Simplifying Life - Mark II

Reverbe

Well done Lily for having the courage to take the first step. There are lots of helpful tips and lovely people here.. just dive in xxx

ceridwen

..and 'tis good to see you around again Reverbe - I wondered where you were:D:wave:

[Deleted User]

Thank you all so very, very much for your posts- you are all so generous with your time and advice. It is truly wonderful to read posts from like-minded people.

Ceridwen - your simplifying life thread was wonderful to read and really inspired me. I already realise how very lucky I am to have a wonderful son (11yrs) and DH- need to appreciate and spend time with them- not spend my time reading magazines that 'tell' me how to be a good wife, mother, keep a fab home etc- just need to be 'me' as mumfirst says, however its been so long since I've been 'me' I've no idea who I actually am.

I really am starting from scratch here, my plans this weekend are to get all those handbags on e-bay, try to de-clutter a little. I have already stopped buying books and visited the library- would appreciate advice and guidance through this journey. Thanks guys x :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

I take heart from the quote in my signature... trying to keep up with the 'jones' just made me unhappy... I live in a rented house, with hodgepodge funature and wear second hand clothes... and I am the happiest person I know... the most content... and just confortable x

It will be hard... but it will be worth the journey xxx

I love your signature and post- sooooooo inspiring- thank you x :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Committedtochange, sparrer and sky- I think we can really do this and really improve our lives- plus get rid of any debt. x

missychrissy

I'm sure that you will get lots of support on OS. 4 years ago I had no savings and I realised that if I did not do something about it I would not be able to help out any of my 4 sons with weddings etc. In an attempt to rectify the matter I decided to try to halve my expenditure and save the remainder. In the main I succeeded though I could not reduce my mortgage substantially and although I markedly reduced my car expenditure I didn't manage to halve it. However, I compensated for this by more than halving my expenditure in other areas.

My biggest light bulb moment was recognising that the best way to save money was simply to just not go shopping. It is also possible to 'give up' some things completely. I started to use my imagination a lot more to find ways to cut costs. I often ask myself what would I do if a certain product is not available - could I find a free or much cheaper alternative. I now recycle much more than I used to and have a nice collection of glass and plastic containers for herbs, spices, pulses etc. I also use the plastice trays, especially the deeper ones, such as mushrooms etc come in to store such items as toiletries and they can be filled with shredded paper and used to make up Christmas or birthdays gift packs using cheap but pretty toiletries etc bought throughout the year when cheap or on offer.

I make my own wine, it is so easy I don't know why I didn't do it years ago. I grow some veg but I find that once I have factored in equipment/compost/feed/containers/seed and failures I think it is probably cheaper to shop around for veg. Lots of it can be frozen when fresh. I always do this with peppers on the day I buy them to add to stir fries and casseroles later. I love my slow cooker and can turn out really cheap and nutritious meals using cheap cuts of meats.

I could go on. Use your imagination and you could soon build a simpler and probably much more enjoyable life.

furball

Lilly, give yourself a pat on the back you have just had what we call a lightbulb moment. We were in the same amount of debt as you but thankfully 9 years on we are clear. We moved the credit card debt to a 0% card but beware if you don't make the regular payments it will backfire as the intrest then soars. We got a better morgage rate and then OH started claiming back our ppi and bank charges. The saving from the morgage went on paying store cards off. We shop at a farm shop, yes the meat is dearer but there is not one scrap of waste and we aren't tempted to buy one get one free on supermarket offers we used to buy just because its a bargain. I also found Aldi biscuits, cereal, washing tablets, dishwasher tablets EXACTLY the same as the branded ones, buy a pkt of bourbon biscuits or a box of harvest moon frosted flakes and you will be amazed how identical they are. Aldi deoderants and shampoos and bubble baths etc are as good if not better than branded. Cleaning i buy stardrops, which i water down in a spray bottle and use for everything with a microfibre cloth. White vinegar and soda crystals in the green bag, these are available anywhere and will clean what stardrops doesn't. I only go to Mr sburys for wholewheat spaghetti and pasta. The other thing i have done is get a milkman and we use a lot of milk. Yes i know it's dearer but honestly when did you go into a supermarket or shop and buy just milk. I finally realised this when i went into supermarket for milk and came out £21 lighter, new lightbulb moment. Don't look at the debt as a whole, break it down and pay one extra debt off at a time, with the extra you save, start with the little ones or the largest % ones whichever is costing most in interest. Always pay the agreed amount on the other debts so that the interest doesn't rise.
I am still not great with money but we are no longer in debt. The best thing we bought was a 2 bed pop up tent and started camping for holidays, great fun, great people and sooooo cheap. Oh and all that expensive stuff you bought keeping up with the jonses, ebay it.
Remember the important things in life are free.
Good luck and let us know how you go on.



