NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

Ches

I love our coach holidays and the price you are paying seems pretty good to me. Have a great time.

bexster1975

Hello all

It's lovely to see the ship still powering on through, and that speedboats keep coming alongside to drop folk off on the ship!! I confess I thought the thread might fade away as the year progressed, but am delighted to read everyone's exploits now we are in April ( how did that happen?!).

Nothing new to report here, just busy and preparing for wage drop next month ( hopefully only temporary) but all in good shape so no worries, largely thanks to the good ship No Buy! Hope everyone enjoys holidays, decluttering working (?) or whatever else they are doing in this weeks lovely sunshine. Let's hope it's the start of a lovely summer with no tumble driers!

Have good days all

Bexster

vodkawitch1

Home now from a lovely week in North Wales at my Ds. Weather was mostly fabulous and it was lovely to wander through Conwy and take his dogs down to the beach. I drove and other Ds and dd came too so nice to catch up with them all. Frugal too as we split the cost of everything even a few coffees out.

Still got plenty in my freezer but do need some fresh stuff so will have to spend today. I will also do some sewing this evening as I want to make some baby blankets so many of my nieces are expecting this year!!
This thread has really helped me think hard before spending anything.

Primrose

GreyQueen wrote: »

rosiepup2000, my Mum had a pair of shoes put by in the cupboard for when her existing ones wore out. One morning came their chance to get into service. She walked from their house up to the garage (about 20 yards) and they felt a little strange underfoot. She attributed this to their newness.

She drove to town, parked, started walking and they felt stranger and stranger and she noticed she was trailing black rubber breadcrumbs as the soles fell apart more with every step. They were unwearable and she was passing a shoe shop and the inevitable happened........... a bloke I know had the same thing happen with his stored shoes.

A good pair of leather soled shoes might last for decades but these rubbery soled jobs definately have a shelf life, which is one of the reasons I only have one pair at a time, as I'm light on shoes and they last for years.

.

Yes, same thing happened to me with a pair of rarely worn boots. But
it can also happen with new, long stored items containing elastic like pyjamas , knickers and underpants. Nothing worse than thinking you have a good stock of new stuff only to find that when you need to use it, it's totally useless. And a complete waste of money!

suki1964

Good afternoon shipmates

The weather has finally bucked up since Sunday and we have clear sky and sunshine at last. Still nippy but no longer needing the stove lit during the day

Seems the seedlings planted out at the end of march succumbed to the cold as nothing is showing through yet. Still we have trays in the green house which are shooting up so when hubby gets home in a couple of weeks we will have more of an idea of what we hope to get growing

Working hard, not spending anything other then food shops. And that's been very little indeed. I was lucky in Tesco on Tuesday when I got there just as the double reductions were happening. Got a pile of chopped onions, stew packs and cabbages all for 5p each. So loads of curry sauce made up and a big pot of beef stew ready to be portioned up and frozen.

My shopping is changing even more. I was pretty frugal before this thread but now so even more. Lidl is my first port of call now. I'm still surprised at how much I get for my pound in there. I filled a large carrier for just £9 and that included two large blocks of butter

One of the tricks I have to talk myself out of spending for the sake of it, is to work out how long it's taken me to earn the cost. When a posh coffee is coming out at 30 mins, it soon takes the notion out of me I always used to get a coffee when in town, it was part of the shopping experience. Now I really get no pleasure in shopping as a leisure pursuit. Shopping is only to get what I need and back home

London on Tuesday just for three nights as I wanted to get the best flight prices. That's giving two full days of sight seeing, really looking forward to it. Been checking out the vouchers to see what's available but not much success with what I'm looking for. Coffees will be from mcd's, we will take our own water and if need refills when out I will pick them up in pound land. Oyster cards are loaded. Most of what I have planned is for free, but if the weather is good we will take the boat up the Thames to the barrier, pretty certain we get a discount if we show our cards

One night is going out for a meal, that's already budgeted for, the other nights will be take away which dh is paying for. This isn't ms I know but our hosts are elderly and I don't want them to have the worry and also it's a treat for them as well.

