ZoeGirls Five Year Challenge

ashbart

I've really enjoyed reading your thread! Love your recipe posts - I LOVE cooking and have really got into it over the last few years, saving lots of money! Keep your thread going - you're doing fab!

PS - I also have a budget spreadsheet and a meal planning one! It's the addiction that will keep me going too, I think! Lol!! Ash xx

ZoeGirl_3

Thanks Ash. Thats what I love about this site, I am not the only one into this stuff lol.

Quite scary at the moment to keep reading about the "global credit crisis" all the time. I do not feel any pressure myself, but I live well within my income, and have a long way to go until I would panic.

Safety of money worries me though, guess it is the first time I have seen this sort of economic climate, the last time I was too young to care

Holidays end tomorrow, well, actually today, it is VERY late and I should be in bed getting some sleep before the big day, but I am busy sorting out my online listings.

Over the holidays I did a mad clean of the house, and made stacks of stuff to clear out, and now I want to clear it out so I have more room.

Did make some progress on my list of projects, but nothing at photograph stage yet. Will post as soon as something is.

Really feel like I am getting organised though. Which is a great feeling. And (perhaps avert your eyes here) I was cleaning today and found an xmas CD and put it in, just to get into the mood lol.

Am starting to wrap up things for my son and my family so that I can get it all done by the beginning of Dec hopefully.

Have been doing okay with contests since I started doing it regularily in May this year, and next year I want to do a challenge to win all my xmas presents for next year. Think it will be fun. :j

Oh well, guess I really better drag myself off to bed. :cool:

ZoeGirl_3

At the moment I am REALLY hating my job. Not sure why. I mean I retrained last year because I didn't like my old job and now I don't like this one either.

Think I just do not like working for other people, seems to be really stressing me out lol. I mean I know I have to get off my butt and go to work to meet my goals but I almost don't care sometimes, I just hate it so much.

Trying to think what to do...I am probably stuck with this job (teaching) for a while yet, and I don't think it is anything in particular I don't like, just it seems to take up a lot of my personal time when I want to do something like read a book etc I feel like I shouldn't be, that I should be doing work instead, so I guess it makes me feel sort of on edge a lot, when I should feel like I am unwinding at the end of the day.

It is only 8 weeks off until the summer hols which are 6 weeks and I am SOOOOOO looking forward to them, and I know its not to far to wait but they seem to be going so slow lol.

Am really interested in at the moment in working for myself, so think I am going to look into it. Not sure what, but maybe something to work towards in the future would make it more livable now.

PS: I don't like the people I work with either much, they are just so grumpy and complaining all the time at work, which puts you in a bad mood, and they are too obsessed with nail polish etc lol and I am more interested in following stock prices etc, and thinking about how to save more money and how to do crafts etc and this gives us limited things to talk about.

Anyone ever heard of a in person savings club? Or MSE type coffee group lol. Sounds like my idea of fun....:o

Anyway, hopefully now that i have that off my chest I can be a bit more MSE focused in the next post lol...:rolleyes:

shaz_mum_of__2

Hi zoegirl just found your thread and impressed by your dedication and all your challenges

I noticed you wanted to make a boot bag from an umbrella ..................good luck,have you thought about using an old shower curtain instead much easier to work with !! Also if you are good at craft what about selling your stuff on Etsy or similair

I was in a similair position to you regatrding work ie not settling but it followed a period of self employment and i struggled to adjust working for someone else , I have since started a Honours Degree so i can do a job i enjoy again


Good luck will keep popping in

Sharronx

PS hubby and i have plans to visit new zealand one day!!

ZoeGirl_3

Thanks Shaz. Have been really trying to get on with it at work lately such as catching up with all the stuff I need to do at home to stay up to date, got to love that part of teaching lol, so haven't been spending much time on here lately.

Have hit a bit of a speed bump with savings. Challenges still going well, but sick and when I am sick my careful planning seems to fly out the window lol and I go into "I-don't-care-about-saving-money" survival mode. :rolleyes:

Still just redoing my budget a bit to readjust totals etc to keep me on track.

Sold so many things online last week I am having a break week. I do want to look into selling craft stuff online but haven't investigated what I think would sell well yet. And would probably need to get a jump start on it over the summer hols.

On that note, only 7 weeks of work to holidays lol :T :T

shaz_mum_of__2

seems weird you talking about "summer hols" when it's freezing over here


Shaz

ZoeGirl_3

Have been spending an hour reading various frugal sites and compiling lists of different things. Thought I might post a few of them here so at least I remember where they are lol...

Cheap Work Snacks/ Nibbles

· Yoghurt
· Popcorn/Pretzels/ crackers (all can be homemade)
· Fruit/ vege sticks
· Cake/ loaf/ biscuits/ muffins/ scones/ slices
· Dried fruit
· Home Made Trail Mix – Mix a small amount of chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, etc with some bulkers such as plain homemade popcorn.
· Bread sticks/ pizza sticks (bread dough with some tomato pasta and cheese or regular pizza cut into sticks)

ZoeGirl_3

Save soap scraps until its worthwhile amount and then grate using hand grater or with a blender. Pour into a bowl and add a little warm water. Let sit for about 15 minutes and then shape into attractive soap balls. Let them dry for several days before using. Bit destitute perhaps that one, but I do have a small collection of them...

The other lists/ things I want to try will have to wait anyway, I am off to bed now

jo_b_2

Great thread, Zoe, and good luck with the challenge! :T

I might give some of your veggie recipes a try - as cutting my growing food bill is my New Years Resolution for 2009!

ZoeGirl_3

Have not been around this board much over the holidays as I was hardly ever home. Work started up about 5 weeks ago and I have been getting my groove on again, but have my new budget sorted and up and running and thought it was best to be getting on with things again.

In some ways I think I got burn out towards the end of last year/ beginning of this year with the frugality. My social life took off really and I am quite happy about that, but I had not enough money budgeted for a social life (:o lol) and for a while got a bit stressed out, so re-did a new budget that gives me some play money, still tight but enough to stop me going nuts.

Think because I am so competitive I can take the whole savings thing a bit far at times...especially since I have a time limit on myself.

Anyway, my goals for the first half of the year are:

1) To have made $400 from online auctions $100 so far
Mini steps:
a) Find things to list from house done
b) Look into sourcing items to sell done
c) Look into things you can make to sell done
d) Need to take photos of items done
e) List items done
f) Open a new bank account solely for online auctions done
2) Make my crochet edged napkins TO DO
3) Make some crazy patchwork cushions and embroider across the seams. Get mum to help me put the ruffles around the outside when I sew them up. Consider how much materials cost and whether they would be viable to list online or to give as xmas presents later in the year. Materials cost should be minimal as all fabric new but from charity shops and cost 0.20c a piece etc. TO DO
4) Clean out my bedroom and dejunk this should help with (1) above but also as seasons are changing can go through clothes etc. IN PROGRESS
5) Make a list of xmas presents for end of year so I can get started on buying/ making where relevant.IN PROGRESS