NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

Lynplatinum

Ahoy


Jackie O it looks like you have got a bit of a gem of a handy person there. Clearly your neighbour does not know how penny - wise you are but just thinks that you are a well off person because you pay for a gardener!! LOL
My neighbour also does nothing with their garden - it looks a tip and encourages weeds to plant themselves in my garden GRRRR! My garden is not perfect but still!!


NIB today - resisted the temptation of popping into the Co !p to grab a sandwich and waited till I got home (1/2 hr later) and ate a sausage that I had already cooked and some salad - healthier too :-)


Have a good day folks!

mrssnowy_2

I have lovely neighbours,they all speak -but sometimes I have to hide if I am in a rush-or I will never get there!
NBI day as I only went over the step to put a bag of stuff in the car ready for the CS.Mind it was pouring with rain.
Tidied under the stairs and made dishcloths!
Very sad but for years I have cut up old towels and zigzagged round them on the sewing machine.Piles of the little blighters under the sink,used for spills,dishcloths and facecloths for grandchildren(they call them 'nanny flannys').
Started doing it when I kept buying wrong ones-too big/too small/too thin/rubbish material,now they are just right.
Oooh that sounds a bit like Goldilocks-doh
I never buy dishcloths or kitchen roll,but I have never worked out if I save money.
Weird meals today-elderly soup for lunch then fish out of the freezer and HM/SW oven chips for tea,there is nearly an empty drawer in the freezer. DD2 and fav oldest GS will be coming soon,so that will help that along as well.
Night all
mrss
x

[Deleted User]

mrssnowy I spent quite awhile last year stripping the frill off a fitted sheet that was past using (you could shoot peas through it as it was so thin and worn )the savalgable bits I used to line a wooden box on top of some quilted material that holds all my wool(old toy chest of my childrens ) the frill I cut into rectagular pieces and sat and hand hemmed the lot and use as cleaning cloths.I must have about 20 of these things and they are brilliant and when get past throwing in the washing machine for cleaning they eventually get binned.What my neighbours think of my lavender checked cotton squares hanging on the line, god knows .I have three or four that I keep just for window cleaning and another half a dozen for washing down the wooden units in the kitchen. Useful, as when mucky they all go into a quick wash in the machine and dry quickly on the line.The only bit of the redundant fitted sheet I got rid of was the very thin middle bit as it really was past fixing :):)
I do try to recycle as much as possible .At the moment I have my collection of wooden spoons of various sizes standing upright in a square bottle that used to hold caramalised onion chutney.
Frees up some space in my cutlery drawer and looks quite nice on the window ledge.I also have a row of these square bottles with the monthly amounts that I have to pay out in cash for various things ,window cleaner £6,gardener £24 (twice a month )History group £20, Quiz night £8.00.I get all the cash at the begining of the month and put into the seperate jars so I don't have to think about if I have the right change or not.I also have a little jar that I keep odd left over coins in that come in handy for charity envelopes that come through the door. Keeping my payment cash seperate plus I have a seperate purse for food budgets means I keep track of my spending habits .No way can you get tempted to spend .I rarely carry much cash on me at all, a small float in case of emergencies.No 'mad moments ' for me :):)as Lyn says I am quite pennywise

Lynplatinum

Ahoy there

I too make rags! When I broke my leg last year (lorks you must get fed up of hearing that - but in so many ways it changed my life!!) and my friend was helping me turn out my wardrobe - she headed towards the outside rubbish bin with an old t-shirt that I had, regretfully, to realise was beyond wearing in decent company. 'Stop!' I shouted.
'Now, Lyn,' she said sounding terribly reasonable (like when Mum tells you off but nicely) 'this really has got to go its so thin under the arms - you cant even send this to the CS!'
'No,' says I, 'but I CAN turn it into rags!'
She tutted but as I pointed out - i buy perhaps one pack of kitchen roll a year (and it gets used as tissues - unless its a streaming cold and then I go all out and get balsam tissues so I dont end up looking like Rudolf!) and can throw away when too thin or totally gross!

I also have kitchen utensils in a pot - I got it from a CS years ago for 50p. A new person came to my house and offered me £50 for it!! It turns out to be a rare Portmiereon black and white key design pot!! LOL

I also have mad pots of savings all over the house and an envelope ready for my Av!n lady! In my kitchen drawer is a little ex mustard pot which has anything below 10p in it. then I have a 'century saver' - from a CS about 20 years ago (20p cos the lock does not work!) It consists of 3 tubes - one for 20ps; one for 50ps; one for £1s. When full it = £100!! I empty my purse out completely on a Friday night and put the coins into the correct place. Each Christmas and Summer hols I have £100 to spend or there abouts. About every 3 months I end up with a bag of 1ps (=£1) and a bag of 2ps (=£1) which I pay into the bank!! the silver when the little pot gets full I use for a treat/extra pint of milk/choccy biscuits! The number of times, when the kids were little and we were on benefits (and I was newly divorced) the mustard pot 'saved' us - i.e. enabled me to buy milk/2 loo rolls/tea bags/ some bread!!! While I was waiting to receive the next payment!! This was usually due to unexpected visitors making me go over the food budget - people not in my position did/do not have any idea of what impact their arrival would have on my very tight budget. I ll stop yabbering now and go to bed! nite all!!

GreyQueen

Morning all.

