What small mse things will you do this week? 05/02

PurpleFairy26 · 9 February 2018 at 10:54AM

Morning frugal ones. I’m not at work :j were packed up and off for a few days. We’re SC so spends should be low. Few things so far:

Check banking
Made sandwiches at home
Bought hot drinks and snacks for journey
Got a few random bits from fridge to use up. Small pot of coleslaw, head of broccoli, half a tub of milk, pot of yogurt. Also a lonely banana and breakfast cereal and bread. Took some sausage rolls and 2 pieces of cake out of freezer for journey.
Hung washing up before we left that I did overnight
Vacuumed through
Put DW on
DH has worked out best speed to be most economical on journey in his relatively new (to us) vehicle. We wouldn’t normally use it as we use my work one. But we’ll have a relative with us whilst we’re away so it’s more comfortable for them this way.
More mindfulness. Will look at anxiety uk. Thanks 1LL

Enjoy your weekend folks. Purps.

purpleheir · 9 February 2018 at 2:56PM

Here are some of my small steps in how to save money every month:
- ordering water for drinks when dining out (water is for free in restos in my country)
- eating a simple breakfast: cereals and milk (healthy and filling)
- eating leftovers from the night before instead of cooking a new dish, if possible
- walking instead of using the cab or bus if the distance isn't far

foxgloves · 9 February 2018 at 3:08PM

Greetings my little frugal fairies,
Oh my days......isn't decluttering just one of THE best things for sorting your head out? Am still doing some every day to make up for life rather getting away from me last year when we were having our annus horribilus. Anyway, today's been useful so far:
*Froze 4 containers of the refried beans I batch-cooked yesterday. We both liked them & mr f asked that they go on the menu again soon. Result!
*Cut up empty spread tubs to make free plant labels ready for seed-sowing season.
*Cleaned all of downstairs - minimal products & washable microfibre cloths as usual. Just need to hoover upstairs.
*Decluttered my jam jar cupboard ready for this year's preserving. Ditto my box of extra jars in the shed. 2 bags off to bottle bank tomorrow.
*Refilled our tiny plastic boxes with dried fruit for next week's snacks.
*Found a new lidded container to use as a kitchen compost caddy, rather than buy yet more plastic to replace old split leaky one.
*Changed all household linens. Washer loaded for a cheap overnight load.
*Wrote a letter - used a recycled envelope & improvised for a notelet.
*Decluttered magazines & other bits & bobs to a friend I'm seeing tomorrow.
*Sorted dry laundry - only 3 things needed ironing so did it in 10 mins. Yay! (One of my worst jobs)
*Investigated energy bill - still £131 in credit, so hopefully this will start to build a bit once we are into the Spring. Am pleased that we are still in credit as our monthly payments were reduced by £17 a month too.
*Did quite a few surveys.
*Entered a prize draw & 1 competition.
STILL TO DO:
- Next week's meal plans......some meals will revolve around roasting a chicken on Sunday.
- Write shopping list.
- Mend a sock - darning mushroom & needle out ready but got sidetracked by the lure of coffee.
So just those 3 little things to do & I shall be into free time for myself. Intend to have a proper wallowy bubble bath, wash my hair, face pack, the works.......then play the piano. Found all sorts of little gems while decluttering my music this week, so looking forward to playing them. mr f's cooking night, so leisure time for his lovely wife, lol.
Hope everyone is managing to have a decent day.....so many stresses & strains around at the moment. Stay warm, too. It's so chilly at the moment.
Love F xx

Lottebear · 9 February 2018 at 7:13PM

Hello everyone

Thank goodness it is a Friday!

This week I have eaten from stores.
- Updated ebay listing with new stock.
- Railcard arrived purchased with Tesco points and good as I am going tomorrow.
- I also cashed in for some pizza restaurant vouchers whilst they are at the higher value.
- Purchased lunch for DD and I for the train tomorrow, snacks from home.
- Suitcase packed.

allydowd · 10 February 2018 at 9:48AM

Hi February Fabulistas,

Today is my Friday, and for that reason I'm looking forward to work. :rotfl:

Debt Free-Nillionaire Continuity Plan Year Three:

* Good, homemade, sustaining breakfast.

