NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

vulpix

CAFC girl,when I was a young woman I wanted to change the world so tried my best by training as a nurse and social worker.When I had my family I realized that the biggest influence I could make on society was how I raised my children.You are doing the same,raising a caring human being who will go on to raise his own children in the same way.What could be better?

Grey Queen,onions! what sort of depth of soil do they like? I would like to get some planted in some old emulsion tubs with holes drilled.I will keep an eye out in aldi for the sets.

We havn't had christmas yet.Husband worked today.All family now present and correct and it has snowed!!!!!!!!!!!how fantastic.We also have a house guest,a colleague of my husbands who lives miles away and is snowed in here.

Middle son went into manchester today and said it was horrible.

I would like to buy a few cards for next Christmas but I wont be going out of my way for them.As I reuse paper I will not need any for years.We were talking today and have decided that next year we will either have a secret santa or everyone has to have a gift from the £ shop.

Some of us will go a walk in the morning,just down the lane and back,we will then collect Grandma for bacon butties and bucks fizz whilst we open prezzies,Dinner and chocolate frenzy.

I enjoyed going for a curry on Christmas day and so did hundreds of other people but I am enjoying having everyone here more.

several people have mentioned weight loss.I have done it with the same method i use for spending money.I just ask myself if i really need it and if its worth it.works for me.Too much food is just a burden like too much stuff.taken me many many years to learn to do this though.

I am enjoying this thread.

I am looking forward to 2015.

Vx

debtmess

Permission to board ship please. Used to use this site a lot but family life means I lurk more now.

This year we cut back drastically for Christmas and by shopping around our 7 children (ok 1 is a baby) were happy with their lot, we asked them for a small list and managed to get the things they asked for without breaking the bank(Amazon and eBay mostly) using clubcard vouchers (sorted babe for £3.50 which was postage) and just looking around before buying, only hit the high street for a few things) this coming year I will be starting early and already have a few things tucked away.

Did hit town this morning mainly as step daughters wanted to look and spend xmas vouchers. Spent grand total of £24 £20 of which was birthday money to spend on lush (love their sales) DS kindly brought me a gift set (he is 11 and super frugal already in fact family joke he is tight, whole new story) so sorted for the entire year for bath/body/hair between that and christmas. The other £4 was spent on top of a voucher bubba received back in July on 4 outfits ready to go in wardrobe for growth her other voucher went on 3 sets, 3 sleepsuits 3 vests and tights from the next sale, along with sets brought for Christmas and items kindly given by a lovely friend dd is sorted until she hits 18 months .

Still have vouchers for various places to 'spend' tempted to use one for an upcoming birthday in form of a gift I know they want (hmmm is this considered tight) and one voucher will be used on paint and photo frames to give front room a 'makeover' we received quite a few various photo frames as presents (our choice when family asked) so our revamp shouldn't cost a thing.

Saving for next christmas food shop is covered, dh has a reward credit card we use this for everything rather than debit cards and cash but it's paid in full each month so no interest just points which can be used for various vouchers/experances and so forth. Having been badly in debt a good few years ago I personally hate the credit card but it's under strict use and we do not generally dabble in credit, we have a car on finance (needed 9 seats) and our holiday home (which we sublet covering over half yearly costs and 3/4ths of it was paid outright)

Only thing I would love to buy is a simple sewing machine (any suggestions?) something I can use to alter some curtains dd needs curtain tape on hers I also need to shorted a pair and for simple jobs like trousers coming down(hems) altering clothes (jeans to shorts) and such forth. Also need a new tumble dryer but aiming to utilise space to hang more out.

Going to try and 'save' the carpets its a rented house but carpets are approx 12 years old and not wearing thin just flat wondering if a good deep clean will make them a tad fluffier, already made dining room table look a lot better with a sand down and pot of clear varnish (top is natural now legs and chairs stained pine but it works)

Have to let go of some of dd's stuff there will be no more babies so items finished with I really shouldn't be hanging onto but I dislike ebay full stop.

Off for a read before I send everyone to sleep

Busymumofthreeplusdog

Wow! I've finally got to the end of this thread. It's taken me about a week, with tonight being out a 3hr session! So much inspiration my head is buzzing. I did spend more this Christmas than I intended to. I did get each item for the cheapest price and went through cash back sites where applicable. We had a Lid! Christmas dinner but we still bought too much food, even for 5 of us!! So it's left overs again tomorrow.

