Aspirations of Frugality and Fun on the Road to Mortgage Freedom

jwil

Well done on the ebaying. Grr to the complaint though.

I was going to suggest cash 4 clothes too, they seem to be everywhere around here, I've never used them though.

DedicatedDFW

greent wrote: »

Very impressive ebaying, DDFW!


I googled cash for clothes and name of my city when I sold some of mine - we're not a big city and have 3 or 4 locally, so hopefully you can fine something not too far away! The one I go to (about 3 miles away and very close to my nearest sainsburys, so I combine the trip) also takes bedding @ 20p, dvds & cds @ 20p and books @ 5p/ kilo (clothes/ handbags/ shoes/ jewellery @ 60p) Not much, but I got rid of some cds there which even music magpie wouldn't take after I listed them 4 or 5 times of fleabay. Better than nothing

Thanks greent - needs must I have tried google but not getting anything local - i think one of these places opened in the next town to us just recently so i'll look there the next time we go. As you say it is better than nothing

DedicatedDFW

Hi jwil - yes i'd thought of them too

Yep - complaint super annoying and dreadful service imho :mad::mad::mad:

I got everything done on my last list except the bags so that has to go on this to do list. I am posting my mini lists to motivate me into doing what needs to be done :cool: I tried on the dresses and will be keeping the smaller one they both fit but as soon as i get a stone off the smaller will fit better and the bigger one will be too big

REMINDER TO SELF REFUND STILL NOT RECEIVED FOR ON-LINE ORDER - advice for this said 5 days - now the order was placed over 5 days ago and collected over 5 days ago - something else it seems that i will need to chase - how grr! some!

I've got everything bagged up to return for refunds tomorrow - all at the 1 shop so hopefully it won't be awkward only 4 things altogether.

Total no. of items prepared for listing stands at 26 - so 54 newly listed items in total for this month when its the next flw - another 46 to find and list then to hit target :eek: :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

On monday i bought another bargain gift ready to be stashed away

So far today is an NSD :T

Next section of study to be completed
hang up jeans and put in wardrobe
hangup coat and put in wardrobe
Bags, bags, bags
sort out letters

DedicatedDFW

Most things done - i couldn't hang up the jeans as i am out of hangers :eek: we have broken a few somehow - & when i've bought new items lately i've noticed alot of places don't give them now - hence the shortfall. Will ask family for some

I am really enjoying the focus on meals and really hope i can keep this up throughout the year The planning ahead definitely makes things easier for me - i did this anyway just not over a month and lost my focus around assignment time due to the time pressure - so its good to get back into it. I am also finding though that i'm cooking more and looking up new recipes in order to use things up which i am also enjoying And - the best bit - other than the food tasting delicious of course - is that i'm also stretching the meals out as much as possible - so instead of getting 2 days of meals out of the broth we got 3 and with the meatballs in sauce that i've made these have stretched out to 2 days of meals too :T More money saving Just wish i could physically see the money so i can overpay it :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Slowdown

Hi
Just thought I'd pop in and say that I am really enjoying your thread. I have started one of my own as I have also started a MFW journey and you have given me a boost.
We'll done on all your savings on food, clothes etc and I shall be keeping up with your diary so it can help me on my journey too.
Keep it up!:T:T
Kind regards
Slowdown:hello:

PositiveBalance

Hi Dedicated! :wave:

BLIMEY, CAN YOU LOT TALK! I go away for a fortnight and come back to a new diary and pages and pages of blather! :rotfl: (Well done on making it over to the MFW - or 'the grown-up board' as someone called it on your old thread! )

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

Considering making my own wine - it feels like all the budgets have been squeezed as tight as can be but we both work hard and enjoy a glass [STRIKE]or several[/STRIKE] of vino after a hard week :beer: If i can make my own to a good standard this will save us a very tidy sum - any recommendations anyone ? Conversely coupled with this i'm also intending to cut down on alcohol - i only have a drink at the weekend and this will continue but i aim to either have a drink later on / at a slower pace so cutting down to a couple of small glasses in the evening friday & satday Benefits all round with my plans for weight loss too Ooh! and if i make my own wine and its nice enough i can gift some too :T So if anyone has any recommendations that'd be great ta - plus advice on whats needed - red will be the main one i make i think

I bought the kit from Wilkos before Christmas and had a bash making some. I didn't realise that is hadn't started fermenting yet (true beginners error - if there are no bubbles coming out of the airtrap at the top, it ain't working ) so wasted a 30 bottle kit! :eek: I don't want to give it a go until it's a bit warmer now, but I can't store 30 empty wine bottles until then so I may try to make it at my aunt's house and pay her in wine for the ground rent!

