Striving to save and stay solvent!

Over the past couple of months I've dipped my toes back into the world of ebaying and surveys to bring a bit of extra money in. Needs must and all that.
I listed two more items on ebay tonight as BINs, one of which sold within half an hour which makes me think I should've listed it for more money, but nervermind. After postage and fees it'll make around £8.50 which will be sent over to one of the savings pots.

I've also listed a large kitchen appliance on gumtree. I inherited it with this house, but it really is too big and bulky for just DS and myself living here, so I am hoping to sell it and make enough money to repace it with a smaller, more economical version. Well see how that goes.
One other item has also been advertised on gumtree tonight as well which will hopefully will bring in £35.



A couple more surveys completed today, I'll soon be at payouts of around £20 and £15 with the two accounts I have

Did a load of washing when I got in, unfortunately had to use the tumble dryer as the weather is awful here. I did loads at the weekend when it was nice and managed to get two or three loads of washing dry on the line, hopefully this weekend will bless us with equally good drying weather!

I also have a small business which I run from a spare room at home. It is busier towards the end of the year, but I had another order today so I need to make that and get it sent off.

Dinner for both of us was from the freezer. I've also taken mince out to batch cook some meals for DS tomorrow and for tomorrow's food. I'll take lunch to work with me as usual, something like some eggs to scramble in the microwave or a tin of soup. Being part time has at least forced me to stop buying lunches out for work now!

Shower and bed is calling for now.

M
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Item not sold yet, but two interested parties and two watchers on the remaining ebay item. No interest on the appliance yet, but fingers crossed there is soon.
£7.50 from other sale collected.

Tonight I've batch cooked and frozen four meals for DS and three healthy meals for myself. DS is a fussy eater so it helps to have something healthy-ish I can pull out of the freezer for him after school. I used up some slightly sad looking mushrooms in these meals which would need throwing in a day or so, so glad not to waste them.

The fridge and fruit bowl is looking bare and I need to stock up. I shall try and go to Aldi tomorrow evening when DS is at his Dad's as there's nothing worse than dragging a small person round a supermarket!

YNAB updated today. Whilst it's not looking good, there's still money in the account so I am thankful for that.

Off for a soak in the bath with a 'home' magazine, kindly gifted to me as a subscription for mother's day/my birthday.

Not much other moneysaving news to report. I had an enquiry about the large appliance last night, but it seemed a bit odd, saying to reply only by text as their email was broken. I may be being overly-suspicious, but it just didn't sound right, so I haven't replied yet... I don't want to be spammed!

Screened out of one survey yesterday, but received 10 'points' so bumped the total up a little.

I need to get two new tyres on the car later today, should be around £110 so money will be transferred from the car/house pot to cover that. I really need to build that pot up then.

No real plans for the weekend. I was hoping the weather would be nice so we could make the most of the garden and DS could play on his trampoline (which he'd do for hours!), but the weather forecast is looking rubbish so that's a bit of a downer. I'll have to think of some free things to do as really can't afford to spend [STRIKE]much[/STRIKE] a penny.

Ebay parcel needs posting tonight which I'll do whilst waiting for the tyres to be fitted. I've had a couple more orders through my little craft business too, so need to make those and get them posted too. That will bring me in an easy £40ish which will be going straight in the savings pot.

I had 3 sorry looking peppers in the fridge last night, cut some of them up to use for dinner last night and have frozen the rest so I can just chuck them in dishes straight from the freezer. Can't be wasting them.
I've brought lunch to work - a sweet potato to microwave with a small portion of last night's mushroom curry. Dinner tonight may involve a spend as I would really like some fish. Will be eating with OH though so we usually pool resources ie. what's lurking in the bottom of our fridges!

Happy Thursday all

x

Thank Fudge it's Friday! :j

I'm so done with selling things on gumtree. :mad:

Someone last week wanted to show up for an item immediately, re-arranged for the next night, then kept me waiting in all night and never showed up. Never heard from them again.

Yesterday a lady wanted the fridge freezer I was selling, texts back and forth ALL day. I dropped the price for her, she said she'd definitely have it but needed it Saturday - I agreed - said I'd order my new one now so that the old one was ready for collection saturday - ordered my new one and then two hours later she text me to say she didn't want it anymore. So I've had to cancel my new one this morning beacause the old one was paying for it - thankfully it wasn't too late to do so.

I've had a similar situation with the £35 item I'm selling too. Do people have nothing better to do all day than to mess others around?! :mad::mad::mad:

I've decided to just keep the one I have until it dies, even though it's huge and too big for just me and DS, but anything for an easy life...

Rant over!

Anyway, onto better news, I've sold the other BIN on ebay, so that's around £8 profit.

My lovely parents have sent me £200 to help out with the bills and petrol money for the drive to see them soon. I feel so bad about accepting it, but they won't have it any other way. They are so kind.
I will put it in the ISA and save it towards the big bills on the house I have coming up soon.

Car tyres cost £155 yesterday. :eek:

I left the car at the garage for a few hours as it's within walking distance of my house. On the walk back I paid £20 cash into the bank that OH had given me which he owed me. I tried to pay another £5 in from a small sale, but the automatic paying-in machine wouldn't accept the new £5 notes so that went back in my purse.

I did a big Aldi shop last night too. Lots of fruit, veg and fish and some meat, as the fridge and freezer were looking like mother hubbard's house. It came to £47.17. I wasn't aware it was possible to spend that much in Aldi! :rotfl:I have gone over the shopping budget again, but I've transferred some money to cover it. I really need to hone in on this and the 'other' spends which is an area I overspend on monthly.

Screened out of 1 survey this morning.

Breakfast & lunch brought to work and dinner planned. Tonight I have the evening to myself, so I may try and finish decorating the spare room. I have one more coat to do on one wall and a wall to paper. Will be nice to get it done, it's looking so much better already.

Happy friday all
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