Sort of debt-free but hope to be a super-scrimper in 2019

beanielou

I agree all needs as opposed to wants.
Great totals thus far :j :j

elizabethhull

carbootcrazy wrote: »

I've finally itemised the sums of money I've added to my Treats Fund. Anyone would think there were hundreds of them the time it's taken me to get round to it:o. Not sure why this turned out to be a 'frog', given that it was concerned with making/saving money rather than having to spend it:rotfl:


Anyway, so far this year I've managed to squirrel away:

• £14.35 bank interest from saving all last year for F&Fs
  
• £142.61 from the 10 eBay sales
  
• £24.18 redeemed from Prolific
  
• £9.74 Quidco cashback (pending for about 6 months!)
  
• £2.50 Quidco bonus (ditto)
  
• TOTAL: £193.38 :j

I'm not sure what I might do with this money but I desperately need a replacement recliner chair for my little sitting room. The one I'm using at the moment is so old and has had so much use that the springs have gone and it's begun to cause back ache:(. I want to nip that in the bud, I can't be too careful with bones and muscles at my age;)

I also need, rather than just want, a good reading light, preferably a floor-standing one rather than a table lamp. I don't have any space for a table to put one on:(. It's a small room and there's no other way I can arrange the furniture that I already have in there. I do a lot of reading and am currently straining my eyes:eek:. On the subject of eyes I need to arrange an eye test (thankfully free for OAPs:j) pretty soon. I'm hoping my prescription hasn't changed over the 2 years since I bought my current glasses but I have a hunch it will have. I needn't spend too much though as they'll probably be able to fit new lenses into the current frames.
d:(.

Your needs sound very modest and sensible. Still, if fulfilled, they will seem like wonderful luxuries.

Loving the Treats fund in your signature.

I have £120 in my Amazon account from surveys redeemed this year - it will probably go on other people's birthday presents, but in the meantime, like old-fashioned tokens one used to get for a birthday, it could be ANYTHING ! One can spend a sum so many times in fantasy, that it's almost a shame to limit it to actual purchasing !

jwil

Well done on the treats fund :T

Hope you get the F&F wording through soon.

HairyHandofDartmoor

elizabethhull wrote: »

I have £120 in my Amazon account from surveys redeemed this year - it will probably go on other people's birthday presents, but in the meantime, like old-fashioned tokens one used to get for a birthday, it could be ANYTHING ! One can spend a sum so many times in fantasy, that it's almost a shame to limit it to actual purchasing !

I can really relate to this .

[Deleted User]

I used to love receiving old fashioned paper vouchers, especially book tokens:j. The fun of browsing in real shops and deciding what to spend them on was a gift in itself:j. Somehow, voucher codes to be spent online without seeing and handling the goods just isn't the same:(

Suffolk_lass

I was wondering if you had considered getting your present recliner reupholstered? If the bones of the chair are decent it should be cheaper than getting a new one and you can have the fun of choosing the fabric, and whether it is done using traditional or modern materials. It overcomes the issue of choosing a chair (as we did) that looks lovely in the vast shop but oversized in your home

[Deleted User]

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

I was wondering if you had considered getting your present recliner reupholstered? If the bones of the chair are decent it should be cheaper than getting a new one and you can have the fun of choosing the fabric, and whether it is done using traditional or modern materials. It overcomes the issue of choosing a chair (as we did) that looks lovely in the vast shop but oversized in your home

Good suggestion, Suffolk lass:T, but a non-starter for me I'm afraid. The current chair was cheap and I'm amazed it's lasted as long as it has, given the amount of use it's had. It isn't the right size and shape really, plus the springs have 'gone' and the mechanism that raises and lowers the legrest 'shelf' is very temperamental. It's sometimes impossible to get it to go down either by using the lever or pushing my legs against it. I often have to shuffle right to the edge of the seat and kind of slide off. Can be dangerous as the whole chair has almost toppled forwards more than once:eek:. OH is really good at fixing things, schooled in the 'make do and mend' eras;), but has declared the whole chair as totally 'knackered':rotfl:


