NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

Aril

Hello. Nowt spent here since Saturday when we made a donation to charity at the Chrimble Tree Fest:j Instead I've been busy working and reading library books on Christmas traditions and folklore which is absolutely my thing. Time spent with a visiting family member has also been on the agenda and celebrating Yule with my best chums:D We exchanged small gifts...I'd managed to find 2 pagan type necklaces in the CS brand new 20p each in October. The shop had obviously been given a huge amount of stock from somewhere. Chums howled with laughter when I told them as we'd already agreed a no gift rule:rotfl::rotfl:They know me though:o

Today there's been a frantic burst of baking going on here at GBT as we've got chums coming for a light lunch tomorrow. I was out but Mr GBT has been a busy boy and has produced homemade sausage rolls, mince [using lo mincemeat my Dad made last year] pies and jam tarts, pesto flavoured drop scones, marmite straws. I don't make pastry so my contribution was cheese drops which are basically everything thrown together in a bowl and then dollops of it thrown on a baking tray:D I was lucky enough to win some unwanted mulling spices on Freecycle last month which we'll use in a bottle of homemade vino for mulled wine to serve with it. Have bought some Lidl ham, crisps, cheese to go alongside but it feels good not to have hit the frozen party food cabinet in the supermarket.

As the first of my challenges for the New Year I've joined a dry January campaign being run by our local radio station. There's an added incentive of a prize for a £500 spa break being offered. It's going to test me because my morris side are performing at two wassails next month with free beer and cider at both and a free alcoholic tipple always tastes so much sweeter somehow:D

These are ones I've got bookmarked
http://wonderthrift.com/
http://mymakedoandmendyear.wordpress.com/
http://ayearwithoutsupermarkets.com/ this one has now finished after she completed her challenge and she's set up a different one but very inspirational nevertherless
Arilx

GreyQueen

Minimalist wrote: »

GreyQueen - sorry to hear of your washer probs, how frustrating! Hopefully it will be straightforward to resolve when you get back, but most unfortunate timing. I'm impressed at your diagnostic approach, especially under Xmas time pressure - I'd have caved and rung the engineer by now

Good luck - and now I'm heading off too...

All the best, shipmates!

:xmastree:

No time for that, am outta here at 18.00.

I have to tell people how to diagnose electrical faults in my job as they call us if their leccy goes off, but if the fault is in their appliance, or their appliance's plug, and we send a sparkie - they get charged for the callout.

So you need to know where your trip switches are (the sparkies call the trip box a consumer units btw).

I'm a bit frustrated that I can't get into it now, but them's the breaks. I'll have a go at it myself because it takes me quite a bit of time to earn £60 net, and if it's something simple I can resolve myself I shall feel so proud (as well as be richer, yayy!). The fallback position is to throw money at it.

Can't think that it can be anything humungously bad, it ran sweet as a nut until it stopped for some reason. Tell ya, if I am going to have to get an engineer out, I will have the floor underneath cleaned first, lol.

The reason for getting a fresh pack of 13 amp fuses was that Mum nearly condemned a perfectly good Henry vac to the scrap heap because it stopped, she changed the fuse for one she already had, and it didn't work. I begged her to let me get some fresh fuses (51p for 4) and popped one of those in, Et voila, Henry is reborn.

Fault finding is working from the most obvious to the least obvious, and hopefully you'll get there in the end. Of course, if I successfully mend my washer in January, I shall become quite insufferably proud of myself......:rotfl:

sjprmc01

I've been reading this thread since the start!

I'm a very active 'consumer' of 'things'. It is a 'problem' and I know the reasons behind it, but it doesn't mean it stops me doing it.

Lately I've been a bit 'meh' about spending, but then I will have relapses and place an online order for stuff that is not needed or whatever.

I've just been on the grabbit and I can't believe the annoyance of some that they have missed something in a sale, surely if they wanted the item THAT much they'd have paid the price for it? I know everyone likes a bargain but it's actally saddened me to see so much frenzy about 'stuff'

Posted on grabbit about kickers sale as got a pair for eldest DD (9) with Christmas money she has been given by my brother (her uncle) it's what she wanted.

katkin

sjprmc01 wrote: »

I've been reading this thread since the start!

I'm a very active 'consumer' of 'things'. It is a 'problem' and I know the reasons behind it, but it doesn't mean it stops me doing it.

Lately I've been a bit 'meh' about spending, but then I will have relapses and place an online order for stuff that is not needed or whatever.

Do you know what drives you to do this? Is it a problem?