Lynplatinum, I use about one roll of kitchen roll every 5 years, I'm astonished at how much money some people spend on this product. I'm also an afficiando of rags and when a suitable garment dies (i.e. a nice absorbant cotton) it's cut apart and used for rags. It's sometimes sweet to bump into an old, favoured garment as rags and remember it fondly (before wiping something nasty on it).

Went to the allotment yesterday and saw that the courgettes sown in pots on the windowsill of my shed have had 100% germination. I have a couple of old shelves mounted on brackets under the shed window, inside the shed, and discovered they are a handy place to start frost-tender seedlings at this time of year. I also have another old shelf, mounted flush with the top of the doorframe, which is a space for glass jars of hardware and a few other bits and bobs below the apex of the roof.

Oh, and would like to share this devious trick, for anyone who has an apex-roofed garden shed and needs to store long things like bean canes. Get 4 large cuphooks and two lengths of something sturdy like old bag straps or bicycle inner tubes. Screw the cupbooks on the underside of the bits of wood which come down from the centre of the roof, about 8 inches below the apex, and sling the straps/ tubes between them. Do this in two points on the roof and you've created a sling to hold things up out of your way. I'm nearly 6 ft tall and barely notice the things are up there.

I've discovered that you can spend a lot of money gardening, but that it isn't compulsory if you're prepared to be a bit devious. What are your best money-saving gardening tips, lovely peeps?

Lynplatinum

Hi GQ and all

I use old milk bottles cut up and permanent marker to make labels for plants; then after my divorce - I had to buy all new tools - got most of them from car boots!! Lovely sturdy old things!; I use egg shells (crushed) to ward off the worst of the slugs; I exchange cuttings/sprouted seeds with my friend who lives down the road and with my son who is also v keen on growing his own veg (being a vegan it saves him loads of money); newly this year I attended my local gardening club seed swap/buy. The seeds were only 50p a packet and all have germinated!!! I didnt have any to swap - so I thought but my turning out of drawers today yielded some antirinum and some honesty so next year I shall go armed!! Am also aiming to take cuttings this autumn of my rosemary and lavender so I could take that also!!
So I will definitely be NBI then!!:rotfl:
Nite all

missyrichards

I was thinking of buying a new sofa but I have decided against it. It was only a cheap one but I thought I can cope with the old one.:)

agnesjr

Hello there fellow crew mates,

Have got up to page 88 of this thread. So many hints, tips and amazing passengers on board.

As I am aiming for a simple life and a more thoughtful way of NBI....partly due to choice, partly due to enforced circumstances and health....would like to share this for your thoughts.

In the last year 2 elderly relatives have passed away and 1 is in a permanent nursing home. 1 RIP was a spender and loved his life.....once he was gone his few possessions were donated to a charity shop, and he left not 1cent behind. The 2nd RIP was a saver, though also enjoyed life. Likewise his possessions went to CS with tiny momentoes chosen by relatives. The money he had so frugally saved went to his benefactors of choice...some of whom promptly spent it ( as in spent it, but bought nothing tangible), whilst others went on exotic holidays. He will be spinning in his resting place.

The 3rd nursing home person was frugal with a capital F. Think electricity bill of £20 a quarter, no car, no tv, no washing machine, no holidays etc. His frugality has resulted in him paying for all his care. He had wanted to pass on his assets to his family when he goes. Had he been less frugal, spent his money and enjoyed himself more (used to say lonely, but would not socialise as cost money) his nursing home fees would have been paid for by govt. He worked all his life

All 3 scenarios have made me really think about life, our attitude to money, what is important and being true to yourself. I am not being judgemental about the way any of these 3 people chose to live their life. Just thinking...

Ironically my enforced circumstances are giving me the time to do just that....albeit on much reduced income and health.

But am so appreciative of the health I do have, family, home.....and the really simple pleasures in daily life. One of which is a nice warm bath...oh, hope the good ship has a bath and don't have to jump into sea!

Love this thread.....thanks shipmates.

Lynplatinum

Ahoy there

Agnes jr - I know what you mean about illness giving you time to think. I realised that something was wrong because I seemed to spend all my time rushing around like a nutter but I was never better off financially nor in terms of friends etc despite all my efforts. Last year, as the folks on here know (sorry!! to repeat myself!) I broke my leg and had to spend a long while recovering (about 4 months to independence). It really showed me who my true friends were and made me realise what I could do without. Also due to enforced time within the home - how cluttered it had become over the 20 years I have lived here with unused stuff!! Also, since monies were reduced I realised fully, what I already knew - that the big companies were just out to scr!w us over. There was no honour in business (with the exception of some wonderful small businesses that employ/work with). So I very much agreed with the founding principles of NBI. And am getting more and more that way.

today for example my son's friend came round and took down kitchen cupboards and helped sort out my kitchen. It cost me £10 and he would not take anything for himself because he said I had already paid him in years of tea, cake, meals and letting him live here for three weeks when all the world turned against him at one point (poor lad - such a good heart!). So that folks helping each other out - a better way in this world :A

He was here for 5 hrs (and unblocked sink) so it would probably have cost me at least £ 200 if it was commercial time!! I m NBI definitely!
Am v tired tho cos getting all the rest of me stuff outa the kitchen was kna!kering!! (Plus mowing the lawn!!)
Sleep well all!

Lynplatinum

PS as to why did my son not offer to do this for me - he lives miles away (half a day's travel) and works 6 days a week and has a fiancee he lives with!! tho he is very caring and always in touch. Other son lives an hour away but works two jobs and has a dog to look after and does a lot for the local community - so I dont like to trouble him!