* Work very hard on my own mental health issues. Do App.

* Check online banking and broadband usage.

* Turn off alarm clock until tonight, it resets itself automatically.

* YS cheese muffins for breakfast.

* Packed lunch for work will be cous cous with left over whatevers thrown in.

* Charge phone at work.

* Every week we have a food treat: this weekend we will be buying a wee treat from the local fishmonger and cooking it at home. Many of his wares are caught locally.

To live without risk is to risk not living.

allydowd · 10 February 2018 at 9:55AM

News:

Waitrose it changing its loyalty scheme. (Link) (Link2)

TSB Refer A Friend Offer (Link)

New Sanitary Saver comparison site (Link)

determined_new_ms · 10 February 2018 at 11:08AM

aw man TGI the weekend! I crashed out on the sofa at 7 last night and apart from oh waking me up to go to bed that was me for the night! Hope I adjust to working f/t soon as really don't want my weekends to be just getting over the week!

Dawn I will do 3 days on & 4 off. Which actually i find quite appealing! Until we move to 24 hour shift pattern it will be 8am-8pm x3 days then off for 4. I think 12hour shifts are pretty standard in the NHS. So I think that will work quite well. Am hoping as it's not much longer than a full day it won't be too bad - but imagine on the 3rd day I'll be pretty tired! Think I'll need to pretty organised those 3 days however.... Batch cooking will be my friend I think...

Anyway! Today:

* go to library & post old mobile phones
* all meals from stores
* have asked my bro to pick up some soya milk for when he comes tomorrow so I don't have to go out....
* stick dinner in s/c
* go for a run
* crafting with madam, sewing, reading, drinking wine and playing games for leisure
* some hw

* washing on line
* potentially another load...

That'll do!

DawnW · 10 February 2018 at 12:02PM

Morning all

Enjoy your weekend DNMS, sounds a bit full on. With my last job, I ended up working 12 hour days most days... is this a danger for you, or is it the sort of job you can't actually do unless you are actually in situ? I hope so! If it is something that spills over agreed hours, home etc, beware of allowing this

Anyway, I have been for a routine mammogram this morning (the glamour!) and walked the couple of miles for free exercise. It was freezing to start with, then started raining, but I had my brolly! Picked up some children's toothpaste on the way back for GD as we have run out here, and she always wants to clean her teeth :rotfl: something to be encouraged I suppose. She already has her own peppa pig toothbrush in the bathroom. DD reckons this is ready for when she moves in :rotfl::rotfl:

Also done:
Washing folded from airer and put away

Brown banana for breakfast, and used up a plastic sachet of yogurt stuff that DD left in the fridge, presumably for GD, as it was a day out of date. It wasn't very nice, but I wasn't going to waste it, and I can go back to my lovely Lidls Greek yogurt tomorrow! It is probably me being old fashioned, but I hate that idea of squeezing a plastic sachet of bland, over sweet slop into a child's mouth, but I understand that it what they all have for packed lunches now

What is wrong with a little pot of nice yogurt or fromage frais and a spoon though :huh:

Also got some apple juice (GD always wants pineapple really, but they didn't have that

), some bananas, and a magazine for me, which I really shouldn't have bought, despite the mammogram and walking a few miles in the rain

But I did, so there

Now sitting with coffee, and planning what else needs doing today:
Some cleaning / tidying. Some friends of OH are coming round this afternoon I gather :cool:
Dog needs walking. OH didn't do it because it was raining

Dog doesn't like rain, but he will put up with it if you put his coat on.
Bits from fridge etc for lunch
Sausages for dinner
Make some scones or similar, will chop up a shrivelled apple and chuck that in

Check banks and update spreadsheet (must also add my norty spends

)
Check for surveys

Anyway, better get on. Hope your weather is better than ours!

