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

SuzeQStan

it is a tough time of year - and that is such a throw away statement on my part!
the pressure makes us all feel lacking whatever our situation.  & Increasing debt makes these feelings even worse.

please know that you are an amazing person Elisheba - and you shine a gentle
and encouraging light on MSE forum that is unique and special 🥰  thank you xx

edit to say baileys and grangelico I gotta try it LOL

Moorviews

It is a time of year where we are encouraged to feel that we are not doing or buying enough so I can understand why people overspend. I have done it myself (for the children) and had the January of anxiety and no spending whatsoever to follow. It is difficult when having a big pile of presents has become normalised over the few that felt fine in the past. My children even buy me several presents when I am content with one. We all love giving pleasure to others and that can really be a problem when we don’t know where to draw the line. Martin has always sensibly talked about keeping to a budget but it is hard if that doesn’t stretch to giving what society is telling us equals a good Christmas. I am hoping that the message of less consumerism for ecological reasons will help and perhaps filter through to reduce pressure on everyone. Everything has become so expensive though that even attending events and experiences will be beyond many pockets. Small wonder that people cheer themselves with purchases from the glittering displays in shops or online. 

Your purchases sound very modest even if they weren’t exactly planned. I hope you get maximum enjoyment from them😊 The axe will come in handy for chopping up sticks that you collect when on a walk and you might fancy a bit of sawing on a chilly day. Technique makes such a difference and I imagine there are videos online. 

Elisheba

Good morning, frugalistas,

Thank you @SuzeQStan for your very kind words 😊. And yes, Bailey's and Frangelico was nice, but a dash of Frangelico in mulled wine was even better. You wouldn't want much of it though, it really packs a punch!

I agree @Moorviews and  @SuzeQStan. Its a time of year when more, more, more is the name of the game. More food, more drink, more stuff. And no matter how frugal you are it's so easy to think - I'll just push the budget that little bit further - society actively encourages it, and everyone else seems to be doing it. Its entirely the wrong message and it is part of the buy now, worry later mentality that causes so many problems for people.

It's a windy old day outside at Elisheba Cottage. Silly dog is curled up next to me while I have my morning coffee and prepare for the day. The Xmas tree lights are on, and look very pretty in the dull morning light. The MSE Christmas light calculator tells me they will cost me about 20p to run for the whole of the Xmas season, so I feel I can enjoy them guilt free!

I can't thinking of anything I need so today should be a no spend day. I'll probably pop to the nearest small town for a dog walk at lunchtime and take some library books back. The online library system has changed and wouldn't let me renew any of them yesterday for some reason, so I'll need to ask about that.

I went a dog walk into the woods by my village yesterday, as I was walking around the village to deliver the Xmas cards anyway. I don't normally do dog walks here as it's so steep and hilly, and oh my goodness you could tell I hadn't climbed any hills recently! My face was bright red by the time I got home and I had the beginnings of a stitch! I think I should probably make an effort to climb the hills a bit more, just to keep my fitness fairly even!

Dinner tonight will be veggie sausages and mash, with 2 or 3 vegetables on the side. I want to read a bit more of my book this evening, and probably watch an episode or two of the Yorkshire Shepherdess doing up the house she bought nextdoor on C4. 

House wise, I have some clothes that need putting away and the hoovering needs done again, which I might get around to. I'll need to put the dishwasher on later, and then empty it. Oh, and the cat litter needs changing again I think. 

I might find some time to wrap presents later on. I have a suspicion I might be almost out of sellotape so I'll need to have a root through some drawers. And I need to make a list of what I need to take up to Scotland with me next week.  Oh, and do some of my actual paid job as well 🤣.

Have a good day folks, and hope you don't get blown away.

Makingabobor2

Stay safe, its was windy here overnight, but calming down a bit here.  
Veggie sausages & mash...yummy.  Proper comfort food. Enjoy. 

Elisheba

Goodmorrow, frugal friends,

I hope all your Christmases (or Hannukahs or Yules, or whatever you celebrate) went well and much fun was had.  I am up in Scotland for the duration, and had a very enjoyable Christmas with family. Currently silly dog and myself are staying at my Mum's, and black cat is at my brother's.

The only spending I have done since Xmas eve is for some child drawer locks to stop silly dog getting into my clothes - he has discovered he can open the drawers and thinks it is a wonderful game 🙄. They should be delivered tomorrow and then I can stop having to run into my mum's bedroom and waking her up when I need to get dressed. 

The way things have worked out with work and voluntary things mean that I am able to stay up in Scotland until late January and just work from up here. Figure it's worth taking advantage of that while I can, and getting to spend a bit of time with my family. One thing I'll need to do though is to have a look around the charity shops for an armchair for my bedroom at Mums. It would be very useful for sitting in to read, or when I just want some peace and quiet from the TV in the living room. If I'm going to be up here for a while it'll be worth it.

