Getting to know you........

hoglet121

Hi everyone,

I've been a lurker/infrequent poster on here over the last 4 years or so, and the OS thread has completely revolutionised my life. My husband and I were struggling financially, keeping up with the Joneses I guess, and pretty miserable. I started implementing OS ways into our lives and over time it has become the norm and I very much love the challenge! Then last year we got an incredible opportunity to move to New Zealand. How the heck were we going to afford that? Well, we sold both the cars, ebayed stuff and really cut back so that the credit cards were paid off and there was only 1 loan outstanding, which as long as I found a job quickly, we could still afford (my husband had been offered a job prior to the move). So to cut a long story short, we moved last year, and after a couple of months I got a job and things are ticking along. We bought a proper old banger of a car which we thought would last a couple of months, but 9 months in is still going strong. Our salaries are much lower than in the UK, and yes SOME things are cheaper but I find I have to be much more OS than ever before - especially as we almost have our deposit together to buy our first house.

So thank you OS-ers for your wonderful tips and tricks!

Soxylady72

Hello everyone
another longtime lurker here. I have found myself at the grand age of 40 (nearly) unemployed and struggling financially. Belts haven't just been tightened but have been ebayed. I start a new job in September but have begun OS changes in the past months. I have been doing some veg growing and we got chickens earlier in the year.
I am actually enjoying the challenge of living for less.

Kitchenbunny

Hi hoglet & Soxylady! It can be a challenge living for less - I'm like you, Soxy, and enjoying that challenge. It's a test of ingenuity, I think. Welcome!

K xx

Soxylady72

Thanks KitchenBunny

lillie_put

hi all
well im married 3 sons 2 dogs cats plenty wildlife around us
a little piece of Heaven
we grow our own veg strawberries if we can get them before the dog apples trying grapes as well
learning lots of things from this site
lillie_put

gettingready

43 (today - sigh...), working full time (medical education - nhs), one daughter age 22 not living at home any more, slave to a GS dog and 4 cats....

Spare time? What spare time...

lornameg

Hello
Like everyone else, it seems, I have felt part of this thread without contributing, so today the time has come to jump in!
I am 65, a retired nurse, living in Aquitaine, South West France. My husband & I retired here 7 years ago, when life here was a great deal cheaper. It is becoming much more of a challenge, financially, now, and several friends have sold up and returned to the UK as prices there seem to be cheaper, and the range of goods immensely better.
All that said, its 39 degrees here today, phew!!
I look forward to being a more active member of this forum and would like to say thank you to everyone for the many tips I have used so far

Kitchenbunny

Welcome, Lornameg, gettingready and lillie put Good to see you here. I've always wanted to go to France (for more than a day) and will do some day. Til then, I'll keep doing the day job!

K xx

Heffi1

Hi,

I thought I would pop in and say hello, I occasionally post and have half heartedly tried a diary in the past, but I am not so good at keeping it up to date. I really enjoy reading other people's diaries and it keeps me motivated to get rid of my debt.

I am a single mum to 2 grown up kids who still live at home, both working thankfully and contribute what they can to the housekeeping, i also live with my mum and she is good at finding bargains.

I have dusted off the slow cooker again and started to watch what I am buying, so I am keen to be a frugal as I can be without starving us all. I want to reduce what I buy and make things go further each month.

I am here for the long haul and will dip in and out of threads trying to find inspiration for healthy interesting meals and money saving tips along the way.

Travelady

A lucker here as well. At 51 I'm on my own for the first time in my life - had a bone marrow transplant last year after lymphoma treatment and hubby left me as 'he couldn't cope' (code for found a 25 year old - it wasn't my brain that was transplanted!). I'm not a victim, but stronger and cherishing life. My girls are a teenagers and one in her early twenties. Spend every week end visiting my old mum who is also now on her own after my dad died. We're both looking for ways to save money. Really love this site as so many good tips.