Living for free 1/1/07

lil_me

Best of luck with this, I admire what you are doing, especially the quitting smoking but you sound determined enough to make it work. I have cut my families spending by more than half last month and plan on doing it again this month. I find what you are doing inspiring as it seems have many others.

Aswell as the other freecycle type sites there is https://www.dontdumpthat.com

sianb84 wrote:

any ladies doing this may wish to check out https://www.mooncups.co.uk I know it costs a bit to start with but think of the money you will save over time.

I get the pill injection instead, free and stopped my periods, saves me a fortune

CFC

Mmmm I've had totally free veggie soup - find your local veg market/Sunday market and go round once they've just closed. You'll find boxes of stuff that they've dumped as unsaleable or not worth bothering with - they often don't bother with picking through a box of something to take out the stuff that hasnt' gone off, they just dump the whole box if enough of it is off.

Go through the box and take out the stuff that's still OK - then make soup!

A tip from my years of poverty, how to make money go much further

ViksB

Almost fell off the bandwagon after only 5 days. I almost bought a book till I remembered my local library and I have even managed to reserve it on line to pick up next week.
It is actually surprisingly hard not to simply automatically buy stuff.
Viks

samsampotts

Wow Fishcake!

You have my utmost respect, my debts are scarily high and my New Years resolution is simply to sort them out! You have inspired me!

Thanks!

Sam :0)

savingstill

Fishcake , pls keep us up to date. I love the american book "Not Buying It - my Year Without Shopping" by Judith levine & have re-read it over & over since I got it in December! This year I'm shopping mindfully, using up what I've already got, getting rid of what I dont need & grocery shopping while my son is @ school!
I will be watching your thread eagerly & will compare notes. I dont smoke but when all the christmas chocolates have gone I wont buy any more (pls God help me stay chocolate free!)

linbadd

Are you a member of your local Free_Cycle group? They cover the whole country - in fact a large proportion of the world! Free_Cycle's aim is to keep stuff out of landfill by recycling things you no longer need, but may be of use to others. The most important rule is that everything must be FREE.

Via the Free_Cycle website you can offer things to others, ask for things others are offering or put a 'wanted' post for things you need. It's a rule that before posting a 'wanted' ad you must have offered something.

You usually have to arrange collection yourself, but some kind people will deliver or post small things such as unwanted tickets or vouchers.

All sorts of things are on offer, from unwanted money-off vouchers, baby milk formula and plants to furniture, computers and cars.

This link should take you to a page from which you can find your local Free_Cycle group and join up.

http://freecycle.org/display.php?region=United%20Kingdom

Once you've joined you can also join the local 'cafe' group, where you can ask for advice or information on any topic/problem and you're sure to get an answer.

I've got rid of lots of clutter since joining and have also received things such as a mower for my dad, a microwave and herb seedlings for the garden.

Joining Free_Cycle should certainly help towards free living, so why not join now? You'll also be doing your bit for the environment by reducing landfill and cutting the use of raw materials by not buying new. A double whammy!

Lin

linbadd

Forgot to say that Free_Cycle is all done on the internet. You can get regular digest e-mails so you always know what's on offer. You just e-mail the person offering the item to ask if it's still available, then if it is you use e-mails (or phone if they give you their number) to make collection arrangements.

Happy New Year All.

Lin

malvena_2

Just want to say good luck Fishcake.

We could all do with less stuff in our lives. I will really look forwards to your updates.

Malvena

COOLTRIKERCHICK

any updates fishcake...?

its been a while........

maryb

Penelope_Penguin wrote:

(unless anyone knows where the RSC sell tickets for peanuts HTH, Penny. x

RSC in London have an allocation of tickets for young people at £5 per ticket. However an adult can't book on their behalf they have to book them themselves - how many 17 year olds do you know with a credit card? - so booking by phone or internet was out

so I dragged DD up to London with me and we went to the Novello Theatre box office to get tickets for Anthony and Cleopatra and the Tempest through this scheme and I bought tickets for myself at the same time. To my astonishment I was given the same price ie £5 per ticket - and they were in the top price bit of the theatre!!. I thought it was a mistake and queried it but he seemed sure that was right. Don't know if they've got any left for this season of the sort you can pre-book but if it's right that an accompanying adult gets the same price it would be worth kidnapping a teenager next season and dragging them to the theatre with you. They do have an allocation of £5 tickets for sale on the day.

Sorry if this is off topic - but it goes to show that you can still have what would otherwise be a very expensive treat for not much money