It's good to see this thread still going, even if it has slowed down a lot. It's sad that we appear to have lost a few souls, but it's heartening to see others getting inspired and climbing aboard

I didn't join in the hanger challenge because so few of the clothes in my wardrobe fitted me. They were mostly kept because they were expensive buys or had never been worn. Good news is, due to a combination of dental problems ( can't eat sweet) and this thread, I've dropped a clothes size or two and it's like I've a whole new wardrobe , all free of charge lol

Anyways I'd best crack on and get sorted ready for work. Have a great holiday Lynn. Catch back up in a week xx

Happy_Home

Evening shipmates.
I have been off work all week and have got sooooo much done in the house and garden.:j
DH & I have finished all the odd decorating/fixing stuff & we have had 2 days sorting the garden and sheds. We have decluttered loads of stuff since Jan so bags of stuff gone to new homes/charity/tip/on ebay. I now have a few veg and herbs sewn in garden so very excited about that.
Not buying it and decluttering has made life simpler for us. The house is easier to tidy and I have eased up a little on the constant budgeting.:eek: yes I know that's a bit shocking! I still budget but because we have drastically cut spending & think twice about purchases the budget is sort of controlling itself. (Does that make sense?)
The only budget that is more than I'd like (but manageable) is grocery. that is the area we seam to treat ourselves. I still shop at A!di and we have cut out 3/4 takeaways a month because I am more organised in the kitchen. So it's not all bad. :T

Hope you are all getting some of the lovely weather we are having in the Midlands.

eandjsmum

Evening all
I am busy enjoying the fantastic weather that we are having here, , have to admit to being lazy here and just sitting reading rather than digging the garden). Today I got my hair cut off - its now short instead of long. I have been trying to buy cardies for work but as I can't see anything I like I have come away empty handed also my handbag is starting to get tatty and split but I have not brought a new one.:j

GreyQueen

Morning all.

Happy Home, I know exactly what you mean about the budget controlling itself, and isn't it fantastic?

Budgetting can feel a bit of a restricting experience, as if there's a bossier version of you saying in your head You can only spend X on Y category this month, you know, missy! I'm watching you!

When the budget slips below daily consciousness, it's as it is when you learn to drive. I used to come back from a 2 hour driving lesson shaking with fatigue, I was concentrating so hard on learning my new skill. Then, as an experienced driver, I could travel for an hour, get out of the car, and realise that I hadn't been consciously thinking about the detail of the journey, the deeper brain was doing all the work with engrained skills and habits, and the surface thoughts were free to do other things. And I wasn't left exhausted by the driving, it was easy and pleasurable.

I've spent almost nothing since the start of April; under a £1 on misc and under a fiver on food. Today I shall be spending nearly £10 on a consumable gift for a special friend's landmark birthday, and I shall enjoy giving that to her this evening. I going to make the card, using a photo I have taken.

My other plans for the day involve going to the allotment and planting out some seeds which I already own, and having a visit with a friend for a natter. Nothing which will involve expenditures.

[Deleted User]

Good Morning chums, the sun is out and the sky is blue, what a glorious day today looks like being.I love this time of the year when you can get rid of the rubbish that's accumulated over the winter including all the dust, and corners getting 'bottomed out' as my old Mum would say:)

Sun definitely brings out the best in me :):).
I had to pick up a prescription on Tuesday from the Drs and walked past a junk shop and have been pondering about a small table that was for sale outside for a fiver. I didn't buy it but its been at the back of my mind since and today I shall have another look at it and see if I want to get it.It would mean rubbing it down and several undercoats and a couple of top-coats but I have just the spot for it by my armchair.One of my hobbies is renovating old furniture I think to decide, I will go there this morning, and if its still there I will buy it and if not then it was not meant for me
So far this month I have spent £1.20 of my food budget cash and am hanging on to the rest until this Sunday when I will go to W8rose with my £6.00 voucher off a £30.00 shop which should top-up my food supply with the odds and ends I need plus my fruit and veg:).
If its available the little table will come from my 'Happy Cash Stash ' But I couldn't make my mind up on tuesday or not so if its there still I will look at it closer and decide .I have stopped doing 'impulse' buys now, so if I'm meant to have it ,it will still be there :):):)
Hope you all have good NBI days still
Cheers chums
JackieO xxxx

117pauline

Sitting at east Midlands airport on our way to Barcelona. Unfortunately I have a chest infection plus a root canal problem, talk about timing.

Felt really yuk all week so not as much planning done as I had hoped but airport parking booked through tesco cupboard boost, flights and hotel through Quidco and several group one bought too. I was really lucky we got flight, hotel and parking for less than 490 for a week. Think we just timed it right to book when their was an expedia sale.

Keep the ship sailing.

Take care
Pauline