Meet Britain's most frugal pensioner who claims her thrifty lifestyle allows her to live off just £2,400 a year.

Ilona Richards, 66, has gone the extra mile in penny-pinching, preferring to wear extra clothes and keep her heating turned off, and making every meal for less than £1.

She even asks guests to her home in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, to bring their own tea bags so that she doesn't have to fork out.

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Ilona Richards, 66, from Scunthorpe, gave up work at 59 and now lives comfortably on just £2,400 a year

Her vacuum cleaner was found in a skip and instead of boiling a kettle to make tea she heats a mug of hot water in the microwave. She even claims she makes a bottle of washing-up liquid last a year.

But Ilona's frugal ways don't stop her treating herself from time to time with a sugary treat. A pack of four doughnuts to go with her tea will, however, only cost her 15p.

Ilona said: ‘That's the difference between being frugal and being penny-pinching. I don't deny myself anything, but I never go mad.

‘I want to put the message across; it doesn't all have to be doom and gloom not having much money.

‘It's all about prioritising what's important. I believe having less gives you freedom.'

And she added that despite her modest living budget, she doesn't envy wealthy people.

‘I wouldn't want to be rich as you'd be worried about keeping your money safe,' she said. 'If you don't have much money you have less to think about.’

The thrifty pensioner buys most of her clothes from charity shops, although she recently treated herself to some £1 men's shorts from Primark. She also buys pants aimed at teenage boys, as they are 'cheaper'

Ilona normally heads to the supermarket after 7.30, when the best bargains are to be had

Over the past 10 years, Ilona has rarely paid full price for anything, opting for the bargain route instead of splashing out on overpriced goods.

The former lorry driver, who lives on an annual budget of around £2,400, has never been extravagant with her money, but after being forced into taking 12 weeks off work following an operation, she gave up work and adopted a more frugal lifestyle

She said: ‘Not long after I went back they announced they were shutting the depot. I was seven months short of my 60th birthday and the time seemed right for a bit of a change.’

At first, Ilona would monitor her outgoings in a small notebook. Back then, she would take a trip up the road to a smallholding to buy six eggs for £1.20 or get her hair trimmed at a local college for £4.50. But these days she cuts her own hair.

Thrifty: Ilona's bargain-hunting ways often force her to be creative when it comes to cooking at mealtimes

The former lorry driver insists on her friends bringing their own tea bags so she doesn't have to fork out

Ilona writes on every food package what she has paid for it, and tends to go food shopping after 7.30pm when stores start knocking down prices.

She said: ‘At Tesco they tend to stick the first yellow label on at lunchtime, the second at teatime and the third a few hours later. It means I can't go out with a shopping list; I just have to buy what's there.’

Her bargain-driven food shopping means that she often has to be more creative with her meal choices. On one occasion she picked up a tub of pease pudding simply because it had been reduced from £1.35 to 15p.

Ilona explained: ‘I have to eat things in date order. Those beetroots will probably last a couple more days, but I'll have to get onto those raspberries and tomatoes pretty soon or they will turn into mush.’

Bargain hunter: Ilona with her fridge packed full of reduced-priced goods from the supermarket

Ilona hasn't decided to go teetotal in her bid to keep costs down, however, allowing herself a monthly treat of four pear ciders from Aldi and a bottle of wine.

Instead, she prefers to eke out household products such as shampoo, which can last her eight months, and washing-up liquid, can last the best part of a year, while she only brushes her teeth with toothpaste once per day.

She said: ‘I used to pile dirty dishes up on the side here and wait until there was enough for a full bowl full of hot soapy water. But I realised that if I rinsed them and gave them a little scrub I needn't bother with washing up liquid at all.’

Ilona, who spends around £10 a week on food, paid just £32 in her last quarterly gas bill, and says she has only been in debt once in her life.

'If you don't have much money you have less to think about': The 66-year-old insists she is happier living the simple life

Ilona says she built her garden shed from old pallets and wooden doors for the bargain price of just £20

She said: ‘Quite a few years ago I bought a catering trailer. The plan was to go up to the local industrial park and sell burgers and bacon sandwiches. To be honest it wasn't the ideal job for a vegetarian, and it turned out there just wasn't the custom.

'It was a mistake, but as soon as I realised it wasn't going to work I sold it. I probably lost a couple of thousand pounds on that, but it was only me that lost out.’

She buys most of her clothes from charity shops, except for underwear, when she will buy pants aimed for teenage boys because they last longer and don't have VAT added on top.

Ilona will only venture into high street stores for a real bargain. In fact she recently bought a pair of brightly coloured men's Bermuda shorts, which cost her the princely sum of £1 from Primark.

Ilona relaxes with a cup of tea in her garden, left, and inside her shed, right. She says it's just the right size for her and a couple of friends

‘These are my latest purchase. They're XXL, but they've got a drawstring, so I reckon they should be OK,’ she said

She hopes to try out the shorts when the weather gets warmer, when she can sit out in the garden next to her bargain basement shed she built from a couple of old pallets and wooden doors for just £20.

Despite not owning a TV herself Ilona said he has entered the structure into Channel 4's Shed of the Year competition.

She said: ‘I've entered it in Channel 4's Shed of the Year competition, but I haven't heard anything back. There's enough room for me and a few friends.'

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