Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

lessonlearned

I'm afraid to say this week has been a bit of a disaster.:o

I haven't tottered it all up yet but my target for May (£200) will be blown out of the water. I don't even know what wrong and I still ended up buy us Fish & Chips one night because I was so disorganised.

I think that is the key. I know I have to shop tomorrow so before I go I will do a proper inventory, then a list and see if I can do better next week.

Sounds like a few of us have struggled this week.

Never mind - onwards and upwards.

PS I make a bit of jewellery too and up cycle bits of charity shop furniture.

calicocat

Yesterday was NS after i had wizzed to get some basics in.
NS today,yesterday made a huge chicken and veg lattice with chicken bits from freezer,this may last another day but not sure if it's ok to use 3 days after making. So have got lattice with HM potatoe salad and salad again ,and maybe the same tomorrow.
May have enough petrol to get to work for the next two days if i'm lucky.
Have loads of veg and salad so will deffo be able to do until saturday unless any emergency comes up :T, then saturday is the party:beer:..then 28th is pay day again thank heavens.....................................................................
and then the workings out of finances starts all over again:D.


good luck to those on it as usual.



walk away from the purse!..........................:T

[Deleted User]

been a really good week as I have been shopping only after day 8 which was yesterday and have more than enough to last me until the end of May I have been raiding my freezer and using up everything i can think of to make into a meal and I'm feeling quite chuffed with myself .I got my energybill online this morning and because I am using less energy (pats myself on the back)my direct debit is going down by £3.00 a month in July,not a lot but the £3.00 is going to be put away for a treat of somesort for myself, so I will sort out a small savings account it can go into(probably the little one I have at a building society thats a bus ride away from me) and once it mounts up to a good amount I shall have a treat as a reward for being frugal with my gas and electric.
I have even got my youngest DD watching what she spends now and not going to the supermarket unless its essential.Bless her in her case she has a tribe of four boys to feed and clothe and they are getting very expensive at the moment as they all seem to have had a growth spurt at the same time.She has started by down branding some food stuff as well and she has told the boys its eat up or go without and after a few moans they just ate up and didn't argue.
No shopping to get today so its day one again.Tonights dinner will be the last of the lettuce,tomato and cucumber with a pork chop from the freezer and maybe a small jacket spud.Pudding will be some mango yoghurt thats in the fridge that must be eaten up by Thursday ,theres enough there for two days at least.I ameating slightly smaller portions as well as I have started to use a smaller dinner plate I know it sounds daft but it a case of once the plate's empty I feel full.so food seems to be lasting longer iyswim.All phsycological but it seems to work for me .I am hoping it will also help me lose some of those 'winter lbs'
Have a good day everyone Onwards and upwards
JackieO xxx

kittendothroar

I seem to manage about 2/3 days and then fail! Started last week well but then was miserable (joys of depression) and went out and bought wine and chocolate! Back on track now! Been to mr t tonight on way home from college, as invited family over sunday and wanted to see if anything reduced I could freeze - and voila and chicken and summer veg pie for 64p! Also picked up a nice warburtons loaf for 14p which I've bagged into 4 and rammed in freezer. Not sure flat mate will be impressed when she gets back from holiday as wanted to thaw it but providing I can endure sandwiches for the next week will be fine!

Need to pop into town tomorrow to return something on ebay which will cost me in postage, hoping they refund it as was a new laptop lead which didn't fit, despite their claims it would.. however made £9.90 on ebay last week so offsets well at least! Also getting eyebrows waxed, lady is only £5 and entirely worth it vs my plucking attempts! After that will try and hold out till Saturday, when do fruit n veg shop at the market. Going to make a cake on Sunday as already have everything in cupboards so = cheap dessert!

Overall am well over budget again this month, June will be much tighter belt! Am going back to taking cash out on 1st of the month and leave cards at home so I can't spend! Need to save as I have arranged to take my niece on holiday but will be mse style - looking at camping - eek!! Sure will be fun....! Needing also to pay dad back for car bills, plus got two hen do's and two weddings with hotels to pay for so will be super scrimping tbh till around October!!

calicocat

Well I'm not going to make the 6 days as friend wants me to get stuff for saturday tomorrow , also there is a plan to order in chinese at work tonight , I have made a salad in case I decide not to or end up covering at another hospital , but so far looks like I am going to spend.

BUT.......other than £8 maybe on meal tonight I won't actually be spending more than planned....just doing it different days.

Looks like I will need petrol before payday , but will get away with £10 I think.

Have grabbed £30 out of food pot for stuff for sat (as it is food and wine).......have the £70 in happy-cash......so should be able to save £60 of this for emergency fund ,or to use next month . Next month will be expensive as need to get taxis to town for a hosp app,so that's £30 extra spend than normal..........(Hardly happy-cash !,but can't be helped).

Keep being frugal folks , and well done jackieO for reducing bill.....most people having them put up!


Walk away from the purse..............:T


Oh and another 70p in roadkill jar over last few days ,it will take until I'm 100 to get a decent amount I think as keep forgetting to look at the floor!

catznine

Day 1 of another fiscal fast!

I am still in pain, so walking or even standing is a tad restricted but I now have a stool in the kitchen, this means I can sit and prep food to my hearts content!

I am still attacking my freezers, they seem to be full of frozen bananas so I have made another banana loaf today, this time with chopped dried apricots in as I have mislaid the sultanas! Surprisingly nice! Makes a nice breakfast or snack. On diving into the chest freezer (luckily I am tall so didn't fall in) I found one piece of frozen braising beef, now destined to be a nice beef stew in the slow cooker, adding a couple of carrots, onion, peas and gravy! Lunch is a tuna and salad wrap as I have plenty of Ap foods wraps in store and a few tins of tuna!

