January's Big Financial Freeze!!!

Ninno820

Well done Beckyboo - now thats impressive!!

As for nannygladys and kerfuffle - am I the only one thinking that you ought to do some form of house swap for a week and get a free holiday?

Anyway - today is NSD number 18. I am still waiting to buy firelighters so that I can be cosy - only 7 NSD's to go but only 8 days lefts of the month - mmmm. I am at a sewing class on saturday (planned for) and need to buy some thread so am aiming to get the two on the same day.

Today is payday so I have transfered the planned grocery / fule / planned spends to my new current account ( a new cheque book is like that new exercise book at school - or is that just me?). Ebay is slowing down somewhat - just 99p items at the moment - but I need to raise nearly £100 by next payday if I am going to avoid relying on the credit card:eek:

However January's challenge has seen my total debt reduce by over £500 which is fantastic. As the total debt reduces so the monthly payments and I therefore have the slack that I need. Thanks everyone for the encouragement - and roll on february.:j

Marylea

mayfair1985 wrote: »

I'm a recent convert. I was always a bit ashamed and stayed away from the YS. Until one week we had pennies to live on and I had to get down to Mr A's at 8pm reduced time with my elbows out in the scrum. It was that or not eating.

Then one night our friends (financially comfortable) 'caught' us in the act. They asked what we were doing, and got right involved themselves! They go once a week now and swear by it!

Since then I don't feel shame. Even though I tend not to do the whole scrum thing anymore (and it really is in our supermarkets) I'll happily have a mooch through earlier in the day. Recently I heard someone make a disparaging comment about 'scavengers who want 10p off their milk' and instead of making me angry, I actually thought to myself, 'You complete mugs, look what you're missing out on, you morons'. I pityed them, and genuinly felt sorry for them that they had that attitude. But ho hum, more 25p milk for MY freezer.

So if it helps I've been there, and it does get easier

I absolutely agree with you!

I just LOVE my whoopsie purchases, and find it quite addictive (to the point where my freezer is bulging!). And I love Aldi and Lidl too!

But I think there is a BIG difference in choosing to shop that way and feeling like you HAVE to shop that way.

I do it because I like it (and I'm trying to pay off some debts) rather than HAVING too, although I do find the rugby scrum unpleaseant, and, like you I tend to avoid it if I can.

mayfair1985

Marylea wrote: »

But I think there is a BIG difference in choosing to shop that way and feeling like you HAVE to shop that way.

You've hit the nail on the head there! I never want to be in the situation that we was before and having to take whatever we could get because we hadn't got anything else and couldn't face another packet of 11p noodles. That was a proper low point, and way before LBM! But a few emergencies in one month left us with no cash and no credit and we were in a hole with no choice. I'm just glad we didn't have babies to feed. Now I do it because if I need mince, why would I pay £2.35 instead of 99p when it's just going to go in the freezer!

I kind of avoid the scrum as well because, and i know it's not very MSE of me, but well i think that someone might need it a lot more than me. We had a hard few weeks and would walk up 2 / 3 / 4 times a week. And it was the same people there with full trolleys grabbing everything. And I get it, i really do, because we had to do it. But when i'm not desperate I remember these people that are.

At one point a lady who was there all the time grabbed a whole chicken and passed it behind me to my hubs and said, 'You didn't get one last time...'. I held it together until we got out the shop then cried. Such kindness

Learning2Budget

Oh Mayfair that made me well up!!!

Well I've had a planned spend day today but bought a few unintentional bits.......Eeek!!
Went into town, was due a haircut and i needed 5 birthday cards for school parties for my eldest. Found a card sale. 10 cards for £1.....so that has covered al of them AND given me a little storage set too. Then walk past the market. Spent a fiver but bought apples, nectarines, apricots, 3lb of plums, 3 tubs of blueberries, spring onions and something else. Fruit bowl is full and the kids were happy with snack time!!

Ended up in @sd@ cos i wanted a tub which was in the sale but somehow overspent by 22 quid. So hanging my head in shame.
Have taken pennies out that i owe a friend for a trip in 18 months time, she laughed when i said that i would have an envelope that i would budget into each month, but since then her and another friend have appeared with their own envelopes.....so who's laughing now eh?

Anyhoo must try harder! L2B.x

Oompa_Loompa_2

Quick question - I missed BOTH money programmes the other night that were on at 8pm but can't find the one that was on this week on 4od - does anyone know where I might find it?

mayfair1985

Oompa_Loompa wrote: »

Quick question - I missed BOTH money programmes the other night that were on at 8pm but can't find the one that was on this week on 4od - does anyone know where I might find it?

I think it was a dispatches if that helps?

Oompa_Loompa_2

Thank you for that info! I've had no alcohol for 3 weeks and this is unusual for me! Feeling better though and it's definitely saving money. I nearly slipped up today and gave in to a cheap bottle of wine! Haven't managed the £155 but I think I'll get close-ish! Got to think of the calories too... and the liver!! I'm sure it's :j

thriftylass

Finally had the time to photograph some more items for ebay and get the descriptions ready. Not sure when the next free listing is but might put it on on Sunday anyway. Still waiting for money for my camera and vouchers from Tesco (mainly fuel now) but don't think I'll make the £155/25 target . But got a few more ideas of what to sell (can't do overtime, but do surveys) in the next wee while if I ever get round to it The money found now is literally found in the street

Re: Whoopsies, I never seem to be in the supermarket at the right time to get anything good that I need. But downgrading the shopping brand and choosing cheaper SM has helped loads as well as making it stretch further and making the most out of leftovers which I refined recently . Lidl doesn't do whoopsies and I'm hardly in Tesco anymore .

Kerfuffle

Ninno820 wrote: »

As for nannygladys and kerfuffle - am I the only one thinking that you ought to do some form of house swap for a week and get a free holiday?/QUOTE]

Ninno820 - Brilliant idea, and a great example of thinking outside the box. One major problem though is I'm in Canada so it wouldn't be free. But thanks for the idea :T if I'd still been living in the UK then it could well have been a consideration. Plus I used to have guinea pigs so I would know how to look after nannyglady's Rosie.

NinjaSavingKat

Forgive me for not checking in yesterday. I hit a 0600-2300 day and had just about enough energy to wash and crawl into bed. Today is a 0500-unknown kinda day but am astounded at the progress of everyone's budgets.

I will update more later and more indepth should I get half a minute to myself...

- YS promos vs NSD already taken into consideration for Feb's challenge.
- A massive well done to BeckyBoo.. Your post made me smile like a loon.
- One glimmer of embarrassment for YS items.. Never again! Especially when I get loaves of bread for 35p and Avocados x 2 for 80p!!!
- Stoplurking I am watching you...:-)..
- Fluffy can you hear that bag calling to you yet..?
- Offered to assist a friend of a friend with her debts as she is currently having 'no eating days'... Not good!
- Last day in the train.. Praying for no more snow!!
- 3 eBay purchases ( snigger snigger ) being sold at between £9.98-£19.99 currently being watched by 3 people within minutes of posting.. ( AP Lingerie )..
- ... And finally and most importantly yesterday was not an NSD as I needed a redbull .. SO much sugar it was unreal!!


Onwards and Upwards to you all.. Never has this felt a more appropriate saying.. Despite the lows of no holidays, redundancies and struggles. It is worth it!!!