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

Yesterday i spent £2.70 in the local town - this was on much needed tissues - a need and an ok spend but the other £1.70 was on veg spring rolls - i love them! and some bread. The bread hasn't been eaten and the spring rolls haven't yet either - but they will be and they were £1 cheaper than the supermarket i was in today so a good buy really :T But still...

I really want to make my own as whenever I buy the veggie ones pre-made they always stuff them full of too many cheap vegetables so that they are overly stuffed full of beansprouts with no balance of ingredients. You can buy the rice pancake wrappers at the Chinese supermarket. Last time I went it was less than £2 for tons and tons of them. Worth a thought?!

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

Think i should keep up with this exercise to track what money i am wasting

You and me both. I feel a new diary with lots of lists coming on! :eek:
And, hon? Given the weather that we have been having, part of me thinks that you throwing as much money as you can at the gutter fund would be a great priority for the moment, even at the expense of everything else. I was at someone's house a little while ago and although they kept their gutters sparkly clean their neighbours at either sided didn't, meaning that all the water overflowed down theirs and leaked in through a small gap in the wall into the house causing untold damage! :eek:

It's nice to see you again. Happy New Year! Please make your health a priority this year as your posts really worry me sometimes - I think this solo debtbusting has taken it's toll on your health. xxx

DedicatedDFW

PositiveBalance wrote: »

Hi Dedicated! :wave:

BLIMEY, CAN YOU LOT TALK! I go away for a fortnight and come back to a new diary and pages and pages of blather! :rotfl: (Well done on making it over to the MFW - or 'the grown-up board' as someone called it on your old thread! )



I bought the kit from Wilkos before Christmas and had a bash making some. I didn't realise that is hadn't started fermenting yet (true beginners error - if there are no bubbles coming out of the airtrap at the top, it ain't working ) so wasted a 30 bottle kit! :eek: I don't want to give it a go until it's a bit warmer now, but I can't store 30 empty wine bottles until then so I may try to make it at my aunt's house and pay her in wine for the ground rent!



I really want to make my own as whenever I buy the veggie ones pre-made they always stuff them full of too many cheap vegetables so that they are overly stuffed full of beansprouts with no balance of ingredients. You can buy the rice pancake wrappers at the Chinese supermarket. Last time I went it was less than £2 for tons and tons of them. Worth a thought?!


You and me both. I feel a new diary with lots of lists coming on! :eek:
And, hon? Given the weather that we have been having, part of me thinks that you throwing as much money as you can at the gutter fund would be a great priority for the moment, even at the expense of everything else. I was at someone's house a little while ago and although they kept their gutters sparkly clean their neighbours at either sided didn't, meaning that all the water overflowed down theirs and leaked in through a small gap in the wall into the house causing untold damage! :eek:

It's nice to see you again. Happy New Year! Please make your health a priority this year as your posts really worry me sometimes - I think this solo debtbusting has taken it's toll on your health. xxx

PB!!!!! Lovely to hear from you I hope you had a fab xmas and new year - and yes Mrs - get that diary started i will subscribe

Ooh - thanks for the tip on the wine making My set has been left with a neighbour - several doors away and we don't know them - good of them to take the parcel in for us but we've been twice to pick it up and they've not been in.

Excellenty idea on making our own spring rolls - i have to admit the bargainous ones i got weren't as nice as my usual ones - do you have a recipe & i can't remember where the chinese supermarket is so a quick search will be in order for me.

