Buy Nothing for Six Months

WantToBeSE

Hi everyone. I know this thread is already quite established, but is there room for one more please?
I really want/need to spend nothing other than the essentials (plus a little bit to keep the kids sane during the summer holidays) as i have so many plans!
I currently live in an awful house with awful neighbours, in an awful area. I am saving approx £2000 in a short a time as possible, so that i can give up my council house and rent in a better area.

To top it all off, i am just about to start self-employed work after being unemployed for the majority of the last 12 months. I already have (fingers crossed) regular hours.

As from the end of this month, i will finally become debt free! So i am hoping to save the amount that i would have put on debt (£80 a month), plus my child benefit every month. It's going to be very hard, but i am determined to do it.

Anyway, thats me! Sorry its a long post!

elliewild

mishmogs wrote: »

afternoon

Just had a sample of my first batch of elderflower champagne, hic, proved to be a hit with the neighbour! two more batches to sample at the end of the week. Thought I would mention the champagne tasting as its the first time I have made this, along with elderflower cordial which has also been a hit along with the ginger beer. Just goes to show what can be done with some foraging, cupboard staples and using a bit of elbow


I have sown more leaf and salad plants for the rest of summer, should take about 3 weeks to come through.

So yesterday we had a nsd and today will be the same. Sounds like we are all thinking and trying our hardest to cut back and save and rethink what we are doing and how we do it! Yay!:T:T

How do you make the champagne? Is there an easy step by step guide? Also for the ginger beer? Thanks. Ellie

elliewild

Well to catch you up. I've not been doing as we'll as I've liked. Due to the hot weather I have been nipping to the spar to buy drinks to sit in the sun. Also sandwich stuff for going on walks. It soon mounts up! Me and OH are off for two weeks but we decided to have a stay cation rather than go on holiday so I guess we are still saving.

I have been checking my old cards to see if there was any credit on them, found £3 tes co vouchers and made a list of what discount they offer. I seem to have cards but never use them. Used my coop card the other day and got 10% off which made me happy

I've done a chart in four columns, unavoidable costs (bills), avoidable costs (chocolate, anything you don't need), money in (money made or found), and finally savings (any discounts used, coupons and the amount saved) I recommend this to new no spenders it really raises morale, particularly when you have bits in the avoidable column, it feels better to know that you have made savings too.

Over the past 3 weeks I have found £2.96 in the street. People do tend to just throw money away.

Also looked at my asda shop and where I could make cuts or substitutes etc so saved money there.

I have started using rolled up tin foil in fruit nets for scrubbing pots it works really well.

Cut my wire wool scourers into triangles -I never seem to use a full one each time. This doubles them up. Once used going to keep them in tin foil to stop rusting.

Got my tights around the outside tap with soap bits in

Been chopping up old cards for craft purposes.

Also found if you wrap wet kitchen roll around drinks in fridge it keeps them extra cold. (Not thrifty but a good tip)

Up cycled some empty Pringles tins yesterday for storage of pens and hamster food, they look really nice.

Started making better use of my isa

Booked myself in for mortgage renewal quote

Been collecting beer plastic rings (cant think of there name) and tying them together to make a plant climbing frame.

Also been using half tablets in dishwasher which works!

Did manage to get free beer coots light and some free coffee but the freebie sites I find really hard to use. I just want one where you give your details and you get the product, not where you answer loads of questions and jump through pages etc any advice?

I've tried to get into couponing, I can't seem to find a good site. I don't spend much on beauty products and would prefer groceries coupons for asda in particular. Can anyone advise me?

FrooGal_2

We've been on holiday (where I stuck to my 'rules' yay!) and I am enjoying catching up on this thread.

I need to make some gifts for weddings and for a 60th birthday but then I'll be thinking about a homemade christmas again...

elliewild

FrooGal wrote: »

We've been on holiday (where I stuck to my 'rules' yay!) and I am enjoying catching up on this thread.

