NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

Kerry_Woman

Hope it is not too late to join. Have trying to be frugal for the past few years, but can improve. Did manage to do some decluttering to the recycling centre and 2 charity shops this week. Failed this week in buying more toiletries, as I am trying to use up the ones I have in the flat. I still dye my hair.

fairy3

CAFCGirl - Well done and you would be more than welcome but glad your sorted and the gifts sound lovely. There are lots of free graphics here :
http://thegraphicsfairy.com/category/christmas/ and not only christmas themed, I have used some for jam jar labels and a chair I 'upcycled' they are themed and vintage.
Am staying away from the shops on 'mad friday' and planning a declutter and cleaning cupboards out to sort out food to take to my sisters as she is hosting xmas lunch so am 'adding' my contribution. Really fancy making some salt dough so may have a look for this evening. DD has offered to clean the kitchen with me so we are going to play our fave tunes and get scrubbing.....

Dinner will be a hearty stew with lots of root veggies and yorkshire puddings which can be eaten whenever as its so forgiving, any leftovers will be thinned, orzo pasta added and made into a soup for tomorrow with crusty bread.

Love the idea of getting 'fit for free' in 2015 and am going to fish out my walking boots (two pairs) to see if they are worthy of another year.

Happy to be having fun and NOT BUYING IT!

katkin

Ahoy shipmates :A

These posts are so inspirational and supportive. Loving it and it looks like a lot of us are "revved" up already.

My no-poo shampoo experiment didn't work out well. Thankfully I didn't buy anything so try it out, just used stuff already in my (baking ) cupboards. I don't think its for me, my hair is too greasy and I have "sweaty" head due to the menopause...

This has made me reluctant to try the HM deodorant as it would mean buying new things in and the price of organic shea butter is :eek:

For quick, easy homemade Xmas pressies what about making supermarket shopping bags? Here in Scotland we're charged for all types of bags now so using cloth / recycled ones is crucial. Is this the same in England and Wales? You can use re-purposed material, old clothes etc. As long as the handles and bottom are well stitched they're really handy and of course customised

Hubs and I are off to a xmas social tonight - our only one of the season. I'll be wearing charity-shop / old items dressed up with jewellery from the bottom of my box that's I've "tweaked" and a big wool embroidered scarf in an interesting new way (bless pintrest). We've been discussing how much money to take as we don't have much. So far we're talking a tenner each!

Can you do a "big" xmas night out on £20? :cool:

Keep up the good work ship mates

purpleshoes_2

Wales its 5p for a bag, England its going to be from October 2015

Can you do a big Christmas night out on £20? Of course you can. I dont spend a fortune on nights out as I dont have it. Ive been known to spend anywhere between £3 and £10 on a night out, mind you Im in Lanarkshire where the height of sophistication is the local spoons.

katkin

purpleshoes wrote: »

Wales its 5p for a bag, England its going to be from October 2015

I think Ireland already do it too. It's taken a bit of thinking and being organised about but I'm building up quite a nice collection of my own bags Someone actually pinched 2 out of my shopping trolley in Aldi :eek: was gutted as they were "special" ones...

Can you do a big Christmas night out on £20? Of course you can. I dont spend a fortune on nights out as I dont have it. Ive been known to spend anywhere between £3 and £10 on a night out, mind you Im in Lanarkshire where the height of sophistication is the local spoons.

I'm going to say straight away we can’t afford to put into a "kitty" and will buy our own - hopefully that doesn't sound cheap (it's true!!!). There's a raffle, quiz etc for fund raising so we want to participate in that. But yeh, I agree £20 should be plenty! It's a free do' with buffet laid on (SNP thing), so no pricey dinners etc. We hardly go out so I'm rather excited but intent on being frugal too :cool:

We're actually donating an expensive bottle of champagne that was gifted to me from a project at work. I'd be keen to know how many times that bottle is re-gifted and the amount it makes for good causes as its doing the rounds :T

purpleshoes_2

katkin wrote: »

I think Ireland already do it too. It's taken a bit of thinking and being organised about but I'm building up quite a nice collection of my own bags Someone actually pinched 2 out of my shopping trolley in Aldi :eek: was gutted as they were "special" ones...