The trouble wth the gutters is that my Mr doesn't see the need for them to be done :mad: I have to save the money up and then when we have enough for another job to be done (an important job still but less critical than the gutters and way more expensive - my Mr has saved alot towards this) i can then go oh i'll sort out guttering as well. If i mention it before then he'll want my savings towards the other job :undecided

Aw sorry for worrying you with my health hon - i am ok and have been like this for years so i really am used to it. Unfortunately i was ill tuesday night and then had a migraine wednesday and thursday night so i've not had the chance to get on here and post.

DedicatedDFW

Hi All,

The computer has been playing up all day so i have struggled to get on and update.

I've been at work all week - on tuesday night though i was ill and then wednesday & thursday evening i got a migraine

I've so much work to for for my assignment now :eek: But i will get up early coax the computer into working and then crack on - hopefully i will feel well enough too

In the days i've not been posting i've been spending :eek: Which is something i need to look at and assess really. The spends have all been really bargainous and have been a mix of things for me and gifts for others. I have just been really lucky with spotting bargains that would be perfect gifts for the people i buy for :T The savings have all been at between 75% and 90% :j Some of the things i have bought i am going to split with another family member so some money back there I need to add up what i have spent - i think approx £60 on gifts which covers things for 5 people These are the smaller gifts i get them and there will be one main present bought just before xmas for 3 of these at about £20 each. And as i say i will be getting some of that £60 back too

I am so pleased though with what i have found - i have only bought items that are really suitable for who i buy for and the items are brilliant quality and as i say a fraction of the original price - i have picked up some £10 items for £1 each

The problem with the xmas spends that i've done already is that i hadn't budgeted for them

Added to this i thought the food shop would be cheaper - it has been just about the highest that it was last year reasons are:-

bulk buying - bought coffee on offer to see us over the next few months - was approx 50% of price

Spent £10 this week out of next weeks budget as this was on items i need for this week and next week

Didn't read full label under spice jar - so price was for whole not ground :mad: overspent £1 - i know as i went back and chked :mad:

Bought 2 new roasting dishes as they were needed and on offer - i've been waiting for them for months

Bought some reduced price meat on offer - 2 packs of meat total £2.48 would have been £14.50 at full price - but still it was an unplanned spend

Today is not shaping up to be an NSD - i need to order the bottles for the wine now they are back in stock. Some of this spending is to save money in the coming weeks/ months but it is still money being spent now. Just like the meat i didn't budget for - that will easily cover 6 individual meals.

PositiveBalance

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

PB!!!!! Lovely to hear from you I hope you had a fab xmas and new year - and yes Mrs - get that diary started i will subscribe

Ooh, well I need to get my head around where I'm up to at the minute as my life is very topsy-turvy. I was supposed to sit down with my paperwork and figure it out today, but I ended up going out and buying some things that were needed but also being a bit spendy. :oA bit like you, though, it's stuff for presents that will save me money over the long run, so I'm not complaining. (This always seems to happen in January. I need a fund.)

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

Ooh - thanks for the tip on the wine making My set has been left with a neighbour - several doors away and we don't know them - good of them to take the parcel in for us but we've been twice to pick it up and they've not been in.

Ooh, I'm excited for you. Edinburgher has an idea that might solve my temperature problem for brewing in my abode, so I'm going to zip over to his thread (perhaps tomorrow morning looking at the time!) and I'll talk to him about it. It may need a little more research, but the job could be a good one! :beer:

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

Excellenty idea on making our own spring rolls - i have to admit the bargainous ones i got weren't as nice as my usual ones - do you have a recipe & i can't remember where the chinese supermarket is so a quick search will be in order for me.

Alas, I've never made them myself, but it's a bit like making a small wrap, then frying them. I looked up a few recipes on t'internet and they seem to vary considerably in terms of complexity and number of ingredients. I would cut into very long, then strips vegetables like carrots, peppers, beansprouts (they are skinny enough to start with - leave them alone :rotfl:) and whatever else you fancy. Look at a few recipes to get ideas, but from the ones I've seen, I wouldn't be a slave to them. If you are adding meat, make sure it's cubed very finely or preferably minced. It has to be in teeny tiny pieces.

