Spend Nowt, Buy Nowt, Owe Nowt

XSpender

I must get some stuff done today as I am picking DS up from school and attending parents evening straight after. If I make a list I might just achieve something

1) Work expenses [STRIKE]part 1[/STRIKE] and part 2 (still locked out of account!)
2) [STRIKE]Plan for work call first thing tomorrow[/STRIKE]
3) [STRIKE]Create structure for report[/STRIKE]
4) [STRIKE]Prep SW chips for par boiling[/STRIKE]
5) [STRIKE]Defrost sausages[/STRIKE]
6) [STRIKE]Buy glitter, press studs and super glue for DS CIL 'dress-a-duck-for-a-duck race' event and create a rock star duck. Ziggy Starduck???[/STRIKE]
7) [STRIKE]Hoover living room and hall[/STRIKE]
8) [STRIKE]Unload and reload dishwasher[/STRIKE]
9) Once DS has decided what to wear for dress down day tomorrow iron it
10) [STRIKE]Sort out laundry as currently lying in a heap/mini mountain in the conservatory[/STRIKE]

I am off to sort out the dishwasher and hoover before I get my head down over the lap top until lunch.

XSpender

Made good progress on the list and also read the meters which I haven't done since the summer.

DS teacher is poorly so parents evening will have to be rearranged again.

I bought a couple of things that were in the order tomorrow when I picked DS up so have cancelled them off it. I also bought 2 evening jump suits from asda, one black (£22) and one red (£20), will only keep one to wear to my 2 Christmas parties. I cant get comfortably into any of my existing party dresses, all of which are at least 3 years old. I saw the red one last weekend and it was still on my mind so bought it today. I am hoping it would do for summer as well with some heeled sandals and the right jewellery. Bought the black one in case I am too chicken to wear the red.

DS duck has been dressed, just need to find some stronger glue to stick the spiky hair on as PVA isn't strong enough. £3 spent on craft stuff, £2 on 2 stocking fillers for my friends girls and a few bits of groceries oh and some section clips to section my hair when I dry it because it is getting so long now.

Off to give DH a jumpsuit fashion show followed by a glass of wine

XSpender

DS is at DPIL most of tomorrow to allow DH and I to go into the city and have our haircuts, which are 4 hours apart and again on Sunday to take DS to a cousins birthday party.

I have a massive to do list for the weekend but DH is tempting me with a walk with the dog on Sunday and a bowl of soup at my favourite Nat Trust site which will close for the winter soon.

The batch cooking and meal planning has really worked for us this week. We have stuck to the meal plan everyday and at the end of the week have only 3 sulky bananas and 1/2 cucumber to use up. A couple of smoothies and some sandwiches will see the back of them No waste is a big achievement for us.

Weekend to do list (Friday to Sunday)

Up to date with washing
Some ironing, any amount of ironing will do
Put away the underwear and pile of non-ironing
Batch cooking - veggie chilli, courgette and feta fritters, SW pasties, Jamaican chicken, sweet and sour chicken, pear and mincemeat cake (inspired by MWC) - all SW friendly except the cake
Buy dining room bulbs and fit them
Buy things to hang DS new curtains
Wash DS new bedding and put on his bed
Rip up carpet in our bedroom ready for new carpet on Monday
Dismantle our bed and move to guest room until carpet fitted
Tip run - old carpet, old bedside tables, cardboard, big bag in garden
Take the wallpaper off our bedroom walls
Glue broken dresser door
Haircuts x 2
Eyelashes
Last bits for DS Christmas (new David Walliams book, a board game and maybe a space book) and stop DH going mad in department store toy department
Hoover and dust downstairs
Clean kitchen and conservatory floor
Clean kitchen sides more than usual daily swipe over
Clean main bathroom and floor
DS to wrap gift and write card for cousin
Bag up all coins to pay in after school run on Monday
Festive coffee with DH in city (used to be an annual treat but coffee now makes me ill so tea and a mince pie for me )
Buy a party outfit for me (didn't like either of the jumpsuits I bought yesterday)
Message P&D to confirm dates for painting in December
Help DH create PowerPoint for work meeting on Monday

I think that's it for now:eek:

redofromstart

Go for the walk and soup if the sun is shining.

