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Super scrimper: 'I won't pay for non-essentials, I survive on freebies and grow my food'

Lancashire Evening Post

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July 17, 2025

Meet the super scrimper who refuses to spend a penny on anything nonessential, furnished her entire home for free and grows 85 per cent of the food she eats - saving herself £600 a month.

Super scrimper: 'I won't pay for non-essentials, I survive on freebies and grow my food'

Savvy Sharon Shaw, 58, is a proud penny pincher. She won't spend money unless she absolutely has to and claims her outgoings are just £300 a month.

Sharon bought her four-bedroom home in Chorley, for just £21,500 in 1987 and, other than forking out for her bills and food she grows, insists she doesn't pay for anything.

Her frugal lifestyle has seen Sharon pay off her mortgage and she currently has £2,800 in savings.

She furnished her property with items she sourced for free using Facebook Marketplace - including a TV, sofa, and a king-size bed worth £400.

She never buys anything new, opting for secondhand items if she needs to splash out.

Mum-of-four Sharon spends just £300 a month - paying out £118 for gas, electric, and water bills and £40 on food that she hasn't grown or received for free on the Olio app - and only shops in the reduced section.

Sharon said, "I don't buy anything, everything is mostly free in my home.

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