Getting my Old Style mojo back

Caterina

Hi all,

Been busy with my mum in the last few days, accompanied her to a visit with an orthopaedic surgeon to assess her knee (bad, she needs a replacement unfortunately) then busy with the garden. The other day I found a stash of dried up, dead-looking perennial flowering plants in w8rose, all heavily reduced, most to 99p, the most expensive was a hydrangea from £20 to £5. I knew I could revive them.
Got a home delivery sorted and for around £40 DH and I planted up a large raised bed in the back garden, 2m long, and still have the hydrangea and 4 fuchsias to plant. Nice bargain!

The garden had been neglected badly due to works in the house, so it was full of rubble and really sad looking. Now we are starting to look after it again and trying to move to flowers, as we grow veg in the allotment.

The hydrangea is already doing fine in its pot, and I am still working on the fuchsias to revive completely before planting them. They were positively dead looking but with some TLC, tomato food and plenty of watering they are already starting showing signs of life. Crossing fingers. I can't stand seeing flowers and veg plants being neglected and always feel like rescuing them (and it's a bargain, what's not to like?).

On the quest to take mum to interesting places, DH and I decided to join English Heritage, used a voucher for discounted joint membership of course, so last week we visited the house of Charles Darwin and yesterday Eltham Palace. My mum loved both, and the gardens.

When my mum leaves we have decided to make an effort and visit more EH places, not to let the membership go to waste, but also because it will make an interesting change from loafing and digging the allotment at weekends, a good excuse to expand the horizon.

Warning to self and others: the properties are beautiful and well kept, the staff are lovely and helpful but BEWARE THE CATERING! Indifferent service to say the least, tiny portions, overpriced and not very nice either. It will be either packed lunch for DH and myself in the future, or a local pub lunch for a treat, but no more overpriced soggy goats cheese tarts or dried up cake!

Ok, today old ladies keep fit at the gym, then pick up a Dr prescription for mum, lunch then work with the boys, pick up from holiday camp. It is nice that their mum has given me a few days work during the summer hols to keep the continuity, and I like spending summer time with them, much more relaxed than during school time.

Have a good day.

pollys

Good morning
I too have lost my old style ways. We really need to rein in our spending as next year we will have two at university. We are currently eating out of the freezer as I need to defrost it. I have stopped buying junk food, and I'm using up my stock of cleaning stuff. When my children were small and I didn't work. I made our bread, used eco friendly cleaning stuff and cooked just about everything from scratch. I started work and being short of time and energy ( we have four children) we lost our way.
I am starting to put a plan together with regards to saving but would appreciate the help and encouragement of the lovely folks on here.
Hope that's okay?
Polly

Ilona

Hello. The vet relieved me of £80, eeeeeek, now waiting for the results of the blood test. Kitty stopped eating it was worrying, now she is eating again, need her to drink water as well. My friend came round to help me syringe it into her mouth, managed to get some in.

I have just spent £1 on something frivolous, three small tubes of Pringles on offer in the local shop. Could have easily waited till I got home and had a sandwich, but craved Pringles. All gone, no more. I went in for a tin of tuna for kitty.

I go to a craft club on a Monday morning, knit and natter I think they are called, or stitch and !!!!!, ha ha. We sit round a table and work on our own projects, it costs £1 coffee and biscuits included.

No shopping over the weekend, can't afford it with the vet to pay. Now going to the mobile library, thank goodness that's free.

Hello Polly, a good start not to buy junk food. I don't buy it, but occasionally get caught out when Pringles are on offer. It's amazing what you can put together out of the freezer. Last night I steamed a bag of prepared cauliflower and broccoli, yellow sticker 33p, and microwaved a tub of frozen home made soup to pour over it. Very cheap meal.

Caterina, I know what you mean about wilting flowers and plants, I think it's awful that shops can't be bothered to water them. I bought two pots of pretty but wilted plants a couple of weeks ago from The Range. £2.99 each reduced to £99p each. They are coming along fine. Don't know what sort they are, I'm not good with plant names.

Hello Amanda. Oh how I hate housework, living alone I do the bare minimum, I keep the kitchen and bathroom clean, change the bedding, Dyson the cat hairs, but the dust after one year of not dusting never gets any worse.

Off to the library, taking the dog with me, he likes to choose a book
Ilona

judi24

Hello - will be following this thread! I too seem to have lost my way with the food shopping! I need to get a grip as I am on a mission to clear my debt and start overpaying my mortgage whilst still having a life of fun and adventure with 4 kids! Like most who have posted - planning is definitely the key! I need to get back to planning and prepping once a week so proper meals are easy to do after work! will be stealing all your tips!

Former_MSE_Andrea

Lovely to see you all jumping back on the MSE wagon

Don't spend time focusing on what you could have done but didn't, focus on what you're going to do from now on

It's well worth reading the Debt Free Roll of Honour over on the DFW board to keep you motivated!

Tink_04

Ilona wrote: »

Hi. So tell us what you do now, and we can make suggestions. What do you spend your money on? If you can't answer this the best place to start is to keep a spending diary, that's recording every penny you spend, yes every penny. You need to know where it's going.