On the curry I keep a pot of chipotle chilli flakes (80p MrM, with the spices) for this sort of issue. You crumble them in and give it a couple of minutes simmer, they improve the flavour in a smoky hot way but don't take ages to cook out. Good in soup as well.

XSpender

redofromstart wrote: »

Go for the walk and soup if the sun is shining.

On the curry I keep a pot of chipotle chilli flakes (80p MrM, with the spices) for this sort of issue. You crumble them in and give it a couple of minutes simmer, they improve the flavour in a smoky hot way but don't take ages to cook out. Good in soup as well.

I have given into temptation and will go for the walk on Sunday

I will keep a look out for the chipotle chilli flakes. I like the sound of adding flavour as well as heat as it was a very boring curry.

XSpender

Weekend to do list (Friday to Sunday)

Up to date with washing - 1 load of coloureds in the morning and I am done
Some ironing, any amount of ironing will do
Put away the underwear and pile of non-ironing
Batch cooking - veggie chilli, courgette and feta fritters, SW pasties, Jamaican chicken, sweet and sour chicken, pear and mincemeat cake (inspired by MWC) - all SW friendly except the cake
Buy dining room bulbs and fit them
Buy things to hang DS new curtains
[STRIKE]Wash DS new bedding and put on his bed[/STRIKE] Done
Rip up carpet in our bedroom ready for new carpet on Monday
Dismantle our bed and move to guest room until carpet fitted
Tip run - old carpet, old bedside tables, cardboard, big bag in garden, waste from wooden floor fitting
Take the wallpaper off our bedroom walls
Glue broken dresser door
Haircuts x 2
[STRIKE]Eyelashes[/STRIKE] Done
Last bits for DS Christmas (new David Walliams book, a board game and maybe a space book) and stop DH going mad in department store toy department
Hoover and dust downstairs - hoovering done
Clean kitchen and conservatory floor - swept will need washed
Clean kitchen sides more than usual daily swipe over
Clean main bathroom and floor
DS to wrap gift and write card for cousin
Bag up all coins to pay in after school run on Monday
Festive coffee with DH in city (used to be an annual treat but coffee now makes me ill so tea and a mince pie for me )
Buy a party outfit for me (didn't like either of the jumpsuits I bought yesterday)
[STRIKE]Message P&D to confirm dates for painting in December[/STRIKE] - Messaged and no response:(
Help DH create PowerPoint for work meeting on Monday

Updating the list to keep me on track. DS bedding looks great but the plain pillowcases I bought are a bit cheap. You get what you pay for I suppose.

I had a bit of an upset stomach this afternoon and the planned chicken in a creamy mustard sauce didn't get made. DH has been sandwiches and leftover hotdogs and I have lost my appetite

Today I bought DH and DFIL concert tickets for next year. DH will pay for his out of his personal spends over the next couple of months and we have bought DFIL his for his birthday and Christmas present next year. Slightly under budget for those 2 gifts. He is over the moon

We received a refund of DH expenses today. At almost £300 that has gone straight back off the card we paid for them on. He still needs to chase up another £150 worth of expenses.

I'm not sure there is much about debt repayment on my diary at the moment

Suffolk_lass

"I'm not sure there is much about debt repayment on my diary at the moment"

- It doesn't matter, you are conveying your frugal approach and sorting out your head. I always think setting it out helps me see different things (and it certainly lets others do so and make their suggestions). You know you are on the right lines when nobody comments!

apple_muncher

Yep. Indeed. Money saving skills and habits are not just about money - they are a lifestyle. A path.