I love the idea of NOT BUYING IT! I definitely want next Christmas to be much less influenced by commercialism! I love the idea of home made and some gifts were baked, brewed. I even went as far as making lavender oil but it's still sitting on my kitchen window ledge......

I definitely want to change things in the coming year. Hubby has retired and now works part time, pleasing himself mostly. I work for the NHS and the changes in the pension scheme mean I won't get as much as originally anticipated. I've worked partime for so long now bringing up the kids that I wasn't expecting huge amount anyway. With hubby retiring we were able to pay off half our mortgage. I desperately want to pay off the other half ASAP so that I can consider reducing my hours or changing jobs completely. Changes in my personal job mean I do not enjoy it nearly as much as I used to. Too much going to meetings and far less direct patient work.

So with that in mind can I please join in? I won't post much, I'm a bit of a lurker but will follow avidly. OH is partially on board, usually keen for me to handle the money as long as there are some treats.;) :beer: I've made him promised that we will sit down and look at our finances before the new year:eek: it's a start!
Looking forward to hearing how every one gets on.

Coulddobetter

Had a NSD yesterday. Took the dog for a walk at the seaside, we had a picnic and took flasks. It was great to be in the fresh air. It was cold but not wet. We did the same last year and it was so good. Family have gone back to work so we are on our own so it has become a new tradition.

I just don't know why we have to start the sales on Boxing Day it would be so nice for families to have 2 days off.

When we got home we had trifle from yesterday which was lovely. I thought about looking at the sales but we really do not need anything but it is hard not to look ....:o

Love Could do better xx

fuddle

So really proud of my DH... he has come along way let me tell you!

I sit here, typing away to you, very snugly (and also looking like a big fluffy yeti!) in my Christmas gift from DH - a onesie. He confessed last night that my onesie had been on quite a journey. He had picked it up from a supermarket at a reduced price as it had a hole under the arm, and being cream, "looked like it had been kicked round the store a fair bit!" He bought it at a reduced price, bunged it in the washing machine, dried it, , stitched it as best he could, wrapped it and gave it to me for Christmas. I had no idea to look at it.

See, I love my onesie more, my DH's efforts more and appreciate my gift more because it's been given with thought and effort... albeit frugal thought but I like that. Not everyone would understand mine and DH's thinking and I suspect many a wife would be horrified at a gift that has already seen the innards of the washing machine but not me. Well done that man

GreyQueen

emslovesmickey wrote: »

I couldn't believe some of the stuff I've read on here today about parents going into debt and risking homelessness so their kids get expensive presents..

I hear it several times every year and I'm one of a team of customer service peeps, so I don't imagine these calls make their way exclusively to my phone. Other lame excuses heard from parents for not paying rent include funding children's birthday parties, fer cryin' out loud. These excuses will be itemised in a court of law at the possession hearing................

fuddle, I like the story of your onesie, and isn't it proof that your joint frugal journey with OH is worthwhile. Singing from the same hymn sheet, what could be more loving than that?

vulpix, onions don't require a lot of soil depth as they heave themselves up out of it as they grow, so they stand proud of the soil level by 50%+ of the size of the bulb by the time they are full-grown. You plant them in dibbled (or finger-prodded) holes just deep enough so that the top of the bulb pokes out of the soil. Their roots are only about 1.5 inches long. But they are heavy feeders so will need good rich soil; it's worth reading the instructions on potting composts as some of them are specifically designed to only provide a certain amount of weeks' worth of fuel for growing plant and onions will be growing from early Spring until mid-late Summer [- you lift them when the tops have died off and dried out.

Chrisblue, we did get our gravel pit walk, but on a mildish day not an iron frost, but it was still very interesting and we saw 8 herons, which was a treat (you may gather that I am neither a fisherwoman nor a fish-pond keeper by my admiration for these birds).

Righty, the kettle's boiled so time for brekkie. Might head out for milk today and possibly library books, if it's open today.

