Cleggie's frugaltastic journey to financial freedom!!

cleggie

Things i will do today:
Get bread & Juice
Use food from the cupboards/freezer for all meals
Check OLB
Price up a new tumble dryer (mine is on its way out)

MunniMuncha

Just popping in to say hi Cleggie :hello:and enjoying reading your diary. Nice little bonus for you and good to see that you have managed to save some too.:T

Caroline, your 'rant' really has made me think, as since joining the GC I now really hate going into SM's and now realise the reason for it - exactly what you were saying. Think that's why I don't mind going to Lidl as opposed to any other SM, as it just says 'Buy Me if you want to, if not then don't'. No real effort goes into persuading that we really need this and we should buy that like the other SM's do.

Will continue to read your diary and hope to gain some more inspiration for myself along the way - good luck;)

cleggie

Hi Mini,
thanks for popping in to say hello!
You know what, i really know what you mean re the 'Buy Me if you want to, if not then don't'. No real effort goes into persuading that we really need this and we should buy that like the other SM's do' thing.
I LOVE shopping in Lidl now, whereas i never used to want to as i prefered Morrisons. But i ike the fact that there arent massive 'r0llback' or 'BOGOF' offers all over the place. I can clearly see what i want, how much it is, and there we go, job done!

Walking into my local Mr T is a nightmare somedays, right inside the door, you take 2 steps in, and BANG, there is a huge tower of the latest offers right in your face! I guess thats just them trying to get every last penny out of us. yes Mr T, every little helps...ME, not YOU!

Grr, rant over, sorry!

I was hoping today would be a NSD, but i forgot that i have to pay for the kids school trips tomorrow, so i have withdrawn that money (£310!!) and put it into their school bags ready to hand it in tomorrow.

Tonights dinner will be fishcakes, sweet&sour rice, and veggies (carrots/broccoli & sweetcorn). All of that i already have, and we also have some ice cream which we'll have for pudding.

Linz4383

just thought id say hi! just had a read through! think its really good what your doin!
i think its so hard bein a single mum and tryin to keep evrything running smoothly and yet everyone does such a fab job!
i too am a single mum with my DD whos 4! i have a small amount of debt (from splittin up with my ex! silly me left everything there .. makes me so mad now but its dun) had to get evrything so it was washer, tumble dryer, settee etc etc! as well as gettin on top with the bills and bond/rent! luckily id always paid half to the bills so im used to payin them!
i work part time.. i did get offered sum more hours but after working everything out it wasnt worth it as they would have just taken it off me!!!, im currently having to pay just under £15 a week childcare although my ex does help out with this! roll on september when shell be goin to school! then i can put the extra money towards gettin rid of my CC, my credit card is the worst debt ive got as im avin to pay £8 a month interest on it.. although it is goin down! my aim for this year is to get everything paid off and SAVE for a new tv.. although i am hopin tesco do a double up deal on electrical items again so it would b near enough free!!! :rotfl:
anyway sorry for the ramble your doin a great job! and i love to read through what people share on here as i personally dont like to share my little bit of debt with people around me like to deal with it myself
looking forward to catchin up

cleggie

Hiya Linz, thanks for the post!

I am the same in regards to the fact that i dont talk about my money situation to people in 'real life', so its nice to have this forum to chat on about it and get support from.
What is the tesco double up deal? I desperately need a new DVD player and maybe i should look out for it.

scotmumof3

hi cleggie:hello: just nipped over from the gc to see how you were doing. WOW !! You've been busy I've subscribed to your thread and will try to keep up with all your doings. There is loads of good advice on here already after only a couple of days so keep up the good work and GOOD LUCK:T

cleggie

Hi scotsmum, thanks for coming over!
You lot over on the GC are so helpful and supportive, so its really thanks to you guys for all posting on here that has kept me motivated!

I am so determined to crack this food shopping addiction, i just KNOW i CAN do it, its just a matter of actually doing it, y'know?

I am busy today, getting everything ready for the kids and me to go back to school & Uni next week, so i dont have much time to over shop! but i still need to get bread & juice. I will do that just before lunch so that should be it until Saturday!

