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Frugal, thrifty, make do, mend! Let this debt come to an end!
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Beautiful photo.Making the debt go down and savings go up
LBM 2015 - debt £57K / Now £28,744....its going down
Mortgage Free December 9th 2024! 18mths ahead of schedule. Since 2022 we paid over £15K in OPs.Challenges
EF #68 £550/£3000
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Studies/surveys August £7.48
Decluttering items 771
Books read 14
Jigsaws done 8
My debt free diary...https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6396218/we-will-get-this-debt-d£own-the-savings-up2 -
Lovely picture - it looks very tranquil.2
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Ooh, glad you're having a lovely time 🥰2
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Moorviews said:That looks to be a beautiful place for a walk! It sounds like you are both having a lovely holiday and it is giving you a little refresh, time to think and to plan. A kind friend to look after your cat is indeed a blessing worthy of appreciation.
Live the good life where you have been planted.
Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2022 - 15 carried over. Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2023 - 6 carried over. Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2024 - oops! My Frugal, Thrifty Moneysaving Diary1 -
Good morning, my Friday frugal friends,
Well I have been very proactive this morning and have arranged to view a car on Monday, once I'm home. It's one of the makes that I have been looking at, in exactly the right colour, and is only £2k as it has a dent just under the passenger door. It has just passed an MOT so the door closes properly and things, and at that price I don't care about the damage. I've checked the MOT history and that is fine. I imagine that at 100k it will need a new Cam belt and the Aircon repuffed, and I'll probably want to get it a full service, so that will be another £1k. Will be good for my savings if it works out, but it might be sold before then so I will just see how it goes.
If it does work out I'll need to do a bit of money shuffling to pay for it, as all my savings are currently locked up in a LISA. Theoretically I could sell my current car first, but not sure if I can organise that in a suitable timeframe as I'm relying on lifts from a friend to sell my car and pick up a new one. Also it's a private seller and not sure if they will accept a deposit until I can get a friend to take me and collect it. So I might need to borrow interest free on a credit card as an intermediate thing. 3% charge on £2k will add £60 to the cost. Ho hum. Let's see if I want it first. I don't love the idea of buying from a private seller, as you don't have much in the way of a guarantee, but the price is very appealing.
It is going to make Monday horrendously busy, unfortunately. A 4 hour return journey for the car and probably an hour to view it and test drive it, then a packed day of washing, gardening, possibly Beavers, and my village is having a VE day celebration I need to make some food for as well. Still, it would be very useful if the car works out so it'll be worth it.
Yesterday I went to a second hand charity warehouse with my Mum. Picked up a few things - a Van Gogh picture for above my mantle piece (unfortunately the glass broke in the car, so will need to see if I can buy a perspex sheet for it instead), a few books, a garlic crusher, a clothes brush, a scarf, a glass measuring jug, a handbag, 2 table lamp shades and a couple of books. All for the grand total of £12, which wasn't bad at all.
Also popped to HOme Barga!ns where I got 5kgs of epsom salts for baths for a fiver, and L!dl where I got a pepper grinder to replace the one my brother broke when he was down. Altogether lots of retail therapy for less than £20, so I am happy with that.
No big plans today. Will probably take silly dog an interesting walk somewhere once I finally get dressed and ready. Am currently drinking lots of tea, and considering what I want for breakfast.
Oh, and did I mention my government bonus was paid on my LISA? Yay! Lovely to see that extra £1k in my account 😊.
Have a fabulous Friday, everyone 😁Live the good life where you have been planted.
Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2022 - 15 carried over. Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2023 - 6 carried over. Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2024 - oops! My Frugal, Thrifty Moneysaving Diary7 -
I hope the car is what you want. If you are not aware, the A.A can check the history of the car. There are other companies that offer the same service but I have used the A.A and found it to be OK. https://www.theaa.com/vehicle-checkThat's great news about the LISA bonus.3
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Good evening, long weekend wages wranglers,
And so my just over three weeks of annual leave is coming to an end. I have got a fair amount done so I don't feel that I have wasted it, and it is very much the lifestyle I wish I could become accustomed to ☺️.