I'm going to say straight away we can’t afford to put into a "kitty" and will buy our own - hopefully that doesn't sound cheap (it's true!!!). There's a raffle, quiz etc for fund raising so we want to participate in that. But yeh, I agree £20 should be plenty! It's a free do' with buffet laid on (SNP thing), so no pricey dinners etc. We hardly go out so I'm rather excited but intent on being frugal too :cool:

We're actually donating an expensive bottle of champagne that was gifted to me from a project at work. I'd be keen to know how many times that bottle is re-gifted and the amount it makes for good causes :T

I don't do kittys either, cant afford to. I was out at an end of bootcamp night out a few weeks ago and people were shoving tenners in the pint glass left right and centre for the kitty, I just can't Im broke, plus I had my boxercise training the next day so I had two tiny glasses of mulled wine and that was me.

I'm an SNP member too, joined after the referendum, haven't been able to make a branch meeting as I work on a Monday night but have frozen my bahookie off delivering leaflets in my local area and also managed to get tickets to see Nicola Sturgeon speak at the hydro a few weeks ago.

katkin

purpleshoes wrote: »

I don't do kittys either, cant afford to. I was out at an end of bootcamp night out a few weeks ago and people were shoving tenners in the pint glass left right and centre for the kitty, I just can't Im broke, plus I had my boxercise training the next day so I had two tiny glasses of mulled wine and that was me.

I'm an SNP member too, joined after the referendum, haven't been able to make a branch meeting as I work on a Monday night but have frozen my bahookie off delivering leaflets in my local area and also managed to get tickets to see Nicola Sturgeon speak at the hydro a few weeks ago.

:cool:
There's a lot of "newbies" and momentum gathering again . Opps sorry that's def off topic for this thread.

Agree, a social event should be moneysaving too wherever possible. Keeping a quality of life can be done on a budget!

Nice to say hello to a fellow Scot purpleshoes.

Slowdown

AHOY THERE SHIPMATES!!!!

HAVE I GOT YOUR FULL ATTENTION???

GOOD, good. I can stop shouting now.

Now I am sure you have all heard of the shoebox scheme where folks like us fill a shoebox and it gets sent overseas for a child to unwrap. Well, I think you should all take a peep at this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZLgFQFggMw

Itis entitled '90 seconds of joy' and that is exactly what I experienced watching it. Make sure your sound is turned up, watch their faces carefully and you will understand what giving a simple gift is all about.

Enjoy
Slowdown:)

Slowdown

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

I really hate this month, we went out today, hit a pothole and it took the tyre out, and when DH went to replace the tyre he found that the spare needed pumping up so we have to go and buy 2 new tyres tomorrow, bye bye another £100 :mad:
The bathroom and kitchen have got to be done after the pipe burst as well, I just want to cry

Please do if you need to, it all sounds pretty rubbish to happen just before Christmas.

But us sailors are always armed with a mop and will soon wipe those tears away. Please try and watch the video I linked in the previous post. I know its not always useful to hear someone say that things could be worse but it may well bring a smile along with those tears.

Kindest regards
Slowdown:)

purpleshoes_2

katkin wrote: »

:cool:
There's a lot of "newbies" and momentum gathering again . Opps sorry that's def off topic for this thread.

Agree, a social event should be moneysaving too wherever possible. Keeping a quality of life can be done on a budget!

Nice to say hello to a fellow Scot purpleshoes.

I used to go out a lot, around 20 years ago, maybe a bit more with a mate and I got friendly with her family too, we drifted but I still see one girl around and she invited me out over christmas. They drink vodka, lots of vodka, I dont have the tolerance for it these days (not that I ever did), but they always had a drink or few in the house before going out. Am sure I did with my pals as well in my teens

I stopped drinking earlier this year, but ended up having a few now and then, but after new year when I do the next bootcamp I do as a participant I am going to give it my best and that means no booze for 8 weeks, but I will do it.

I actually find it harder being out and about and not drinking, when Im in the house it doesnt bother me (forget that Im sitting going to have a vodka in a wee while)

The price of drink in some pubs is astronomical. In my home town theres a spoons and there are some pubs associated with certain football teams, I dont go in them, but the cheapest glass of wine is £2.90 for a large and that is really cheap.

But travel 20 miles to Glasgow, my goodness, some city centre pubs Ive almost fallen over when people have told me how much a pint has cost. £6 or so and thats probably cheap compared to some UK cities

No wonder people stay at home if they want to drink some alcohol.

I used to be a member of a meet up group that a girl ran in the next town and she was a holiday rep and she was saying that when she was home on her winter break she spent 2 grand in 3 months!!!!

I dont spend 2 grand socialising in a year, or two, or possibly 3.

Sometimes I think Im happy skint, because if and when I do start making more money, I'll still be careful with it, I wont throw it at stuff just for the sake of having stuff. One thing I also dont do anymore is taxis, Ive been in a taxi twice this year I think and that was necessity both times.

Nice to speak to you too, enjoy your evening.