. No room should have lights on if nobody is in there.
2. Boil only the amount of water in the kettle that you need at that moment.
3. Wash laundry once a week and only full loads on low heat (cold or 30 degree washes only) and ALWAYS HANG WASHING OUT TO DRY! Tumble dryers use a LOT of energy. What’s this with drying everything in the tumble dryer? STOP IT! Only use a tumble-dryer to briefly finish off items (eg drying sheets during the Winter). Use clothes horses for drying inside.
4. It sounds extreme but be mindful to open and close the fridge door quickly. Fridges are huge energy/money guzzlers. Everytime you open the door, all the cold air tumbles onto the floor and the fridge uses precious energy to cool down again. So don’t open the door and gaze at what’s in there. Decide on ALL the things you need from the fridge for the meal and get them all out at once and quickly.
5. Turn off all your ‘standby’ appliances at the wall before going to bed: TV, printer, computers, toasters, sound systems etc. Apparently 14 percent of your power bill is used to keep your appliances standing by. Only fridges, electric clocks and phone chargers should be left on overnight.
6. NO HEATERS ON OVERNIGHT! (sorry...I’m shouting…). It is incredibly expensive to sleep in a warm room. Instead, invest in an electric blanket to heat up the bed half an hour before going to bed, then turn it off beforehand. Buy pure wool blankets to put under your doona. You will sleep better and save money.

Shopping rules:

1. Never shop without a shopping list - it stops impulse-buying. Keep the list in a place where you can add to it throughout the week, as soon as you think of something you need. Mine is on my phone.
2. NEED vs WANT: Ask yourself the question: “Do I *need* this or do I just *want* it. Give preference to the former.
3. Only food-shop once a week. Plan meals a week ahead and write ingredients you’ll need on the shopping list.
4. Stop buying lunches (more a tip for when we all go back to work). I worked out that if I took my lunch to work 5 days a week, I’d save around $2000 plus a year.
5. Make your coffee at home. It costs about 60 cents a mug. If you buy two coffees a day, you are spending around $3000 a year just on coffee vs $430 a year if you make it at home. Bought coffee should be a treat, not a regular habit.

Present-giving rules:

1. Research shows that children’s enjoyment of gifts around birthdays and Christmas plunges markedly after the fourth present is opened. Anything above five presents is a waste.
2. My rule of thumb for presents was always that it had to be either something they really want, something they really need, something to wear, or a book.
3. Do not give gifts unless they are birthday or Christmas presents. The joy the child will feel on those two days of the year will be worth the wait, for them and for you. When they only receive gifts twice a year, kids learn patience, the joys of anticipation, and the ability to wait.
4. Don’t give gifts to siblings when it is another child’s birthday. Be sure siblings have something to give (even if it’s just a card) to the birthday boy/girl. Taking joy in someone else’s celebration is a great opportunity to allow empathy to develop (i.e. it is NOT always about you. Sometimes you need to step back and let someone else take their turn in the limelight).
5. Don’t buy gifts on credit. Spend only what you can afford.

Pocket money rules:

1. Decide how much pocket money each child is to have each week and stick to it. It needs to be fair but also affordable for you. Also be clear and consistent on the rules (what they buy and what you still buy).
2. If your kids don’t have enough money to buy what they want, they need to save up. Or do extra (real) jobs to earn it.
3. Pocket money is to be distributed after appropriate jobs are done, set according to age and capability. For example, small children should be tasked with putting all their books and toys away in appropriate places. Older kids can strip beds and vacuum floors (and clean sheets if old enough). As part of learning how to become a teenager, 13-year-olds should be taught how to use the washing machine. Teaching the skills of independence from a very early age is a duty of good parenting.