Do you have things that you need to pay for, or are there other influences that are dictating what you buy? Are you in sole charge of your money, or is it a shared effort between you and a spouse?

What do you think are your weakest points? Impulse buying, comfort spending, or just grabbing the first thing you come across?
Come on spill the beans.
Ilona

I'm just being so unorganized with money - especially shopping. I have fallen out of the habit of meal planning and bargain shopping. I just don't make the time as I work and have 2 young children. I know I need to get back into it as it benefits us so much. DH works long days and doesn't drive so the shopping, prep & cooking is all down to me.

Think this thread is a great read and good ideas for getting back on track - off to check the cupboards so I can make a meal plan and shopping list.

Xx

Caterina

Hi all,

I have in mind to try and live for a year with DH as if we were only in receipt of his pension, the calculation includes his occupational one so should not be too hard, especially now that the kids are off our hands and we have no mortgage. And save any surplus for when he really gets his pension. He could go next February but wants to see this project to completion, in 2018, so plenty of time to save a bit more for a nice older age with no financial worries.

It can't start until October, though, because while mum is here we have more expenses and then in September we will have our silver wedding trip. Having said that, the two weeks in the bungalow in Spain can be quite frugal because I will have my own kitchen there, hurray! Now all I need is to persuade DH.

I also have in mind to go straight into having a water meter, now that it's only us two, and implement some water saving strategies, eg reconnect the two water butts for garden watering, but also I had in mind to buy a large plastic tub, like the ones builders use to mix cement in, put it in the shower and stand in it while showering. Then use that water for the toilet.

I have all sorts of ideas to live frugally and well but sometimes feel the weight of having to organise it all, with DH dragging his feet throughout it all, or just passively letting me make all the plans and decisions, then be so distracted and forget to do what I had planned.

Do you find (those of you who have a living in partner) that you have this issue with your OH, and if so how do you resolve it?

amandaatnumber7

[QUOTE=Caterina;68999081
Do you find (those of you who have a living in partner) that you have this issue with your OH, and if so how do you resolve it?[/QUOTE]

In short, Yes Yes Yes!!
My hubby is all for the planning and talking about it but its up to me to organise and implement and to be perfectly honest it only causes conflict when I try to talk to him about it. So I do do the changes I wan tot see nag him little about what he wants but frankly let the other stuff slide

Welcome to judi24 and pollys :hello::hello::hello:

I did a quick inventory before my shop today but I changed my meal plan when I was shopping to suit what was on special. Just need to find some time to do some baking.

Got some wool yesterday for my nieces present and the store had 30% off :T

chickadee

Hello all, just popped in to say hi. :wave: I am feeling just the same at the moment, out of sorts with being frugal and lacking in motivation. I have just returned to work after a holiday so that doesn't help. I need to get back to meal planning and not wasting money. I am having a new bathroom fitted as well, which will wipe out some of my savings so I need to get back on the wagon to make that up again. Never mind, the bathroom will be lovely and I will wallow in bubbles in my candle-lit sanctuary and enjoy it when it is finished.

Need to get a proper meal plan done for next week before I go shopping.

I also bought a sewing machine last year with the idea of doing some sewing (obviously!) but I have never really made the time to do it. When I was much younger I used to sew all the time and even made my first wedding dress but the new machine has an automatic threader which has defeated me so I need to make some time and sit down to have a play with it. I recently bought some trousers and a skirt from a charity shop and they both need shortening, so this is the perfect opportunity to get on with it.

I know I'm late to the party on charity shops, but my local one is very poor and it put me off. Anyway, I discovered one on the other side of my town which is absolutely brilliant. I bought a Coast silk and viscose skirt in perfect condition for £2 and some linen White Company trousers for £3. I also got a M&S jacket for £3.50. Amazing bargains!

Ilona

Hello. I really need to go shopping, but couldn't be bothered today. I find if I let my fridge run down to practically empty and then go, it stretches a weekly shop to nine or ten days. I need to go to the bank so I'll probably go tomorrow, that's if I can be bothered.

I had beans on toast for lunch, and tonight is a portion of home made veg stew out of the freezer. I opened a pack of egg noodles to go with it, I can get four portions out of a pack. I put a tad too much curry powder in this one, it's chuffin hot, I shall be glad when I have finished it.

Hi Chicka, I think we've all made purchases that we've given up with. I bought a Tesco Hudl, I am really struggling to get on with it. Must make time to keep trying.

Hi Cat, I have a water meter and it's saved me loads of money. I don't have a shower, but keep my bathwater to flush the loo. It certainly makes you think before you throw clean water down the drain.

Hi Tink, I can see your problem, I bet you have hardly any time to spare. Could you set aside a couple of hours to do some batch cooking for the freezer, maybe on a Saturday morning when your hubbs can have the kids. Home made microwave meals are great for when you are too tired to cook.

As good as I am with my budgeting, I sometimes wish I could go in a food shop and buy whatever I liked. But then if I did that I wouldn't have any money to spend on days out and holidays. I make my holidays as cheap as I can by using youth hostels, but still have to drive there and feed myself. So it's my choice to scrimp on my day to day living expenses.
Ilona