I drove back from Scotland yesterday and got home about 9pm. I emptied the essentials out the car, and the basically went to bed as I was pretty tired from the journey.
This morning I was up about 7am, and got ready and got the car properly emptied. Dishwasher emptied, then put the first batch of washing on. I hung up my new picture over the mantlepiece and it suits the room perfectly, so I think it will be worth it to order some perspex for it after the glass broke. It looks like it will be about £15. Also put the new table lamp shades on the table lamps and they look very good as well.
Then I drove 50 miles to view the car I was interested in. It had some issues but for the price I thought it was still worth it, and he offered to drive it over to my house tomorrow which would have been very convenient. So I said I would get back to him today and had pretty much decided to get it, when lo and behold when I started the routine searches you can do it came up that it was only Euro 5, and the advert said Euro 6 (which is the difference between ULEZ compliant, and not Euro compliant). You can get Euro 5 cars much cheaper than Euro 6, so it was no longer such a bargain and I decided against getting it.
I messaged the chap to let him know, and he was very polite and said Autotrader had filled that bit in automatically so he would look into it. But a wasted 100 mile journey I could have done without after the Scotland drive yesterday, and also a shame as I would have liked to have gotten the selling of the car sorted out. Although it has made me think that maybe I should open up my search to Euro 5 cars. They are cheaper and there are a lot more out there, and how often am I really in a city anyway? Since I am buying this car with the intention of using it until it gives up the ghost, the resale value (or lack thereof with Euro 5) doesn't really matter for me.
I popped into L!dl when I was out and got most of the things on my shopping list except courgettes and celeriac. I had a £5 off a £25 spend coupon on the app so that came in useful. I then popped into my local C00p to get the missing bits, and it was like back in the pandemic with empty shelves everywhere! I haven't been paying much attention to the news but they had signs up saying they are one of the companies under a cyber attack, and it seems to have affected their deliveries, primarily of fresh fruit and veg. So no courgettes or celeriac to be had, so I got a cauliflower and a turnip instead.
Then back home, shopping put away, first load of washing hung out, second load put on. I acquired a blanket box up in Scotland from a charity shop, and I got that out the car and transferred all my shoes to it. Shoes were previously in a big, cumbersome garden storage box I had brought in, so that's back in the garden.
Then out to Beavers, and back home for dinner (reheated curry I made in Scotland that my Mum didn't like), hung up the second batch of washing on the line, and emptied the cat litter.
It has just been an absolutely hectic day! Loads of things I haven't gotten around to - at least two more loads of washing need done, the house needs hoovered, the bathroom needs cleaned, the beds need stripped, but I'm doing no more tonight. Sadly being so busy also meant I couldn't fit in the VE Day gathering my village were having, which with me being a Home Front aficionado, really was a shame. But it just wasn't to be.
I'm sat on the sofa with a cocoa as I write this, and just taking a little while to relax before bed. I'll add today's spending figures to my Notion s/s when I'm finished and that'll be it for today. I need to check my personal emails as I've seen at least 2 pop up today I will have to reply to, but that's not strenuous.
Tomorrow is back to the old routine. It shouldn't be too hard getting up early for work as silly dog has been getting me up just after 6am for the last week🙄. It's forecast to be a warm day, so the washing should dry fairly quickly and I can get the next two batches done and hung out. Should also get the bird feeder filled, and water the honeysuckle and jasmine plants.
Weighed myself this morning and I only lost 0.6kg last week. Since I ate a LOT of cheese I am happy enough with that. I was on holiday after all, and I did my best to eat low carb which is the most important thing for the old blood sugar. I have a meal plan mapped out for the week, which only needs to be slightly tweaked due to the lack of celeriac and courgette. I think it is riced cauliflower mushroom 'risotto' tomorrow so will see how that goes.
