Adventures in Living Frugally

DedicatedDFW

Hi Money Maker and thanks - think I was lucky as not alot of people about with the snowy weather. Just popped back on to note that £11.35 of what I spent was from a voucher I had been meaning to use for some time. I'll still count the full cost as a spend though.

Now off to catch some much needed sleep - 8hours work and just over 4 hours commute does not an alert DFW make.

moo2moo

Why only one daily scratchcard? You can do V!rgin and any one from the St. M!niver group without breaching any Ts and Cs. V!rgin have a £5 payout too and are considerably more generous with their daily amounts.

Kayleighpea

Hi Dedicated,

Sounds like you are off to a great start for the year! And £160.60 off the overdraft already is excellent :T I am doing the same with trying to pay off one (of many) of my overdrafts with mystery shopping. But unfortunately its a Halifax one so I'm getting charged a ton for it every month so as soon as I feel like I'm making a bit of progress bang goes £30 into HBOS's pockets :mad:

DedicatedDFW

Hi Kayleighpea :hello: You look like you are doing great with your sig. This weekend one of my many tasks will be to write my financial statement. This is purely to make a note of current spends and current balances owing on all cards etc. I know them all but want to keep a record now to help keep me focused.

I already know I can't make cutbacks on essential bills electric and gas - just done, am on correct council tax band Grr! Fixed rate mortgage and with current income and debts am not about to shop around for this anytime soon. Insurances etc are all paid for in one and I always shop around. With these I'll just be able to see if anything alters over time.

Moo! :j For 2 scratchies!! I'll have to add this on my list of things to do for weekend - join a virgin bingo site and see if I can do it via cash back . I only just found out one site I joined has a free daily game - now play 4 bingo freebies in the morning - 2 are a pot luck might or might not win, 2 are scratchies - 1 for cash and 1 to win funds to play games where you can win and withdraw cash.

Ok early morning mega post - I have been up since before daylight in my quest for a cheapish holibags for me and OH - thus spends are for the day so far = £38 for a room for 2 in the beautiful city of York - we usually shop around and pay over £100 for this (though with breakfast) so is a fab saving. Hoping OH will go halves on this with me too.

:coffee: has been consumed to help make me feel more human! Ok Dooyoo awaits after bingobritain. Already done bingoport today. As we remained snowed in I will need to cancel my MS for today but still have to make my way into work - just hope its not the 4hour 15mins journey in and home that it was yesterday

DedicatedDFW

Hi Everyone - a very brief post from a tired DFW. Just a note to update my spends *gulp* and money made *Woo* so I can keep track.

Made

Shift at 2nd job £34.50 received.
Reached payout £10 cash on survey site
Redeemed £5 bingoport - just like to note it as its voucher i'm not adding to money made.

Spends

£27 WHSmiths - you go in for a magazine and look what happens - but in good news am owed £5 for some and £5 from the other day so £10 back and all apart from £1 were gifts :T This was yesterday

£52 Debenhams today - except for £3 spend for replacement item for me £49 of gifts - now only need purchase one or two gifts over rest of year as have covered birthdays and xmas.

So £69 spends of my own (owed £10) but all was 70% + off so got some great gifts for family that they'll really appreciate and better gifts than I could afford at full price.

Other spends was essential travel to work and essential (but rubbish) bills but those are taken care of until the next quarter.

Sleepy = time for bed before the massive catch up on chores and money making of the weekend.

Night all

moo2moo

Ugh 4 hours travel time is pants. It reminds me why we left London. OH spent more time in his car than he did at home.

I'm impressed you're braving the sales. I though I was doing well just venturing to the nearest supermarket for food and I only did that because we'd run out of bread and milk and butter. Am tempted to sales shop on line but I'd spend a fortune, I'd buy things for the DDs because they were cheap and most importantly I still haven't thrown out enough tat to store anything. Must get a move on decluttering although my efforts are being hampered by the local council who have suspended bin collections for the second week running.

DedicatedDFW

Morning moo and everyone! I just posted but then got logged out and post lost... :rolleyes:

So to recap - today I have organised all gift purchases and am delighted to report I have purchased my sisters and nieces birthday and xmas gifts and ALL xmas gifts for OH and a little something for my ma. I may have spent some but in long-term its savings!

Snow continues to disrupt MS - I now have a very busy week lined up next week catching up on shifts from p/t job and also MS's - lets hope there's a good boost to the income though.

Am still a tired DFW today but have done a load of washing which is drying - all bingo thingies and looking for a virgin site to join via cashback - are they just called virgin? still playing bingoport and off to check MS job which I may still get to do today..

Washing up beckons - have a great day all I'll update again later

DedicatedDFW

Hi Everyone, Well yesterdays plans kinda went a little astray as my OH offered to take me out for the afternoon. We had a good time and a NSD for me still which was good.

On the money front I have now realised that if I hit my £25 day target - which I am determined to do - I will be making more money than in my f/t job :eek:

Today I have done all bingo that I can and sorted out my MS's for when the snow stops (hopefully!). Completed any surveys in my inbox and got on with housework (boo!) I won £1.49 on a free site but will be awaiting it mounting up to the withdraw level before I update my sig just like with scratchies where I won 20p :rolleyes: It all helps I guess.

Still to go is Dooyoo and a quick look on Tesco to see if there are any good offers on to help me hit my vouchers for a holiday target - though the holiday could well be next year..

moo2moo

Do you get the Tesco healthy living mailshot? That often has extra points vouchers as does the Wine Club. Theys also give points for recycling printer ink cartridges. I seem to get most of my points from using the Tesco credit card for everything that its humanly possible to use it for. They've been rather stingy on extra points instore recently.

DedicatedDFW

Hi Everyone! I posted a reply on Monday but then lost it and was too tired to type up again. Moo thank you for all your suggestions they are much appreciated!

So firstly quick income/outgoings update:

Monday Income

£12.50 short shift

Monday Outgoings

£15.00 on a discount card which will save me £100 over the year - or £85 after price of this is deducted!
Essential travel to work

Tuesday Income

MS X 4 = £24 income
+ 1 prezzie purchased & a small treat for me all out of MS

Tuesday Outgoings

£9 Grocery Shopping
£4.50 Lunch
Essential work Travel
I'm not including MS spends as these are re-imbursed

Wednesday Income (so far)

1 shift completed £20 income

No Spends so far today - have also done all scratchies etc. so now off to update sig and will be back later with more news!