Also. I'm short at 5ft 1 and the current chair is too deep from front to back. I want it to be possible with the new one to be able to sit back but with my feet on the ground. I'm fed up of having to use a little hassock to put my feet on whenever I sit in the chair:(. All in all I'll be glad to see the back of it despite the fact that it has served me well for so many years. I don't plan to pay a lot for one but I have definite requirements and am happy to keep looking round until I see exactly what I want. Most furniture stores have sales at some time or another;). I've taken all the necessary measurements of what I'll need in a chair, plus of the available space in the small room it will be in, and take them with me whenever I go anywhere that might sell recliners. One of these days I'll spot exactly what I'm looking for. I'm not fussed about colour, it will be the only upholstered piece in the room, but definitely need leather/faux leather for practical purposes. I don't want one of those electrically-operated ones either as there's no convenient socket to plug it in and I never fancied that facility anyway.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I always think most chairs and sofas are designed by tall men Carboot as they can be very uncomfortable for women :mad:. I'm five four and I find that many chairs and sofas are so deep that I'm half reclining if I lean back and my feet don't touch the floor so my legs are dangling uncomfortably :mad:. It must be even more difficult for you to find a comfortable one.

I think if women designed chairs then they would be much better . I think you'll find a comfy chair money very well spent.

DH sat in an uncomfortable swivel chair at his desk for years and often had a pain down his side. When our pension money came we bought him a new heavy duty chair and lo and behold the pain went :T. I also used to wake up every morning with a back ache as our mattresss was saggy and had springs digging into my ribs. When we bought a new posturepaedic mattress my backache disappeared :T.

I hope you're having a good day today .

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

I always think most chairs and sofas are designed by tall men Carboot as they can be very uncomfortable for women:).

OH and I went out to a Toby Carvery with my Scrabble club on Friday (you get an excellent feed for a very modest price!). The chairs were unbelievable. Not only were they very heavy for pulling in to the table, but the seat was so deep that I could barely reach to the bottom on both sides to move it. My arms stretched so far down that as I drew the chair in I bumped my chin on the table edge !!!! And I'm of average height.

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

I always think most chairs and sofas are designed by tall men Carboot as they can be very uncomfortable for women :mad:. I'm five four and I find that many chairs and sofas are so deep that I'm half reclining if I lean back and my feet don't touch the floor so my legs are dangling uncomfortably :mad:. It must be even more difficult for you to find a comfortable one.

I think if women designed chairs then they would be much better . I think you'll find a comfy chair money very well spent.

DH sat in an uncomfortable swivel chair at his desk for years and often had a pain down his side. When our pension money came we bought him a new heavy duty chair and lo and behold the pain went :T. I also used to wake up every morning with a back ache as our mattresss was saggy and had springs digging into my ribs. When we bought a new posturepaedic mattress my backache disappeared :T.

I hope you're having a good day today .

Thanks, HH:T. I expect to find chairs a bit problematic and I'm sorry you have the same trouble. I agree about tall men designing them;)). Money very well spent on your DH's chair especially as he has to spend so much time on it. Likewise with the mattress. I'm delighted that new ones cured the pain and discomfort you were both experiencing:T. I've managed with my current chair for far too long, I thought a new one was a 'want' rather than a 'need' when I was so strapped for cash. This one has been giving problems for so long now and has reached the stage where it's downright uncomfortable. Apart from this chair I've never suffered from back ache, apart from maybe for a couple of hours after unusual activity like a lot of bending over doing a tedious chore. I certainly don't want to cause more now, especially as older bodies are less resilient:(. I know so many people with 'bad backs' and know how debilitating they can be. Fortunately, the final death throes of my chair are coinciding with my having a bit of surplus cash so I won't feel so guilty about buying a new one;).