NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

greenbee

SmarterNotHarder wrote: »

Hi!

I lurk on this thread semi regularly as I love the concept but I can't seem to commit! *rolls eyes* Any way, in the complete opposite of the NBI concept, I've gone and bought a car. Mostly because I need to be confident driving before I *have* to.

What I want to know is what sort of things are essentials to look after it/be safe in it if I get stuck? From blanket and windscreen sponge to the big stuff. I'm intending on buying as little of this stuff as possible as most needs will probably be filled between Stuff I already have and dad the hoarder who will have multiples of many things, but I don't want his kind of clutter...

Emergency triangle (there may not be one in it as they're not supplied as standard on a lot of cars now (all helps keep the weight down for fuel efficiency tests), torch, pen and paper, phone charger that works from a cigarette lighter, spare oil and screenwash, duster/microfibre cloths for cleaning inside windows, rags for wiping outside of windscreen. Bin. Change for carparks.

[Deleted User]

Good evening chums, well we arrived at our holiday house, and its quite nice,lots of room and very well equiped. After dinner we had a stoll down to the front at Cowes and listened to the free band playing there. Took the dogs for a nice walk by the shore and wore them out .

DGS Ben's girlfriend Katie is really joining in with the family and enjoying every minute. As the eldest of eight children 7 girls and a very small baby brotherr, mucking in with Ben and his three younger brothers is a doddle for her.the younger boys treat her like a big sister and tease her, but in a very gentle way.

DD and the boys and her are going sea-fishing next Wednesday, hopefully to catch dinner for us:)

I am so pleased that I've got my lap-top and I can keep up to date with what's going on:).Weather is warm and forecast to get warmer as the week goes on.

just going to pour a glass of vino and sit on the very long comfy sofa with my feet up and my book for awhile The family are playing a very noisy game of Monopoly at the moment.
Hope you are all enjoying the warmer dryer weather.I was glad to get an early start today as the M3 is full of roadworks
Cheers chums
JackieO xx

RicardaRacoon

Evening everyone

Hope everyone is fine and I hope noone got water in the house from the torrential rain in Sussex on Thursday!

Back from holidays and it was lovely! We went for long walks, went swimming, did some shopping and just enjoyed beach life in a deckchair with our books. I wasn't even too bad when it comes to shopping. Bought some crafting stuff (including a cross stitching pack reduced to £1.49...!) and supplies for christmas presents, some books and some cosmetics which I can't get around here. And a very lovely dress.

Had a very lazy day today but managed to unpack everything and get myself sorted for the new week to start. Our new aprentice will arrive tomorrow, fresh from school, probably without an idea of how to pick up a phone or write an adress on an envelope (don't laugh, I once had one who had no idea how to write a date or how to adress a letter and he used a persons family name to establish if the person was male or female... "Oh, is this Mrs Smith? Smith sounds so male to me. Ah, she is called Rose...")
So I'm not massively looking forward to have him in my departement right at the beginning, but well, will make the best out of it...

Jackie, your holidays sound lovely! Enjoy it!
Also to everyone else who has holidays!

Re telly. I don't have one and I rarely miss it. I do watch a lot of stuff on youtube or I buy DVDs or get them from the library. The only thing I sometimes miss are good documentaries or costume dramas, although a lot turn up online or on DVDs anyway. We never had a telly at home and I still sometimes get asked how I spend my evenings without watching tv.... Hm, aren't there any other things to do then?

Have a nice evening everyone!

pm2326

Well I did it....went to Edinburgh for the day ON MY OWN :T

Feeling really pleased with myself!

I had breakfast at a local cafe, walked the royal mile from castle to palace and back again watching the festival performers, then wandered round the national gallery looking at the amazing paintings.

It only rained for the last half hour before the train was due so went back to the station, bought a hot chocolate and people watched for a while

I'm home now but hips, legs and ankles are aching so a night with legs up on sofa is called for !