XSpender

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

"I'm not sure there is much about debt repayment on my diary at the moment"

- It doesn't matter, you are conveying your frugal approach and sorting out your head. I always think setting it out helps me see different things (and it certainly lets others do so and make their suggestions). You know you are on the right lines when nobody comments!

apple_muncher wrote: »

Yep. Indeed. Money saving skills and habits are not just about money - they are a lifestyle. A path.

Thanks to you both for your comments. I read so many diaries where people are super frugal and never seem to buy a thing and I am trying to find the right balance for us, not helped by having a money pit of a house to do up. But we bought it knowing that everything needed to be replaced or repaired so can't complain about it.

We spent 7 hours in the city today and are both worn out. This is a once a year occurrence as I certainly don't shop for fun anymore, especially when it was as crazy as it was today.

We are undecided if we should go for the walk tomorrow as it is an hour away and we have so much to do in the house in preparation for the carpets coming on Monday and there is still so much on my list. I also want to get some batch cooking done as this really helped us this week and I have some defrosted chicken that must be cooked.

The Nat Trust place is opening every weekend this year instead of closing Dec - March so we will be able to go another time. There is also another site 15 minutes from us that we could always go to instead.

Weekend to do list (Friday to Sunday)

Up to date with washing - 1 load of coloureds still to do
Some ironing, any amount of ironing will do
Put away the underwear and pile of non-ironing
Batch cooking - veggie chilli, courgette and feta fritters, SW pasties, Jamaican chicken, sweet and sour chicken, pear and mincemeat cake (inspired by MWC) - all SW friendly except the cake
Buy dining room bulbs and fit them
[STRIKE]Buy things to hang DS new curtains[/STRIKE] Hope they fit
[STRIKE]Wash DS new bedding and put on his bed[/STRIKE] Done
Rip up carpet in our bedroom ready for new carpet on Monday
Dismantle our bed and move to guest room until carpet fitted
Tip run - old carpet, old bedside tables, cardboard, big bag in garden, waste from wooden floor fitting
Take the wallpaper off our bedroom walls
Glue broken dresser door
[STRIKE]Haircuts x 2[/STRIKE] Done
[STRIKE]Eyelashes Done [/STRIKE] Done
[STRIKE]Last bits for DS Christmas (new David Walliams book, a board game and maybe a space book) and stop DH going mad in department store toy department[/STRIKE] Will get the DW book with my n3ctar points as forgot to buy it
Hoover and dust downstairs - hoovering done
Clean kitchen and conservatory floor - swept will need washed
Clean kitchen sides more than usual daily swipe over
Clean main bathroom and floor
DS to wrap gift and write card for cousin
Bag up all coins to pay in after school run on Monday
[STRIKE]Festive coffee with DH in city (used to be an annual treat but coffee now makes me ill so tea and a mince pie for me ) [/STRIKE]Yummy
[STRIKE]Buy a party outfit for me (didn't like either of the jumpsuits I bought yesterday)[/STRIKE] Bought a red dress which I should get a lot of wear out of as not Christmassy looking
[STRIKE]Message P&D to confirm dates for painting in December[/STRIKE] - Dates and start times all confirmed, phew
Help DH create PowerPoint for work meeting on Monday

The dress I bought was the first one I tried on and loved it so didn't look elsewhere much to DH relief :rotfl:

DH was very restrained in JL and only bought 1 game and a stocking filler for DS. We also bought him a tracksuit and some more PJS (love JL PJs for kids as they last for ages) which he needed but we will wrap up for Christmas to bulk up his prezzie pile. DH also bought DS a M0z which DS fell in love with straight away :heartsmil and is now tucked up in bed with.

DH has ended up with a Christmas present after all which will also be his birthday present (in Feb). My Christmas budget isn't going to be as low as I thought but probably still half of last years and less than 50% of the year before. I bought a few bits today like some makeup I had run out of and I am sure DH thought I was buying stuff for me out of the joint account and he should have something too, only thing is I was using my personal spending money!

We also ordered some lights and got a bargain of a returned outdoor light for less than 50% of the price on the shelf as someone had put it up and then taken in back. Nothing wrong with it at all and £25 instead of £60 was a good saving.