A few little money saving things today. I cancelled the Flicking of the Net - I subscribe every now and then for a couple of months to catch up with things then cancel. I also looked up how to cancel my washing machine cover. I got it when I needed a new drum as it worked out the cheapest way to pay for it, but it was a month contract and needs cancelled after the December payment. Turns out you have to call them to cancel and can't just do it online - cheeky sods are making it as cumbersome as they can to try and earn a bit of extra money from people forgetting or finding it too much hassle I think 🙄. Anyway I will phone them and cancel it in the next few days.

I have had a total faff with my rent payments the last 2 months. As you may recall I had to increase my payments by 3.5% from late November (despite the fact I still can't work out where they got the 3.5% figure from). Anyway I mistyped the standing order payment amount and underpaid by 10p. I got an email about it so I changed this month's payment to be 20p more and 10p more after that. They said that was fine and I thought that was that.

Then a couple of weeks ago I got another email saying I was in arrears and this was my first warning letter. So I called them up and they said, oh sorry, it's an automated thing. So I got them to send me another email saying that it was all fine so I had it in writing. 

Then today, which is rent payment day, it turns out I must have done something wrong when I changed the standing order because it went out 10p under again! So I have directly transferred them the 20p I now owe them, and changed the standing order again, and hopefully that will be that.  But honestly, it has been a comedy of errors!

I have been keeping an eye on my smart meter for my house to see how much electricity my chest freezer and under counter fridge are using. I turned off everything else before I left, so it is only them left on. It looks like about 44p a day, which seems a bit much when you add up what it costs a year. Both were second hand so I doubt they are very energy efficient, but when I had a look online last night it doesn't look like you can get chest freezers above an F for efficiency so probably wouldn't save much, if anything, by replacing it.

Due to being up in Scotland it looks like I won't be able to sell and replace my car until February now. Nothing to be done about that, and it will give me some extra time to research what I'll replace it with. It's so complicated and so many things to think about. I want a lot of boot space for camping. I can't decide whether I want diesel or petrol - diesel engines last longer, but cost more to run. Getting a ulez compliant diesel engine means it's more expensive, and will they say Euro6 diesels aren't ulez compliant soon anyway? So in that sense it would be better to go for petrol which will definitely be ulez compliant. But they don't last as long, and to get a lot of boot space in my budget I'll need to go for a higher mileage. So then I'm back to the start!

Right, I am off to get ready then walk silly dog. I'm off after that to see one of my brothers, and then I'm not sure what I'm doing. I might just have time to pop into a charity shop to see about an armchair if I push it. Will have to see.

Hope everything is very merry and bright for you all.

MFWannabe

Morning. They changed the energy rating of appliances a couple of years ago so newer ones may be cheaper to run 🤔
It normally tells you the cost to run per year 

Ref cars; how many miles per year do you now drive, as you work from home now? 

That will make a difference reference petrol or diesel 
What age car would you be looking at? That can make a difference reference tax rates 

Moorviews

Glad to hear that you had a good Christmas 🎄 I had to laugh at your dog having worked out how to open drawers 😂 sounds a real character!
It’s great that you can stay up in Scotland for a good length of time and enjoy being around your family. I hope you find just the right chair for your room. 

Cheery_Daff

What a pesky hound opening your drawers! 😮😂

missymoo81

Hi @Elisheba I have just caught up on your diary! I was so far behind but it has been my evening reading over the last few nights. I’m so pleased you have your house with your garden and you’re so settled in. It’s weird isn’t it sometimes when we’re pushed and have to think outside the box sometimes, sometimes the best things come
from it! And I love your house buying plans! So exciting.

You’ve inspired me to go back to my MSE ways! There are a couple of things that we are so similar on! I also have a mass of curly hair, I’ve tried many shampoos and conditioners but have recently found a rhyme and reason one that was reduced in boots with no baddies in it and in recycled packaging and my hair has felt so much better. We are looking at selling my car to get one that we can sleep in that can also pull a trailer. What car do you have, trying to get an idea on size that would work. 

With regards to the freezer, I’m looking at possibly replacing my fridge freezer and the energy rating even on a new one is about an E or F, they’re just not efficient. 

Sounds like you’ll have a lovely time at your mums.
Right I guess I should really update my own diary now I’ve highjacked yours!

DawnW

missymoo81 said:

With regards to the freezer, I’m looking at possibly replacing my fridge freezer and the energy rating even on a new one is about an E or F, they’re just not efficient. 

Energy performance ratings have been updated away from the old A-G system. They still use letters but in a different way. So a new E or Frated appliance may be as efficient as an old A+ one. The new system is confusing I think!  See https://energyguide.org.uk/appliance-energy-ratings/  for more information.