Back to basics

cuddlymarm

Hi guys
Over the last few months I’ve slipped into lazy ways. My weekly shop has started to creep up, my credit card is getting used a little too freely, Christmas is absolutely flying up and the renovations on our flat are more expensive than we had originally planned for. We decided we might as well get new windows while the place is being replastered. Also OH is waiting for an op which means he won’t be able to work for a couple of months and where I work are making cutbacks which is a little bit worrying.
OH is retired and we can manage on his pension if we must but it would be very tight. Neither of us will get our state pension for 9 years ( providing nothing changes to make it further away) so it’s time to get back into good habits.
So please bear with me as I go on my journey of getting back into frugal ways and feel free to join in with my going back to basics.
As I decide what I’m going to do and what I’ve done I’ll check back.
Cuddles

cuddlymarm

For a start I need to use up some of the food we have in the house. I’ve started to menu plan and so far I’ve come up with the chicken casserole and veg I’d already started tonight, a pasta dish tomorrow and beef curry for Friday. We’re away Saturday night at a family thing so will make sure we have a good lunch before we go to save spending on route.
I prefer to shop online because I don’t spend as much and have the Mr T midweek subscription so I will get a delivery on Tuesday. I’ve started my shopping list for next week but I really must try and stick to the £40 limit. It’s crept up recently. I must try and run down some of the sauces in the fridge and make meals from what we have in. We both do SW which can be quite expensive so I need to start looking at cheaper SW meals too. I’m going to get a couple of bits towards Xmas every shop to put away to avoid a big shop Xmas week.
I’m hoping writing this down will focus my spending to what’s needed rather than just what I fancy.
Cuddles

thriftwizard

Wishing you the very best of luck, cuddlymarm! I'll be reading along with interest & may even join you, if that's OK?

We're in a somewhat similar situation; OH is wondering loudly about retirement/cutting his hours, and moving out of town to somewhere where we can have a bit more garden to play with. And he'd like to go on a world tour for six months too... we do have his pension coming in, but we also have a daughter with invisible disability still at home for the foreseeable future (the other offspring still at home has said she's not coming with us when we move) so we can't "downsize" very much! I've said I could drop my hobby/business and take on a PT job, as my income isn't predictable and depends hugely on the weather, but he doesn't want that.

So I also need to get back to basics & save hard now, both for moving expenses and the possible "world tour". His pension income would just about cover the bills & food for DD2 & the livestock if we were away, but that'd leave us nothing to travel with & live on! There's a dilemma, too; after 27 years of large-family life, the house is showing the strain and needs a fair bit of tarting up to be saleable; some of it's as simple as a lick of paint, but there are at least two windows and a door in need of total replacement. So I can't plunge straight into world-tour/moving-saving-up-mode & must address those first.

It's the little things I need to work on most; the DDs have got into the habit of running the washing machine, then the tumble dryer for one or two items, for example. They bake at random times & use the big oven where the small one would do, and leave lights & laptops on & go out for the evening. We have an allotment, we cook everything from scratch & I do the grocery challenge; I could get by on less, but we've always said we won't compromise on the quality of food. I rarely buy any new clothes or household textiles, as I'm uniquely well-placed to source nice things very inexpensively.

Books, though... not to mention the cost keeping my elderly van on the road... I can see that I'll have to part with her eventually but may that day be far away!

cuddlymarm

Hi Thriftwizard
You are most welcome to join in.
We like to travel too. We are going to New Zealand in 2021 with OHs brother and wife and another couple. We’ve been saving for that for 3 years now, we did the same for Australia, putting money away every month until we had enough. The trouble is as we knock one country off, we add two on. We plan to have fab holidays until we are no longer able.

Camomile

This week I got rid of the credit card.
I got used to it too much and it came to the point that I was paying most of my wages to pay it off every month.
I’m having freezer clearance, I’m a food hoarder so lots in there (2 chest freezers).
I will have to set myself a budget and stick to it(which I failed so many times).
I posted at the beginning of the year asking where I could do some cutbacks but it looks like I’m doing whatever I can.
Cooking from scratch, mending things, car boot sales, 2nd hand stuff.

lessonlearned

I'll read along too and cheer you along.

