NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

Kerry_Woman

Still plodding along and trying to be mindful with the spending.


The only thing I have made some head way with is the decluttering. Have finally managed to let go some things I found hard to let go of. Have taken bags to the cs and the recycling centre. Somethings had to be binned.


Still managing to get Mr A price guarantee money off coupons. It varies, but every little bit helps.

nursemaggie

Back from Malta very late last night. Have caught up on this thread and forgotten nearly everything.

Had a really good time if a little too hot. Feeling really tired today, if a little cold and missing my playmate. Lots of cuddles and playing with DGS2. It was so quiet waking up this morning without him shouting grandma grandma. Oh what a joy is the wide eyed wonder of a two year old.

It was raining when I took off from Manchester last week and it was still raining when I landed very late last night. It was nearly 40 degrees when I left Malta yesterday afternoon. When I arrived at Manchester Piccadilly nearly everyone was in there winter coats.

DS says it has hardly stopped raining since I left and it has been like winter. Met a big group of teenage girls at the station in muddy jeans, even muddier wellies and all carrying sleep mats and huge rucksacks. I presume they had been to a rock festival somewhere. They looked so Glastonbury.

Will write more when I recover from being so tired.

pinkparrott

See - read posts on here today and as a result I've shredded & frozen 3\4 of a red cabbage which I'd normally throw away ! & whilst I was down there ( my freezers in my cellar) I've made a full list of everything in it & stuck it up inside the cupboard door where I keep time & packets , I must have the basics - meat \ fish etc for at least ,8-10 meals for the four of us.
Tomorrow I'm going to empty two drawers in my bedroom & the bathroom cabinet as I keep buying toiletries I don't need (and make-up)

Lynplatinum

Ahoy All

Am tired tonight so off to bed early!! Just thought I d share story of me spreading NBI message. One of my students decided not to waste paper (he's 10) and gone through all the bits of paper in his house and filed them by colour in a set of plastic drawers that his Aunty was throwing out! As he said - now we can find paper of the right colour and so we wont waste money buying more! amazing how young they can start being environmentally friendly

[Deleted User]

LynP That's brilliant, I'm all for getting children on board.One of my DGS Henry is very good with cash and has a sharp eye for 'Road-Kill cash 'No matter even if its only coppers, he will pick them up and they go into Grannies ice cream tin for the holidays.
He has just gone out and sorted himself out with a paper round and when I asked what he will do with the extra cash he ssaid he wants to save up for two games for his Xbox and then after that he wants to start a savings account of his own to save regularly.
Bless him he is very sensible and if he comes to my house and has say a pound he will go into the Tesco metro shop and buy with the money a packet of value bourbons for him and his brothers to share also a value bar of chocolate to share and he always buys me a value packet of rich tea biscuits as he says you get lots more for you money and any cash left over he puts into the ice cream tin.He is a great believer in streeetching his cash Hmmm wonder where he gets that from;).

Today I'm going to do a mini stock-take of the cupboards and see what tinned odds and ends I can put in the big plastic lidded box for my new 'Ben Box' for my DGS when he returns to Uni in September.

I shall keep a sharp look out for stuff for him to take to save him having to spend his grant every term I make up a 'Ben Box ' for him.Cleaning stuff, toiletries and tinned food and bags of pasta and rice all help to streetch his money a bit further.
I start to scavange my cupboards first, then have a good search around in the pound shop for tinned bits and pieces over the next month or so.

NSD today as I have enough in the fridge and freezer to sort out dinner for tonight.

Still hanging on to my purse at the moment and will try to get to Friday before I go shopping I know I am down to my last carton of long-life milk so will need a new case of that plus maybe a lettuce and some fruit.
Have a good and non spending day chums
JackieO xxx

RicardaRacoon

Evening everyone

I'm pleased to report that I made it to mid-month with only spending money on groceries, a roll of bin bags, some highly needed tights and headphones as my old ones were falling apart. Well, did ordered two tshirts this week since I found that I have only one tshirts and especially for pottering-about days a tshirt and jeans are fare more practical than dresses.

pm, still online without them noticing about it? :-)

Maggie seems like you enjoyed your time in Malta!

Greyqueen in case you need a space saving method of open freezing; I take food containers, put the first layer into it, put the lid of a smaller food container or a plastic plate or whatever fits in size on top, next layer and so on. Worked fine for freezing gnocchi the last time I did it, although I pilled a bit too high so a couple of gnocchis froze to the inside of the freezer... Was a pain to get them out....

Lyn, what a clever little boy! Well, I think kids sometimes come up with the best ideas.

Jackie, I like the idea with the Ben Box!

Have a nice evening everyone! I'm off to write my groceries list for next week.

[Deleted User]

Found lots of bits for my lovely Ben in the cupboard long dated tins of beans tomatos,and a large bag of pasta and some rice plus for some reason a Fray Bentos 'Just Chicken' pie that I got him ages ago:) not Haute Cuisine but it will fill a lanky hard up student when things get a bit short and the weather turns cold chucked in the oven with a few baked beans and a couple of spuds its a dinner :):)
Weather turned out nicer this afternoon, so I took myself off to the park for a stroll,bit of fresh air does me the world of good Boys break up next week and my life goes on hold for 6 weeks .Still history this Friday and Sociology next Wednesday then that's it until September.thinking cap on for inexpensive days out with the boys
Cheers chums
JackieO xxx

nursemaggie

RicardaRacoon very amused at your gnocchis frozen to the inside of the freezer. I have two small tubs of icecream frozen to mine will have to defrost it to get them out.

JackieO I used to have a similar box to your Ben box for my DD when she was at uni. We took her a box every time we visited.

Look out for things like science days and special exhibitions they usually amuse boys for hours and of course there is always the park and as you are not too far from the coast the beach.

pm2326

RicardaRacoon wrote: »

pm, still online without them noticing about it? :-)

.

yep still here

Had an early night last night after my day of gardening at the hospice....was hard work but enjoyable! The hospice grounds are vast and they have no paid gardeners, apparently other than a young man who cuts the huge lawns and 2 men who do all the hedges, the regular volunteers only like to maintain the small borders or pots, result is a lot of over growing ornamental gardens

We managed to clear two gardens and fill 28 bin bags :eek: with weeds and such like!! The maintenance man loves us 5 women and asked when we were coming back

food spends are under control, nothing other than fresh fruit, veg and eggs since 25 June, no frozen or tinned items bought...need to buy veg and eggs again this weekend. Want to use up some of fruit in freezer and tins so not buying fresh. Also need bread but might try making some to use up the yeast & flour in cupboards. Come to think of it I also have a packet of bread mix to use aswell.

I'm trying to use some item of food from freezer everyday but have to admit it's still not creating any space. Today for example I've taken one solitary bread bun and 1 breakfast bar from freezer...tomorrow it's going to be 1 breakfast bar and 1 portion of spicy sausage soup....at this rate I may have some space for my winter stews and soups which I normally start making in November!

[Deleted User]

Soup making this morning I think .My gardener is due and he likes a mug of soup now and again. he's a lovely chap and keeps my little patch of Kent looking nice and tidy for me.:)
No shopping to do until Saturday hopefully,plenty of stuff in the fridge and feezer.

Only 30 days until our holiday on the IoW :):) really looking forward to it as we are renting a different place this year, a refurbished old theatre with a ground floor apartment Looks huge so lots of room for us all.:)
onwards and upwards chums I may try making that baked bean lasagne today that I saw a recipe of online Hopefully I can portion it up and freeze surplus
Cheers chums JackieO xx