Economising with the Hound

An important symbol of witchcraft is the cauldron and so in addition to the wommonly arts of hexing, changing and leading the revolution we are skilled at the arts of domestic economy. Reading around on Twitter I'm getting the impression that some people don't know how to economise so this is just a few pointers from my extensive experience of being a student twice and paying off a mortgage in ten years.

Follow Martin Lewis. This post is not a systematic collection and he has a better overview.

Financial

If you have any spare money and have a choice between saving and paying off debt, always pay off debt first and focus on the debt with the highest interest. It seems wrong but you always pay more interest than you earn.

Never let contracts (phone, insurance, energy supplies) automatically renew, they will stiff you.

For the love of the Goddess look at your bank statements and see if you're paying any subs you have forgotten or can cancel. Add up what you're spending on things so that it shocks you.

Get off the rat race of updating electronics. You really really don't need the latest iPhone. The reality is that technology is not moving as fast as manufacturers make out it is and you can usually get by with the year before last's technology if you're buying new.

The law gives you a fourteen day cooling off period to return something if you don't like it. Use it.

You can save huge amounts of money by buying stuff nearly new. The important thing is to go to a reputable dealer and get a warranty (for example Cex test the stuff they sell and give a year's warranty). Again, if you get it home and find the battery's knackered you can change your mind within fourteen days.

Look through your drawers for any old technology, games and DVDs and sell them to Cex or you can get a higher amount of credit to use in the store. If they're rubbish and Cex won't take them there are places that will.

Some people find this really difficult but it's best to plan ahead. For example buying a season ticket for the train or bus pass might be cheaper than individual fares if you know you're travelling.

Shopping

I'm afraid you have a clear choice between supporting local small retailers and saving money. Your corner shop is the most expensive way to buy anything.

Shop with a list and be wary of retail tricks. For example the items near the till are there to tempt you or your kids and should be treated with caution.

To economise, get supplies in. I don't mean massive hoarding but a shelf of the things you will use anyway will tide you over if they're unavailable like in any other third world country. It will also help when your brother turns up with no money after being evicted.

Shop around if you can and if you are in a town so the savings won't be eaten up by the cost of travel. Use delivery services or if you can't  shop around, do a big shop at Aldi, Lidl or Asda.

Many shops do a special offer of a reduction on your first shop and you can always make it your only shop.

Frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh and have no loss of nutrients. In fact frozen is cheaper to buy a lot of things like sausages BUT they can take a fair time to cook so the savings can be lost in energy expenditure. Iceland is good to stock up on frozen food and have a good range of takeaway stuff for treats.

If you're desperate the following foodstuffs are your friends: red lentils, rice, tinned tomatoes, oats, frozen vegetables, frozen mince, baked beans, microwave jacket potatoes. Oats are an incredibly versatile and rich foodstuff. Look at Charles Bronson: he literally got those muscles on porridge and no fancy supplements. Don't forget to have a treat now and then so it doesn't get dreary.

Buy savers ranges and economy packs.

Consider yellow reduced stickers but be cautious because if there is only a small reduction on a luxury item it will still be expensive. Shop in the evening to get the best of these.

Cooking

Microwave rather than using the hob as much as possible. If you must use the oven cook lots of stuff to fill it and heat it once instead of several times.

Be strict about Use By dates but if something is past the Best Before date and looks and smells okay it probably won't kill you.

Microwave dahl recipe. Into a microwave bowl put some frozen chopped onions, frozen spinach, red lentils, spices of your choice, pinch of salt and less water than you think you need. I like some dessicated coconut as well. Microwave loosely covered for about fifteen minutes at full power, keeping an eye to make sure it doesn't dry out. Halfway through stir and add more water if it's a bit dry. Let it stand a bit and serve with rice. If you want to avoid the hob you could microwave one of those packets of rice while it's standing. The description of this recipe does not sound appetizing which is why it's all the more surprising when without fail it turns out gorgeous.

The psychological bit

This is really important to stop economising wearing you down: have treats. However you could have say a frozen curry instead of a takeaway. Basically every treat is also available in an economy version. If it comes to survival there is no shame in doing this.

Notice how our capitalist society has connected the things you enjoy to money. Some people are actually shocked when they realize their enjoyment is dependent on shopping or the cinema, etc. The internet is your friend here. YouTube and the Internet Archive are never ending wells of wonderful stuff. If capitalism has deceived you, you can find new things to enjoy that don't cost money.

The two most important bits

Every time you save some money or preserve your life and dignity in any way, in your mind's eye see the power of the Conservative Party waning and see them losing their seats. See them eating shit. See them in prison. And know that this is happening now.

Finally, vote. Vote as if your life depends on it, because it does. And this is really important: vote tactically to get the Tories out whenever we get an election in this shithole. I can truthfully say I don't care what you think about Starmer the most important thing is to get the Tories out and a vote for a minority party may actually be a vote for the Tories in our electoral system. A guide to why this is and a tactical voting guide is here.

Of course there is a tune to make this a magical enchantment.