Aspirations of Frugality and Fun on the Road to Mortgage Freedom

Goldiegirl

Good to see you posting again and congratulations on the degree !

greent

Sorry to hear you've been unwell but glad to hear your fab news re degree and MA! xx

catshark88

Very sorry to hear you've been ill, but well done on your fantastic achievements!

Am v impressed re the running, I can't run a step...

DedicatedDFW

gallygirl wrote: »

Chips :rotfl:

But i have another glut of spuds this week and i *will* be making the next best thing... baked potatoes om nom nom

brizzledfw

Yum. Need to get down the allotment and dig some of mine up....hmm. Another job for the weekend

How's the running going?

DedicatedDFW

Ok first things first - an apology

I was happily replying to all the lovely messages i received when the site / comp crashed :eek: So i wanted to explain that i didn't just flit in and out & talk about one of my favourite of all time foods - the spud No matter how much the messages may try and make me look otherwise

muppets - :wave: hi there and welcome - you should stay delurked & i'm sure you've posted here before? Thank-you for your lovely message The first language i am doing (so 1 year) is Spanish - or should i say espanyol Very excited - and a wee bit nervous too but overall excited :j Unfortunately, in un-mse news i paid for the class before the date i could have got a discount as i was going to do an accelerated course just before the end of summer - but then i found out i'd been give the wrong dates for my Uni so i've had to change my language classes - and pay extra on top of what i'd paid :eek: and can't get the discount as i've already signed up *phew* As i am focusing on positives though at least i am on the right class for me and in the place i want to be

inod - thank you for the gentle nudge We have a huge list of house jobs that need to be done - many are priorities / urgent - the gutters are being rolled into 1 of these jobs & we're just getting the money together for this :T - How are you anyway? Hope all is well with you and i really appreciate you posting

GG - the holiday was fab :T Thank you for your kind words

greent - aw thanks GT - but i believe congrats are due for miss GT and her fabulous results - well done her - you must be so proud

catshark88 :wave:hi and welcome Regarding the running - i struggled to run to end of the street but once i'd made the decision and got a training programme i stuck to it - the programme acted like a silent personal trainer as i knew i had to do x and x - seriously i was no runner whatsoever. I did find hypno's posts very encouraging for my running when i was just starting out and am pleased to say i've been able to pass this encouragement and even some advice onto others and the feedback has been great

DedicatedDFW

brizzledfw wrote: »

Yum. Need to get down the allotment and dig some of mine up....hmm. Another job for the weekend

How's the running going?

Thanks brizzle - a very simple but delicious dish & always makes me think of home Sortof jealous with you with your allotment (in a good way ) but take my hat off to you with how you fit it all in - i do not know how i would manage

Bah! re. the running - i have been poorly this last few days and just plodded into work and got house jobs done but an inability to eat most things has meant no running. I am pleased to report though a 5 mile run is on the schedule for tomorrow and 10 miles next week :eek: Fancy being a virtual running buddy? And thank you for your thought out advice re. van - muchly appreciated

DedicatedDFW

Well there have possibly been some steps forward and some steps back on the quest for frugality - i shall let you all decide

I've frozen veg ready for this weeks stock and schmaltz making and the veg was on its way out so great not to waste it.

I also opened a packet where i just needed half of it for a recipe - the rest could not be frozen or stored beyond a couple of days - so i made another recipe to use this up :T

I put a layer of finely sliced potatoes on top of my lasagne - and also confirmed i don't need a slicer thing (can't remember the name now) as i do have great slicing skills

I've been using free showelgel sachets - got about 3 weeks worth for me - good as it turns out the ones i'd bought i'm sensitive to. My Mr can use the other as he is fine with it but it saves me spending money for a few weeks on another one

I've been using up my selection of many mini perfumes - good for deluttering and i probably smell nice too - and it saves me replacing the usual bottle sizes that i've run out of

Packed lunches continued.

Big test came with the weekly shop. Now there were some reduced priced sausages and i *nearly* got them at 50p a pack *but* i must have about 70 sausages still in the freezer, bought at a reduced price and for less than 50p a pack - so i resisted :cool:

I *did* however buy 1kg stewing steak 58p and 1kg mince 58p - all portioned and frozen - i was down to the last pack of mince in the freezer and the steak was just too much of a bargain to pass up

I also bought 1 marinated chicken £1.29 - frozen
1 marinated turkey steak 700g 99p
2 cooked plain chickens - a decent size & cheaper than i could have bought not cooked and bigger too - £3.00 - i have yet to strip these. The meat will be used for sandwiches and to mix in with various sauces to make new dishes. The bones etc. i'll use to make stock and schmaltz :T

I also bought 11 gourmet pies for £1.32

so *some* progress at least but the freezer is a tad on the full side still.

I've continued doing my language studies & instrument

I've had some necessary spends for uni supplies too - but all at the best prices i could get

DedicatedDFW

Well i have a birthday on the horizon! - not something i look forward to admittedly but i have been asked what i want for my birthday and i'm stuck to make a decision.

What would i like?

As a treat i would like: - a piece of jewellery (a specific item), perfume to replace the standard size bottles i no longer have (all are miniature now - this in a way would be moneysaving too as i wouldn't need to replace it). A day out - i much prefer investing in an experience and creating memories

What do i need?

My needs are: - perfume as mentioned above but is it a need? well i'm sure you understand A hoover that actually works and picks stuff up off the floor before the millionth attempt! Lots of uni stuff- books etc. are totalling the £000's and thats second hand And the laptop needs to be replaced. I need new trainers and running gear - mine has been washed so many times! running 4 times a week with 1 outfit currently

What to choose? Its better that i do choose as although i enjoy a nice surprise i have, in the past, received no doubt expensive and truly lovely gifts but they've not been a *need*and so have been used so much less - So i guess that means i want more of a need than a want? Except for the day out - spending time with the important people in my life and enjoying things together cannot be beaten...

So what to choose - a hoover? a day out? A laptop would be too expensive.

in_need_of_direction

When buying a gift I try to make it something the recipient would like but wouldn't buy for themselves. Why not apply that rule to deciding what to ask for.