Aspirations of Frugality and Fun on the Road to Mortgage Freedom

DedicatedDFW

Anywho's i didn't get round to spending any money yesterday - it is a necessary spend and so needs to be done - but i'll need to do that at some point.

Assignment - *positive vibes* please

I need to clear the designated area for the making of wine I won't be starting the actual making until the assignment is done :cool: But the area does need to be cleared :cool:

I have a new recipe to follow today - hope it turns out ok - may just make for my mr and have spring rolls myself - all this chat about this delicious meal with PB has got my mouth watering :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Also, i was ill last night and my stomach isn't great today so i don't really want the planned tea today although as its a curry it should freeze well so no waste there.

I have looked up a new recipe for the brisket of beef that i got and will do that next week as i only need 1 ingredient for the sauce - there was a delicious sounding mash recipe but as i'd need to buy just about all the ingredients for that it wouldn't be very money saving so i will just do some roast potatoes i think.

I am boing to do 1 more bulk buy this week - for more coffee as i got a voucher which will make it even cheaper I wil of course need to think about paying for all this as well :eek: I'll need to keep the food shopping down on everything else

Next weekend i will have a search around for bay of e stuff as i am still quite a way from my goal for that.

Hope everyone has a good day

pavlovs_dog

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

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:

you will, in time.. the weeks where you eat something from the stash will see lower grocery spends.

With a monthly budget for groceries, the question is always do you

a) roll over unspent funds to the next month, so that there is flexibility in the budget to pay for bulk buying bargains (e.g. your reduced meat), with a view to lowering weekly spends further down the line when you can shop from your stores

b) use unspent money elsewhere (e.g. OPing, gutter fund)

C) a combination of the above?

Either way, or you need an accurate monthly budget and tally of your actual spends.


Hope you've got a safe hiding place for all your bargain gifts. Or will there be panicked posts in December saying you KNOW you've bought them but can't remember where you've hidden them?! (happens to me all the time )

DedicatedDFW

Slowdown wrote: »

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:

Hi Slowdown - thanks for stopping by Sorry i didn't reply earlier but i did read your post in the week but with being ill wasn't up to posting and then thought i had replied.

Thanks for saying i have given you a boost - that is nice to hear I am always looking for bargains when i shop - but i sometimes wonder whether that makes me spend money unnecessarily - like the meat i got that wasn't on my list but for about £2.50 will be plenty for 6 meals

DedicatedDFW

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

you will, in time.. the weeks where you eat something from the stash will see lower grocery spends.

With a monthly budget for groceries, the question is always do you

a) roll over unspent funds to the next month, so that there is flexibility in the budget to pay for bulk buying bargains (e.g. your reduced meat), with a view to lowering weekly spends further down the line when you can shop from your stores

b) use unspent money elsewhere (e.g. OPing, gutter fund)

C) a combination of the above?

Either way, or you need an accurate monthly budget and tally of your actual spends.


Hope you've got a safe hiding place for all your bargain gifts. Or will there be panicked posts in December saying you KNOW you've bought them but can't remember where you've hidden them?! (happens to me all the time )

Thanks for this pavlovs_dog - you've made me think about how i budget for this I try and stick to a weekly spending budget for food. I pay for this on my credit card (as i get vouchers from this) and pay the credit card balance in full at the end of the month. So the weekly budget may roll over week to week but not month to month if that makes sense? If there is anything left over it is supposed to be for the mortgage & gutter fund split proportionately. However, i don't have a budget for utility bills or unexpected expenses so in the past it has been used to pay for this. Currently the gas and electric bill are on the credit card waiting to be paid.

My food spends are tracked on my credit card as i always pay on this except for the stores where they don't accept credit cards but spends there are less than £5 a month. But as i have a weekly budget i am aware of where i am in regards to this - so this week i was over by about £30 :eek::eek::eek: but this included 2 half price roasting dishes - i wanted them all last year at full price but waited £5.50 £10 of next weeks food budget as was cheaper to buy in multiple this week and £16 from which i am owed £2.50 and this was for all the coffee i stocked up on at half price so saving money in the coming months. I also spent the £2.49 on meat which will cover 6 meals but wasn't part of the shopping list.

This week i'll stock up on more coffee and may get the final dish to complete my set if its on offer still *hope so* but couldn't bring myself to buy them all at the same time - silly really when it gets paid at the end of the month anyway. I *will* stick to my list as far as possible but i really am terrible when i see a good reduced offer Its because i have been shopping for months without seeing any meat reduced that when i do i can't help picking it up as you can't guarantee getting a 1.85kg joint of beef for £1.49 every week

DedicatedDFW

Well i've cooked a new recipe - which wasn't included in the meal plan but as i had all the ingredients already except for 1 which i got when shopping for less than £1 then i am happy with that I've made a chickpea curry - yet to be sampled but i am assured that it does smell very good

I have looked at the assignment question, scribbled down some notes, decided on the primary sources i am going to use and jotted some ideas down about these

I have grumbled about my stomach

I have found a new recipe for next week and need 2 small ingredients - this month my rule of thumb for cooking is that i have to have all but 1 or 2 of the ingredients in already - to keep the shopping bill down - so this one just scrapes in I have had quite a few tins of chickpeas in my cupboard for months now and want to use these up before buying more

This is in addition to next weeks brisket recipe which is also a new one for me top try and just 1 ingredient needed :T

I have washed the pots again.

