Anthea Turner, a ‘recessionista’?

Ok, the word doesn’t really exist.  It’s just something that the News Of The World made up, out of recession and fashionista.  But their article about her is very fair to her, though like some of us, they do have their doubts about her claims to being ‘…low maintenance…’.

It is interesting though to note two things about the wardrobe she wears in the photo shoot.  The ‘wet look’ leather look dress is from Primark, I kid you not, and the wet look leggings she wears throughout the shoot are from New Look.  I even managed to find those online.  They’re £14.  Quite cheap really .

What Anthea Turner is though, is good at reinventing herself.  She has gone from children’s television presenter, through mega celebrity, property development, ‘perfect housewive’ to an advertisement for frugal living.

The thing is, I could teach you more about frugal living than she can.  I’ve had to live frugally for years.  I spent many years unemployed, living on very little money per week.  It’s only in the past few years that things have really taken off for me, but I sill live in a fairly frugal way, in everything I do.  Even the internet has to be unlimited, to keep costs down in the long run.

Maybe I should do an online show, about real frugal living.  How to live as if in a recession the whole time.  I’ve lived through two already and we’re in a third right now.  A big thing in my life is getting the best value for money that I can.  And that applies whether you’re buying food, clothes, entertainment or other household items.  I won’t spend lots of money on anything, if you can get  it cheaper, and get more value out of it.

Far too many people are drawn to those big name brands that they see advertised, and just believe that they are the best things money can buy, but often, value brands are much cheaper, and just as good a quality, if not sometimes even better.  There are exceptions but with buying value brands, you are not wasting a lot of money.

It’s similar in clothing terms.  At home, you wear what you want.  You can parade around in a bikini in the middle of winter if you want to, that’s up to you.  But I always like to try to make an effort to look reasonable when I go out.  Remember that story I covered on here some time ago about mothers in Northern Ireland, who were still wearing pyjamas while they were taking their kids to school?  To me, that is bad.  Make a little effort to look reasonable, even if it is only a t-shirt and leggings and trainers. 

When you go out, you’re presenting an image to other people of how you want them to think about you.  If you go out all the time looking scruffy, and unkempt, people are going to think of you that way.  If you at least look reasonably presentable, then people will have a better opinion of you.  As I said before, at home, it’s your own private domain.  You can wear anything you want to. 

Hmm, I gotta lot to say on this subject.  Maybe I should do that online show.  Maybe we’ll do a video episode of Viewpoint this week on this story.  Wait and see.