Frugal, thrifty, make do, mend! Let this debt come to an end!

Elisheba

Dinner was Irish potatoes. Basically a tin of potatoes fried up with green frozen things from the freezer (onions, leeks, broccoli, peas, cabbage) with a bit of butter, and salt and pepper. I had an apple and a flapjack with dried fruit at 4pm as well, so altogether thats 12 different fruit or veg today. Not a bad start. 

Pentacle

Harking back to your guiding comments, my girls attend Guides and Rangers, they have a great time with fun, friendships and learning experiences, and I am hugely grateful to those who give up their time and effort to enable girls in this way. Do look into rejoining, you have valuable skills to pass on.

Elisheba

Afternoon, all.  Welcome to another episode of Elisheba's exciting life!

The new smart meter is giving me the heebie jeebies about energy use, so I am being super cautious and frugal with my energy consumption.  The thermos is being filled in the mornings when I boil the kettle for my first cuppa, and hopefully no more kettles will need to be sacrificed for the rest of the day.  I do have the heating on in the room I am working in, because I've tried it without and its not fun. Last night I turned everything off and lit the fire (which is technically more expensive, but I has already bought the coal  ).  I'll keep an eye on it and see whether I should be upping my DD.  I am aware thought aht with no heating needed in summer, it should all even out.

I listened to your advice @Pentacle and @DanceMum_2 and have contacted Guiding about rejoining.  I'm also going to join the Historical Society, so that is enough socialising to be getting on with!

My Music Magpie payments came in this morning - is only £25.04, rather than the quoted £27 odd.  I guess some of my books just weren't up to scratch! I wish they had sent me a breakdown of what ones they gave me less for though.  I thought they were all in pretty good nick.

I'm pretty certain of the final month budget figures, so today I made the small over payment (£18) that I can do this month to the catalogue   I've already paid the catalogue twice this month, so my payments for February combine to around £134, so that's not too bad considering the expensive month it has been.  Even if my calculations are out a few pence tomorrow when all the DD's come out, I am keeping £50 in my account for the annuals fund (which will also be the OD fund in the interim, until I can get the catalogue paid off and start attacking the OD ), so that can absorb any issues.

Other than that, I have managed to keep my OD either in credit, or in the lower cost bracket all month, so my charges next month will be significantly lower so that's a nice little saving.   I'm still waiting for my refund from Checkout Smart, and Zip Zero have emailed me to say they have a problem with their bank charges so don't know if they are going to be able to transfer my credit to my biller!  I'll wait and see how it all plays out, but as its small amounts for both of these, its a case of live and learn if it all falls apart.

I'm off after today until Tuesday, and I am so looking forward to my long weekend.  It will be frugal-ish.  I need to pay for 2 lunches - both around a tenner, and both budgeted for.  Since I'm staying with a friend for 2 nights that will be 4 meals I don't need to make and pay for myself  .  The monthly shop needs doing, and the petrol to my friend needs to be bought, but its all budgeted and should be straightforward enough.

I'm hoping to get another paper log made.  My last one has worked out well, although its so cold in the scullery it doesn't seem to be drying very much.  That's fine though.  Its heats up in summer and I don't need it until next winter.  I also want to do some cleaning, some washing, some baking, some batch cooking, and catch up on some TV.  Its going to be a busy few days!

Elisheba

Evening all, 

I'm properly knackered today. As it was payday and I was off I did my monthly shop. Six shops/supermarkets later, everything is bought - but still in the car because I was starving and too tired to bring it in  . Tomorrow will be fine... 😲

I spent about £42.50 on groceries, and had a budget of £40 so that's not bad. Can't see me needing anything else for the month. I got two big bags of cat litter with 30% off because the bags had been damaged. I was delighted. That'll do me two months, and saves me about £4 roughly. Always lovely to find a proper bargain.

I've been zipping cash between accounts. If I can stay out of my OD for as long as possible, keep the joint account overdraft at the lower charge, and put any spare in to my basic saver, I should save myself a few pence.

I got five whole pence in interest today in my basic saver, for January and the money I put aside for the rent overpayment. It may not go far, but it's the first interest I've earned in a long time (except for my pension I suppose, but I never really look at that!).

One of my CC paynents came out a bit higher than the fixed amount. The other one hasn't come out yet (although it should have) but I imagine it will be the same. Its to do with changing the payment dates I think, and should all be back to normal next month.

I didn't get half the things done today I wanted to do. Still, it's all just house work and it won't go anywhere. I did have a lovely relaxed morning with a lie in, a bath, then a bit of cooking. All lovely self care. I woke up with a bit of a cold, so it needed 😊. 

Elisheba

NB. I should point out my grocery budget is separate from all the cat stuff and everything else, except toiletries and cleaning product (most of which I make anyway). Can't feed and keep a human as well as two cats on £40/month! 

astrocytic_kitten

Elisheba said:

NB. I should point out my grocery budget is separate from all the cat stuff and everything else, except toiletries and cleaning product (most of which I make anyway). Can't feed and keep a human as well as two cats on £40/month! 

I’m super impressed you feed a human on £40/month - my target monthly grocery budget is £80 and I still went over this month! 

Happy_Monday

I’m impressed at the 40.00 a month too, I aim for that for two of us a week!!! X

Elisheba

I didn't really stick to this, but it was my food plan for February and these are the meals I bought in for. I'm veggie, so that makes it easier. I've uppped the fruit and veg content for my March plan, but don't have a picture to hand. 

I make bread and pizza dough in the breadmaker, water down milk to make it stretch, drink water or tea rather than squash or fruit juice. All my veg is frozen, potato's are tinned. Only fruit is fresh really, and I do use tinned fruit as well. I make my own muesli and bake my own snacks. I shop mainly in Lidl, no more than once a month if at all possible. I don't but any unplanned snacks at all. 

Toiletry wise, I made my own deodorant, use olive oil for moisturiser, use a shampoo bar and put a bit of castor oil in my hair as serum, rarely wear make up, have stopped dying my hair, use a menstrual cup...

What else? Oh, I bulk bought loo roll and tooth brush heads, I use a quarter of recommended amounts for washing clothing and when that's gone I am going to try making my own. It's just lots of little life hacks I think, but around £40 a month is pretty easy so far (fingers crossed, touch wood!) 

StartingAgainAt29

Love your spreadsheet! I meal plan using Evernote, I have one tab where I keep my food shopping list and planned meals so I can easily add something to the list if I'm out. Sorry if you've explained elsewhere, how did you make your own deodorant?

Elisheba

The deodorant recipe I use, @StartingAgainAt29
No idea what website it is from as I took the pic ages ago, but it's not mine and I take no credit 😁