Aril

Well done PM2326 on your trip. It's amazing what you can do even when you think you can't!

I'm getting on well with reading back over the thread but still a way to go. Heard of funeral sandwiches for the first time ever yesterday!
Have been doing The Compact for a week now and so far so good. Wanted to buy marmalade but realised I had a tin of Mamade lurking so finally made that up instead and when we were low on pasta I dug out the box of lasagne sheets [too much faff for a reluctant cook like me to make:o] so broke them up and cooked them like normal.

I've always been a big fan of veggie meals and have gradually extended my range over the years. Managed my first Shepherdless pie last night and felafel last week- my chaps are not keen on chickpeas or lentils but these got the stamp of approval. We do still eat meat but only a couple of times a week and we're almost at the point that between Mr GBT and myself having a look when passing it's all nearly yellow stickered. It's the one way I can afford free range.

Lots of non spendy activity keeping me occupied. Have upped my slowww jogging I do so will have a crack at the Park Run again as have only volunteered recently [good feel good factor if anyone wants to be involved but doesn't want to or is unable to run] Busy making my next Morris dancing mask and spent last night sorting out some embroidery threads into related colours- I find it much easier to see what I've got and invariably I already have the right shade for a project. Stops me from buying the same again

Last night I went out for a stroll round the estate and bought back half a black bag of recycable litter- it is now residing in my recycling bin. I've got all the kit as I'm a litter picker for my street.

Was kindly given a bottle of vino this week by our neighburs for doing a few bits when they were away and one of my clients has passed over a load of cat food sachets that her cat won't touch. Humphrey will eat anything...he's a typical neutered Tom:D

Arilx

Lynplatinum

Ahoy there

Back from Nhampton Umbrella Fair/Festival (alternative music stages/ green village/ craft stalls/ spoken word stage etc) - fabulous weekend!! Because i worked at the fair I got fed for free - but the food was veggie/vegan and from the stuff that supermarkets thew out so that was good for me and for the planet.

It is a good thing that happens that you can get something back for giving your time. when I worked at a CS we got 10% off which stopped folk stealing (yes, people do steal from them!!:(:( why?)

Re stuff in a car - read on Martin's site that it is a good idea to have £10 - 20 in the car so that, should you break down or get stranded you can at least get a taxi to civilisation. Also bear in mind that mobile phones DO NOT work everywhere!

Also each month check the tyre pressure/oil/screenwash (its illegal to have too dirtier windows to see out of)/water and coolant in it. As said before wash your own car - it only takes half an hour. I do take a blanket/torch/water/nutrient bar in car when on long journey but not otherwise. I also have a kitchen roll and hand steriliser wipes so that I can clean hands after petrol/putting air in tyres.

Looking after your car each month does save money in the long run - with full tyres you use less petrol - with full oil/waters you are far less likely to break down. Also, once you drive folks will ask you for favours e.g. lifts etc. Make sure you establish from the start that you need petrol money - otherwise folk do take advantage (often without thinking about it!). Finally - enjoy your driving and use some of your petrol to do fun things (e.g.NTt houses) not easily accessible by public transport!
Frugally forward folks:A

Aril

Phew finally caught up:j Now got several more ideas jotted down in my NBI notebook and it's reminded me of more. Being frugal is second nature to me but I don't do hair shirts [see my sig!] All my choices over how we spend our money meant we were able to afford a relatively expensive trip to Orkney in June. It was a dream of mine always to visit and it didn't disappoint.

Am really enjoying picking our raspberries right now- they're all being frozen and will be made into jam when the season is over. I have a friend and a client who both have allotments and are really generous in giving me their surplus. They know it won't get wasted and I do pay it forwards. Next week it's going to be runner bean curry. Tonight I've done sweet and sour pasta which has used up all the lurking peppers and I used the zest from a tangerine and lemon juice instead of buying a lime which the recipe called for. If I do buy something specially eg cream I make sure that I have another recipe on the weekly menu already planned to use up the leftovers.