*Whips out chopsticks and bowl and sits waiting for a spring roll*

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

The trouble wth the gutters is that my Mr doesn't see the need for them to be done :mad: I have to save the money up and then when we have enough for another job to be done (an important job still but less critical than the gutters and way more expensive - my Mr has saved alot towards this) i can then go oh i'll sort out guttering as well. If i mention it before then he'll want my savings towards the other job :undecided

Hmm. Could you not come home with a horror story from work like the one that happened to my friend? If he thinks that it has actually happened to someone he knows, might it not give him food for thought?! (I'm not sure encouraging you to fib to your Mr is good, but I would hate for you to potentially end up with considerable expensive structural problem.

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

Aw sorry for worrying you with my health hon - i am ok and have been like this for years so i really am used to it. Unfortunately i was ill tuesday night and then had a migraine wednesday and thursday night so i've not had the chance to get on here and post.

You need a break. A proper, total, complete and utter holiday away from it all to recharge. At least a fortnight. And some multivitamins. If I win the lottery tonight, I'll pay!

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

In the days i've not been posting i've been spending :eek: Which is something i need to look at and assess really. The spends have all been really bargainous and have been a mix of things for me and gifts for others. I have just been really lucky with spotting bargains that would be perfect gifts for the people i buy for :T The savings have all been at between 75% and 90% :j Some of the things i have bought i am going to split with another family member so some money back there I need to add up what i have spent - i think approx £60 on gifts which covers things for 5 people These are the smaller gifts i get them and there will be one main present bought just before xmas for 3 of these at about £20 each. And as i say i will be getting some of that £60 back too

I am so pleased though with what i have found - i have only bought items that are really suitable for who i buy for and the items are brilliant quality and as i say a fraction of the original price - i have picked up some £10 items for £1 each

The problem with the xmas spends that i've done already is that i hadn't budgeted for them

This is my problem, too. I think I need to get a budget, but with everything else that is going on, I'll be lucky!

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

Today is not shaping up to be an NSD - i need to order the bottles for the wine now they are back in stock. Some of this spending is to save money in the coming weeks/ months but it is still money being spent now. Just like the meat i didn't budget for - that will easily cover 6 individual meals.

That's EXACTLY it! I have spent quite a lot of money the past few days in order to save it over the long term e.g. buying my rather expensive toothpaste (dentist's orders! ) on special offer which will effectively save me about £1.25 a tube, but that's still money I've had to fork out now. I have figured for toiletries to have a flexible pot that I can contribute to with a fixed amount every month/week and then use when I see things I need/want on special offer so that I continually pay less than the RRP. This saves me money, but I'm not sure how to apply the lesson I've learned in other areas of my finances. Or maybe I have, but don't do it as well. Hmm...

Anyway, sweet dreams! Speak soon. x

DedicatedDFW

Hey PB, Hope you had a bit of a lie-in today?

I have actually started saving up for xmas - i put any left over £1 coins into a money box, ideally i'll have put away a £1 for each day come the end of the year which will be for xmas - but most of it will be for anything i see in the sales. i hadn't actually planned to do any sale shopping but i just saw the items i got by chance and they were too good a bargain to leave - if i had planned for it i am not sure i could have got a budget together but i have only bought items at least 75% off and a maximum price of £3 per item This is my solution going forwards but is not helping right now :eek:

I have just gone through my receipts and i have actually spent more that the £60 - total £103 on gifts for birthdays and xmas for 5 people. As i said i will be getting some money bak towards this as a family member will be buying some of the things too. But the smallest redution was 75% and the biggest reduction was 90% off so i have made a massive saving there

I have bought some clothes in the sales though Again huge reductions and although the weight has only just started coming off i think i am possibly getting a bit more toned as i can comfortably fasten the new clothes Part of the reason for this title being aspirations of frugality is that i do tend to buy clothes in the xmas and summer sales (can't remember the last time i bought something to wear not in the sales). I am, though, buying things which i have a need for

We have a proper 2 weeks break planned PB but its several months away as yet x

Unfortunately my Mr will not budge on the guttering I will just quietly carry on saving towards it