Now Thats What I Call Thrift #15



The T-shirt is optional

A wise man once said that moving back in with your parents was like going back to prison. You had your chance on parole and couldn’t be assimilated into the real world, so it’s back in the slammer for you. Seems a bit harsh to me, I don’t think many prisons come equipped with Sky Plus and no curfew, although the Daily Express will probably tell you otherwise. Of course it’s no prison but is it something to be recommended to fellow gradults? Ordinarily not. But I have a commitment to thriftiness so pure, so strong that if I have to sacrifice a bit of face to get the word out there, goddammit I will. You see, the stats don’t lie – they can’t, they're just numbers, it’s not a moral thing.

The Thrift campaign has helped you save a couple of quid by swerving a double vodka lemon and lime at half two in the morning. We’ve suggested you sacrifice friends for a saving by swearing off Christmas cards. And who can forget Thrift 2? Oh you have? It was about self service machines or something like that. Lately my Gradulthood colleague, Michael Gray, has been showing you the bargains to be found online like a tight fisted cyber tour guide. One hand on the mouse, one hand firmly gripping his wallet shut.

Follow these rules and you will make savings but nothing compared to the ultimate thrift sacrifice.

Thrift 15: Fly back into the nest.

Since I moved back home in August I’ve saved over £2000 without so much as breaking a sweat. There are sacrifices to be made but during the infamous 2010 big freeze what gradult could honestly tell you he wouldn’t swap his independence for some reliable central heating and a chilli con carne waiting for them when they got home from work? In fact, I’m not even asking gradults to swap their independence, I’m just asking them to put it in storage for a while, so when they do fly the nest again they won’t have to come back for reoffending.

Now that’s what I call Thrift is the longest running franchise on Gradulthood. Never a huge ratings winner but always a reliable source of numbers. Its future will be debated during the next Gradulthood conference call. Once you’ve recommended people move home to save a couple of quid, is there anything left to say? We’ll see.