2015 Frugal Living Challenge

[Deleted User]

Skinnylatte wrote: »

Very interesting, is that legal and do you know what it's called?

I am not an expert in legal matters. I can't see why it should not be legal. Just go the US version of either Ebay or Amazon and search: "RTL-SDR DVB-T USB".

You'll see quite a few models, they are basically all the same, the more expensive have a better antenna, but the dongle is more or less the same. The UK versions feature the same model and they're more expensive, despite both coming from China.

If ordering from overseas make sure that the counter value of the order + shipping doesn't exceed £15. Check the HMRC pages for the official exchange rates for custom purposes.

[Deleted User]

cw18 wrote: »

don't see why it wouldn't be legal as you're only getting the free channels - but you WILL need a TV licence as you'll be watching the shows as they're broadcast. I have no Sky, cable or working aerial, and no licence. So it wouldn't be legal for me to get one without I start paying out the £145/yr licence fee again.

You'd be watching it on your PC. I am not sure how this would be enforceable. Following the same logic, you can watch online (internet) TV on your PC, so you should be paying the TV licence?

cw18

if you watch a show as it's being broadcast on ANY platform (including PC, tablet or phone) you need a licence. If you only ever watch catch-up then you don't. I rarely even watch catchup. I opt for DVDs and also have access to DS1's Netfl!x account, neither of which requires a licence.

If the show is ONLY broadcast on the internet (I know there was a crafting channel launched in that format last October) you don't, because it can't be watched by someone without internet access.

LolaLemon

cw18 wrote: »

if you watch a show as it's being broadcast on ANY platform (including PC, tablet or phone) you need a licence. If you only ever watch catch-up then you don't. I rarely even watch catchup. I opt for DVDs and also have access to DS1's Netfl!x account, neither of which requires a licence.

If the show is ONLY broadcast on the internet (I know there was a crafting channel launched in that format last October) you don't, because it can't be watched by someone without internet access.

This is why i no longer have a tv - well that and BBC bias durring the Referendum, and using our money to employ and hush up known sex offende:mad:r, oh and being owned by the government to only push thier agenda - wether it is factualy correct or not. I watched live tv3 times since around january 2014. all for political debates. I only cancelled my licence in Nov 2014.
If i watch MY tv, it is for streaming showbox, hdcinema or netflix, or for son playing xbox, or to watch dvds. I do not miss 'real' tv whatsoever. Although i do hope that Indian Summer comes onto showbox at some point.
As well as giving me more time to do what ever else i need to instead of being glued to the box, my son is not bombarded with adverts, and i do not get bombarded with 'I want, I want, I want!' so its a win win for me - more time and less demands/desires.

Frugally this month has been good - only deviated from the shopping list once and bought a book for my son that was reduced, shopping has came in at £35, plus i bought a £19.99 paleo approved box of meat from groupon that should cover 4 people - only 2 in my house so this will last us a while :T

Clothes - we both need new ones, ive finally started to consistantly lose weight, averaging out at 2lb a week, and son is growing faster than a stubborn weed :rotfl:. I will leave my clothes until i have lost enough that the jeans dont stay up, and wear more of my dresses that i can get away with, hopefully by then, it will be summer:j

Lent - we have both given up sweets and chocolate, ive given son it easier that if the cake for dessert in school is chocolate, he can have it, just no bars of chocolate etc. - Im trying to get him away from wanting to snack rather than deny him foods. he doesnt get a lot of sweets from me but does at school and at grandparents houses, so this should help - he does eat lots of vegetables and some fruits so that isnt a concern, but not eating enough of dinner because someone has given him a sugary snack grr:mad:
its costing us £1 per time if we eat chocolate or sweets. to sciaf.
I'm also including Swearing in mine -20p a swear, currently at 60p. this is going to be tough haha
If son manages then i have said i will buy him some skylanders or disney infinity characters. plus he gets to keep any unopened sweets/chocolate that he is given and he can eat once Lent finishes. If he gets any i will suggest the food bank for it instead.

cw18

I cancelled my licence on 31/12/2010, and have only heard of about 3 things I'd have liked to have seen since then - one of which was on Sky, so I couldn't have watched it anyway. I do watch some when I'm at DD's doing decorating for her (next time will be last week of May), but I tend to only watch things I'd watch on DVD at home - and only because it's easier than lugging DVDs up with me / remembering to bring them all home again. I also have access to TV when on holiday, but OH and I have only watched one show - and that was one he likes to show me 'what I'm missing' (but I didn't enjoy it all anyway!)


