So in this spirit, and in response to popular demand, I’d like to pass on some more money-saving tips.
1.You love designer clothes but can’t afford them. Consider secondhand. A beautiful and elegant woman of my acquaintance finds fabulous secondhand bargains in charity shops. But you need a good eye. I volunteered in the Kfar Saba ESRA shop for years and never found the Gucci bag I was longing for.
2. Never throw away wilted vegetables. Turn them into a tasty soup that is both healthy and filling.
3. The same goes for fruit. Make a shake with ice and sweetener (or sugar, if you must) in a blender or food processor.
4. Leftover meat and chicken can be turned into delicious shepherd’s pie with a topping of mashed potatoes, or mashed zucchini if watching calories.
5. Flowers for Shabbat are always lovely, but you could save money by investing in silk flowers that don’t fade or make a mess. Or find out how to make a few paper flowers to brighten up a room; it’s not that difficult.
6. It can get chilly, but running the heater all day is expensive. Keep the cold out by caulking cracks and using weather stripping to fill surfaces around doors and windows. Sleep can be comfortable with a hot-water bottle.
7. When going shopping for food, always take a list of what you need. Try to stick with it and avoid impulse buying.
8. Local grocery or supermarket? The grocery is going to be pricier, but take into account the gas you need to drive to the super.
9.Buy what’s in season only. Crave some pineapple but it’s not at its peak? Forget it and open a can.
10. Be flexible about what goes into a salad. If the price of cucumbers suddenly goes through the roof, leave them out and substitute something cheaper – celery or kohlrabi, for instance.
11.Shower rather than bath? Studies have shown that showering uses far less water. And who wants to lie in their own effluvia?
12. Don’t leave the tap running while you clean your teeth. It sounds obvious, but a lot of people do it.
My thanks to my old friend Judy Shapiro for pointing out in response to a previous article that young mothers understandably need to use their clothes dryers.