I am already looking at my almost empty fridge and thinking i have no food in, when i KNOW i have plenty, its juts that i dont need much from the fridge this week, and my main aim is to use up whats in the freezer & cupboards instead of buying stuff. At the end of the day, there is not point in me buying stuff to go in the fridge if its not needed and will just be wasting money anyway!

I dont know what it is about not having a full fridge/freezer/cupboards that bothers me so much! I looked in the freezer this morning, to check what veg we have to put towards tonights dinner, and the fact that the freezer wasnt full to bursting made me feel bad. I am trying to find out why. The same feeling came up when i looked in the cupboard this morning.
Both the cupboard and freezer have at least a weeks worth of meals in them (probably 2 weeks or even more than that), so i KNOW i shouldnt feel bad...but i still do. I think its going to be a case of just having to sit with those feelings and get used to it being OK.

Sorry, more of my ramblings!

Spiggle

Hiya Cleggie,

It's your diary and meant for your ramblings which we all enjoy reading so don't apologise!

Reading your last post this probably isn't a good time to suggest this 'cos you're busy ... but in terms of the 'looking in the cupboards/freezer' and thinking they're not full, would it be worth listing what you have in them so that you have a black and white reassurance of what is in there?

I only say that because sometimes these days we have soooo much more cupboard space, and freezer space for that matter, than people used to have and so it holds far more volume of goods than we actually need as a buffer. The downside is that extra space takes a heck of a lot more money to fill and can give an appearance rather than reality of how much food you really do have. And when it comes to the freezer, well, I can remember when all my Mum had was a little shelf at the top of the fridge!

Gawd, look at me rambling on your thread!!!

I have subscribed by the way and am loving reading your enthusiastic posts. Good luck and keep up the brilliant work.

See you later,
Spigs

PennyGrabber

cleggie wrote: »

I am already looking at my almost empty fridge and thinking i have no food in, when i KNOW i have plenty, its juts that i dont need much from the fridge this week, and my main aim is to use up whats in the freezer & cupboards instead of buying stuff. At the end of the day, there is not point in me buying stuff to go in the fridge if its not needed and will just be wasting money anyway!

I dont know what it is about not having a full fridge/freezer/cupboards that bothers me so much! I looked in the freezer this morning, to check what veg we have to put towards tonights dinner, and the fact that the freezer wasnt full to bursting made me feel bad. I am trying to find out why. The same feeling came up when i looked in the cupboard this morning.
Both the cupboard and freezer have at least a weeks worth of meals in them (probably 2 weeks or even more than that), so i KNOW i shouldnt feel bad...but i still do. I think its going to be a case of just having to sit with those feelings and get used to it being OK.

Sorry, more of my ramblings!

I'm the same - my addictive shopping came around after I moved house, ie ex left, and I used to get paranoid that I wouldn't be able to feed the children, so I used to stock stock stock, so that I knew I'd be able to feed them even if I ran out of money. Looking back, that was silly, because I always get paid again every month!!!, but at the time it was what made me feel better.

cleggie

Hi Spigs and PG, thanks so much for your reassurances.


Actually, i already have written lists of what is in there. I have blu-tacked it to the inside of each corresponding cupboard, and the one for the fridge/freezer held with a magnet on the front! Looking at the lists, i can see that i have loads of food, so i SHOULD should just either:


a-dont look in the cupboards
OR
b-just look at the lists!



I went shopping at Mr T's to get bread and Juice, and came out with....JUST bread & Juice :j! VERY pleased (and amazed!) at myself.

So, thats it, no more sm's for me until Saturday now!

PG- i think i have a mortal fear of not being able to provide for my kids, and like you, if i know i have tonnes of food in the house i feel like if money is REALLY tight, at least i can feed them.
BUT what i NEED to realise is that money woudnt BE that tight if i didnt spend lots of £'s on food :rotfl:

Lunch today has been cheesey omlettes with salad for me (yum yum!) and jam sandwiches for the kids (not very healthy but they love it!).