Giving every £ a job

SuperSavingD

I tend to use my slow cooker more in the winter for stews, chilli, spaghetti bol and curry.  If you have a Home B near you they do some amazing packet curries sauces I buy about 5 and pop it in with chicken and veggies and they are delicious, they are about 69p per packet, called Indi Grand, tried the butter chicken and the balti curry so far.  It’s a quick win if you like curry and gives lots of portions for the freezer.

Blackcats

thanks mum2nan and SupersavingD - the smell of the slow cooker working away all day is yummy.  I'm going to try some veggie recipes next week and the curry suggestion sounds great.  Although there's no work related travel at the moment it's great to cook up a big pot of dinner - cook once and eat twice or thrice.  Mind you, my freezer needs a good stocktake so I can squeeze some of the extra portions in.
DAY 4 of reflections .... today its all about doing it myself.  Not home renovation DIY but household things that I used to pay other people to do.  I read on one of these threads that we aren't wealthy enough to employ staff to work for us.  I'd never thought of my cleaners and ironing lady and grass cutter as my staff, but actually that sounds like the below stairs staff of the lady of the manor and I'm definitely not a lady of the manor.  

The cleaners stopped because of lockdown - saving around £1000 per year and i stopped sending my ironing away when I realised I was trying to find ironing to fill the basket to make it worthwhile,  grass cutting ends naturally about now and I won't re-start it again.  I know it's taking away income from other individuals but at the moment I need to focus on achieving some money saving goals.  

Blackcats

Day 5 - a quick reflection today on changed behaviour for washing, drying and ironing 

clothes.  I've always been an avid consumer of fancy laundry products which generally come with fancy price tags.  I swopped earlier this year to smol products after a free trial.  They have recently added fabric conditioner to their range.  The products are a bit more environmentally friendly than my usual products.  Not the cheapest but I save money by not wandering down the washing aisle at the supermarket and getting tempted there.  Trying to dry washing outside or using my heated airier (which I've had for a while but rarely used) and trying to avoid the tumble dryer.  

As I mentioned I used to pay to get my ironing done but I'm now doing that myself.  

A few money saving changes that are also better for the planet.  Win-win!! 

savingholmes

Some significant changes there. I want to keep my cleaner if possible though but I would save a similar amount or more if I stopped

Blackcats

Saving Holmes, I can't claim to have stopped the cleaners as a money saving decision but because I care for an elderly relative I'm trying to limit contact with people.  So it's a side effect of Covid rather than a saintly money saving action.  Plus there are more people in your household to clean for.  

After a week off work, I'm feeling more energised to focus on money saving.  I read a really interesting article about the aggregation of marginal gains on Markman's diary which has really got me thinking.  Basically each money saving action might not help you reach your goal but when you put them all together and the savings keep growing then that's the fastest way to reach your goal.  

I really want to retire late next year so I need to really apply a laser like focus to my plans. I read that description on a diary too and that struck another chord with me.  So, shareholders of plastic cactus and plastic lavender companies beware, profits could plummet.  😇

Blackcats

Started on my aggregation of marginal gains challenge today ... "AMGC" how fancy does that sound????? I'm going to aim to accrue £500 by the end of the year by squirrelling away my day to day marginal gains.  I do already do some saving each month so this is over and above that.
it will include rounding down of current account, putting £10 into the pot when we take coffee and cake out rather than buying it, any payment from £co and other similar bits and pieces of saving.  

I need an AMGC colouring in grid now .... heading off to draw one now and to sharpen my coloured pencils 🥳

SuperSavingD

Blackcats said:

Started on my aggregation of marginal gains challenge today ... "AMGC" how fancy does that sound????? I'm going to aim to accrue £500 by the end of the year by squirrelling away my day to day marginal gains.  I do already do some saving each month so this is over and above that.
it will include rounding down of current account, putting £10 into the pot when we take coffee and cake out rather than buying it, any payment from £co and other similar bits and pieces of saving.  

I need an AMGC colouring in grid now .... heading off to draw one now and to sharpen my coloured pencils 🥳

Good idea I’m sure that will amount up in no time.  If it was me I’d be taking a piece of cake and flask of tea out with me every morning on the school run, just so I could transfer a tenner.  Little bits here and there really do mount up and it gives you the added boost.  Good luck 

savingholmes

It's true - they reckon each saving you knock off your bill for good - is worth 25 x the amount as that's less money you need in retirement. Good luck with your goals.

Blackcats

Thanks Supersaving - yes indeed, I'm sure I will occasionally be adjusting my own rules to give the savings pot a boost.  I spent so much money on coffee and cakes pre lockdown that I'm quite pleased to have been forced to stop it and now re-start in a much more MSE way.  At the moment I don't really want to spend time in coffee shops so taking my own with me works well.  

Interesting calculation savingholmes.  I've just had notification that my gas/elec payment is going up by £20 per month which initially I thought "that's not too bad, it is autumn now, blah blah" but actually if I can be a bit more careful with usage I might be able to claw some of that back. 

No spends today - not a spare moment to even think about spending any money.  I do need new headphones - mine only work in one ear and now that side is fading fast.  I'm listening to the newest Strike book which has just come out - it's brilliant and really well narrated - it might sound even better in stereo 🤫

Blackcats

Another weekend has flown by.  Feeling pleased to have made 3 apple crumbles using up more apples from the garden.  

The good thing about having overspent on "stuff" over the years is that there is lots of "stuff" to use at home to ring the changes.  Today I swopped to red cushion covers and candle holders, put up an autumnal painting and feel like I've got a fresh new, cosy room for darker, colder evenings.  I also did a good tidy up in the spare bedroom which was slipping into becoming a dumping ground.  Put on fresh bed linen and swopped bedside lamps from another room - looks very nice now - just a shame that it will probably be a while before any visitors can come and stay.  

I moved the £12 voucher savings money into the "AMGC" pot plus rounded down the current account balance to the nearest neat number.  

On the final stages now of a crochet Christmas gift which I'd like to finish this week although the tidying of the loose ends seems to take an inordinate amount of time.