Debt free the Fly lady way - anyone?

mizmir

Starting again with my latte factor ... mmmm... well it used to be ....latte.
Used to have one every day at work (we have a Costa coffee next door to our building - fatal). But I gave that up before Christmas and now only have one maybe once a week when meeting colleagues. So I guess now it is chocolate. Still find the chocolate machine very tempting and looking at my spending diary I'm spending up to £3 a week on chocolate! :eek: That is £156 a year. Less than the £429 I was spending on latte but still....

Resolution - next shopping trip buy multipacks to take to work and hide them so I don't eat them all at once!

mizmir

bobble_hat wrote:

I cooked the other weekend for the household as I had a friend staying over. I made homemade quiche with Jacket potatoes. I cooked extra potatoes then froze them (I don't like fully microwaved potatoes), after defrosting overnight then reheating they were just as yummy as though fresh from the oven. Whoohoo. So oven on only once and as many Jacket potatoes as you've room to freeze. You can also freeze baked Quiche bases too.

Really interested in this bobble_hat - did you oven cook them to start with? I froze baked potatoes last summer that we had over catered for a party and when I got them out they were all watery and mushy - so the dogs got them! :rotfl:Would they have dried out if we had put them back in the oven for a while? Might have another go - quite often fancy a baked potato but the microwave is broken so it is oven or nothing right now - and oven always takes so long!

Tondella

mine and OH latte factors have changed over the years. When we started we had loads, a regular saturday visit to starbucks - coffee and cake each £10-12. Then we started sharing one coffee and one cake, then we stopped going. Then OH had a passion for freshly squeezed juice £2.50 a pop at the supermarket. Then it was books from Waterstones, that never got read. Then it was the weekend papers, when half of them didn't get read (in fact that one is creeping back again). Then it was the economist at full price every week. It's a constant battle! We now only buy the saturday paper and I use guardian online in the week if i want something to read. All my books come from the library and we don't buy juice any more, just drink water and eat fruit instead!

mizmir

Online banking - do everything online - banking, cards, ING for budget pots. So easy to keep track and move money around. Couldn't go back to paper now I don't think.

Feeling a bit low today - just heard that my cousin died last night - he was only 42. We didn't see each much as adults but spent quite a bit of time together as kids - we were the two youngest so we ended up doing stuff together on family holidays etc. He had a lot of problems as he got older but was always a very caring, loyal person. Last time I saw him was at a family funeral a year ago - I was shocked that he looked like an old man. It was a result of drink and drugs - a horrible waste. :mad:

WISHIWASRICH_2

Sorry to hear about ur cousin Mizmir, that's really sad._pale_ puts it all into perspective really doesn't it,,,,it's only money.....Look after urself:o

Gemmzie

Sorry to hear about your cousin mizmir, it's really sad how things can affect people

Mother has the afternoon off work and I am working so will be leaving that little task to her

mizmir

Thanks all. Appreciate the thoughts.

Day 24 - menu planning. I have been trying to do this for a couple of weeks - it is just about working. Have to sort out the next fortnight so will do that tonight so I have a shopping list ready for tomorrow.

Gemmzie

Oops I've caught up again

Hope Tondella is okay

Tondella

Hi guys!

I'm ok, just totally snowed under at work (made the mistake of musing out loud about how I felt a little under-employed. boy has that been put right!)

I've posted the challenge for Day 25 on the other thread now, it's about starting the process of consumer revenge and checking to see that we are getting the most for our money from the things we regularly use, like energy, insurance etc etc.

Just to let you know how i am going with things. Still not managing to write down my spends as soon as i spend them, but i do now register them in my head and make a list every couple of days or so. I keep receipts to help me remember.

I'm online for both my bank accounts, and I've never looked back.
Here's my menu plan for this week (i work fri eve to fri eve). OH is around for fri - mon am.

fri nite - home made pizza, assorted toppings, and salad
sat lunch - being bought lunch by MIL
sat night - split pea and leek soup with crusty bread, pear and apple crumble
sun lunch - tuna sandwiches & crisps
sun night - curried prawn tortillas with sour cream
(during the week i have sandwiches, yoghurt and fruit for lunch at work)
mon night - grilled salmon, mange tout, mash
tues night - grilled salmon, mange tout, mash
weds night - filled pasta, sauce, veggies
thurs night - spanish omelette with rice

mizmir, so sorry to hear about your cousin, glad to still see you about on the board.

Gemmzie

Now this I like I'm working on this at the moment, so I'll keep updating this when I change things if the thread is still around

Gas/electricity rates --> Moved from NPower to Scottish Power, saved £80 per year and £35 from Quidco too
Mobile phone
Landline phone
Broadband
Sky or digital TV packages --> Phoned Sky who put us on a cheaper rate until April, saved £15 per month (going for more soon :money:)
Roadside recovery membership --> AA lumped in with parent's car insurance £47 per year for two people
Gym membership --> Don't have one!
DVD rental packages --> 2 @ £14.99 per month, necessary for my Film A Level and the summer but will be gone in September
Insurance policies (home, car, personal, travel, pet) --> Car for mum down to £89 a YEAR (after Quidco), Dad's renewal is April, mine is down to £300 (after Quidco)
Mortgage rates ..... next to attack
Loan rates .... next to attack
Credit card rates --> Mum's are all 0% by tarting, dad's are in DMP and frozen
Credit card cashback rates --> Now have an Egg Money card for all purchases, 1% cashback