foxgloves · 10 February 2018 at 12:16PM

Morning Saturday Friends,
We got off to a lovely early start with the grocery shopping today & we don't need to go out again until late afternoon, so have got some unexpected leisure time now. Think I will read my book (charity shop!) & knit by the fire. Anyway, today's positive bits of frugality:
*Grocery shopping came in £2-50 under budget, & that's including a bottle & some chocolate to take to our friends tonight.
*Decided not to go into town centre as we usually would, as we didn't need anything, it was raining & we didn't want to pay for parking. So no spendy temptations there.
*A*di currently has blueberries on Super 6, but our branch went one better than that as half of their blueberry punnets were YS at 45p each. I don't usually buy blueberries as they are ridiculously expensive for so few berries - I can't grow them either, despite buying special ericaceous compost & being green-fingered! But for 45p, I did get some to pop in the freezer.
*Free coffee in Waitrose & a free warm too, while enjoying a scone (me!) & toasted teacake (him!) - we use our Personal Spends for such treats so no impact on our budget.
*Entered 1 prize draw & 1 competition.
*Updated grocery budget log sheet in my bullet diary - while I don't think I'd want to go to the HUGE length of time again it took me to design/rule up all the pages for my bullet diary, I am finding it very useful to have all my lists, monthly meal plans, grocery budget, etc, all in one place, so I think I will look for the perfect large page-a-day diary for next year & devise a sort of hybrid method.
*Paid another 3 x 50ps into my sealed pot.
*Did a survey.
*Cashed in my 185,000 Toluna points for a £35 paypal payment.
*Knit - ongoing project with Christmas present yarn - just in case anyone thought there'd been a naughty little yarn purchase. I am still very much in the mode of using up my yarn stash before buying anything else.....the only exception to this will be when I start knitting mr f's big hoodie......I will need to buy some new yarn for that, unless he wants to look like he's off to a rainbow festival of peace & love (actually, he wouldn't be too averse to looking like that, but I want him to have something he can wear for the journey to work).
OK, that's today's small wins. Stay warm & dry, all. It's a proper soggy day here & unusually for me, I've already got the fire lit.
F x

carrielovesfanta · 10 February 2018 at 12:31PM

Good morning folks

HK - sorry that things are a bit up the wall at the mo

Xironsongx - sounds scary. I hope you're ok

Big dodgy hugs all round :grouphug:

Been meaning to post over the last two days but seemed to be very busy. Here's the roundup and plan going forward:

Two lunches out but kept down reasonably low (£30 in total and from budgeted spends). Other meals from stores
New pc screen - old telly from M-I-L's. Thought we would need to buy a stand (£15.99) but actually it just props up against the wall fine.
List old monitor on FB
Errand to the in-laws - free lunch.
Pepped up our white hand towels that had gone dingy by dyeing them blue instead of buying new ones
Pepped up OH's gigging jeans and a dingy gym top by dyeing them black (top went a lovely charcoal grey) instead of buying new ones
Managed to get a new pair of boots for OH... only £9 over budget and much better quality than the ones originally priced
New gym shoes for me - got the exact ones I wanted for nearly half price.
Had my hair cut. Took a selfie and tagged the salon to get 10% off the bill
Enquired about getting a colour done with the apprentice. They want patient easy going customers. I am that customer.
Made a scarf to match my hat and gloves. Yarn now used up.
Painted a radiator - house getting pretty rubbish but LL doesn't seem to have much of an appetite for improvements. Technically we need permission but I matched the paint into what was there. You can't tell the difference - it just looks fresher.
Batch cooking for the week all done
Windows open to air the house
OH removed the arms off the study chair - now it fits under the desk, new chair not required.
Stripped bed - remake this afternoon after it has aired
Small bit of housework
Sunshine and showers CAL
Flicked through some gardening books and read my almanac - planning some growing

Wow - it looks like more than I realised!

Have a good one all

clf x

What small mse things will you do this week? 05/02

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