I can't go to the shops so no danger of spending and am restricting where I go online, joined music magpie and have made some money instead by de-cluttering some cd's and dvd's that were gathering dust. :j Now to be brave and sell on ebay! Trouble is I can't get to a post office just yet!

Boredom is the worse thing when you are restricted and recovering from an injury but I got dh to haul out my craft stuff, have finished another baby blanket (we have a few due this year via family and friends) and am using up the odds and ends of yarn to make some dolly blankets for little gd. I have even picked up a half finished cross stitch sampler! (shows you how desperate I have been) My lovely neighbour loaned me her collection of the Miss Read books, now finished so must find something else to read, possibly my Agatha Christie collection or Ellis Peters. Definately not going to buy any!

Happy Fiscal Fasting everyone!

Catz x

Kerfuffle

Hi Folks,

Well I had a fail yesterday so I didn't manage the full 7-day Fiscal Fast. I managed to get to day 6 though so it's not all bad. Hubby wanted to go into town yesterday so of course I figured that whilst I was there I ought to buy some milk, eggs and analgesics, so I was fairly restrained, but a fail never the less.

Catznine - I checked my chest freezer the other day and all I seem to have is a whole load of sliced bananas too so on Tuesday I made banana loaf. I just had to have it for breakfast today as Hubby has gone to work with his pack-up and hasn't left me any bread.

Calicocat - I sat working out my money jars last night as I'd had to rob from Peter to Paul so I was trying to figure them out. I was sat watching Real Housewives of Vancouver at the same time, and life just seemed so unfair. I figure the fact that I can't get my money jars to balance is proof as to why I live my life the way I do and why they live their lives the way they do. How they other half live.:o

JackieO- I've seen your posts in the past and you always seem to eat such interesting things. I can be okay for a while and then I seem to run out of steam and revert back to the old faithful dishes. I feel for your daughter having 4 growing boys, my 2 kids have grown up now so it's just Hubby and me and I have trouble getting him to slow down and stop eating everything as soon as I've bought it.:)

Lizzyb, Miss Shoes, lessonlearned, Kittendothroar, hugs for not quite managing the 7 days, however we'll just have to dust ourselves down and start again.:D

So plan of action is to spend today at home getting organised, and then tomorrow go shopping to get a few bits (again), making sure I don't go silly daft, and then try to achieve a 7 day Fiscal Fast from Saturday to Friday inclusive, and because I don't much fancy going shopping next Saturday I might try and drag it out to Monday, but we'll keep quiet about that for now

lessonlearned

Kerfuffle wrote: »

Hi Folks,


Lizzyb, Miss Shoes, lessonlearned, Kittendothroar, hugs for not quite managing the 7 days, however we'll just have to dust ourselves down and start again.:D

Thanks for that. I've not managed the fast recently and I have gone over May's hoped for budget. However, I'm still being careful so the damage is not too bad.

I stocked up on a few bits from Sainsbugs and Home Bargains and I do need fruit and veg again. Still got plenty of meat/fish etc in freezer.

Catzine - hope you feel better - good idea about the stool in the kitchen. Well done on the decluttering and making money. That's what I need to do again. I did well last month but have fallen by the wayside this month. Need to try Music Magpie.

I've had a mega spend this month - it will be around £1600 for some much needed equipment for my OH who is disabled. That's why I need to Fiscal Fast and also to sell stuff to fund raise.

I get so fed up battling with Social Services trying to get appropriate equipment. Even when they do eventually agree to cough up it then takes such a ridiculous length of time that I usually end up providing what he needs myself.

Can't sit here chatting all day - time to crack on .....

Keep up the good work you lot, reading this is helping keep me on the straight and narrow.

calicocat

CATZNINE.......sorry to hear you are still in pain,hope it starts to feel better soon.x

KERFUFFLE.......normally I am really good with my various pots of cash for all the different things, but this month I have gone off kilter to say the least.

The off kilter syndrome carried on this morning too.....I am putting this down to shopping straight after nightshift and not being therefore in full control of my head.:rotfl:

Went to aldi for a bottle of wine for sat so wouldn't have to go another day and waste petrol.

Got.......3 bottles of wine (blame glaring sunshine too) , two rolling pins ,some reduced pasta to add to my pasta mountain , and 3 sets of ramakin dishes (reduced ,and thought they would be good stocking fillers for xmas or little thank you pressies).

So....now have bombed entire plan for the month further and may only get to save £50 of happy-cash.

Still.......life would be boring if I stuck to plans all the time , only scary thing is actually really enjoyed being in a shop and spending:eek: .........better watch that one.....luckily you can't use credit cards in aldi............sensible shop;)

Enjoy the lovely weather everyone.

Walk away from the purse...........:T. (Unlike me!)

Kerfuffle

Kerfuffle wrote: »

Hi Folks, *snip
So plan of action is to spend today at home getting organised, and then tomorrow go shopping to get a few bits (again), making sure I don't go silly daft, and then try to achieve a 7 day Fiscal Fast from Saturday to Friday inclusive, and because I don't much fancy going shopping next Saturday I might try and drag it out to Monday, but we'll keep quiet about that for now

Well this plan of action is out of the window as I've had a stomach bug, hoping it was just a 24 hour one but still not feeling too good, so I'm going to see how I am over the next couple of days and then hopefully pick up with the FF again.