Cleggie's frugaltastic journey to financial freedom!!

PennyGrabber

Hi Cleggie!

I'm so chuffed you used my idea for your dfd name!!

I have about £1900 of debt on a credit card, that will be paid off once I have sold my bike. Woman is coming over next week to get it and pay me; she was supposed to come two weeks ago, but didn't want to ride in the snow. Can't say I blame her! I am selling the bike because I can't justify the expense of it. Other than that, my only other debt is my mortgage.

I am an experienced teacher (starting teaching in 1999) but in Sept 2010 I became a TA, as I just couldn't cope. I wasn't being a good enough mum or a good enough teacher or a good enough housekeeper. And friends? Never saw them!! The only thing I was able to change about all of that was the job. Unfortunately, I'm now on half of what I was on as a teacher :eek:, but, I'm much more relaxed and I do occasionally have a tidy house now!

The long and the short of it is - people tend to live to their means (and occasionally just past them!). I'm not really any poorer now than I was before, and to be honest, I don't know where my money went before. Now I have less, I know where every penny is and what it's doing there!!

I'm very much like you in that I have HUGE issues with the groceries in terms of overbuying. I used to overstock if something was on offer, because I hadn't taught myself that things will always be on offer!!! (Sounds obvious, but it never occurred to me!) I have pasta, rice, couscous, tea and coffee out on the kitchen sides, I have an american-style fridge freezer (full to bursting), and a massive pantry (also full). As well as this, I have two cupboards dedicated to baking. Then, there is loads of stuff on top of the fridge freezer, covering it and piled high, AND the cupboard under the stairs is also filled to the brim with food! There's only me and two little ones of 5 and 6 years old!!!

About four months ago, I pulled myself out of this funk, and stopped stocking up (who needs 28 cans of tuna for crying out loud!!). However, the stocks don't seem to be going down very quickly! Good job I don't mind ood stuff...

I will be following you and your progress closely, hoping to gain a little from you, and offering any help I can along the way. Well done for starting your new way of life today.

Here's to you and yours,

PG x

Long_tall_sally

Hi Cleggie. Looking forward to reading more of your diary. Good luck!

Herbyme

Hi Cleggie,
Good to see the DFD up and running, already interesting reading and lots of friendly and familiar faces :-) I'm another mature student, finished last June and got my first interview next week for a part time job which may start to pay off some of the huge investment made in the course over the past 3 or 4 years.

I am like you re the milk and bread. We need a cow. I have found that milk has such long sell by dates I can buy easily enough for 4 or 5 days and that means less sm trips. Same with bread, if I freeze it, esp if ys in the first place. Still struggling to get more than 1 or 2 NSDs this month tho.

Just musing about spending... when did shopping become a 'leisure activity' as opposed to a chore? I guess that really suits the retailers. For me the premise of this whole site is that when we shop, we are entering into a deal with another party which (I think) we tend to see as an equal trade, a trade between equals, but actually the power is nearly all on the retailer's side - unless we choose to take back the power we rightly have. Of course it wasn't like this so much in the old days when the 'retailer' was one chap whose living was running a shop, but it's so different now. Think of all the levers the sm's have to make them (in theory, anyway) more powerful than the shopper - the ads, the MOCs, the discounts (usually extracted from a manufacturer, which is ok if it's another huge plc but not if it's a farmer), the pumped-in baking bread smells, the sweets by the tills... it's not equal at all and the shopper is being manipulated, even exploited, when they think they're choosing to take part in an enjoyable activity. What really gets me is when they say things like 'saving you money every day' - when all they want is to extract more £ out of us every day so their shareholders are happy! I think using this site has made me much more aware of this - I used to see shopping and spending this way, as a 'treat' that I 'deserved' after a hard day/week at work/whatever, now I realise that all that money I earned went on lining the pockets of those retailers that were really glad that I was mug enough to use spending as a form of therapy, or at least a therapeutic activity. thank goodness I've learnt a different way of looking at it and now I try really hard to spend what I want to spend, not what a retailer wants me to spend. sometimes hard to tell the difference of course!

Here endeth the rant. Sorry if too ranty! I do feel strongly about it, especially that so many young people are being hooked into this way of thinking, it's almost like letting them get addicted to something they can't afford and that will cause them great difficulties. Not fair.

cleggie

Morning all!
Thanks for the posts Penny, Sally, Caroline, it was lovely to log in this morning and see that i am not just rambling to myself!

