Not Buying It- A Consumer Holiday 2016

HOWMUCH

Yes it certainly was a bargain I could miss out on, OH said do we really need another freezer. I got rid of my very large chest freezer last year and went to an upright with drawers which I now love and have different drawers for food types. Where as the chest one I wasn't rotating food enough things went to the bottom never to be seen again. The new freezer will become my HM ready meals and YS bread freezer.

Happytravelling

I have been very quiet over the last few weeks as I found out I’m being made redundant, so climbed up to the crow’s nest and have been sulking there! :eek: It’s a case of my job moving 30 miles so its still there if I want to sacrifice a further chunk of my life travelling there and back every day. On the bright side, I’ve found some 55p shampoo that cleans my hair really nicely so another NBI success! :money:I’ve also bought some bubble bath… can’t remember the exact price but it was under £1 for 750ml…. so I’m looking forward to trying it and hopefully finding another product that I don’t have to pay the earth for.


Been catching up on everyone’s posts- looks like its been fairly quiet over Easter, hope everyone had a lovely time whatever they got up to.

Free or low cost options we enjoy:
- Board game nights are a favourite with us. There’s the out lay for the board game but if you do your research you can find loads with plenty of replay value
- Film nights, either with a pizza or just snacks- I’m happy to re-watch good films or record things I’ve not seen on the free-sat box. Also, film swaps with friends… the ones who remember to return them that is.
- Walks galore… we're within 3 or 4 miles of a reservoir, a lake, canals, an RSPB nature reserve, a country park. We’re really lucky to be close to so much nature but there’s less indoor options than in or near big cities
- Coffee and cakes at someone’s house
- Mooching around local art galleries and museums (we have a couple of free options near us
- Picnics in the summer (you were going to have to make yourself some lunch anyway!)
- Did I mention board games?


If you have a tourist information centre, you could stop by and see what leaflets they have, you might discover a place you’d not thought of!


I’ve had a delightful Sunday. Ended up needing to look after my niece unexpectedly, but we made a butterfly using an upside down cardboard apple tray, some straws, crepe paper and stickers (I collect bits and pieces for such occasions) and we’ve run down to the park (literally, she’s the age where she likes to run and she’s too quick to just walk alongside her) and played catch as well had a go on the play area. Now enjoying a well-deserved cuppa!

Happytravelling

The other person who has gone quiet recently is Aril... hope everything is ok and you've not accidentally gotten lulled into a department store that you now can't find the exit for

RicardaRacoon

Evening everyone

Just wanted to come in here to report that I'm doing relatively well, have been over food budget in March but had set a very tight budget and knew in advance that I will most likely not be able to stick to it in case I have to stock up on some more expensive essentials. But still did quite well.

Remember that I said I had a voucher for a clothes online store and will not use it as I don't need anything? Well, I found holes in both pairs of ankle boots only days later and decided to get a new pair. The one I wanted was just slightly less expensive than the minimal spend to use the voucher. Well, I still could not think of anything else I needed, so voucher went into the bin and I only ordered the shoes.

I wanted a new and more handy bag for my swimming stuff and decided to sew one myself. Found a fabric in my stash which I bought about 5 years ago at IKE@ and spent some money on a matching fabric for the lining. Just have enough fabric left for a pillowcase and the two things will come to less than £10... So not too bad.


Happytravelling, fingers are crossed that you will soon find a new job! Could you not "move" with them, commute for a few months and search for a new job near you in the meantime?

Mila, well done on getting a cheap fridge! I got my freezer for free from a coworker who was moving and had a big built-in-freezer in her new kitchen, so wanted to get rid of her old one.

So, I will now slowly go into the direction of my bed with my new book. The first one I bought this year, but that said also only about the 4. book I'm reading...

Have a nice evening

Aril

Hello...I haven't fallen off the face off the earth....there just seems to have been a lot of working and eating of chocolate chuckle. Am now back in the saddle. I bought two things at the weekend...we were working and I invested some of the "profits" in a couple of pieces for my beloved dollshouse. I have expensive tastes so do not indulge them too often but I only buy the good stuff for my collection. Yesterday I bought a cross stitch kit....by doing it myself instead of buying the completed one I've spend £54 less! Today it's back to normal everything wise really. Low cost hobbies....I morris dance, we enjoy walking and often attend the local wildlife walks, photograph things, cross stitch, read library books, visit churches and free museums and keep an eye out for local events. I diarise them so that if I'm around I can pop along.
Arilx

Aril

So today I've not spent one farthing. Beyond paid work I've turned every scrap of lurking veg into soup and torn up a poster that the teenogre has discarded and added it to the scrap paper box. I've also cut up some old clothes into cloths to keep underneath the kitchen sink so that I can use them instead of kitchen paper.
Arilx

Lynplatinum

Hiya

I have just been over to Germany with my Beer friends for our annual coach holiday that one of them organises. Such great fun! :beer:

I came home with 21 euros that I hadnt spent! Only time it was a drag was when folk disappeared into souvenir shops to 'get something to take home for XYZ and all the rest of the alphabet!

I bought nothing home with me - not for me or anyone else - none of my friends need ornaments - German beer was not v inspiring - their sausages were fab but did not fancy taking some unchilled on a coach home! And all are dieting so no choccy required. My souvenirs will be the fab photos I will have.

Also took some hummus, carrot sticks and oatcakes for the journey out + HM flapjack. The flapjack was still ok for journey home and gave much away to friends and it was really appreciated as coach was delayed on motorway on return journey.

I spent far less than most - eating modestly but still out every evening - and drank as much as I wanted. It was the sightseeing and the laughs that I went for and those free things I had an excess of!You dont have to spend a fortune to have a great time! Especially you dont have to feel pressurised into buy carp to take back or into eating or drinking more than you want to! I just feel v lucky to have such great mates who get that and are v good fun! :A

So that's my holiday for the year and well worth it too! :j

Am off to Hastings to DS2 tomorrow - taking some his stuff down so that I dont have to move house with it! :rotfl:

Back on Fri and will catch up with you all then
N ite!

Happytravelling

Aril- nice to see you back... I think you just have a smear of chocolate up your cheek still

Ricardaracoon- That is what I have been quietly thinking about for the last 2 weeks but for lots of reasons have come to the conclusion to not do that. Time will tell if that decision was wrong.

Lynplatinum- Oatcakes as in staffordshire oatcakes? (I just noticed you are in the midlands). My hubby thinks the purpose of (staffordshire) oatcakes is to make eating lots of cheese seem legitimate :rotfl:

I didn't buy anything yesterday nor am I likely to today. Had a lovely walk yesterday evening after work and my head feels so much clearer for it. Just out of interest, does anyone else have friends or family that talk about buying a dog so that they can go for walks?! Some of mine seem genuinely puzzled when I tell them they can go for walks without a dog

nursemaggie

Happytravelling - what they mean is the dog will make them go for a walk otherwise they won't bother.

Aril

I am really trying to step outside my comfort zone with regards to living more lightly on the planet which means I'm taking small steps, one at a time, to change things. I have done a fair amount over the years but am keen to increas this. Today I wanted to clean a tarnished silver necklace but I couldn't find any cleaner under the sink. My natural inclination would be to add it to the shopping list but for a change I googled it to see if there were any alternative suggestions. I plumped for the one using toothpaste...scraping the last bits from the "empty" tube I've just cut in half I gave it a whirl and it worked so definitely NBI. So that along with making all the soap ends into balls last week and cutting up the clothes yesterday as a replacement for kitchen paper I'm dead chuffed. Simple things but they please me!
Arilx