I have just put myself on a strict "no spend" diet. I too am renovating my house and it's costing more than I hoped so really need to claw back where I can.

So.....using up food stocks, toiletries etc. No buying books or magazines and no new clothes until next summer. I have lost 3 stones this year so have had to buy some new things but I've also been able to shop from my wardrobe, wearing things that were too small for me but which now fit.:D. I have enough for now.

I am being careful with heating, washing machine and tumble dryer, although tbh I refuse to be cold in my own home. I can't stand being cold, makes me seize up. :rotfl:

I'm shopping around when things come up for renewal such as insurances etc, have just switched energy suppliers. Next I Need to look at rejigging bank accounts etc. I also need to try and sell some of my unwanted "treasures".

cuddlymarm

I don’t like being cold either, I’ve creaky joints at the best of times but they get worse when it’s really cold.
I’m trying to spend as little as possible at the moment until I’ve cleared my credit card. After that it will be full steam ahead to Xmas. Then finishing paying for next years holiday. It’s never ending. Nice though.

thriftwizard

I've got Christmas sorted financially; a few years back I started a separate account to put aside a set sum every month, and that pays for all presents & festive food & drink. Now I need to set up another account to save up for the Great World Tour! I still do have a credit card but I have to remember to use it every now & then so it doesn't get cancelled; it's set up to pay off straight away. (I also use it when I feel I need an extra layer of consumer protection.)

I should be able to cover the windows & door from savings, provided there's enough left after getting the van's bodywork sorted out. Must actually get some quotes, sooner rather than later; the wind fairly whistles through the gaps around the back door, and it faces north...

cuddlymarm

Feeling a little sick now as we have just eaten the Halloween sweets because no little treasures trick or treated here. Enjoyed every mouthful though. Small pleasures.
Apart from that a good day, lost 3lb at SW so only 5 to go now then I won’t need to pay any more.
Tea was from stores. I need to work out the menu until Tuesday when my online shop arrives and knock off some of what I’ve put on my list, but that can wait until tomorrow now.
I hope everyone is keeping warm and well
Cuddles

cuddlymarm

Tomorrow is my day off and I have my online shop arriving so then I will be attempting to stretch it to last as long as possible. We’ve got a cruise to pay for after Xmas plus flights to buy so every penny is going to have to work extremely hard.
I think the winter duvet is going to have to go on tomorrow, we’ve been making do with a couple of throws on top of the bed but it’s not going to be enough for much longer. It was bitterly cold here today. Winter is well and truly here. So my comfy throws are in use and I’m working on another for my eldest and his girlfriends new home.
It’s not very exciting here, but that’s no bad thing. Exciting tends to cost money.
Any time for bed I think.
Night night guys
Cuddles

cuddlymarm

Hi guys
Today’s been quiet. I’ve not done a great deal apart from laundry (hung up in the conservatory to save electricity) and then made butternut squash soup for lunch and meatballs in a tomato sauce for tea. All from stocks.
Tonight I’m keeping my sons dog company. Luckily she’s not spooked by the fireworks so far, but she only had a short walk earlier just in case. She’s a rescue pup so we are finding out about her as we go.
My wages are doing quite a good job staying in the bank this week and Thursday I’ll knock whatever’s left off the credit card. I go on a girls holiday at the end of the month. I’ve already got my spends and it’s all inclusive so I shouldn’t need to spend much. Just the taxi to the airport and back and coffee at the airport.
It’s worth being frugal to allow these treats.
I hope everyone is keeping well and warm, it’s definitely getting colder here. It’s been a lovely day here, clear and blue but the next couple of days are supposed to be yucky. My boss already has the Xmas songs on at work and we start the competition to sell the most mince pies today so Xmas is hurtling up a bit faster than I would like so every penny will have to count.
I’m trying for a minimalist Xmas. Only buying what we need and all presents need to be fun but useful this year. The days if eating Xmas food most of January isn’t to happen this year.
Cuddles