Just Say NOvember 2013!!!

thriftylass

AutumnLeaf wrote: »

So is the conclusion of today's discussion that milk is evil? Nevermind gin, the white stuff is clearly Mother's Ruin.

Yep, I quickly learnt to stock up on all sorts of things for the week but usually got caught out by the evil milk (a bread or so I could always bake). I recently had my milk LBM and I now buy 8 pints instead of 4 (and maybe an UHT back up), god knows why it took me so long to realise. :rotfl:

AutumnLeaf

Not only are you a Money Saving Expert ThriftyLass, you're clearly a Milk Storage Expert too. :rotfl: I'll get me coat....

thriftylass

AutumnLeaf wrote: »

Not only are you a Money Saving Expert ThriftyLass, you're clearly a Milk Storage Expert too. :rotfl: I'll get me coat....

I call it my walk in fridge or outside the back door . Got quite a little fridge too hence the UHT in the cupboard or the fresh milk outside in the unheated conservatory when it's cold enough. In summer the milk goes in the secret compartment (only discovered that recently after living in that house for two years:eek:) in the small freezer under the drawers.

MrsGSR

thriftylass wrote: »

Yep, I quickly learnt to stock up on all sorts of things for the week but usually got caught out by the evil milk (a bread or so I could always bake). I recently had my milk LBM and I now buy 8 pints instead of 4 (and maybe an UHT back up), god knows why it took me so long to realise. :rotfl:

We do stock up on milk but DS drinks at least 4 pts every few days :eek:
Maybe I should buy more and put them in the chest freezer?

stewby

Today is a wee bit disappointing as I ended up spending.


Went out for lunch with my mum, auntie and cousin which my mum and auntie paid for (hooray).... but then it was in a wee farm shop and the salmon fillets caught my eye. Two for a fiver and they were quite large so OH can have one each for two seperate meals.


Then I saw sauces... two bottles for a fiver. One was a naga chilli sauce and the other was a hickory smoked bbq sauce so I bought those as well as a treat.
:embarasse

OH is thrilled with the buys which is great. however I am now having a bit of buyers remorse as I really wanted to get my tenth spend free day.


More green eyed monster today as I was looking at all my cousin's london photos and wishing it was me. She has also been losing a lot of weight so feeling pretty jealous about that too. I swear I am not normally a jealous person, this is very unusual for me.
:shocked:

So have made some plans for December/January which I am going to stick to. It made me feel a bit better.


In relation to the current topic, I find that these tougher challenges are really good. The 25 spend-free days is extreme but it makes me think harder about what I am buying. If you were told 10 spend-free days then you would push the boundries a bit more and spend more. I have found nothing else about the challenge too extreme and am quite enjoying it (to be honest).


It really is making me think about what I am spending and why which means I have dropped my spending for £400 in 15 days to £200 in 30 days. That is pretty impressive!!
I am sure a maths whizz could make that into a percentage thing but I think it stands quite well by itself. NSK did that by making me rethink what I consider normal.
:undecided

Anyways, fingers crossed December's challenge is easier as I have to buy nearly all my xmas pressies then. I am so unprepared this year, it's almost ridiculous.
:rotfl:

thriftylass

MrsGSR wrote: »

We do stock up on milk but DS drinks at least 4 pts every few days :eek:
Maybe I should buy more and put them in the chest freezer?

Erm, ok, that's a tough one. Could you buy UHT milk instead. It's cheaper and keeps at room temperature till opened? It tastes a bit different though. Back home that's all I knew because in Germany everyone drinks UHT and you hardly get fresh milk (well over 10 years ago). So it might just be a matter of getting used to it? Once I have two little ones and if DD likes milk like DS then I'll switch and buy more UHT. Well, yes, or you could buy fresh and put them in the chest freezer. Will look a bit strange while defrosting but just give it a good shake.

