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

missymoo81

Hey hope you’re having a lovely day! I love shopping with vouchers makes you feel so happy you’ve got something for nothing. Cream tea and a walk sounds amazing, you’ve made me think maybe I should think about doing a similar thing. Have you a set budget for food and spends for the week? 

Oh and I hope you have a
lovely birthday surprise. Is it your birthday today? If so. Happy Birthday!

Elisheba

Thanks @missymoo81. I have a budget for the months for different pots, which works quite well for me. It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago but I was away so this was a belated surprise. It's was so lovely - more people were there than I expected and we went for a cream tea. Got lots of lovely presents as well.

Ended up spending about £15 on wine and cigarettes in the evening - oops! I had a smoking relapse during lockdown but have stopped again recently. However, after a glass of wine my resolve crumbles which is a pain in the neck!

Spent £4.46 in BnM yesterday on dog chews and poo bags. They seem to have stopped stocking the chews which lasy a while. I'll have to look online, but BnM always seems to be the cheapest.

I've done a rough meal plan and need almost nothing this week. I'll pop out to Lidl in a bit for the few things I do so want and then should be sorted for the slog that is my 4 day working full time hours week.

I have to say I'm so enjoying having Mondays off. I had planned that Mondays would be my domestic day, and I'd get all the things done round the house done that needed doing - get shopping, batch cook and whatever else. I can't say that's gone according to plan though - I have hoovered today but that's about it 😂. I'm not going to beat myself up over it though. The basics are done so I'll live. Why stress myself out about the rest?

I had an absolute disaster earlier with one of those lap tray things. I had put it in the cupboard as my dog had started chewing it, and when I went to get it out it was broken. The tray was coming apart at the corners and all the little beans looked like they could come out. I had a look at it but couldn't see how it could be fixed so went to put it in the outside bin.

As I did so the whole thing fell apart and all the thousands and thousand of little beans poured everywhere! All over my living room and driveway! With gusts of wind whooshing them all over the place because they were so light!

Well, I tried a brush and shovel but that was no good as no sooner had I brushed all the beans in but the wind blew them out. So it the end I had to pull out the Dyson. I'm not sure what my neighbours must have made of me vacuuming the driveway but there we go 😂. Still finding beans everywhere though!

missymoo81

Oh I have the funniest image of you hoovering the drive!!!! I remember the same thing happening to me with a beanbag! Although I didn’t quite get the hoover out. Would you mind sharing your meal plan for the week? 

Elisheba

Morning all.  Still little beans appearing absolutely everywhere!

Hey @missymoo81.  Sure, no problem. 

Breakfast
I make hm muesli so that's breakfast sorted all week, and I had everything in for that (bran flakes, porridge, mixed dried fruit, mixed nuts).  Sometimes I have toast with butter and jam/marmalade/marmite with it depending on how hungry I feel.

Lunch
I have some tins of soup left over from my holiday so they will be lunch with some bread.  If I don't fancy them on the day I can have a cheese and salad sandwich. SHOPPING LIST - Bread and butter

Dinner
Monday - Pitta pizzas (pittas, tomato puree, cheese, green pepper, tomato)
Tuesday - pesto pasta (jar or red pesto, various veg fried up, pasta, feta) and garlic bread and salad (from the freezer)
Wednesday - Eggs, beans and chips
Thursday - Pasta bake and garlic bread (from the freezer)
Friday - Pizza.  SHOPPING LIST - cheap Aldi or Lidl pizza (I could make it myself but on Fridays I never feel like doing much)
Saturday - HM Stew (I'm going to make it up as I go along but I have Quorn chicken, tins of various pulses and frozen veg,  and flour, stock and non alcoholic white wine for a sauce.  I might even make a chicken keepers pie and put mashed potato on top and bake it)
Sunday - Quorn roast, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, veg (all in freezer, although I might need to buy gravy - I'll have to check).

I basically have a freezer full on food from when Mum stayed as she wasn't really into meal planning so things didn't get used up, which helps me keep costs down this month! I still haven't been shopping this week for food as my dog was ill yesterday.  Since I don't need much I could probably walk to Aldi after work tomorrow night as part of my dog walk.  I have a few things in the fridge that need used as well - some veg and fake bacon, so I will have to think where I can fit those into the meal plan.