XSpender

Weekend to do list (Friday to Sunday)

Up to date with washing - 1 load of coloureds still to do
[STRIKE]Some ironing, any amount of ironing will do[/STRIKE] Uniform and work clothes for today done last night
Put away the underwear and pile of non-ironing
Batch cooking - veggie chilli, courgette and feta fritters, SW pasties, Jamaican chicken, sweet and sour chicken, pear and mincemeat cake (inspired by MWC) - all SW friendly except the cake
[STRIKE]Buy dining room bulbs [/STRIKE]and fit them Will re use those from hall light
[STRIKE]Buy things to hang DS new curtains[/STRIKE] They just ft and will be hung today
[STRIKE]Wash DS new bedding and put on his bed[/STRIKE] Done
[STRIKE]Rip up carpet in our bedroom ready for new carpet on Monday[/STRIKE]Done
[STRIKE]Dismantle our bed and move to guest room until carpet fitted[/STRIKE] Done
[STRIKE]Tip run - old carpet, old bedside tables, cardboard, big bag in garden, waste from wooden floor fitting[/STRIKE] Done, 2 car loads but only carpet went from list above
Take the wallpaper off our bedroom walls Almost completed
Glue broken dresser door
[STRIKE]Haircuts x 2[/STRIKE] Done
[STRIKE]Eyelashes Done [/STRIKE] Done
[STRIKE]Last bits for DS Christmas (new David Walliams book, a board game and maybe a space book) and stop DH going mad in department store toy department[/STRIKE] Will get the DW book with my n3ctar points as forgot to buy it
Hoover and dust downstairs - hoovering done
Clean kitchen and conservatory floor - swept will need washed
Clean kitchen sides more than usual daily swipe over
Clean main bathroom and floor
DS to wrap gift and write card for cousin
Bag up all coins to pay in after school run on Monday
[STRIKE]Festive coffee with DH in city (used to be an annual treat but coffee now makes me ill so tea and a mince pie for me ) [/STRIKE]Yummy
[STRIKE]Buy a party outfit for me (didn't like either of the jumpsuits I bought yesterday)[/STRIKE] Bought a red dress which I should get a lot of wear out of as not Christmassy looking
[STRIKE]Message P&D to confirm dates for painting in December[/STRIKE] - Dates and start times all confirmed, phew
Help DH create PowerPoint for work meeting on Monday

DH and I have worn ourselves to a frazzle this weekend and are returning to work today for a rest :rotfl:

We decided not to go for the walk and it was a good job we didn't as it took us all day to clear the bedroom, strip almost all the wall paper off and dismantle the fitted wardrobes. DH also fitted the hall light, hung some pictures, fitted the bedroom spots and the bargain outdoor light.

We hadn't planned to dismantle the wardrobes but decided that as we are not going to keep them and are recarpeting and redecorating we should remove them. We are undecided if to have wardrobes in the bedroom in future or use one of our other bedrooms as a dressing room. Our bedroom is long and slightly narrow with a chimney breast so wardrobes in the alcoves can look quite imposing and there is no where else they would fit. Plenty of time to decide while we save up!

I didn't get the batch cooking done but have made a slow cooker full of Irish stew for DH. I defrosted too much beef so will make the rest into a madras.

We are both so tired today that tonight's dinner calls for comfort food so chicken pie, mash, veg and gravy it is.

I spoke to soon when I told DH that I would only be away 1 night between now and next year I have been given a project which will require 2 nights away and 1 weekend day in December and then found out a colleague is going to be off long term so I will be taking on some of her work and her main client is 3 hours away so again, overnights will be required.

New carpets are being laid as we speak and I am looking forward to getting the house straight and to doing the last bit of DIY and then sorting and cleaning ready for Christmas. DH and I are adamant we are not starting any new projects in 2018!

This week's to do list is to finish off the weekends but will write a clean copy on a new post as no doubt I will add a couple of extra bits on