For Finally Forgoing Frittering 26 July 2014 at 4:48PM edited 26 August 2014 at 5:42PM in Debt-free Wannabe Challenges 90 replies 11.3K views

Buffythedebtslayer

Sazzie23 wrote: »

On a toting up exercise I discovered I spend one heck of a lot on fresh food for guinea pigs, however I do not consider this waste unless I throw it out uneaten. The balance there is to buy it with a long sell by date and keep checking what needs using up, but then I have to do extra supermarket shops which encourages me to fritter, so it's something I'm still working on. My current tactic is to only take £5 to the shop, but I can still fritter half that if not careful.

Do you ever find yourself eating weird vegetable combinations with dinner as otherwise they won't get used up. We had have greens for ages cos they were cheap in the green grocers. It was horrible!


Since then I have bought the bags of salad and maybe one bag of longer lasting stuff to stretch it out if I am not getting to the shops that week.


I also am guilty of buying other stuff, especially special offers on stuff when just guinea pig shopping!
Expensive little sods!

Saver-upper

Well,yesterday was a very good day-it was a No Spend Day :j.Might set aside abit of cash as a bit of a visual reminder of how much I haven't frittered so far .

Last night I sat down and had a super-scrutifying look at what I have spent money on for the last 5 months (could have gone back further,but it was already very late).Was concentrating especially on grocery spending and "frittering" spending (there is an overlap ).

We are a family of 2 adults,4 children age 5-12

March £545.75 groceries....£7.88 "popping to the shop to fritter"
April £336.08 groceries,...£31.13 "popping to the shop to fritter"
May £510.63 groceries...£64.35 "popping to the shop to fritter"
June £388.57 groceries...£46.51 "popping to the shop to fritter"
July to date, £336.22groceries...£93.91"popping to the shop to fritter

Well,I am definitely going to slash that frittering,but I am sure I could also rein in the grocery spending(usually shop at Tesco,but am now starting to realise how little I get for my money.I am planning to start shopping between ALDI,B+M,Iceland(all at the same complex) and then anything else needed go to Tesco.Also looking through the receipts,some of the "groceries" were emergency shops at the corner store,so with abit more planning I am sure I can cut alot of those out.

Thank you for joining me,guys :beer:

Sazzie23

Buffythedebtslayer wrote: »

Oh don't I mean I was wasting money on the piggies' food, I have that down to a fine art (twice a week, salad, peppers etc basics when possible), however I am resisting buying this,


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161376731666


Which would be a waste of money right?


XX

Unless they are currently living in a shoe box :eek:

Mine do have a big chicken coop outside but it needs the wood retreating so that's my next attempt at DIY typy thingys.

I have discovered that I can nick piggies peppers, and spinach to add to just about any meal, curries, stew, risotto etcetera but I also let them have our leftover iceberg as a treat. We did try buying big bag of kale, but in truth none of us liked it :rotfl: I haven't been eating too healthily lately and have out on quite a few pounds (and lost a few £££) I should try the piggies diet for a few weeks :eek:

marmiterulesok

Why do you think that they're such a difference between the 'frittering' money from March to July?There's a shocking difference...

It's true,being organised about food shopping,batch cooking etc. is not always easy.Can you make extra when preparing meals,and freeze portions?Could you make your own bread and cakes instead of buying.I am a big fan of my breadmaker.You could also get your children involved in baking.I only ever buy bread locally when I have visitors,so we can try local varieties.Could HM popcorn take the place of savoury snacks?You could maybe have a little pot of change for any food emergencies?Keep some powdered milk in the house,for when you run out of fresh milk.Maybe have some pitta bread/oatcakes in the cupboard,for when you run out of bread.

Could you set aside a weekly 'treats' fund?

I'm pleased that you like the idea of seeing the frittered money as another week's 'extra' grocery/food money.It varies a lot for me,doing that.Sometimes I use any leftover weekly budget money to stock up on storecupboard supplies,ie flour,powdered milk,tinned stuff etc.

Another thing that I sometimes do is try to make my weekly food budget last the week,plus one/two more days.So,say I have money from Tuesday to the following Monday.I'll try and make it stretch to Tuesday or Wednesday.If you can do that every week,you're also getting 3/4/even 5 sometimes,days 'extra'.

Buffythedebtslayer

Sazzie23 wrote: »

Unless they are currently living in a shoe box :eek:

Mine do have a big chicken coop outside but it needs the wood retreating so that's my next attempt at DIY typy thingys.

I have discovered that I can nick piggies peppers, and spinach to add to just about any meal, curries, stew, risotto etcetera but I also let them have our leftover iceberg as a treat. We did try buying big bag of kale, but in truth none of us liked it :rotfl: I haven't been eating too healthily lately and have out on quite a few pounds (and lost a few £££) I should try the piggies diet for a few weeks :eek:

it is a toy for their run, he makes some lovely big hutches.....for when I am debt free.......I am supposed to be moving them to the shed this holiday so they have more space than their current cage. Bit behind schedule. And yes, peppers and spinach are often commandeered for dinner!


Today's Frittering - sort of.


two placemats, extension lead, cookie cutters, funnels, toothpaste, mouth wash, baby wipes.


The extension lead, funnels and cookie cutters were for Mum. Much of the rest, well I didn't need it today! but they were all less then a pound.


Really I didn't want to go out today but had to. Could have been worse, I didn't spend any money in Pets at home - unheard of for me!