I got a letter with a cheque for about £22 yesterday from Plusnet, saying it was an outstanding balance on my account.  I left them 8 months ago so I have no idea how it took them this long!  My mum has also given me a few pounds towards our holiday, so with that I am a bit closer to having enough leeway in my OD to get the car MOT and service paid, so hopefully will be able to start paying back the catalogue sooner than expected.

missymoo81

Ah thank you so much for taking the time to write it all. I really think I need to try more veggie meals! Love the sound of your muesli!

Elisheba

Well its not been the most MS saving week, but its hasn't been too bad either.  My hard to justify blow out was £8 on Kindle books deals.  They are my weakness - I just love buying books! since i have thousands though and a perfectly good library membership it is a bit silly of me.

I have also spent just over £40 on wide calf wellies.  This is something I have been thinking about getting since I got my dog in March.  I'm out walking twice a day, and although I have hiking boots, wellies are also useful for some walks.  I ordered welly boots and welly socks, and got 20% off so its not too bad.  I'm also getting a full £20 refund on my broken watering can, and got a £20 odd refund from Plusnet - so thats them basically covered!  That's my theory anyway . They are very pretty blue wellies with yellow flowers, and I'm really hoping they fit okay!

Foodwise I've spent less than a fiver this week, so can't complain about that.  Just butter, milk and bread with a Friday pizza from @ldi thrown in.  About 6 months ago the cheap @ldi pizzas were 60/70p, and now they are £1 which is annoying.  Still cheap for a shop bought pizza I guess and they are nicer that the T£sco ones.  Unless I want to make my own (and on a Friday I really don't) then I'll have to lump it!.

Also paid out £8 for an outdoor swim session with a friend in September.  That will come out of next month's pocket money.  It was MS in the sense that we thought we would need to buy hats and tow floats, but when I phoned up and asked it turns out they have some for us to borrow but just don't advertise the fact.  I suppose I could have just jumped in the river, but I've not done much outdoor swimming so I wanted to go somewhere I knew was safe to start me off.

I have also just made an online tax rebate application to HMRC for my WFH tax rebate for the first half of this year due to COVID.  I've never done one before, and I suppose I should have waited till the end of the year but I wanted to see how it worked!  It all seemed very simple, and all being well I'll get £120 rebate.   I'm hoping I can make another claim at the end of the financial year and claim back any more rebate I am due caused my COVID essential home working  - its looking like we won't be back in the office till after Xmas so there will be some more to claim.  If I get it then it can go towards the car MOT in November.

I've got a couple of receipts to put on the receipts apps, and a pair of slippers to return to the catalogue so must remember to do that.

Doe anyone know how to make denim shorts smaller?  I bought some in the January sales, and they are too big now. Perfectly good so I'd like to reduce them in size somehow.  I do have a sewing machine albeit I haven't had it out in years!

missymoo81

Hey Elisheba. It depends how big the shorts are. Fashion is to have paper bag shorts, (might want to google it) so they are sort of pleated at the top with a belt and turn ups.... I wondered if you could maybe make that work?  Oooh ETA Just found this:

https://www.newlook.com/uk/womens/clothing/shorts/blue-denim-tie-high-waist-shorts/p/648863840?extcam=UK_PPC_PLA_Google_DV_m&_cclid=Google_EAIaIQobChMI29rapoKx6wIVg2DmCh1ryQOcEAQYASABEgLb7vD_BwE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI29rapoKx6wIVg2DmCh1ryQOcEAQYASABEgLb7vD_BwE

The outdoor swimming sounds lovely and I think the wellies sound like a necessity! And books! I feel your pain/enthusiasm I am awful for buying books, mostly from charity shops and don’t think anything of them as they’re 50p.... but now I have soooooo many to read! Think I may ban myself until at least Christmas! 

missymoo81

Hey Elisheba, how are you?

WinterWarrior

I have found a way with books...I’ve been getting vouchers from the ipsos surveys and using those for kindle purchases. It does help. 

