NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

115K

I have stocked up on flea treatment and dry dog food to try and make January a very low spend month. I'm feeling quite excited about this. I managed to add a tidy sum to my house move fund as we spent so little on Christmas.

I wonder why so many of us seem to be in the same mindset? It might be a result of living through the GFC or maybe just the celeb bling culture is just so off putting. I think it is very empowering to step away from the herd and do your own thing.:)

ruby_eskimo

Reading through some of the posts on here is just like having a conversation with my dad. Not that that's a bad thing! He's very much in despair of the people who overspend on credit cards just because it's Christmas, who load up their trollies with food they won't eat and drink to excess for no reason at all.

I agree that your signature GreyQueen sums up the current situation perfectly!

purpleshoes_2

I'm skint. That in itself stops me overspending although there's always room for improvement. Hopefully next year I'll earn a bit more, I'm a newly qualified pt. I do go a couple of holidays a year, but until 2013 I hadn't been abroad since 2007. I get a cheap all inclusive week to Majorca and I probably spend around 40 euros when I'm there.

Got a week last June for 210 quid. Tbh, there's not really much I need to buy, I have plenty clothes, toiletries, my social life doesn't cost me much, I have a cheap gym membership.

I just need to keep an eye on my oooh I've just had an email offer for something when I actually don't need it.

Actually, there are timed when I think I still spend too much then I'll be in conversation with other people and sometimes the amount folk spend on clothes and nights out is eye watering.

I_want_a_baby

Just had a lovely read through and catch up of this thread :-)

I just have to tell you about a couple of little achievements:

It's the 19th and both of our cars have half a tank of fuel left in them meaning it's very likely that the money left in the fuel budget can be saved :-)

Also since I last posted no more Christmas gifts have been purchased, I've done one more food shop which was fresh items only and no Christmas junk.

I am still coming in under budget and may even have slightly more than £100 to save! This has never happened. I have always overspent.

I am also eagerly waiting in to receive a parcel from a member of this thread. I am so ridiculously excited! A very kind person from here has sent me their unused kenwood chef. The prospect of making bread, pizzas, pastry, cakes and so much more is so exciting. I will be reporting my adventures using it and making my own as I use it in the new year!

I decided to send a small Christmas gift to say thankyou which I shall post later, I wanted it to be in the spirit of this thread. So I selected a book of mine with a like minded theme and a handmade item I purchased at a local craft stall.

My sister and her husband arrived home from Germany yesterday. Its so good to have them back! Christmas is going to be wonderful with them here. It's my sisters birthday today so I don't have lots of time to spare, so I shall try and update the figures over the weekend.

Also as we live in my inlaws home and they live in the attached annexe we share all the bills. We've just received the electric bill and my mum in law said I can transfer it to my name which means I can change supplier (found one that will be £130py cheaper) and submit meter readings online often. So I can keep an eye on our usage.

Must dash anyway.

Speak soon all xx

littlegreenparrot

I heard a sci fi story last week that I think would interest many of you here.

Waste not, want by Dave Dryfoos.
Its about consumerism, and takes it along to the extreme end. The amount you should consume is determined by law, and you get punished if you don't comply. Its considered your duty to consume. Really interesting, I heard it as part of a collection of Science fiction audio books downloaded on iTunes. Its a Librivox one so is free and is well worth a listen if you can find it.

GreyQueen

littlegreenparrot wrote: »

I heard a sci fi story last week that I think would interest many of you here.

Waste not, want by Dave Dryfoos.
Its about consumerism, and takes it along to the extreme end. The amount you should consume is determined by law, and you get punished if you don't comply. Its considered your duty to consume. Really interesting, I heard it as part of a collection of Science fiction audio books downloaded on iTunes. Its a Librivox one so is free and is well worth a listen if you can find it.

If that was written in the last sixty years, he has inadvertantly (perhaps inadvertantly) knocked off the work of one of the greats of the genre, Frederick Pohl. He published a short story about this called The Midas Plague in 1954 in a magazine, much later republished in one of his short story collections called Midas World.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midas_World

Nothing much changes, hey? :rotfl:

Have been out to the pharmacy, where I was delighted that a rare med was actually in stock, which it wouldn't normally be, so I won't need to go back another day, yippee.

Then I went on to browse the chazzers and talk to my Magic Greengrocer, one of the people who have the remaining 3% of the greengrocery trade which is in the hands of the independants.

He's a top bloke and we always have interesting thoughts. On consumerism, today, he expressed the opinion that things have reached saturation point, that people can really take no more. I agree with him.

I have purchased 2 carrier bags of veg for £1 and will shortly start batch cooking for the freezer.

fairy3

CAFCGirl wrote: »

Thanks ATBlonde - I found it, at the bottom of my last gingerbread coffee (woe is me)..... It might need a few £'s though to make it complete

Now where can one find cheap wool???

What kind do you need CAFCGirl, how much and what colours? I have a stash thats just sitting here - let me know and would be happy to post. I was given it by a neighbour so woud just be passing it on.
We have a Yorkshire Trading Company - bit like woollies used to be and the Original Factory Shop for generic stuff. CS do not seem to know what to charge if they have any IMO and can be expensive and an actual wool shop is so expensive.

parsniphead

CAFCgirl poundland and poundworld tend to sell wool around here. Same of the charity shops have it too.
Do you know any knitters who might have some spare.

emslovesmickey

I know I'm late but can I join? I've just put a spendthrift year as my new years resolution on my blog, so I'm hoping by being honest about what I spend there it will be the focus I need to stay on the straight and narrow, but i'd love the extra support of others doing the same thing.

Lina_T

littlegreenparrot wrote: »

I heard a sci fi story last week that I think would interest many of you here.

Waste not, want by Dave Dryfoos.
Its about consumerism, and takes it along to the extreme end. The amount you should consume is determined by law, and you get punished if you don't comply. Its considered your duty to consume. Really interesting, I heard it as part of a collection of Science fiction audio books downloaded on iTunes. Its a Librivox one so is free and is well worth a listen if you can find it.

There's a free online text version here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/30416/30416-h/30416-h.htm