VJsmum

Love the onesie story

I have to food shop today. Because I didn't Christmas shop for an army, I need to buy the normal weeks groceries. I confess I was going to donate to the food bank for Christmas but forgot, so,they will get a New Years parcel instead - including some chocolates I was bought for Christmas but will not eat.

Stupidly left my phone in Oxford, and MiL left her bag so OH has had to go to get them :doh:

CAFCGirl

vulpix wrote: »

CAFC girl,when I was a young woman I wanted to change the world so tried my best by training as a nurse and social worker.When I had my family I realized that the biggest influence I could make on society was how I raised my children.You are doing the same,raising a caring human being who will go on to raise his own children in the same way.What could be better?

Well I wasn't expecting some watery eyes this early in the day but I thank you, and everyone for your kind words

I am anticipating a spend today, but only if they have the exact one in store. I need a coat for the dog. He's a whippet cross so prone to feeling the cold. Pets@' currently one, but I have cash not £ in my account so cant order online so I'm going to ask DH to run me there today to see if they have them instore. :A I could do with one for him in the house (we try not to put the heating on and just load up on jumpers but this is the dog's first year with us so I kinda forgot he doesn't have any jumpers ), but I cant knit and don't have a sewing machine anymore and cant justify buying 2 from a company, and his outdoor one is more important. I need knitting friends LOL

Aside from that no spending needs to happen here, a day of tidying up and lounging around I think is in order.

GreyQueen

CAFCgirl, would it be possible to use the new doggie coat to make a template out of newspaper (taping sheets together as necessary). Then you could look for a bit of quilted fabric, remnants bin or even ask on Freecycle. The ends could be bound with tape, which is perfectly do-able as hand-sewing, just takes a bit longer.

And if you store the paper template somewhere accessible in an envelope, you could run up future dog-coats as necessary.

Well, at breakfast time yesterday, Mum was crazing about the need for me to go to the shop for milk and a few other bits, whilst she and Dad were out at Nan's for about 10 hours. But as we started on the last 4-pinter only at yesterday lunchtime, and we're only using it for hot drinks, I was a rebel and didn't go.

This morning, she had a change of heart, decided we didn't need milk and won't need it until Sun/ Monday, are OK for bread and, at my suggestion, will eat from the freezer today and tomorrow, no one needs to go food shopping.

Kid Bruv needs to go to town to dispatch a book order as it's his business, and I fancy an airing as didn't go out at all yesterday and have just found that the library is open so will go there. Am at my parents' place for the holidays, but we live in the same county, so the same library service.

Should be a no-spend day today, although I might be a little bit norty and poke into any chazzers which are open, just in case an item on my long-term wants list might be waiting for me down there.

I feel so soothed to know that the Sales are going on without me and that I'm saving a lot by the simple expedient of Not Buying It.:rotfl:

115K

I thought I would change my avatar to something more uplifting, I wondered if I could change my username too?

It was very stormy here last night and I had a very disturbed sleep. I have seen that the recycling bins blew open and rubbish is all over my street.:mad:

I had a nice day yesterday watching the Christmas films. Some of them were quite sweet.

I have looked at our finances for January and we won't have much choice as we can't spend anything extra so that will be helpful for this challenge.:D

We have a grocery delivery tomorrow that is budgeted for already. After that all we have is about £50 spending and our £300 regular grocery budget left. It would be great if we didn't need to use that £50 at all.

I'm going to look for a few new healthy recipes online today as I want to feel better in the new year. I have glass jars of red lentils, pasta and tins of beans in the store cupboard so probably won't need to buy any new all month if I plan carefully.

Minimalist wrote: »

So in 2015 I'm aiming to ditch my Amazon habit - I was really pleased to find this site which suggests various ethical alternatives, ranked according to how they treat their workers, and whether they are likely to be dodging tax:
http://amazonanonymous.org/better-than-amazon/

Hope you find it useful :beer:

Thanks, that is useful I will have a look.:)

CAFCGirl wrote: »

Sounds like a similar upbringing and subsequent result to myself. I fear my son feeling as I did as a child/teenager, suffering bullying because I didnt have the same amounts of money as my friends, or the clothes etc that they did..... It led me to being a money naughty young adult which I am still paying the price for over a decade later.

Yes, I went through that stage too, luckily this forum helped me a lot.