Floozie does Frugal 2010

mooomin

Intergalactic_Floozie wrote: »

I'm really shocked about the outlay on gifts and it's not like I am extravagant, I only try and spend around £10 per person. I think I'm going to have to start falling out with people so I don't need to buy them presents LOL. So, not only do I have to try and budget for birthdays, but also next Christmas too!

Top tips!

1. Snazal/Wotnix, check each of them daily for "free" books with £2.65 postage. I got one worth £20 for Mr Fresian's present for Christmas

2. Offset the cost with survey vouchers etc. Toluna broke my brain with its dullness but pays out £12 High Street vouchers which you can either give as gifts or use in the sales

3. Sales! Bit late now, but you can get some excellent bargains after Christmas or in the summer sales. Accessorize still has lovely scarves/gloves in my local branch at 70% off

4. The Grabbit board is both a blessing and a curse!

5. Check out the freebies board - I have a mini whisky coming for my dad which I'm planning on using for his Christmas along with a nice glass and some toffee (the kind you break with a hammer) I have also received kids toys and toiletries from there before.

natsplatnat

flying_fresian wrote: »

4. The Grabbit board is both a blessing and a curse!

Oh, how true! But if you are going to buy something (whether for yourself or someone else), you may as well get it as cheap as you can!

So far I have managed to RESIST!!!! (but I'm not saying its easy!)

Intergalactic_Floozie

Days to payday: 12
Money in bank :£57.50 (gulp)
Money in purse: £10.20
Grand Total: £67.20

Money spent since last update: £9.00
£5.00 - money on sweets for DS2 to take to school for birthday (from pound shop, no idea how many kids are in the class so bought more hopefully)
£4.00 - no idea where this has gone, but my available balance with nothing else left to debit in the bank shows I have £4 less than I thought!!


Grocery budget: £280.00 / £65.70 remaining
Petrol Budget: £110.00 / £1.50 remaining
Everything else budget: £147.00 / £-24.34 remaining

Logged onto Natwest today to find out that Sky have finally paid me (YAY) so £7.50 was moved into my Gifts account. Then discovered that a school dinner cheque has been debited. This must be an old one because for the past few weeks I have been paying by HSBC cheque book so they must have been hanging onto this one. I am therefore more overdrawn than I expected to be - GRRRR. Secondly also discovered available balance is £4 less than I had thought, no idea how this has happened.

Mystery shopping - managed to grab a lovely assignment, one I haven't done before, with a reimbursement of up to £7.50, however I hope I can just get something from the shop in question to the value of £7.50 (I'm thinking present for MIL) Fee is only £3.00 though but I can do it in my lunch hour.

I went to Boots and got 500 advantage card points by joining their repeat prescription service. I had got a bag from a locak chemists and on the back of it, it said if you joined up you got 500 points, well not bad for a fiver is it? I now have 640 points, I did have a voucher somewhere for 250 points when I bought an item of No7 make up but I can't locate it. I could do with finding it. Might have enough to buy another present soon!

One poll balance is now £8.90.

After reading the above from FF I am going to do my Toluna surveys (that is, if they still send me them!). How long do you think it takes to get £12 in vouchers?

Insurance renewal still hasn't come so I phoned the insurance company and they told me the renewal figure is £650 (thereabouts) with protected NCB. I asked if they could lower the figure and they said they would have to speak to the policyholder!! (ie DH) Charming - my money not good enough for you is it, you set of money grabbing parasites?

Friend e-mailed me and reckoned the icy roads put her off coming over yesterday afternoon (there were no icy roads!). However they are icy today to be fair so she said she was too scared to drive over again. I gave her two options, she either pays me via internet banking, or she sends me a cheque. She claimed that it would be awkward because she had withdrawn the money in cash. I might go over to her house at the weekend, now I think about it. I'll suggest that tomorrow.

I also remembered my brother never paid me the third installment that he said he would when he bought a sofa for his girlfriend. I texted him and asked him if I could have it. He tried to tell me he had paid and I said I knew he hadn't because I'd had to chase him for the two that he had, so when I hadn't come looking for the third he would hardly have volunteered to pay it. He then said he would pay it but he was sure that he had already paid what he owed (I know he hadn't. I feel a little guilty because I was just gonna write it off, but now I need to get as much towards my car insurance as I can, I'm calling it in and I know for a fact he hasn't paid me it all)

Verbatim

I'd suggest getting over to your friend asap as if she's got cash it'll be sooo easy for her to be tempted to spend it!