Am just about to log in to my OLB and see how much is in there, and also see if i have enough change lying around the house to make sure i can get across the toll bridge next week for uni (its £1.50 eack time, so i need to find £3). i am pretty sure that i have this in a little container which i chuck my change in.

Well, today the supermarket will be unavoidable as we NEED bread and milk asap.
I am just going to have to make sure that i ONLY buy bread and milk and nothing else. Wish me luck!

The kids are going out for the day with their dad today. I was going to go and visit a friend whist they were out, but i have decided to stay in and get all the housework done. That also means that i wont spend any money.

Penny- how do you find being a TA? I used to want to be a primary teacher, but when i realised how much work was involved (lesson planning, marking etc) i decided against it as the kids are too young really.
WOW- you really did like to stock up didnt you! Thats a LOT of tuna
I am sure we can beat the sm's hold over us as we have each other, and everyone else, for support!

LTSally- Thanks for popping in to say Hi and thanks for the good luck wishes!

Caroline- good luck with the job interview! What is it for?
You are so right about the sm's brainwashing us into thinking of food shopping as a leisure activity and trying to get us to buy stuff we dont want/need. Hopefully thinking of it this way will prevent me from buying stuff from them. I dont want to line anyone pockets except MINE!

cleggie

I almost died when i just logged into my OLB...not much there to last until my next student loans day (April 23rd). BUT, all my DDs are paid, and i DONT need much food.
So, all in all, it should be fine!

pixiechick99

cleggie wrote: »

Hi Pixie,
thanks for saying hi!
Are you planning on being a teacher then? Its something i would love to do, but adult education once the kids are older i think.

I know what you mean about your daughter thinking she is a teen, my son is 12 and by god its like having Kevin and Perry in the house!!

Morning:D
I did want to teach when I started the course...but not sure it's for me now. I'm a TA too - I've worked in a primary school for about 7 years, which I love and would happily stay doing but the pay is dire:o Maybe when my girls are older and off to uni themselves I could do teacher training but at the moment i just thought I'd get the degree so I have the option, if that makes sense. Also I went to uni when I was young, straight from school - did 2 years and dropped out as I had done no work, just enjoyed myslef too much:o So have always wanted to prove that I *can* get a degree;)

Good luck with the supermarket today! I need petrol so have to drive 10mins to the big Tesc0 as I have a 10p off voucher - I will sneak in to T's but mustn't buy much..will write a list and stick to it:D

cleggie

Morning Pixie!


Because i will be food shopping on the way to/from uni, it means i will be shopping when the kids arent with me! They tend to chuck things in like sweets, babybels, jelly, custard etc, so i am sure it will end up being cheaper from now on!

What will i do/have i done today:

I found £3 for the toll bridge for next week.
I dont need to feed the kids lunch today as they are going out for the day with their dad.
Have picked a meal for dinner this evening, from my list of stuff i already have in the house.
Have checked my OLB.

Need to work out what are some cheap breakfast ideas- the kids have BIG appetites and eat a LOT and 1 bowl of cereal rarely fills them up. If anyone has any ideas, can they let me know?
Cereal normally lasts 2 (or 3 if i'm lucky) days in this house and it gets SO expensive after a while. Toast is all very well, but they use up half a loaf just for breakfast!

Herbyme

Cleggie, I find porridge fills mine up. Or cheese or eggs or beans on toast. I know mine eat naff all at lunch time so I like to fill them up as much as poss at breakfast!

The job is in counselling, say a prayer for me as it would be great to start moving the money in the other direction for a change! Education is great but boy is it expensive.

Spiggle

Good luck with sticking to your list cleggie!

Caroline that wasn't a rant that was a truly heartfelt exposition on how so many live their lives and it brough a tear to my eye but a huge smile to my face.

On a different point, I wholeheartedly agree that porridge fills up better than cold cereals and there is no need at all to buy fancy packaged (and priced) oats, the value ones are brilliant.

See you later,
Spigs

baroley

Yes, I agree, porridge, poached egg or beans on toast.

Great thread! I was a mature student - nursing, and qualified 20 months ago. I don't quite know how I survived! When I finished it was a bit of a shock having to pay council tax, and as I had spent almost nothing on my home or clothes or toiletries etc., I went a bit mad and lost control of my spending. But I feel more in control now.

I have two children, they are both post uni now, but my son has bounced back, and my daughter could be back soon as her job contract comes to an end.

I don't post often, but will be reading your thread with interest.

Wishing you the very best for everything!