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

Slowdown

Hope you’re doing better Elisheba. We’re missing your posts. But no pressure of course, everything in your own time. 🙂

Elisheba

Morning, frugal friends,

Thank you for the messages of support.  I am feeling much better now, it just took a while for me to unscramble my brain after such a short, sharp dip.  I'm getting back into my routines again and feeling quite chipper in general.

@Moorviews The only frozen veg I can't get on with are frozen mushrooms - they just end up so soggy and add so much water to any dish I add them to.  Frozen onions are my go to as I hate chopping them, and most other frozen veg I have tried and use as and when.  Obviously you can't make salad with frozen veg, but they are great in anything you can cook.  I know there is plastic involved, but there is a lot less food waste as I struggle to use fresh stuff on time living on my own, so swings and roundabouts.

@KajiKita The job adverts were actually both in completely different places from where I live.  I was in the mood for big changes!  Neither of them were for me really, but now I don't desperately need to earn as much as I do to pay all the debts it does give me some freedom to look at different things and that's good to know. I do want to save up for a house and a motorhome though, so I'll stick where I am for the moment and just see how things go.

In moneysaving news, the smart meter people didn't show up again so they added another £30 to my account as a goodwill gesture. That's £60 altogether now - over a month's electricity for me, and I don't even care about getting a smart meter that much  . I'll keep trying to get one, and you never know I might end up with all my winter's leccie paid at this rate  .

I indulged a little at the weekend and bought a fan for my wood burning stove for £19.  I have been holding off getting one as I know Ald! often have them on special deals for closer to a tenner, but I have never seen one in my local Ald! so decided to bite the bullet now that the weather is getting colder.  I also popped into my local BnM for one thing and ended up buying a cutlery divider, and a telescopic window cleaner which was reduced to £6.  The only problem now is I will need to make some time to actually clean the blasted windows! Not my favourite job, but at least I can reach the tops now.  The only ones I won't be able to clean are the outsides of the top floor, and I just can't bring myself to pay someone to do them so they will have to stay grubby.

I also indulged a little and ordered 48 loo rolls from Who gives a **** for the first time, as the bulk order of loo roll I made on Hogmanay on Groupon is finally coming to an end.  Despite what they say they do seem much more expensive than other less environmentally friendly loo rolls, but I'll need to time how long it takes to use them to be sure.  I thought it was worth spending a bit more money though as I struggle to justify all the plastic and cutting down of trees with non eco rolls just to go down the loo, and these ones are very prettily wrapped and will look nice in the bathroom.  It did occur to me I could just use my home made toilet wipes for nothing, but it is a bit faffy getting them all dry, especially in winter, and loo roll is just so much easier. There is a reason 99.9999% of people use loo roll instead!

Other money saving things at the weekend were mainly just because I was tired and didn't feel like doing much.  I could've gone to bingo at the village hall on Friday but couldn't be bothered, was going to get coffee and cake on Saturday but the cafe was shut, was supposed to go out for dinner Saturday night but really didn't feel like it and curled up by the fire and read instead.  I did go out a walk with silly dog and a friend after church on Sunday which was both lovely and free!

I'm slowing working my way through the book 'The Art of Frugal Hedonism'.  The main thing I am getting from it is not to think about money so much, but to generally just have a frugal mindset.  It something I already know but definitely need reminded of.  At the end of the day I have enough, I know that.  But its so easy to forget and to get caught up in all the extra stuff I could have.  There is a chap in my faith tradition called St Basil, who about 1700 years ago suggested that if you have extra you should give it away, that if you have more than you need you are in effect stealing from those who are in need.  That's fairly radical obviously, but its definitely something to mull over in our capitalist world where its all about buying more and more stuff and never really being happy with it. 

The thing I really need to do at the moment to be more frugal is to start meal planning properly again.  Brunch is easy as its my hm muesli, but I am being super lazy with dinner and often popping to the C00p and buying rubbish.  I'm going to make some soup today and put the breadmaker on for some wholemeal bread, and that will be dinner tonight and tomorrow.  Then on Thursday I will make some wholegrain rice risotto to use up the fresh veg, and then I'll have that when I get in from the office on Friday as well.