And don't feel guilty about asking for what you've lent. I'd be asking them both for interest by now!! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Intergalactic_Floozie

Days to payday: 11
Money in bank :£57.50
Money in purse: £1.92
Grand Total: £59.42

Money spent since last update: £9.09
£1.09 - birthday card for DS2's friend who is 7 tomorrow (thankfully not having a party!)
£5.00 - mystery shopping purchase
£2.00 - entry into work's Euro-Millions syndicate

Grocery budget: £280.00 / £57.92 remaining
Petrol Budget: £110.00 / £1.50 remaining
Everything else budget: £147.00 / £-33.43 remaining

Ohhh I've had a warm-tummy feeling day today. Firstly did the mystery shop and yes I did manage to get something I could use as a gift for under £7.50 (it cost £5 and is a shower gel and a lovely lip balm and a shower scrunchie in a cute box) so I can use that as a present for someone (although am tempted to use it for myself!! It'll do for the secret santa present - as long as the same as last year doesn't happen and I have to buy for a bloke!). It was a really good positive shop too so hopefully no one will contact me to dispute any points.

Secondly - I had an email from GFK (market research) saying I had won a £5 voucher in their monthly draw. I was a bit dubious as I only joined up about two weeks ago, so assumed it would be one of these "spend £20 get £5 off kind of vouchers" but no sirree bob - it's a real deal £5 voucher so I requested a Love 2 Shop voucher. I might save it for a present for someone else, but then again it might just burn a hole in my pocket and I'll have to spend it on myself. I'm thrilled to bits though - I never win owt and it'll encourage me to complete my surveys from them from now on. I also had my eye on a scarf in new look that I really liked but I went for the £2 cheaper Primark version and I notice you can use Love 2 Shop vouchers in New Look.

Mystery shopping - no jobs I fancy. There is a pizza delivery available but when I don't fancy having the call recorded...however it's DS2's birthday today (7) so I could always pretend it is a special treat?? No fee though!

One Poll balance is now £9.05, nearly a quarter of the way there, and one of the facebook friends I begged to ask to be referred has asked to be referred LOL so I shall be referring her and hopefully be gaining an extra 50p.

I revisited Toluna last night but am still a bit confused. You know all those little polls that are worth 15 points, 60 points etc... do they all count towards the grand total? Or is that just the really long surveys that they e-mail you about? I have 1790 points so far and assume that once I get to 80,000 I can order a Love 2 Shop voucher?

Also relieved to hear that BoE are keeping the interest rate at 0.5% so that's an extra month's repreive. I'm dreading the day they start to really rise. God, I'm wishing my life away! September 2011 cannot come quick enough.

Intergalactic_Floozie

PPS - also got a cheque for £45 from my mother. I had told her about my brother and the sofa saga and owing me the money and not remembering and she must have mentioned it to him today. He's still claiming he has paid me (HE HAS NOT) so she's only gone and written me a cheque so he's not out of pocket and I'm not out of pocket! I'm a bit annoyed because surely he should know that if he owes money to people, he only pays them back if they ask, and I know for a fact 110% that I didn't ask him for the third installment so there's no way he would have given me it voluntarily

Olliegami

A nice productive day for you!

It's a shame that your mum had to write the cheque though. I can totally understand how that would annoy you. -_- Men, huh?

moo2moo

You'll be glad to know that each 15 point Toluna Poll counts towards the grand total. Thats several thousand clicks though.

Intergalactic_Floozie

moo2moo wrote: »

You'll be glad to know that each 15 point Toluna Poll counts towards the grand total. Thats several thousand clicks though.

Am up to 3050 now and seem to have been voting for hours!!!!

Have also done all available Lightspeed polls (which I seem to have been screened out of nearly everything so I only have 80 points) and also got a 'luncheon vouchers' survey for which I think they want to send me the product they were asking me about,

moo2moo

Intergalactic_Floozie wrote: »

Am up to 3050 now and seem to have been voting for hours!!!!

Have also done all available Lightspeed polls (which I seem to have been screened out of nearly everything so I only have 80 points) and also got a 'luncheon vouchers' survey for which I think they want to send me the product they were asking me about,

Don't hold your breath on the freebies, they almost always end them like that. Think I've only ever had one lot of pressies theough the post despite clicking the yes please button on every survey.