NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

Primrose

[QUOTE=Thistle-down;67453999

As to the other question - I think we will save at least £100 a month. We are pretty frugal anyway, but being very mindful about every penny sure makes a difference. I've already been able to make an extra £50 credit card payment with what I haven't spent this month. :T[/QUOTE]

I love it when I read that somebody has managed to pay even a small amount off their credit card or mortgage by frugal living. We paid off our mortgage early by living carefully and It was a wonderful feeling, after experiencing an earlier extended period of redundancy and anxiety, the day when that was achieved and we knew that whatever disaster might happen to us in the future, we were debt free and no bank or building society would have the power to kick us out of our own home. So keep at it everybody! One day in the future you may have good reason to be thankful for all these little economies. They do mount up over the years.

Slowdown

Piping myself onto the decks shipmates.

Ah, the weather looks fair, stores are full and rum stocks replete.

Welcome, welcome to all newcomers. No uniform necessary, no flags required. Just yourself and your good spirits, a bit of determination and a telescope. So's you can see where you're headed.

Seas were a little rough today. But that's more to do with the less than sunny disposition of a teenage boy than unnecessary spending.
Yesterday I mentioned my little find, in the shape of potatoes. Today another excellent present. Not from Mother Nature this time but from a friend. She gave me a late Christmas present and a cracker it is too. A pair of black leggings with furry insides!!!! I love them, I love them, I love them! They are soooo soft a warm, it's a tip top treat for a chilly day. What a lucky girl I am!

NC6NH -
I won't know for some time how much my NBI year will save me for some time yet, but I am pretty sure it will be a bit. I am hoping to save towards holidays for the family, even though they are big enough and ugly enough to do their own thing now. ( and they are) but I would like to take them away for a few days next Xmas if I can afford it. Depends whether I have a job or if I've thrown in the towel by then.

I'm off to a meditation class tonight run by my friend. It's free and I get a cuppa and a biscuit thrown in. Marvellous.

Here's to a peaceful evening to you all. And for all those who need it, may the seas of healing kindness wash over your troubled times.

Kind regards
Slowdown:)

Thistle-down

Just received my £31.02 credit from Amazon for the River Cottage books. The funny thing is I bought them a few years ago from The Book People and I'm sure I didn't pay more than £20...

:rotfl:

mrsscattercushion

Ahoy there!

Still trying to catch up with the older posts as there is so many good ideas and support i don't want to miss.

I'm still signed off work and the work OH was due to start via an agency got pulled at the last minute, so he's still waiting to start his more permanent job. Luckily we've saved for these choppy seas but it would feel more secure with at least 1 wage coming in...least it means the house renovations are coming on..

So I'm doing what I can to support him. Only spends today have been for food bits ~ I call it Yellow Sticker Tuesday as this seems best day of week for our C0-0p, so picked a few bargains up and have finished planning rest of week's menu. No more shopping required.

I do feel like a lot more than my age today ~ house is freezing whilst plaster is drying out (open windows and no heating) and my fibro is playing up, so have been sat with a heated wheat-bag on my foot (one source of the pain), a blanket around my legs, 2 cardigans and a hot water bottle.....

Look forward to being able to light the new woodburning stove again in a few days time :-)

I_want_a_baby

Does anyone know if waitrose do good reductions and if so the best time to go?

I am planning on only doing a weekly shop on a Tuesday but if I did NEED something mid week I'd like to time an extra visit with a chance to find a bargain or two...

IWAB x

P.s snowy seas tonight and stormy seas tomorrow expected here, good job we can snuggle down, eat to our mealplan and not need to go out :-) xx

Ches

I can put away £1000 per month if I keep to budget. Last year I spent average of £131.70p per week which covered everything except bills. ie, food/clothes/presents etc. This year the budget is £100 per week to cover all of that so NBI is key. Of the £1000 per month I am going to pay off the 4k of cc debt that was spent on the house plus another £1500 to get everything finished. Holidays have been booked and will be another £3500 (includes a cruise which is why its high) leaving me with about £3k to add to savings. I should add that I am elderly with no mortgage and its only since then we have had so much disposable income. Honest Captn I don't want to sound boastful I am just a poor Able Seaman at heart.

smileyt_2

I don't think I'll save much - my only non-essential expenses were a monthly craft magazine and a bi-monthly takeaway, so I'll probably only save about £120. Still, that will pay for Christmas. As I'm only on about £800/month there's a limit to the economies I can make as I'm pretty much budgeted out anyway!

Ches

I hate my last post as it sounds awful when I am on a MSE site. I have had lots of hard times and when my marriage broke up I was working up to 70 hours per week to keep me and the kids. OH and I have occupational pensions as well as the OAP and thats why things are better now.

smileyt_2

Ches I hope you don't think I was having a pop. Everyone's circumstances are different and I'm sure no-one is judging. If you have worked hard all your life (and 70 hours/week is madness!) then enjoy the reward you have reaped :beer:

ETA I think I'll be better off when I get to pension age too, although that's a looooong way off yet!

GreyQueen

(((((Ches)))) don't feel you have to apologise or explain yourself. We're shipmates here, and pals.

I couldn't save £1k because I earn £900, but I would if I could, but I'm about twenty years's shy of pensionable age. My parents live pretty comfortably in their long-paid-for little house, with their state and company pensions. But there were times when it was terrible and they had to raid our piggy banks as wee kids to buy the coal.

Lots of people are comfy now but with vivid memories of hard times, but the skills you learned then stick with you, don't they?