I love the sound of the wellies. 

Elisheba

hello all,

Life keeps getting in the way of me posting, and I am never very keen anyway if I know I have been a bit naughty and don't want to fess up 

Not that I have been too bad, but I have spent rather a lot of money hiring a cottage for Xmas.  It wasn't essential, but it will make my life a lot easier than staying with family where there isn't much room and my dog can be a  problem.  Thankfully I have been able to pay up front rather than putting it on a card, but it does leave things rather tight until after Xmas - especially as I will need a lot of work done to my car in November.  Also, no-one will be getting much from me this festive season - other then my lovely presence of course  .

Other then that, i was told I was eligible for a new credit card which I thought I could pay off my catalogue with - even without a deal it was less interest. So I ordered than, then realised I could pay off my catalogue with the credit cards I currently have, which are  cheaper.  So I did that, and phoned up today and closed the account of the new credit card - I really don't need any more debt!!!!!!!!

So once  have paid off Xmas, I can start paying extra off on the next highest interest card.  I have worked out if I stick to a strict budget, don't buy nonsense, and no more holidays I can pay off an extra £3.5 k next year as well as put money aside for the car.  I am sure I will want a holiday at some point though, and I may have the same issues next Xmas, so it won't be £3.5k.  Still, good habits will lead to at least some extra being paid, and that will lead to a quicker debt free date.

Budget wise, I have gone over this month.  I have it all itemised so I know why I have gone over - these things happen and its far from the end of the world.  With everything being very tight due to the Xmas cottage though, I need to rein things right back for the next few months.  Although the idea of a new lockdown (or some version thereof) and being all alone and isolated over winter fills me with dread and black depression, it will make it easier to keep costs down  :'

In good news, my local library has reopened.  Its undergoing some work currently so its isn't is usual comforting space, but still - free books again!  Although I have so many on Kindle and on my book shelves I could probably go the rest of my life and not need to get another book.  Where is the fun in that though?

I'm going to read some medieval books leading up to the Xmas period as my town has had a Medieval Market recently, then over Xmas there will be Xmas books to read.  Then in the new year I have quite a lot new books to read to educate myself about Black life experiences, and  get up to date with the Black Lives Matters movement.  So should be a good mix of fun and education. 

I'm reading The Name of The Rose just now by Umberto Eco, which goes between enjoying and incomprehensible, as well as Super Scrimpers, Forgotten Ways for Modern Days, The Wild Remedy - How Nature mends us, and Red Sky at Night - The Book of Lost Countryside Wisdom. why read one book when you can be reading 5?

I tempted myself and signed up to Netflix again to watch the new episodes of Lucifer, and then I cancelled it again after I did - so £6 odd to watch something I enjoyed which isn't bad I suppose although its hardly ultra frugal.

In regards to simple living - I am still working toward it.  I made my own deodorant again, and I'm still just using a shampoo bar for my hair.  I have stopped dying my hair, and have been cutting it myself - and it doesn't look half bad actually.  I won't be going back to a hairdresser I shouldn't think.  I have been plucking my own eyebrows (ouch), basically stopped wearing make up (this is made easier as I am now a little tanned from walking the dog, and with lockdown I haven't been going many places) and making sure I keep up to date mending my clothes (well, mostly up to date!). 

I haven't yet gotten round to making my own cleaning products (other than bicarbonate of soda and vinegar for the toilet bowl and sink drain) but its next on my list.  I have also got quite a few bits to sell on ebay or equivalent - so I need to get on to that.  I will never be a minimalist but I can get the clutter reduced.  

Can I ask, if anyone reads this who uses their mobile as a hotspot for their internet - how do you get on with it? My mobile contract is ending next month (at last) and I see on this website the is an £18 unlimited contract ideal for tethering, which means I could cancel my broadband.  I quite like the sounds of this, but as I do need to be able to work from reliable Wifi for work I just wondered what peoples experiences of it were? It could save me about £360 a year on what I'm paying now on Broadband and mobile (which admittedly is too high, and any good SIM only contract will save me money).