I went through a stage of getting very frustrated by 3 children not wanting to eat tea I made when I got in from work. My parents (who had them around school for us) denied giving them anything, but the kids let slip that Grandad always bought them sweets - and then my Mum admitted they had a sandwich and piece of cake 'because 12:30 lunch to 5:30 tea was far too long for children to go without food' :mad: I asked them to restrict to fruit and things improved for a few weeks, but then started to go awry again (and the kids admitted they were back to sweets, butties and cakes). Hard to kick up a fuss when you're not paying for the childcare, but I really wasn't happy as I'd always tried to keep sweets to a minimum once or twice a week and now they were starting to pester for them daily. They were also getting a second breakfast by then (7am to 12:30 also being too long), and DD was starting to pile on weight which she's continued to pile on ever since (she's now 31) Multiple meals and excessive sweets really only stopped when hubby took redundancy and was around for the kids (with no money to buy them sweets if he wanted to carry on spending at the boozer!).

[Deleted User]

Well, I'm no masochist. I am not going to inform the authorities that I occasionally watch TV through a USB dongle. They need to work hard to prove I do that. And the only TV station I watch is RT, a foreign station.

moneyonmymindsam

Evening all:j


Thanks to a few shopping tips I am fast become a queen of the Ooops ..YS


I met a nice lady at the ooops section who said come on dear lets see what we can find for supper tonight :rotfl:


Total fruitcake of a woman though as I'm not sure I would be cooking up mushrooms with butterscotch sauce ..had my eye on the mushrooms but she was fast........ I have got a few years to go before I can move like that ..

Magsnoodle

Morning all,

The inspiration on here is great. I am now doing far more bulk cooking and freezing which not only saves time at night time after work but also means fresh food does not go off which is fab.

I am also becoming more disciplined with make up and toiletries and finish them all off before I buy or use a new one. This includes cutting through the shower gel bottles with a scissors so I can get to the hard to reach places - have been amazed by this as we have got at least one extra week if not more from when I would have thrown it out before. I have used up a perfume that has been lying around for ages and have actually finished a lipstick - did need to use a lip brush to get to the end of it and make sure there was none left but what a feeling....

The family asked what I wanted for Christmas so I made sure that I looked through what face products I used and would need soon and asked for them. Have only just started to use them now. Do you think they will last until next year.

Anyway off to hit the books... Have a great frugal Sunday.

TTFN xxxx

nannygladys

Hello everyone,

Not been posting much at all just lately as there's been a lot of happening in my life that's personal to my family. Anyway I'm back to the frugal living again, I've been through the freezer and cupboards etc and I reckon this month's grocery spends should be quite low, I have enough fuel in the car for a couple of weeks and the emergency fund has managed to stay untouched!!! So very pleased really I just have to get my other spending under control and hopefully that shouldn't be too difficult now.

Anyway one thing I must do is post more often as it really helps to keep me positive. Hope everyone is well and this afternoon I will read back over the thread, that may take all afternoon!!!!

Nannyg

Wombatchops

Good afternoon all.

Not been posting much due to almost endless breastfeeding, and after almost five weeks (DD2 will be five weeks old tomorrow) I have decided to give her formula overnight. I am starting to get really worn down by breastfeeding continuously until sometimes 5:00 am or 6:00 am. I wanted to express and ordered a pump online, but didn't realise I hadn't changed my address from when we moved last year, and I am struggling to get the new owner of our old house to either be available so I can arrange for it to be picked up, or for him to drop it off at the estate agent, and I'm now too desperate to hold out any longer. So that's a massive frugal failure.

However, on the frugal success front, made pitta pizzas last night for dinners for the rest of us in the family with teeth and who can eat solids, using YS pittas and stuff that needed using up. And MIL has made an extra lasagna which will feed us tonight and tomorrow.

Got to dash now, the baby wants feeding again. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, whether sleep deprived like me, or otherwise.