Learning to Live on Less!

White_Iris

LianneH wrote: »

what is the approved foods website for?

They sell discounted food that's past it's best before date (so it's still safe and edible but not at it's prime) - it was recommended on the Old Style board I think.

jo58

White_Iris wrote: »

Just had a look at the Approved Foods website and I have to admit I'm not that impressed. The prices were good but there was very little for sale that we actually buy. I'll keep checking back, as it seems that stock will change but I think I'll be sticking to supermarket shopping for the moment.

You might want to have a look at this forum:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3188628

There are other money saving sites that you might like? Hope this helps

Jo
x

White_Iris

It seems like I only ever write in this diary on a Monday, so here's the latest update!

Didn't make any more money, as I've given myself some time off from eBay but I did get my £40 OnePoll payment through, so that's been added to a savings pot. We haven't used the credit card for a few weeks, so although the balance is still high we're not letting it grow any bigger. In fact we've managed quite well - we've been forced to make choices about what we spend our money on and have scraped through without too many problems

Ebay was starting to feel like a real chore - items getting broken, waiting for payments, constant photographing, listing, re-listing...I'm having July off! Once DH is home for the summer I'll get going listing the big stuff we have to sell, like the childrens old car seats, and also get a head start adding last years winter clothes to turbo-lister for selling in the autumn.

Best news of the week was from Freecycle. We've been looking to buy a new dining table for weeks on eBay but they always ended up selling for more than we could afford. I put a post on Freecycle (if you don't ask you don't get!) and someone in our village had exactly what we wanted and even delivered it to us. :T It looks lovely and I'm even more pleased with it when I remind myself it was free! To keep the good karma flowing I listed our old table on Freecycle straight away and someone came to collect it this morning! I've just put up another post asking for dining chairs as ours don't really match the new table. I'd quite like some odd ones, not a matching set, so it looks a bit more "eclectic" and I'm hoping that by asking for one dining chair at a time, people will be encourage to have a clear out and donate their odd chairs to me!

Holiday next week, which is paid for and we have a bit of spending money put aside, but it will be a challenge to avoid the credit card :eek:

debtfreewannabe321

what a good idea posting on freecycle for a dining table! I might have to try this as the table we have is a tiny round one with 4 chairs and there is 5 of us, so we have to do dinner in sittings or grab a garden chair to squash around the table! I've also given ebay a miss lately, i hate it when things get broken or don't turn up i feel like it's my fault and i hate arguments about it all so have also steered clear for the time being lol!

dfw x

White_Iris

We've been away on holiday for the last week and didn't manage to spend too much but buying fuel was a real budget killer :eek:

The car developed some suspicious knocking noises while we were away and the engine management light kept coming on, so it's going in for what is likely to be a very expensive service next week :mad:

Also need to take both of the dogs to the vets for some routine stuff which unfortunately isn't covered by their insurance. DH and I both have dental appointments this week which although are NHS will still come to about £40. I badly need a haircut as well - it's been a year since I last had it done and it's getting very tatty , that should only be £10 though as I've just bought some dye in Tescos to cover up my greys!

We're going to arrange a meeting with our estate agent next week and get to the bottom of why we've only had on e viewing in nearly four months :mad:. I really don't like being confrontational but we're not going to be fobbed off - either they get us some viewings or we switch to someone who will.

DH is home for the summer holidays now so I might not update very much over the next few weeks. He doesn't know about this diary and I don't really want him to. It's hard to explain but I'd like to keep it anonymous, even from him.

White_Iris

Just got the dogs back from the vets and it's cost us over £400 :eek: We should be able to claim some of that back through the insurance but we'll still be about £200 out of pocket and until the insurance payment comes through money will be even more tight than usual. I'm dreading the car service next week - it's done a lot of miles and the service is going to have to be pretty comprehensive to keep it going (we really can't afford to replace the car) but that's going to be another £2/300 :mad:

I really don't know how to manage saving vs. debt repayment when things like this get thrown in...off to have a long hard look at the figures I think

Kepp

Hi White Iris, just found your diary and skimmed through.

Sorry to hear about the car and the vet's bills

Have subscribed and will try to catch up properly

White_Iris

Well I've taken a long look at the figures, emptied out every savings pot we have and thrown it all on the credit card. This means the dogs treatments are covered and we should be able to afford the car maintenance (as long as it's nothing too serious :-(). I've updated my signature and although it looks a bit grim to see the savings pots at zero, we realistically aren't going to be moving until next year so there's plenty of time to build them back up. It's now time to throw all available cash at the credit cards, smallest (and highest interest rate) one first.

Spent an exhausting day yesterday, sorting, ironing, photographing and weighing a small mountain of children clothes ready to be written up on turbolister and posted on eBay over the next few months. I also managed to get 17 items listed and start to collect items in the spare room for a boot sale we're planning on doing in a few weeks. Cash will flow our way, just not always when we need it most!

Itsadogslife_2

Sorry to hear about the dogs vet bills. my pooch is currently having some blood tests done for possible thyroid and even though she is insured, I will have to pay the £75 excess. She could do with a bit of a dental too but that isn't covered on the insurance and would cost a lot. If she has a good chew on a pigs ear, it sometimes does the trick but she is 9 and so the dog breath returns. I have tried to do it myself but she is having none of it.

I am having my hair cut next week by my friends sister who has finished all her training but decided against it. I also have a box of garnier nutrisse ready and waiting for the dreadded greys

Do you have any colleges round by you, you could offer to be a model and let them cut your hair for free?

LianneH

Hi WhiteIris

I notice that you do a lot of ebaying. I too have accumulated a small mountain of girls clothes from my daughter.... wanting to pick your brains.... whats the best way to list them? Do you do it in bundles or per outfit? Ive had a look on ebay and its a total mixture - is there a case when you would do a bundle and when you wouldn't?
thanks!!
Lianne xx