Beyond food no buying here. I am very keen on recycling so one chum had asked me to look out for a concertina style needlework box for her in the CS. After a year success at last I spotted one so she bought it and I flagged up some school uniform on freecycle for a client whose twins start at senior school next month. She asked for the items and was collecting them today:j

Thanks to this thread my nosey bone has been twitching and I've discovered that you can attend the talks for a local history group with out needing to join. I'm going to one next month for £3:beer:

Enough from me- I'm off to find out about the MM&M thread now.

Arilx

SmarterNotHarder

Lynplatinum wrote: »

Ahoy there

Re stuff in a car - read on Martin's site that it is a good idea to have £10 - 20 in the car so that, should you break down or get stranded you can at least get a taxi to civilisation. Also bear in mind that mobile phones DO NOT work everywhere!

Also each month check the tyre pressure/oil/screenwash (its illegal to have too dirtier windows to see out of)/water and coolant in it. As said before wash your own car - it only takes half an hour. I do take a blanket/torch/water/nutrient bar in car when on long journey but not otherwise. I also have a kitchen roll and hand steriliser wipes so that I can clean hands after petrol/putting air in tyres.

Looking after your car each month does save money in the long run - with full tyres you use less petrol - with full oil/waters you are far less likely to break down. Also, once you drive folks will ask you for favours e.g. lifts etc. Make sure you establish from the start that you need petrol money - otherwise folk do take advantage (often without thinking about it!). Finally - enjoy your driving and use some of your petrol to do fun things (e.g.NTt houses) not easily accessible by public transport!
Frugally forward folks:A

Thank you! That's fab Good point about keeping the levels of oil etc topped up. And yes, there are many places in the UK I really want to see, and it means I can go cammping instead of having to rely on hotels etc making some trips ultra cheap. As for lifts, well that depends. I've spent many years not driving, and I have many kind friends who have thought nothing of going "Don't be stupid, jump in" so once I get my confidence going, those people get to call shotgun

greenbee wrote: »

Emergency triangle (there may not be one in it as they're not supplied as standard on a lot of cars now (all helps keep the weight down for fuel efficiency tests), torch, pen and paper, phone charger that works from a cigarette lighter, spare oil and screenwash, duster/microfibre cloths for cleaning inside windows, rags for wiping outside of windscreen. Bin. Change for carparks.

Again, thank you, these tips have beeen brilliant.

pm2326

Evening folks

Well I finally managed to defrost the freezer today, it's still quite full but it's packs of mince, chicken etc, have eaten all the rubbish bits that were taking up so much room like fish fingers, pasties, etc

I can now start batch cooking proper food and freezing again, so i started a list of things to make before I go back to work on 1 Sept and it's currently looking like this

Sausage & lentil simmer
Liver & bacon
Chicken & dumplings
Meatloaf
Chilli
Spag Bol
Meatballs
Falafels
Curry
Lentil burgers
Lasagne
Lentil & bacon soup

This should keep me, my slowcooker and oven busy for a bit!!

Lynplatinum

Ahoy there

Nearly fell off the NBI ship today! Popped into CS that I used to run to see my friend who now manages it. Fatal!! there were some really nice thick cotton trousers in beige/cream £3 which were a good make and a nice purple top £2.50 and a set of lovely little glasses (6) £2.50 Soooo tempted!!! :eek: but I resisted - I dont need any of them!! If I loose weight I will have a whole new wardrobe anyway :j - and I already have a set of sherry glasses (not posh but OK) and only drink sherry at Christmas!

I must admit the thought of having to tell you all :A kept me aboard ship - just!! :rotfl:

Also managed to come home from L!dil with what was on my list + a punnet of peaches. Does anyone know if I can keep them in the fridge OK to stagger their ripening throughout the week? I love peaches but they all ripen at the same time - then, unless I make a crumble or similar quick they all start to go off I am trying to eat them fresh to save the old calories!!!

Nite all