Fabulously Frugal and Free at 50!

Lemon_Tree

HI i have to budget monthly, I'm paid monthly so I can't get my head around it any other way. if I was to try and take my money weekly i'd be tempted to take more, though as we have a cash till on the premises at work I may have a think about trying it next month, though I would be scuppered when it's out of money which happens occasionally as we're not near the bank.

MessyMare

Following along from lurkdom can fully recommend YNAB though! It found me more than the cost of the annual subscription fee the first month alone

scd3scd4

Love the list................


Something people of all ages should have me thinks.


Last year I ticked off kayaking with the seals in Pembrokeshire.
Another one was walking a older family friends Beagle. Now that one was inexpensive. ;-]




I joined a social club a while back.........best thing the wife and I ever did. Lots of taster events but no commitment.


Spice social.

Pippilongstocking

Good morning fine people - lovely to have visitors and great to see you all here.

Starnac you would feature in both of those and potentially a few more I hope

LT and HI - I'm the same whether its cards or cash - I only take my bank card to work but I need petrol locally and its only card (unmanned) I *could* leave it behind I guess if I'm organised about petrol.

Messymare nice to see you too and I'll have a peek - I know cheery uses it.

RT and FA - thanks for the welcomes and don't be strangers

Well, the 'tinternet is beyond shocking here - I might not need much but its beyond me how bad it is and how often I've complained to the BleepTrouble folks to no avail.

scd3scd4 - thanks one to think about and I do love a good wee taster event - there's lots of food events round these parts might look into that - thank you. Love the idea of walking a beagle - absolutely terrified of kayaks tho....love seals

Argh. ETA had to go into work and post thing blargh.

Much appreciate the visitors very much!

Pippilongstocking

Hiddenidenity wrote: »

I found using my card my money filtered through without being detected.
I tried ynab (more than once ) I still can't get my head round it.

Now I draw out in cash every week that weeks budget for what I think I should be spending (Ie groceries/kids school etc) and leave my cards at home. I can't be tempted then If I spend online I take it out of the 'cash' for this week and use it towards next week (so draw less out)

Hope this makes sense I think I've made it sound complicated but it isnt :rotfl:

Thanks for that certainly one to think about - I just don't use cash, so you're right its easy to just bleep the little contactless thing willy-nilly - and I'm very guitly of that. Been doing a lot of eating out lately - despite groaning cupboards - which has lead to pocket depletion and an odd inverse correlation with an increased waist size.

I'm using an eating app to log calories and that's certainly helping to reduce random food scoffing treat spending. Lost 3lbs since too so perhaps there is an inverse relationshiop there to watch closely.

Lemon_Tree wrote: »

HI I find my money fritters regardless of whether its on a card or in cash. We have £80 per month cash each for anything we want to spend it on, and I certainly feel I spend it on stuff I wouldn't have spent it on previously when I was on here.

We don't set an amount for personal spends - maybe I should? Another one to ponder thank you.

Pippilongstocking

So the past few days have disappeared into a sea of weeding and walking - steps doing good I'm averaging 19k steps a day - but like to get that to a consistent 20k - weekends aren't easy for me as I don't appear to move as much as I do at work. I'm telling myself this is MSE because its free exercise.

I've chased up my womble invoice as its the last one be nice if that's paid quickly. I'm loving the time off means I can be here and just do things I want to do rather than resenting the extra work - sad that I feel like that - but after 9 years I didn't even get a 'cheerio and thank you email' - seems a bit thoughtless if you ask me. I'll miss my colleagues but not my new boss that's for sure.

Credit card 1 had the monthly payment off so its reduced by 68.37 - might look at the balance and do a pAD to loose the odds and sods bit. Was at 934.55 - PAD of 34.55 has this down at 900 now. Woop.

Credit card 2 - sitting at the same I've only 25 of my OD left in that account so no payments made yet.

No more spends on grub or petrol so those are just dandy as they are although I'll need petrol soon.

Pork out for tea although it sounds like himself might be biking and I might be walking so that might have to wait for Friday - was doing sweet and sour - no harm done. We'll have something each from the freezer - there's a pizza in for himself and I'll maybe have cauli cheese. All good.

Do need to get dug fud later - will do coup on the way home and use the balance on my co-card - think its at about £6.70 more than enough for mutt food so should be a NSD.

Woop woop.

All fabulous in the lands of debt reduction.

There are plums at work which have gone from not ripe (monday) to overripe (today) - well almost so I might see about getting some to make nigels chinese plum sauce it was EPIC last year and kept really well - much better than shop bought.

Plans to clear the back room and make a larder have ground to a halt - must resurrect them if I'm to make my own body weight in plum sauce.

Have a great day moneysavers.

redofromstart

That plum sauce looks good, must nip up and see if our plums have ripened since the weekend.

Pippilongstocking

Morning lands RFS its a gorgeous sauce I promise. Must get some plums today. Well reminded thank you.

Well yesterday was a NSD and a chase up a few things kind of day. I also helped to plant 200 leeks and 15 courgettes - all good for future foraging opportunities.

Harvest day today at work so probably take a few waifs and strays home with me. Chased up invoice and lady who can pay it is off for two weeks so we'll wait a wee while for that one I guess.

Raining here so probably spend most of day hiding in glass house if it doesn't abate although yesterday was glorious so can't really complain.

Made a bit of progress in my own garden, which usually I'm locked out of in august due to crazy crazy bugs but I'm head to toe in deet (horrible but needs be) and compared to the hundreds of bites I had last year I have 3. So it works, but its expensive wonder if I can ask the Dr for a script? Although seems a bit churlish as its my choice to work outside.

Money wise I have about 900 of one o'd left and 25 quid of the other. Really need to make a proactive plan to get those down gradually. Means going into branch as I can't do it online. Part of me is loathe to get rid of them as they're a wee cushion. Ponders.

Trying to get a wee trip down south next week must look at TOIL and holidays I have left - have a meeting I forgot about which is annoying - trying to rearrange.

Meal plan when to the moon yesterday as both of our plans fell through. I made a cabbage and mung bean dahl - which was v tasty just as we decided that a chinese would just be marvellous............. £12 (Treat) later the dahl is now in the fridge.

Todays MSE plans are to work hard, take the worst of the plums for sauce and see what veg I can buy from work.

Need to buy dog fud and vinegar for said plum sauce.

Making progress on no 10 on the list - I bought some turmeric root from the chinese supermarket so I'll read up on growing that today and plant some.

Steps yesterday 21k happy with that just need keep that momentum up over the weekend.

Happy money saving day people.

XOXO

Cheery_Daff

Pah to not getting a cheerio email Pippi, most vexing. I think bosses are sometimes just rubbish at that - when I left one job my boss announced at my leaving speech thing 'you'll be crawling back here in no time' (er, no), and Mr Cheery's boss said something along the lines of 'you've been an interesting character' - no 'thank you', 'it's been great' or anything :mad:

Slam the door and don't look back I say!

A giant courgette has appeared in our kitchen :j No idea where from, must have been the courgette fairies :j :j :j

Trying to channel you as I plot and scheme for our giant new garden :eek: Got many outbuildings but no greenhouse or polytunnel - might have to rectify that

starnac

That's a bit pants about no "thank you" from your old job. I had the samewhen I left my last job. No one said anything and I didn't even get a card, when 2 weeks prior I had been asked to contribute to someone else's leaving present!! Better off without them I say.