XX

Saver-upper

Think I am going to set aside about £5 into my money box because that is what I would normally have spent on frivolities while out shopping tonight.

It is OH's birthday tomorrow,so went out with kids to buy presents.I did buy them lunch in town,which I didn't mind (ie not counting in the frivolous category.Actually my 5yo didn't want lunch in town-was going to wait for beans on toast at home.By the time we got home,she and I both forgot that she hadn't eaten,and it wasn't thought about by either of us until tea-time.So that saved me some money :rotfl:).

Tonight when I went out to look for a last minute pressie so I could have a NSD tomorrow.Would normally have used the opportunity to buy some cookies from Miss Millies (read,darn expensive!).Would have spent just over £6,so will set aside £5 as a visual reminder of how good I was today :A.

marmiterules thank you for all your help.I think I know what the problem is.I was doing Slimming world for the last few years.Reached target weight just over 2 years ago,and now I go along to the meetings for socialising, free weigh-in,and to keep me on the straight and narrow.Except that a couple of months ago,as mentioned on NSD thread,I had a crisis,and as a result everything went off the rails: for a couple of weeks,there was no meal-planning,lots of snacks to cheer myself up,especially in the evenings after kids go to bed.I would either plan during the day what snacks I would have in the evening,or ,in the evening,nip to the local corner store.Doing that many nights of the week is where the increase in "frittering" spending comes from.When I am doing SW properly,of course I am not nipping to the shop for snacks.

Since starting this thread I have also kerbed the spending on fripperies-went to Co-op today and bought only a few items needed for tea,and thought "HOW MUCH for a chocolate bar?pfft-will put it in my money box instead" :money:

Sazzie23 and buffy I thought of you both yesterday when I got a text from an aquaintance of mine saying she has 2 baby guinea pigs (boys) if I am interested.Now,my kids are always at me about getting a pet "Mum,can we have a dog/cat/horse/unicorn?".I explain there is nobody home to look after all these animals while we are at work and school.But I was tempted to accept GP's.But I resisted.We are going on hols in a fortnight's time,I'd need to learn how to look after them properly,buy all the hutches,etc.We are hopefully having some building work "one day"(won't be for a long time-got a feeling permission is going to be denied for the second time ).and it all sounded a bit complicated.But I nearly succumbed.

buffy I think buying a couple of little things for your mum sounds like a lovely idea.I am sure she would appreciate it

homemademama

Hi all,

Can I join please?

I have made a massive overhaul to my spending, quite often sending my son or going myself to the local shop to buy sweets or chocolate totalling around £5 a time... This when my food budget for the week is around £40! Disgraceful

I have created a massive budget spreadsheet which starts from a few days ago and carries on until mid June 2016. Everything is budgeted for to the penny! I get paid on a Thursday so I sit down on the Wednesday and write a checklist of what I need to pay out, menu for the week and shopping list. This week I have £5 left to buy essentials until next Thursday.

I find ticking the items off as they are paid makes me feel like I have accomplished something... That and updating my MSE signature of course

I'll be watching for any useful tips, great ones so far, keep em coming!

xxx

Saver-upper

Hi,homemademama
I like the sound of a spreadsheet.Is it bad that I have absolutely no idea what it would involve,or how to do one,but I like the idea of "tinkering" with numbers.At the moment,the closest I do is write down everything I spend.
Those little spends here and there sure add up,don't they?

And I love updating my signature too.Unfortunately at the moment,anytime I try to add anything (roadkill total or NSD's,I get the message sayinf I have used more than 6 lines.Not sure how to fix that(and I am sure I have seen much longer siggys than mine).

No frittering today :j.I think knowing that I have to answer to the confessional of MSE keeps me on the straight and narrow :rotfl:

homemademama

Saver-upper what about adding up all your NSD's into one i.e NSD Oct - June 93/93, That's got to give you another line for your signature lol!

I'm just working on a spreadsheet for my mum at the minute but will happily let you have a copy if you want one. Hoping to finish it tonight so she can start the new month with it!

I am off to pay all my bills and do shopping, I have joined the extra payment a week challenge so any spare cash will go there and I simply won't have it for the local shops... Is that cheating?

Saver-upper

Thank you homemademamma.A copy would be great-I think.Sounds a fun way to tinker with numbers .

Well,no impulse/silly/frittery-type spends today.A NSD would have been good today,but there were about 5 groceries I need for meals /kids snacks over the next few days.So I went out and bought these.

Then tonight after OH got home I went out for a longer shop,with no impulse buys,and trying out supermarkets I don't go into very often.

First went to Morrisons,armed with the first of my 4 Sun "spend £10,get £5 off" voucher (I have 4 of these ).Ended up with £12.99 worth of chicken for £5.50.[STRIKE]Some tunnocks tea cakes also fell into my basket,but they were about 50p each pkt off[/STRIKE].

Then I ventured into LIDL(across the road),which I keep telling myself I am going to start shopping in.Bread was nearly half the price I buy it for in garage across the road from me,so bought a couple of loaves to freeze.Bought other groceries to try (apple juice,cheese,kids youghurt).No frittery frippery.

Then drove to Tesco to fill up on petrol,using 8p off per litre fuel-deal-points-thingy.Saved nearly £4.
So now I am planning to lock up my purse for a few days,hooray :j.

Edit:and just for the fun of it and because I can,I have put another £5 in my money-box.I am sure it would have been frittered this week if I wasn't behaving myself