Well, I think that's all my news for now. Hope everyone enjoyed the bank holiday week and is feeling refreshed.
Live the good life where you have been planted.
Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2022 - 15 carried over. Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2023 - 6 carried over. Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2024 - oops! My Frugal, Thrifty Moneysaving Diary7 -
Afternoon, Thursday frugallers,
I am procrastinating from work by being on here!
Since I got back from Scotland have done at least 5 loads of washing, and hung it all out, then put it away when it was dry. Everything i took with me needed washed as Mum is a heavy smoker, and I got no washing done the week before as was out on adventures. The final load, which was all the bedding that needed changed for my brother's visit, and changing again afterwards, has now been hung out. Thank goodness its been dry outside or it would have taken forever for all that to dry in the house. Annoyingly my washing machine is making a rattling sound, so I am going to have to pull it apart to see if something is stuck behind the drum.
My To Do list currently has 45 items on it, although that's down from about 60, and a few have been added in that time, so I am slowly ploughing through things. Other jobs for today are to hoover upstairs and clean the bathroom. Then can see if I feel up to some of the non urgent jobs after that.
Dinner tonight its going to be mashed celeriac and turnip with veggie sausages and peas, and a veggie gravy made from marmite and arrowroot powder. Arrowroot is technically high in carbs, but it has a lot of nutrients so in the small quantities needed for thickening it is acceptable apparently.
Weight loss seems to have stalled this week, which is probably because I am not weighing and measuring what I am eating. I'll see where I am on Saturday and start all the weighing again if necessary.
MSE wise, I bought the arrowroot powder yesterday - 1 kg which is more arrowroot than I think I'll ever need, but it worked out just about as cheap as a smaller amount. Also had to pay WI subs, and a village group subs as well. Both those are accounted for in my annual pots. I also bought a parasol and base for the garden which should be delivered in a day or two. It is about the one planned purchase in the housekeeping pot that I actually did budget for this year! Oh, and I have ordered a sheet of perspex for the picture I bought for over the mantlepiece. I had a moment of excitement when I thought I could reuse a piece from an old picture, but sadly it was a couple of cm too small. That was about £10, which isn't bad but just annoying the original glass broke and I had to pay more at all.
Still haven't found a car I want, but as I'm busy this weekend that is probably a good thing as fitting in viewing it would have been a nightmare.
Just got called away as there was someone at the door, and I thought I'd take a look at the washing machine. Not sure there will be anything I can do to fix it, the drum isn't rattling when i turn it, only when I push and pull it backwards and forwards, so it might be a fitting - I might have to see how it gets on, and call out the repair company it it becomes a problem.
Rough timetable for tonight -
5pm - feed monkeys
6pm - finish work
6 - 6.45 - Make and eat dinner
6.45 - 7.15 - Hoover upstairs and clean bathroom
7.15 - 8 - ??? Choose a task from to To Do list
8 - 9pm - Start jigsaw and listen to audiobook
9 - 10pm - look out clothes, reading, bed.
Rough timetable for tomorrow (Friday) -
6 -7am - try to wake up
7 - 7.30 - feed monkeys, get washed and dressed
7.30 - 8am - coffee, look at news, plan the days task's, water plants, sort out dishwasher if necessary.
8 - 12 - work
11am - eat
12- 1.30 - walk silly dog
1.30 - 5pm - work
5pm - feed monkeys
5 - 6pm - make and eat dinner (cauliflower pizza)
6 - 7pm - bring in and put away washing, any other tasks that need done from To Do list. Make packed lunch for next day (cauliflower risotto?).
7 - 9pm - Reading/jigsaw/TV?
9 - 10pm - look out clothes, make sure I am ready for course the next day, read then bed.
Hope everyone is having a good day
Live the good life where you have been planted.
Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2022 - 15 carried over. Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2023 - 6 carried over. Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2024 - oops! My Frugal, Thrifty Moneysaving Diary3 -
Sounds like you have had a very productive day!1
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Afternoon, Friday friends,
Again I am procrastinating from work by coming to play on here instead!
I am currently reading a very good book from the library called Hidden Valley: Finding Freedom in Spain's Deep Country by Paul Richardson. Its about an English chap who moved to Spain with his Spanish partner back in the 1990s and they buy some land, and try to grow as much of their own food as possible. They aren't quite self sufficient - he writes articles, and his partner, Nachos, does something that sounds quite high up for aid agencies, so they both have to leave at times to support themselves, but when they are there its all about growing crops, raising animals, and cooking and storing food.
I thought it would be just another travel memoir, which I would enjoy but wouldn't necessarily write home about. However I am finding it very inspiring. Richardson is a very thoughtful guy, and is firmly of the mindset that debt and bills reduce our freedom. Its the sort of mindset I had at the beginning of this debt free journey, but somewhere along the way the priority became being debt free, rather than the freedom being debt free leads to. He quotes quite a bit from Walden at the beginning of the book, which oddly enough I have never read, so I'll be putting that on my reading list as well.
So yeah, I need to revisit the whole thing I think. Ultra frugality is useful for paying off debts, but as a lifestyle once the debts are gone it means much greater freedom as you need less money to live. Yes, I want to save up and buy a little cottage with some land, but I won't be able to look after hens and goats and alpacas, or foster rescue animals, if I am working fulltime and travelling over night for work a few times a month. So I should also add onto my aims exploring ways to make money that give me more freedom. Obviously that's what everyone wants, but if I have a very frugal lifestyle then I don't need much money. Sadly I won't be mortgage free anytime soon, not even having a mortgage yet, but its an aim as well. So I have a lot to think about there.
Immediate Aims -- Reduce outgoings as as much as possible. Consciously decide each piece of spending and whether that's something I value and want to spend money on.
- Think environment - wherever possible, practical and affordable try to make a more eco conscious choice
- Sell the car and buy a new one - that will get rid of most of the remaining debt
- Get the savings going again
- Digital detox - check phone and respond to things once a day, check news once a week, avoid social media and doom scrolling
- Work on the structure of my days - being idle is fine, but losing time for no reason on the internet is a waste of my life.
- Continue the healthy low carb weight loss diabetes diet, and plan and budget for it properly.
- Try and buy the food and items I need locally, supporting small and independent businesses where possible.
- Try wild swimming in the river
- Read more, and invest time in hobbies.
Its is absolutely glorious weather where I live just now. The sun doesn't reach my back garden until lunchtime, but I am sitting out there under my new parasol as much as I can. Lunch and dinner are now al fresco, and then I read after work until the sun has gone away again. I have unpacked all the summer clothes (although I am still sorting out what I want to keep, sell, charity shop or throw out) and currently live in shorts, T-shirt, sandals and sun lotion. It feels decadent and as though I am living abroad. It is wonderful!
This weekend I have loads of training for Scouts to do, so will need to fit that in. I had in my diary I was meeting friends for dinner on Saturday night but that's now cancelled, so I have a lot more free time that I was expecting.
Things I needs to do this weekend -- Cut the grass
- Scout training
- Church
- Read my book in the garden
- Clean bathroom
- Finish sorting out clothes
- Walk silly dog in beautiful places
Tonight - cauliflower pizza
Saturday - brunch - avocado and halloumi salad, dinner - cauliflower pizza
Sunday - brunch - fry up, dinner - mashed turnip and celeriac with veggie sausages, peas and marmite gravy
Right I suppose I better get on with things. Spending today was £3.50 on an avocado and 6 free range eggs at the greengrocers, and a bag of green stevia online which was £13.45 including postage but should last a long time.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Live the good life where you have been planted.
Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2022 - 15 carried over. Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2023 - 6 carried over. Fashion on the Ration Challenge 2024 - oops! My Frugal, Thrifty Moneysaving Diary5
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