I just wonder where anyone would store the stuff, dust it and use it. There's only so much "stuff" you can use

Great to see you here sjprmc01 Welcome aboard the ship!

lobbyludd

a couple of ways that have cut down on the spend, spend, spend and ever increasing holiday consumer season for me are:

I don't go shopping - pretty much ever - I order stuff and food online, but it's less overwhelming on a small screen than all around me bombarding every sense so I spend less and I don't feel like christmas has been going on for ever.

I don't have TV anymore, I cancelled the cable earlier in the year in a fit of pique, got a new broadband deal (with obligatory unused landline) but haven't got round to a TV provider. I still pay my TV license as I still very occasionally watch Live TV through Iplayer etc but mostly I watch the stuff I like purchased through blinkbox, amazon etc and after the fact on ITVplayer etc. - the bonus is that I have drastically cut down on subliminal background advertising on what is necessary for that perfect christmas, - there are less adverts on reruns, none on shows I purchase and less product placement on the shows I like well enough to buy than those that are on in the background because they are scheduled when I am in.

This has honestly made a difference to how I feel about how long Christmas has been building up - and what I think needs to be done for it.

sjprmc01

Yes, I know what drives me to do it!

And it is a problem (at times).

It's mainly clothes and footwear I buy......oh, and toiletries

And I have nowhere to store the half of it, I did frequent the hoarding thread for a bit! And try to be active on the no more toiletries! I've been quite good on that front lately, I've not bought much in the way of toiletries in a while and am being conscious of trying to use things up

As far as the stuff I buy for the kids is concerned, anything good that is no longer needed (and usually in perfect condition) goes to someone less fortunate.

I may be in a period of recovery from my problem as I cannot be bothered with any more stuff at the minute and other than trying to get one particular no 7 set in the sale (but it's not the end of the world if I don't get it) I'm not that bothered about sale stuff.

katkin

sjprmc01 wrote: »

Yes, I know what drives me to do it!

And it is a problem (at times).

It's mainly clothes and footwear I buy......oh, and toiletries

And I have nowhere to store the half of it, I did frequent the hoarding thread for a bit! And try to be active on the no more toiletries! I've been quite good on that front lately, I've not bought much in the way of toiletries in a while and am being conscious of trying to use things up

As far as the stuff I buy for the kids is concerned, anything good that is no longer needed (and usually in perfect condition) goes to someone less fortunate.

I may be in a period of recovery from my problem as I cannot be bothered with any more stuff at the minute and other than trying to get one particular no 7 set in the sale (but it's not the end of the world if I don't get it) I'm not that bothered about sale stuff.

It sounds like you've made a shift in thinking already - and obviously you are here! So all good :T Baby steps are good. Go for it, this way is just as much fun, if not more, than consumerism :cool: We get rebellious, crafty n' creative

117pauline

Hi

I'd really like to join too please...

Just spent the day in Pinterest looking at conscious consumerism and making plans - and I love making plans

We are in the process of clearing a relative's home which has been particularly difficult as she is only 60. It has really brought it home to me how we buy things yet when it comes down to it, someone else is just going to sell, gift, bin or get rid of it in some way. What an absolute waste.

So I do have a one in, one out policy but my OH likes to get things past me.

Lets hope we can all start 2015 in a sustainable way. Just think, by this time next year, we will all be lighter, both in things and in our minds.

allybee101

My Facebook feed is full of people stressing about how much they still have to do or being smug Christmas-aholics. Can't be doing with it.
Had an interesting conversation at work about just enjoying the moment and the 'disasters' can make a Christmas more fun.
Like the first year I cooked Christmas lunch solo so my Mum could have a break. She offered to help by warming the xmas pud up in the microwave. Alas, she misread the instructions and put it on for 18 mins on full power instead of the staged timings and reduced power settings. It was like a cannonball! Caused much hilarity on the day and we still talk about it years later.
These opportunities to gather together and spend time with each other mean far more to me than any gift under the tree.
Thinking of all those affected in Glasgow and elsewhere. This is a hard time of year to deal with loss and grief.

However you're spending your time this week, I hope you all have a lovely time, be it peaceful/relaxed/celebratory/quiet/rushed/chaotic.

Effyb4

I fell over board in the last few days in a big way. We found that our dvd player was refusing to play dvds anymore, so have bought a new one (£25). Our bathmat was in shreds, so have bought a new one of those (£15). Finally a trip to the opticians meant eldest 2 sons needed new glasses, as one is 17 and the other 19 that was £100 spent.