NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

fairy3

Morning all shipmates for the last day of January and how well everyone has done! My month does not start until 9th so will be menu planning from store cupboards until then and report savings.
For the excited gardeners (me included) AnnieO1234 shared this on another thread https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thur-29-jan/product-detail/ps/p/premium-seed-multipack-2/ so thanks to her and thought it might help a shipmate, looks good value.
Mount Washmore being tackled here, sausage and mash for tea and my night for TV catch up as have house to myself - bliss. Might light smelly candles and get the knitting/wine out (how rock and roll!)
Have a good day all.

boultdj

Shopping done today, spent £11.50, of which OH owes me £5 back 'cause it's for his sweets for the month.
Need to think of some mini challenges for myself for febuary, I will be keeping up the press ups from the 'sisterhood of the skinny jeans' challenge I have done in January, but will drop the squat's my knee's have started to crack when doing them.
I think I will start by having a look at how many hand creams I'v got and use 'em on a daily basis I'm a devil for neglecting my skin that should free up some room in the bathroom cupboard.

ArthriticOldThing

Well I've had a slightly spendy week but not too bad and nothing unplanned or unneeded. Biggest expense was 3 new crochet hooks for a total of £5.99 for a project I want to start. The yarn has been sitting about for months :eek: so its time I got going.
Also splashed 75p on a new tip for my walking stick - WOW - big spender me. Thankfully friendly cobbler put the tip and strap on for free!
Otherwise only small grocery spends.:)
Did go out for a cheap tea with a friend hadn't seen for a while but this was within my 'treats' budget. One of my reasons for doing this NBI challenge was to allow for such treats instead of seeing money disappear to who knows where.:o
Overall its been a good month. I haven't overspent anywhere and nothing unnecessary bought. Have managed to put £50 into savings. :jI know that's not much compared to some of you but I live on a very small private pension and to me it's brilliant to have been able to save that amount.
It's fantastic to read about all your successes and achievements. Very inspiring indeed. Long may this good ship sail!

Happy_Home

Thank you all for the lovely welcome.
But where do I go from here.... the £75 grocery saving has gone in a "special pot" to overpay the mortgage. But what do I do in February? Change the budget to £225 or keep it at £300 and save any surplus at the end of the month? I suppose all savings Will eventually go to savings/mortgage, but it was motivating to see a large remaining balance. Don't want to loose momentum.

Busymumofthreeplusdog

:eek:Help! My Hoover is producing a burning smell! My pop mended it for me last time he was visiting. it's been on its last legs for ages now. Looks like I'm going to have to buy:eek:

So shipmates help me get the best value for money. I seem to be hard on hoovers they never last long, but I do tend to buy cheaply from T@sco. Saying that i did have a dyson and that didn't last very long.
So recommendations please:o
Busy x

emslovesmickey

Happy_Home wrote: »

Thank you all for the lovely welcome.
But where do I go from here.... the £75 grocery saving has gone in a "special pot" to overpay the mortgage. But what do I do in February? Change the budget to £225 or keep it at £300 and save any surplus at the end of the month? I suppose all savings Will eventually go to savings/mortgage, but it was motivating to see a large remaining balance. Don't want to loose momentum.

Hmmm - maybe keep it at £300 but the £75 as an emergency fund? Or perhaps try to beat your budget again - even if it's only by a pound? Set yourself little challenges - drop down to value brand etc.

I've spent £15.06 today - getting food for work and cat food. Not planning on spending anything else, apart from the direct debits that come out in the next few days (rent tomorrow, sky on the 3rd and phone bill on the 6th) but we will see if anything else happens.

Broomstick

I've just checked my list of non-food January purchases that were over and above my absolute basics list.

• Lightbulb (could have made do with the bedside lamp but decided not to)
• Sink plunger to sort the kitchen sink (our last sink plunger split)
• One bag of kindling (I was poorly for over a week and couldn't face being out in the cold chopping some more so gave in)
• £240 bill for the car getting it fixed.
• a cash donation to someone who was sleeping rough on one of the horriblest nights round here. I normally never give cash but I made an exception given his story and the cold.

Happy with that. Roll on February.:)

B x

eandjsmum

Afternoon Shipmates


Only unnecessary spends this month £2 on a book in a CS, Brilliant for me. Some decluttering done loads and Loads to do. This morning I went through financial file, 2 bulging files now very much slimmed down. A large box of stuff donated to CS yesterday. While I was there I grabbed some of their donation bags which I intend to fill this week.


Both the kids are ill and it is cold here so no one is venturing outside. OH is busy in the bedroom decluttering a mountain of paperwork so I wont disturb him so that I can sort out my draws.


Last week I reorganised my sock draw it looks totally different, anyway next morning when I got dressed opened the draw to grab a pair and in my befuddled sleepy state I struggled to work out what had happened.

mummyroysof3

Haven't kept a tight rein on spending as I could have but much better than previous months. I have almost enough in account now to pay all February direct debits and food shops.

Really want to cut down from £120 a week but I've stopped it creating any higher and we halfed takeaway spends. Fed up of us eating same maps all time so need to come up with new ideas

Have done a better add up of spends and £620 is where I'm at for food, toiletries, cleaning, pet food nappies and wipes argh that's loads and deffo needs a massive improvement. Please help

GreyQueen

Busymumofthreeplusdog wrote: »

:eek:Help! My Hoover is producing a burning smell! My pop mended it for me last time he was visiting. it's been on its last legs for ages now. Looks like I'm going to have to buy:eek:

So shipmates help me get the best value for money. I seem to be hard on hoovers they never last long, but I do tend to buy cheaply from T@sco. Saying that i did have a dyson and that didn't last very long.
So recommendations please:o
Busy x

Hi, Busymum, my entire extended family are in the Cult of Henry (the Numatic vacs with the smiley face) and I would recommend them wholeheartedly.

They're the ones you'll see used commercially; they're hard-wearing, there is very little to go wrong, you can wash the filter in the sink and they have the cheekiest grins.:cool:

I tend to think of cheap vacs as being a false economy. Or cheap anythings really. If you take the starting price, deduct the 20% that went to the VAT man, hazard a guess at the shop's mark-up over wholesale, and think that the manufacturer made a profit and that the item was also shipped/ trucked, and it tells you that some of this stuff cost about a fiver or a tenner to make and must be garbage. You don't get a good motor for that price, and that's what it seems that your vac has burned out.

Good luck with your next vac.

Am just returning to operational temperature after a chilly few hours up the allotment. Debated nipping into a Liddly I passed on the way home and noticed the carpark was chocka and there's nothing I particularly need and so nice not to have to thrash around inside and queue.

When I've warmed up enough to have my brain functional, I shall crunch the numbers. My rent takes one-third of my pay, my council tax equates to just shy of one month's salary per annum, and there are the utitilies which are extremely low, but there is always room for improvement.