Remember nothing important can be bought. Good Luck, you will get there.

Carolyntia

Welcome to O/S Lilykins! I think everyone else has pretty much covered basics. Just remember...there is always someone here to help. It doesn't matter what you ask there is always someone who knows the answer or can point you in the right directions. Even if you fall off the wagon and buy something a bit daft no one will judge you and will still carry on helping. There's no charge for listing on ebay tomorrow and Sunday so get your stuff on....you're in the right place.

C x

Julie67

Lily your post really struck a chord with me. We too used to be in a lot of debt and waste so much money but since using this forum and all the fantastic ideas we have really reduced our expenditure. So much so that I have been able to give up work ( a senior management role) and I can honestly say our lifestyle hasn't suffered. I am much happier now cooking everything from scratch and not trying to keep up with the Jones's. The best thing is I buy lots of clothes from charity shops and I love it. I no longer have that hollow feeling spending a fortune on designer clothes that I really don't need or want.
The hardest thing for me has been giving up magazines. I had a serious addiction. I now go to the library or get them from charity shops for 25p each. The only one we buy is Radio Times, a bit of a family tradition and we all use it so I think good value. DH buys a guardian on Saturday and spends all week reading it, and I read the magazine:o. Good luck, it wont take long before you are really enjoying the challenge of spending less and living more:D

[Deleted User]

missychrissy wrote: »

I'm sure that you will get lots of support on OS. 4 years ago I had no savings and I realised that if I did not do something about it I would not be able to help out any of my 4 sons with weddings etc. In an attempt to rectify the matter I decided to try to halve my expenditure and save the remainder. In the main I succeeded though I could not reduce my mortgage substantially and although I markedly reduced my car expenditure I didn't manage to halve it. However, I compensated for this by more than halving my expenditure in other areas.

My biggest light bulb moment was recognising that the best way to save money was simply to just not go shopping. It is also possible to 'give up' some things completely. I started to use my imagination a lot more to find ways to cut costs. I often ask myself what would I do if a certain product is not available - could I find a free or much cheaper alternative. I now recycle much more than I used to and have a nice collection of glass and plastic containers for herbs, spices, pulses etc. I also use the plastice trays, especially the deeper ones, such as mushrooms etc come in to store such items as toiletries and they can be filled with shredded paper and used to make up Christmas or birthdays gift packs using cheap but pretty toiletries etc bought throughout the year when cheap or on offer.

I make my own wine, it is so easy I don't know why I didn't do it years ago. I grow some veg but I find that once I have factored in equipment/compost/feed/containers/seed and failures I think it is probably cheaper to shop around for veg. Lots of it can be frozen when fresh. I always do this with peppers on the day I buy them to add to stir fries and casseroles later. I love my slow cooker and can turn out really cheap and nutritious meals using cheap cuts of meats.

I could go on. Use your imagination and you could soon build a simpler and probably much more enjoyable life.

Thanks so much for your post- am currently trying to cut down on wine cause of the cost- is it much cheaper to make your own? does it taste good, I like dry chardonnay, can I make something similar?

Have already made a start on making things last longer, and shopping less- any further tips gratefully recieved.

Many thanks :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: