The Compact Challenge 2010 (formally "Need help for a challenge")

huxley

Wow your are all insperational:D Just read all the thread and will be checking back to see how you are all doing. Have you got a local LETS group? Ours is great for trading for crafty bits and pieces and of course as its a no sterling thing it makes it even better:D and great for decluttering all those bits you no longer want but still have life in them.

415SanFran

Hi,
Please don't worry! Bear in mind I have one PC and three people that like to use it. Sometimes if I am busy I don't get on here all day, and when the boys get in from school its the first thing they want to do.

I have been putting the order in around the Friday with approved foods and always had the delivery by the next Wednesday, so not too bad as I have not really been waiting for anything.
Also I have been hit by the decluttering bug lately the house looks so much better, I find it easier to spend just a little time at once say 15/20 mins rather than spending hours at it. My kitchen was that bad that I didn't know where to start, so, and this sounds silly, a couple of times I just did a few things whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, after just a couple of times doing this I really saw the difference, so I do that more often now.
I spent the weekend with Mr America we went up to the base at the weekend and I picked up a really good cookbook up from the library there on his card, it is just for the slowcooker, so hopefully some more exciting soups will be on the menu next week.

Well the start of a new month, and I have decided to be REALLY strict with myself, I am going to just have 10 pounds a week in cash, once that has gone it is gone, the idea at the start of this was to live off the store cupboards, then all the unmissable deals came along.......However AF I went looking for, that must stop.

pink_numbers

Huxley, thank you for your idea of searching for my nearest LETS group, I don't know why I didn't think of that before, that's such a brilliant idea! Thank you.

SanFran - wooo SanFran and Mr America, sitting under the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G

*runs away before SanFran can hit her*

Well done for decluttering, I think most of us got into decluttering mode last month. Isn't it funny how once you stop bringing stuff in to the house, all you want to do is get stuff OUT of your house? We think it's a much better way of 'home improvements' than buying stuff to 'make the place look nice'.

Please don't go too strict on yourself. You might rebound like I normally do. I nearly DIED not being able to spend a penny last week, and it's a miracle that I didn't end up spending loads on the rebound!

MrsMoo2U

Hi, Yes I did stay away from town and have now had 5 NSD in a row Wey hey!!!!!

Books, I love any kind of book and a wall of books sounds like my kind of heaven. I recently moved in with my partner who also loves books and I am slowly working my way through his cluttered rooms. Yesterday I found the makings of a a bookshelf that will cover the whole of the living room wall. I am waiting for him to come home from skiing to get him on with helping me to put it up next weekend. I am really excited at the things that I am finding in this house. He has lived here 6 years but never unpacked stuff!
I also like non fictional books. I am in the middle of re reading the Art of Happiness by Dalai Llama. It is a fabulous book and when I am feeling a bit low or sorry for myself I get it out and have a flick through it. I have lent it out many times and it is the only book I ever chase my friends to return. I also love Raj Persaud's The Motivated Mind. I would definitely recommend both of those as bookshelp MUSTS. Other than not going shopping I havent done anything compact this weekend.
I am mulling over what to do about valentines day. I want to do something really nice for my OH but I want it to be original and sweet and not buy something for him. I did think about writing him some IOUs for things like foot massage, breakfast in bed etc and let him use the tickets when he wants to. Any ideas welcome.

pink_numbers

I think a heartfelt love letter is really under rated in this modern world, does that make me old fashioned? I know my OH has kept every single one that I've written to him

We said no presents this year for valentines, just because it seems silly to buy stuff for the sake of it. Instead, we're going to plan & cook a tapas dinner for ourselves, together I will also be writing a love letter to him.

I guess valentines will really depend on what the other person is like. It would be hard if they are the kind of people that, even if you say 'no presents' or 'only spend £x', they'll go and buy you expensive presents!! What does your OH like? What do you two like doing the most?

MrsMoo2U

Oh no, not old fashioned at all. My OH is wonderful (sorry to gush but he is my first love and it took us 25 years to finally get together so I am making the most of him).
He really appreciates love letters and things like that. We once went away to Chicago for a long weekend, whilst he was in the bathroom I hid notes in his pockets and shoes so that while he was getting dressed or through the day he would find them. He was so touched by that. However he is ultra generous and it is taking me a lot of hard work to convince him that he doesnt have to spend money on me to make me happy as that seems to be all he has known from the "friends" he has had over the 25 years we were apart. This was why I thought of the idea of doing the IOU notes.
I love the idea of a tapas night. I love Mexico (been there 8 times and have some good friends there now) Perhaps I could steal that idea. I could make a pineta too and fill that with the notes, we could have a really fun night together then. We do spend a lot of time apart with our work so we try to make the most of time together.
We live in Wales now so we like to pack a rucksack with a picnic and take our dog Great Dane Max on long walks. I am currently researching nice areas nearby that we could go to for the day.

Thanks Pink you have made me put my thinking cap on.
I have a few days off work this week so I am aiming to stay away from the shops and declutter the spare bedroom. Currently we cant get in the door and it has been overfacing me for too long. Wish me luck!

415SanFran

Oh cherisong he sounds just like Mr America, *apart from the love letters pink-numbers* Although he does trick me sometimes, he asked me to help pick a gift for his young niece when we went to York for the day and we had a look in a fancy teddy-bear shop. On the way home guess what seatbelted in the front seat of the car!
A teddy that cost the same amount as I spend on a months woth of gas and electric!
He showed me a menu for a Valentines meal and asked me if I wanted to go there, I noticed that it was going to cost 100 pounds per head! So I made an excuse that there was not much on there that I could eat (it was one of these ritzy places, that think if they throw a few pretentious words around they can charge silly money) and said I would much rather we went to our normal place where the chef knows how to cook for me and him.
He has been trying to get hold of a book from the library for ages, I am going to try and get a copy of that for his V day gift.

MrsMoo2U

Wow, he sounds very thoughtful. Although I would have done the same with the restaurant! I think that is a lovely idea to get the book for him, I bet he will be made up with that.

pink_numbers

Hi peeps Sorry I didn't post yesterday, we did a MASSIVE food and errands run yesterday so I was totally worn out by the end of it.

do you guys ever worry if your (potential for SanFran) OH have vastly different financial values? I'm the other way round to you two in that I was the more, erm what shall we call it, "free with my money" than my OH, but we've come to meet at his end now days of frugality. I looked back at how I used to spend spend spend, and asked if it ever scared him, and he said it did, but he also knew I could afford it.

With my new found thriftiness, I think I would find it a bit scary if my OH suddenly start spending lots of money.

cherisong - wooo mexican food? That sounds really lovely, he's one lucky fella! I think the pinata is a great idea too.

SanFran - awwwwwwwwww that teddy bear trick sounds sooooo cute For my OH's birthday, I sneakly found out what his absolute favourite novel was, found a first edition hard back copy, and my friend offered to get it signed by the author for me when she went to his book signing. It didn't cost lots, but he loves the book

415SanFran

That is a really good question.

This is when the ebay got out of hand, I did not want him to know that I was "poor" so I had to have all brand names, and make it look like I had loads of clothes, then I found out he has about 5 shirts that are really good quality, but not a brand if that makes sense, and he has no idea about fashion or brand names.

I know that we do, he earns more money than I could even imagine in a year, and because of having children never had a lot to waste, but saying that would have say 7 bottles of cheapish perfume open at any time, he on the other hand will buy me a bottle of Dior perfume, but that will be IT till it has all gone, then he will buy me another bottle of perfume without looking at the price but only one at a time.

He is the same with all items from what I can make out, he bought me a lovely pair of earrings, that cost an obscene amount, but now will not even look at any as "I have bought you a nice set.. did they break?' where I do not pay a lot but might have 20 pairs.........he is the same with most things,, see's no reason why someone needs 6 different bottles of shampoo open all at the same time, pay a lot and use it.

He has a rug in the front room that cost a crazy amount of money, that he actually paid someone to go to Turkey to buy for him!
But he shouts if anyone walks on it,,,,that seems a little silly to me, yes pay money for quality, but enjoy your house rather than be afraid of the items.

He pays alot for things but they have to last.


I got to the point where I could not even say in passing that I would like something, say like a new bathrobe, without me walking in the bathroom on the next visit and finding one there for me, I told him off f or that, he did listen and that has calmed down.

But my sister loves it when he has a 'fridge clear out" every week she get meat, cheese, that he didn't find time to use up! But he can't use it because he needs to justify shopping again, and that is something that "we" do every week. I actually wonder if he does this to help her out without embarrassing her,,,,,,but will not give a penny to a charity, because he does not know what they are going to do with the money, and if he did would he agree.


He has never handed me a gift either, its like he is very shy about it, I tend to find them, in the silliest places.
Of course a big problem that I do have is, what do you buy the man that has everything?
I just found that book for him on ebay (I know but this is a gift, and an emergency)
with the excitement of finding it can you believe I forgot to use quidco!