--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I eventually turned the fridge and…" description: "\"I eventually turned the fridge and freezer off - they were empty anyway - and the boiler, desperate to save money, shocking myself awake in the morning..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08e/jack-monroe-5513_fridge_i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freez_2405209.jpg" --- # I eventually turned the fridge and freezer off - they were… ![“I eventually turned the fridge and freezer off - they were empty anyway - and the boiler, desperate to save money, shocking myself awake in the morning with the shortest, coldest showers, and boiling a kettle of water twice a week to bath my young son.” quote by Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08e/jack-monroe-5513_fridge_i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freez_2405209.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08e/jack-monroe-5513_fridge_i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freez_2405209.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08e/jack-monroe-5513_fridge_i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freez_2405209.jpg) > “I eventually turned the fridge and freezer off - they were empty anyway - and the boiler, desperate to save money, shocking myself awake in the morning with the shortest, coldest showers, and boiling a kettle of water twice a week to bath my young son.” [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing empty fridges, the narrator cuts utilities and endures harsh showers to save money for his son. **In simple terms:** Man reduces expenses by limiting water use. Key Takeaway Prioritize essential needs over comfort. Themes frugality parenting resource management Mood pragmatic serious Type interview excerpt personal testimony When to use this quote - budgeting - home heating - family welfare Key Concepts minimalism financial strain Questions to Reflect On - What are sustainable ways to cut costs? - How to balance savings with quality of life? A Different Perspective Extreme austerity can affect health and morale. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Save Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-money/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [“They were ticking off items on a to-do list that was magnet-attached to the fridge. There were nineteen items on the list. They'd crossed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/they-were-ticking-off-items-on-a-to-do-list-that-was-magnet-attached/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [Well, Im bored again. Time to open the fridge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/well-im-bored-again-time-to-open-the-fridge/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A wise saying is something you keep picking up off the floor in front of your fridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/a-wise-saying-is-something-you-keep-picking-up-off-the-floor-in-front/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [A fridge is basically just a big, cold box with a few shelves in it, right? Well, that's true, but where you store food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/a-fridge-is-basically-just-a-big-cold-box-with-a-few-shelves-in-it/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [When I'm doing kitchen planning as well as bathroom design, I try to walk through the day with the homeowner. If we're talking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-olson/when-i-m-doing-kitchen-planning-as-well-as-bathroom-design-i-try-to/) [Candice Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-olson/) > [... I stare into the fridge. Like a mirrored image of myself. Cold and empty, and the lights come on only when you open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallgr-mur-helgason/i-stare-into-the-fridge-like-a-mirrored-image-of-myself-cold-and/) [Hallgrimur Helgason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallgr-mur-helgason/) > [If you looked in my fridge, you'd see maybe 12 different mustards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/if-you-looked-in-my-fridge-you-d-see-maybe-12-different-mustards/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) > [I know what it's like not to have food in the fridge or money to buy more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-vodianova/i-know-what-it-s-like-not-to-have-food-in-the-fridge-or-money-to-buy/) [Natalia Vodianova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-vodianova/) > [I have a sense of urgency, of time. I am a woman and am always running between work, doctors' appointments, school meetings, filling up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segolene-royal/i-have-a-sense-of-urgency-of-time-i-am-a-woman-and-am-always-running/) [Segolene Royal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/segolene-royal/) > [“It was a brave old world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-a-rayner/it-was-a-brave-old-world/) [Mark A. Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-a-rayner/) > [During an early performance of 'Spamalot,' I left my regal gloves in the fridge to cool down and didn't remember them until I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjeev-bhaskar/during-an-early-performance-of-spamalot-i-left-my-regal-gloves-in-the/) [Sanjeev Bhaskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjeev-bhaskar/) > [Open the fridge and put My heart on a plate. I'm just as you left me, and I taste even better leftover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-von-ziegesar/open-the-fridge-and-put-my-heart-on-a-plate-i-m-just-as-you-left-me/) [Cecily von Ziegesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-von-ziegesar/) > [If I really like the smell of something - a piece of tar or my goddaughter's plastic doll - I put a tiny piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mika/if-i-really-like-the-smell-of-something-a-piece-of-tar-or-my/) [Mika](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mika/) > [If you think of the ice caps as the fridge of our planet, if your fridge at home died, the food you eat would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-bloom/if-you-think-of-the-ice-caps-as-the-fridge-of-our-planet-if-your/) [Orlando Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-bloom/) > [“A kitchen is not quite a kitchen without something stuck to the fridge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-golland/a-kitchen-is-not-quite-a-kitchen-without-something-stuck-to-the-fridge/) [K.M. Golland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-golland/) ## More by Jack Monroe > [I'm publicist, patron of nine charities, creative director, food consultant, recipe developer - and mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-publicist-patron-of-nine-charities-creative-director-food/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [My pregnancy changed my relationship with my body because I went from despising it to marvelling at what it can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/my-pregnancy-changed-my-relationship-with-my-body-because-i-went-from/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [There's all kinds of research that shows children operate best if they start the day with some proper food inside them - it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/there-s-all-kinds-of-research-that-shows-children-operate-best-if/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I'm well-known for saying unsayable things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-well-known-for-saying-unsayable-things/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I think as much as people moan at things like award ceremonies, it gives people role models. It provides real positive reinforcement that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-think-as-much-as-people-moan-at-things-like-award-ceremonies-it/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [Working 90 hours a week is easily racked up when you're self-employed and rely on portable tech to do your work; your train journeys,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/working-90-hours-a-week-is-easily-racked-up-when-you-re-self-employed/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I'm very careful with the money I have, I pay myself the living wage, and I try to save the rest, because if life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-very-careful-with-the-money-i-have-i-pay-myself-the-living-wage/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [All kids are fussy eaters - they go through phases where they'll only eat red food or they just want to eat porridge. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/all-kids-are-fussy-eaters-they-go-through-phases-where-they-ll-only/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [Working behind the cocktail bar was a different kind of escapism, a creative outlet with a newfound respect for alcohol. I didn't drink as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/working-behind-the-cocktail-bar-was-a-different-kind-of-escapism-a/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I'm not organised, and I don't cope well with deadlines, structure and routine. I'm chaotic. Always have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-not-organised-and-i-don-t-cope-well-with-deadlines-structure-and/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [During my time at Essex county fire and rescue service, barely a shift went by without receiving a call from an elderly person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/during-my-time-at-essex-county-fire-and-rescue-service-barely-a-shift/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [If I've learned anything in the last seven or eight years it's that my career flies by the seat of my pants and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/if-i-ve-learned-anything-in-the-last-seven-or-eight-years-it-s-that/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I was a young mother with a dependent. I went from nice flat and fire service job to cold and hungry with a child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-was-a-young-mother-with-a-dependent-i-went-from-nice-flat-and-fire/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [Until people realise benefits doesn't mean scrounger, and austerity isn't a fun middle-class way to grow your own vegetables, there's still a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/until-people-realise-benefits-doesn-t-mean-scrounger-and-austerity/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [I wear Doc Martens leather boots, so I'm not a vegan. I am a vague-one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-wear-doc-martens-leather-boots-so-i-m-not-a-vegan-i-am-a-vague-one/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) [Explore all 100 Jack Monroe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) ## More Fridge quotes > [“They were ticking off items on a to-do list that was magnet-attached to the fridge. There were nineteen items on the list. They'd crossed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/they-were-ticking-off-items-on-a-to-do-list-that-was-magnet-attached/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [If you think of the ice caps as the fridge of our planet, if your fridge at home died, the food you eat would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-bloom/if-you-think-of-the-ice-caps-as-the-fridge-of-our-planet-if-your/) [Orlando Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-bloom/) > [If I really like the smell of something - a piece of tar or my goddaughter's plastic doll - I put a tiny piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mika/if-i-really-like-the-smell-of-something-a-piece-of-tar-or-my/) [Mika](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mika/) > [Open the fridge and put My heart on a plate. I'm just as you left me, and I taste even better leftover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-von-ziegesar/open-the-fridge-and-put-my-heart-on-a-plate-i-m-just-as-you-left-me/) [Cecily von Ziegesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-von-ziegesar/) > [During an early performance of 'Spamalot,' I left my regal gloves in the fridge to cool down and didn't remember them until I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjeev-bhaskar/during-an-early-performance-of-spamalot-i-left-my-regal-gloves-in-the/) [Sanjeev Bhaskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjeev-bhaskar/) > [“It was a brave old world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-a-rayner/it-was-a-brave-old-world/) [Mark A. Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-a-rayner/) > [I have a sense of urgency, of time. I am a woman and am always running between work, doctors' appointments, school meetings, filling up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segolene-royal/i-have-a-sense-of-urgency-of-time-i-am-a-woman-and-am-always-running/) [Segolene Royal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/segolene-royal/) > [I know what it's like not to have food in the fridge or money to buy more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-vodianova/i-know-what-it-s-like-not-to-have-food-in-the-fridge-or-money-to-buy/) [Natalia Vodianova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-vodianova/) > [If you looked in my fridge, you'd see maybe 12 different mustards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/if-you-looked-in-my-fridge-you-d-see-maybe-12-different-mustards/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) > [... I stare into the fridge. Like a mirrored image of myself. Cold and empty, and the lights come on only when you open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallgr-mur-helgason/i-stare-into-the-fridge-like-a-mirrored-image-of-myself-cold-and/) [Hallgrimur Helgason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallgr-mur-helgason/) > [When I'm doing kitchen planning as well as bathroom design, I try to walk through the day with the homeowner. If we're talking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-olson/when-i-m-doing-kitchen-planning-as-well-as-bathroom-design-i-try-to/) [Candice Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-olson/) > [A fridge is basically just a big, cold box with a few shelves in it, right? Well, that's true, but where you store food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/a-fridge-is-basically-just-a-big-cold-box-with-a-few-shelves-in-it/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [A wise saying is something you keep picking up off the floor in front of your fridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/a-wise-saying-is-something-you-keep-picking-up-off-the-floor-in-front/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Well, Im bored again. Time to open the fridge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/well-im-bored-again-time-to-open-the-fridge/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A kitchen is not quite a kitchen without something stuck to the fridge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-golland/a-kitchen-is-not-quite-a-kitchen-without-something-stuck-to-the-fridge/) [K.M. Golland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-golland/) Browse all 131 Fridge quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I eventually turned the fridge and freezer off - they were empty anyway - and the boiler, desperate to save money, shocking myself awake in the morning with the shortest, coldest showers, and boiling a kettle of water twice a week to bath my young son.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Monroe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freezer-off-they-were-empty-anyway/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fridge" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freezer-off-they-were-empty-anyway/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08e/jack-monroe-5513_fridge_i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freez_2405209.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08e/jack-monroe-5513_fridge_i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freez_2405209.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08e/jack-monroe-5513_fridge_i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freez_2405209.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I eventually turned the fridge and freezer off - they were empty anyway - and the boiler, desperate to save…” — Jack Monroe", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jack Monroe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I eventually turned the fridge and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freezer-off-they-were-empty-anyway/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-eventually-turned-the-fridge-and-freezer-off-they-were-empty-anyway/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```