I need to make some gifts for weddings and for a 60th birthday but then I'll be thinking about a homemade christmas again...

If you have a look on etsy it might give you some inspiration of what to make as gifts

FrooGal_2

elliewild wrote: »

If you have a look on etsy it might give you some inspiration of what to make as gifts

Thanks! Last year I made jams, chutneys, decorations and rosemary bags and put them all in embroidered hessian bags, they were a big hit. This year I might just stick to baskets with jams and chutneys and maybe biscuits or something in - I'm not sure how much I can realistically make with the baby arriving in October, but I'm pretty determined not to buy gifts.

mishmogs

elliewild wrote: »

How do you make the champagne? Is there an easy step by step guide? Also for the ginger beer? Thanks. Ellie

Hi elliewild here is the link for elderflower champagne, think you may have missed the boat for this year, but you may find some elderflower still flowering near you....

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/elderflower-champagne-recipe

and here is the link to ginger beer recipe....

http://down---to---earth.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/making-ginger-beer-from-scratch.html

I have just found a lavender champagne recipe so will be giving that a go soon.

Still bought nothing new for the house but went to a car boot this morning, and got a fab pair of curtains 90x90 for my bedroom for a fiver and two petrol cans for £1. dead chuffed.

Last year I ordered two apple trees for my garden and the guy kept letting me down off the market and Ald* got some in so I bought two and didn't expect much this year but they have got over a dozen apples on! Used the last of my rhubarb to make rhubarb and raspberry jam.

As I said in an earlier post, DH is on hols (back to work tomorrow) and we had a stay at home holiday this year and spent a total of £40 on fuel £20 on a meal out and £10 on icreams for the week, we had thought about going abroad but decided not to and we used our National Trust membership instead. Had a total of 2 nsd and 3 no car days.

More next week end....

elliewild

mishmogs wrote: »

Hi elliewild here is the link for elderflower champagne, think you may have missed the boat for this year, but you may find some elderflower still flowering near you....

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/elderflower-champagne-recipe

and here is the link to ginger beer recipe....

http://down---to---earth.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/making-ginger-beer-from-scratch.html

I have just found a lavender champagne recipe so will be giving that a go soon.

Still bought nothing new for the house but went to a car boot this morning, and got a fab pair of curtains 90x90 for my bedroom for a fiver and two petrol cans for £1. dead chuffed.

Last year I ordered two apple trees for my garden and the guy kept letting me down off the market and Ald* got some in so I bought two and didn't expect much this year but they have got over a dozen apples on! Used the last of my rhubarb to make rhubarb and raspberry jam.

As I said in an earlier post, DH is on hols (back to work tomorrow) and we had a stay at home holiday this year and spent a total of £40 on fuel £20 on a meal out and £10 on icreams for the week, we had thought about going abroad but decided not to and we used our National Trust membership instead. Had a total of 2 nsd and 3 no car days.

More next week end....

Thanks. What time of year is best for elderflower?

mishmogs

Hi elliewild

It depends on where you are in the country, I am in suffolk so the elderflowers were ready end May, but I saw a some flowers last week. So you may still be lucky.

Best advice I can give is pick earlyish in the morning (I did 9amish) and keep as much pollen on as you can. Also, don't pick after its rained as the rain washes away the pollen. Good luck.

I have used up the bulk of the veg now in my chicken soup, which will be tea tonight and tomorrow with HM bread. Made my first batch of ice cream this week and we finished that last night. I used cream which needed to be used up. Last night we had chicken salad and used salad bits from the growing pods which I made this year, some tinned veg (sweetcorn, pulses) and some new spuds which also needed to be ate up. Should last foodwise till the weekend when I go shopping again. Am trying not to do top ups for the first 3/4 weeks and see how I go on with that as a start to my change my shopping ways.

ttfn

elliewild

Thanks for your help!

I had an electricity free day yesterday, it went really well and taught me to appreciate how much I waste by not switching stuff off. It was really nice sat with my husband with the candles on in the eve.