Yours TL

The resident milk expert :rotfl:

MrsGSR

thriftylass wrote: »

Erm, ok, that's a tough one. Could you buy UHT milk instead. It's cheaper and keeps at room temperature till opened? It tastes a bit different though. Back home that's all I knew because in Germany everyone drinks UHT and you hardly get fresh milk (well over 10 years ago). So it might just be a matter of getting used to it? Once I have two little ones and if DD likes milk like DS then I'll switch and buy more UHT. Well, yes, or you could buy fresh and put them in the chest freezer. Will look a bit strange while defrosting but just give it a good shake.

Yours TL

The resident milk expert :rotfl:

We get 4 pts for 90p so I guess that's not too bad. Ive not tried him on UHT milk. Being a boy he will probably turn his nose up at it

fyggy

I'm loving the milk discussions! We drink loaaads! And to make it more complicated I drink whole milk (trying to put on a bit of weight) and DH semi. I buy the 8 pinters where possible, but L1dls doesn't do whole in 8pint. I am beginning to stock up and freeze more now. I was just doing a 2pint semi for emergencies, but found it so useful that this last shop I have bought two 4 pinters and frozen them. Handy and saves on those "little shops" which end up £20 spent on nothing, plus keeping those SFDs

I wonder what next months hot topic will be- wasn't one month Dyson filter cleaning?! Hah.

Update- yesterday I bought some items in Superdrug which are in my eyes needed due to medicinal side effects- I'm a month into using a new sure strong zip zapping medication after years of various beauty procedures, home treatments and prescribed lotions and tabs from GPs. This one makes your skin literally peel like a snake shedding its skin! And your lips so so chapped. I found my current moisturisers and lip balms not up to the job sadly. As I have lots due to working in an air con unit and where I wash my hands a million times and use alcohol handgel. I was umming and arring as whether to class this as a SFD but I have decided it's bending the rules a bit too much really. So I'll take it as a SD.

I also did a big haul of Sudafed type medicines for my current ear infection and also cold which has developed. On that note I was very pleased to see that not only were all of these on Buy a 2nd get it half price, but that Superdrug also have started doing their own brand of Sudafed which was a pound cheaper than the main brand one! Bargain!

Therefore, I am on 10 SFDs as of today. Woo!

kangadoo

stewby wrote: »

It really is making me think about what I am spending and why which means I have dropped my spending for £400 in 15 days to £200 in 30 days. That is pretty impressive!!

I'm no maths whizz, but £400 in 15 days would equal £800 over 30, so you've dropped your spend by £600 a month! Amazing! :j

I think the real value in it for me is making me think and making me accountable to myself - I probably won't quite make it to 25 days but I sure as hell will make it to as many as I possibly can!

I don't spend masses anyway, because I don't have masses to spend, but I am so much more aware of what I do spend and what I spend it on.

I've also learnt a bit about my priorities and adaptions I need to make - I live alone and work from home (I only drive myself mental most days, not all!) so my social budget is slightly higher to try to stop myself going completely loopy. But I've also realised I have to be honest with my friends if I want to try to stick to my personal NOvember challenge because I can't spend what they do, or what I used to, and that I can go out of the house to get fresh air without having to just pop into Sainsbury's for a magazine/chocolate/whatever's on offer...!

I'm also slightly obsessed with my budget spreadsheet, though. When does it cross the line into stalking? When I open it for the 15th time that day JUST TO CHECK even though nothing's changed?! :rotfl:

cowboymum

Just been reading all today's posts. There is no way I'm going to get to 25 nsd this month - however this challenge is really making me think about how we spend money. I sorted out cash at the beginning of the month for sons lunch money, bus money, toddler groups etc which has helped enormously as I used to get cash out for these things and then spend the rest.

Same with supermarkets - just going into a supermarket cost me £20! I did a massive internet shop which came on Sunday and I am hoping that this will last me the whole week (plus a bit more).

Today was a nsd of sorts - went to toddler group. We also decided to donate the extra money we have made so far this month to the Philippines disaster but I don't think anyone will mind if I still count this as a nsd.

Also very pleased with cooking jacket potatoes in a slow cooker! Very easy and very frugal! Why didn't I know about it years ago? :T