I'm fairly busy at the weekend, but I want to put some time aside to do some bulk cooking. I have some fake meat that needs using up, so maybe shepherds pie and a sausage pasta bake at the very least.  Oh, and not quite fitting my healthy non UPF eating plan, but the C00p had some fake fish on sale for over half price so I bought all 4 packets and they are in the freezer.  I don't even know if I'll like it, but I really hope I will as I now have 8 pieces! I thought that with some chips and mushy peas or beans would be a really easy meal for when I am just not feeling like cooking.  Its all about balance isn't it, and its better to have easy meals in for tired days than run out and buy a pizza.  

Anyway, that's all my MSE news for now.  As always, I am going to try and post a bit more frequently.  Its good for me when I do, but its just so easy to get caught up in something else! I hope everyone is enjoying the lovely Autumn colours, and keeping warm and cosy.

Elisheba

Wholemeal bread and lentil soup are on!  Thank goodness for breadmakers and soup makers  .  That's dinner for the next couple of days sorted.

Elisheba

Morning, campers,

I'm not 100% sure, but I think this morning's news that inflation has fallen to 1.7% will be good news for my rent increase at the end of November. The increase will be based off... something... not the rate of inflation but linked to it. I can't remember what the rate it is based on is called for the life of me now so I'll need to look it up on my lease later on. Anyway the rent increase is based off that at its October level, so the less it is the less I'll pay. I had penciled in 10% to be on the safe side, and it'll be nothing like that so a bit more money saved.

Today will be a quiet day, no evening plans so just a dog walk and I'll need to buy milk from the C00p. No other money spending necessary, but I may well be tempted by the Kindle daily deals 🤦🏼. 

I have lentil soup and hm bread for dinner, and kindling and coal if it's cold this evening to light a fire. The forecast is rain all day, and as I sit here drinking coffee in bed the window is open and I can hear the brook at the end of my garden is already very high. There is no danger of me flooding, but with all the rain I worry for flatter areas. Fingers crossed everyone is alright.

I have been managing to stay warm during the day very well without having the heating on. A combination of layers, fleecy leggings, oldies, and a little heated foot warmer I picked up in a charity shop years ago and I am very cosy indeed as I work.

I need to remember to contact the seq creature company to try and rearrange a date for a smart meter being fitted. From what I can see from my reading so far this month the electricity costs has barely changed since the price hike. Obviously I fixed the day before the like so I wouldn't expect it to change much - I think my fix was either 4 or 6% below the price cap, so that would mean either 4 or 6% more than last month. Since my bill is less than £55 month that should mean £3 or £4 a month more, so I suppose I'll see at the end of the month. Might need to increase my DD a bit, although I have a lot of credit of there so maybe I won't.

I've just started what promises to be a fascinating book on home, and homesickness and identity, so I'm off to have a read of that before I need to get up and face the world. 

Have wonderful Wednesday everyone - almost halfway through the weekend ☺️

Makingabobor2

See you mentioned fleecy leggings. Where do you get yours from? I saw some lovely ones advertised, but they were £99 a pair & don't really want to pay that. 

fionaandphil

@Makingabobor2 I saw some in our heart foundation charity shop at about 8 ish

Elisheba

@Makingabobor2 I am a plus size and had been looking for years but couldn't see any that were cheap.  In the end I got 2 pairs in the Lands £nd sale, reduced to £41.25 each, from £55.  I have just checked and the sale is still on. 

Makingabobor2

Elisheba said:

@Makingabobor2 I am a plus size and had been looking for years but couldn't see any that were cheap.  In the end I got 2 pairs in the Lands £nd sale, reduced to £41.25 each, from £55.  I have just checked and the sale is still on. 

Aah, their stuff is good quality. I'll have to check any in my size. Thats a good price

Makingabobor2

fionaandphil said:

@Makingabobor2 I saw some in our heart foundation charity shop at about 8 ish

Never find good trousers or leggings in our ones, only top halfs. Think 'cause I'm a silly shape

Slowdown

Nice to see you back on form @Elisheba. 

I find Uniqlo one of the best places for warm winter under garments. I have a couple of super warming lined leggings and tops and they are very good at maintaining a good temperature. Not too outrageous with pricing.