Today i rescued the stock from yesterdays lamb and need to prepare that for freezing ready for soup I love not wasting things

I still haven't spent any money i had a basket of bargainous goodies which i havent checked out

I have a spend planned for tomorrow - stocking up on coffee so will order the bottles then i think

I also have a gift to return after finding it for 90% off and not 75% :T so a small refund there and i need to think about what i've purchased for myself and if there is anything i should return

I'm going to look at the first primary text i've decided to use.
I'm going to skim the stock and transfter to a freezing tub
I'm going to make a mortgage overpayment :T

Slowdown

Hi
Sounds to me like some of your purchases will save money in the long run and that's a good thing. It's tempting to say no to a bargain like the meat when it's not on the budget but it is a massive saving and will not go to waste. If you hadn't bought it you would need something else instead and it would likely have cost more.
I bought a loaf for 10p and 5 doughnuts for 9 p today in mrT. Great for filling the tums of hungry teenagers!

Keep it up I say.
Kind regards
Slowdown:)

DedicatedDFW

Slowdown wrote: »

Hi
Sounds to me like some of your purchases will save money in the long run and that's a good thing. It's tempting to say no to a bargain like the meat when it's not on the budget but it is a massive saving and will not go to waste. If you hadn't bought it you would need something else instead and it would likely have cost more.
I bought a loaf for 10p and 5 doughnuts for 9 p today in mrT. Great for filling the tums of hungry teenagers!

Keep it up I say.
Kind regards
Slowdown:)

Well Done on the bargains Slowdown - I know i shouldn't worry about getting good food bargains - but i aslo know i can do too much of that and end up with overflowing cupboards - hence the 'use up' strategy this year

DedicatedDFW

Hello all

My computer decided to stop working again yesterday and i gave up trying to get back on here.

I am pleased to report i didn't spend anything yesterday either :j

I did make my little overpayments and also went in my purse emptying various coins to various jars And i was so pleased when i did this i thought i'd like to overpay quite a bit more. Which i can't do if the bay of e / food shop is subsidising my spending

So i've decided between today and tomorrow go through all my new purchases, see how much i have spent exactly and work out what i will return. I *do* have a spending money budget now and the clothes need to be paid for from this. If i spend it all on clothes then that is fine - this money is there for me to just spend on what i want and is not for any overpayments I am happy with this decision as my 'me' spends will be being used for what they should be being used for and theni don't need to fee guilty about maybe buying a £35 dress for £5 I am finding it hard to get used to having spends but i think doing this will help :T

Xmas / Birthday gifts - current budget £0. This is also supposed to be squeezed out of personal spends (until the end of the year when i have my savings set up to cover this).
I *have* started savings for xmas - which is to come into play at the end of the year - basically if it had been in place before i'd have had a balance to work with now :cool:
I am going to go through all the gifts, ensure these are correctly split between each person and bag up any returns ready to be refunded :T

I did spend more money today £5 on me and £2 on a gift. The £5 covered jewellery and accessories which were £30.65 at full price :eek: And the belt i got is to go with an outfit i have so i know it will get worn loads - and i have never seen one so cheap in this style But i am still at spending the money.

I also added to the birthday stash spending £2.75 on 10 items.

MS today - i have frozen some uneaten pies / pasties £0.38 for 5 :T
I have taken a packed lunch to work

Walked to the station even though i had a very heavy bag to carry home

Transferred cashback money to various pots

Drank water instead of hot drinks all day

I have also started to save towards the xmas food shop with the little stamp book thing - if i am cutting the shopping down each week then i should have a little spare for this and this will again free up money at chrimble time.

DedicatedDFW

Oof! I was very hungry and finally had tea :T nice and easy jacket potatoes but they take a while to cook - i am still hungry though :eek:

I've looked for a new job having read all requirements can see the position i thought i could apply for is unsuitable. Will check again end of week / next week.

Might be hungry due to tiredness as i had a terrible nights sleep - i would say i really didn't get any sleep at all and looked and felt dreadful all day :eek: Hoping this means a deep sleep tonight as the assignment is pressing!
Might be coming down with something though as i can't seem to warm up and as soon as the heating is off i get cold I don't want to have the heating on as much as i have been as i want to keep the bill down if possible.

As part of sorting out purchases for return i may finally get around to decluttering the dresses section of my wardrobe - as i only have about 5 dresses left this may not be very productive for bay of e listings x

DedicatedDFW

Feel a little better in my mind now i've made a list i've gone through my credit card statement - for the 2months I am within budget on personal spends *if* i keep everything as i also had the little xmas money boost :T The plan of course is not to keep everything

Gift purchases are less than i calculated at the weekend - bought clothes and gifts in the same place - now split down gift purchases are less than i had thought :T Still need to sort out what is being returned.

Plan is - do all returns by the end of the week :T

Get money from family member for what they are taking & pay straight to card. Pay spending money straight to card to correct amount - depending on what i'm keeping

Keep a note of personal amount spent on gifts - take out of spends from march onwards as this is where the money should be being paid from

Need £20 spends in my purse for february.