"Simply not solvent!

Seaxwyn

Sorry that was misleading - cash paid in at the PO clears straight away - it's cheques that take longer. I rarely pay cash in so I forgot about the difference.

taxi73

Thanks was worried there..LOL..as I deal mainly in cash...so if online is only updated once a day that will explain why it's not showing yet.
Used to the Halifax showing up within seconds..LOL..on FAQS it says will credit that day so maybe a few hours through the system...will keep checking as need to know how it all works.

Sea78

Hey Seax - how's today gone?
Sea xxxx

Seaxwyn

I met someone really inspiring today. She offered some flour on Freecycle so i hot-footed it round, and got talking about how I was trying not to spend money on food this month. She then revealed that she spends next to nothing on food - less than £50 so far this whole year! And she generously shared some of her secrets, a lot of which involves taking stuff from the bins at the back of shops.

So I now know which local shops discard a lot of food - if I dare to use that knowledge.

Now I've heard of people who spend very little on food, but it's different meeting one in the flesh. She and her toddler son looked healthy and well fed, the house looked very normal, there was nothing extreme or eccentric about her. And as well as the flour she gave me some nettle tea bags, two bottles of wine! (from a case discarded from a restaurant) and beans, courgettes and rhubarb from her garden. Oh and a recipe book! 'More from less' (a curious 70s Mennonite book).

So that was all very interesting!

My own storecupboard challenge is going well. We have bought some food this month but very little, and have been kept going largely from my parents' and neighbour's vegetable gardens. Not our own though, everything I planted was eaten by slugs.

hypno06

Seaxwyn, you should go over to the old style board and read Weezl's thread - she is very inspiring in getting her grocery bill down to practically nothing by using whatever from wherever, growing, being cheeky/brave enough to ask for stuff that others wouldn't dare to etc etc.

Well worth a read when you have got a few hours spare (not when you have got paying work to do of course!)

Seaxwyn

Maybe it was Weezl I met!

hypno06

she is in Wales.....

taxi73

That sounds interesting..don't know whether I'd dare do that though.There was a programme on the telly about a family that did that.I think they call them "Freegans".

mizmir

Go for it seaxwyn! If restaurants are throwing away wine then I would get round there fast!! Wish I knew which ones were good for that round here! Wonder if there is a freegan website....

Seaxwyn

We opened the wine tonight as a neighbour popped in - alas the red was corked and the white was nasty. The restaurant threw it away for a reason! Didn't stop me enjoying it though.