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

WinterWarrior

Thick slipper socks are excellent for cold feet….I sometimes sleep in mine! For your hands maybe a hot water bottle or wheatbag will do the trick when it gets colder? I’ve seen the little glove hand warmers, but I don’t know how long they last? 

astrocytic_kitten

I always have cold hands and feet and find wristwarmers really helpful, mine cover most of the hand but leave fingers free. I wear them a lot when working from home when I get chilly sitting in one place (mine are cashmere but I’m sure you get more MSE ones!). I’m also a big fan of heat holders tog rated slipper socks, they keep my feet really toasty. Before I found them I used to use fake fur lined slipper booties. For me, keeping feet/ankles, wrists, and my neck cosy is really important in staying warm.

Elisheba

Thanks @WinterWarrior and @astrocytic_kitten.  I'm a bit worried my dog will chew my hot water bottle so I haven't tried using it downstairs.  I'll have to trial it and see how it goes.  I might try and knit some wrist warmer and see how they go as well.  I've not heard of HeatHolders slipper socks.  I'll look them up.  A neck cosy sounds like a really good idea as well!

Elisheba

I had a look at Heat Holder slipper socks and think I've actually got a pair my brother bought me for Xmas last year.

Walked to Mr T's at lunchtime and bought milk.  Didn't buy anything else including chocolate, so that's a win for me!  I did have a look for the Nido milk powder but they didn't have it, just normal  MrT's own skimmed milk powder which is pretty horrid.

WinterWarrior

No chocolate 😳😭😮 that’s so sad ☹️

Last winter I used fleece blankets as shawls in my office, I just folded them to make a triangle and then pinned them at the front. If you have fleece throws hanging around that might work? It wasn’t always easy for me as a I have a cat who shares my chair and sits behind me dragging the shawl off my back until it’s a nice nest 😖

Elisheba

WinterWarrior said:

No chocolate 😳😭😮 that’s so sad ☹️

Last winter I used fleece blankets as shawls in my office, I just folded them to make a triangle and then pinned them at the front. If you have fleece throws hanging around that might work? It wasn’t always easy for me as a I have a cat who shares my chair and sits behind me dragging the shawl off my back until it’s a nice nest 😖

I know.  Life with limited chocolate is such a chore 

I have lot of blankets around and they do help with keeping cosy, when my crazy dog doesn't decide to steal them off me and have a right old carry on with them!  Absolutely no point in having nice throws and blankets these days!

Elisheba

Well, yesterday I only bought milk and today and tomorrow should be NSD, fingers crossed.

Looking through my monthly spending, I think I am between £60 ad £100 over budget for the month.  It depends whether I am offsetting certain things to next month.  For some things I will, like I bought a full tank of petrol but that should cover me for next month as well.  Other social things I'm not so sure about.  Ho hum.  I've just got to hope my car MOT and service isn't too expensive in December as that is mainly what I need the money for.

I started reading a library ebook, Black Gold, by Jeremy Paxman.  All about Britain and coal.  So far it excellent.  I almost wish I was 20/30 years older and could retire and read all day!  If you go onto my library app at the right time you can see all the new books they have added that month before anyone else has had a chance to borrow them and get them first.  the problem this month is that I have borrow loads of great ones, and doubt I'll be able top read them all in the time I have them.  Some of them already have 7 people waiting for them so I won't get hold of them again for months if I don't.  How annoying!

The weather is so mild this week.  I'm glad for the sake of all the people whose energy costs have gone up when their company went under and who are worried if they will be able to afford heating this winter.  Pretty much no need for heating for the healthy right now.  Saying that I am at my desk in a  sleeping bag with a blanket over my shoulders.  No harm in being cosy!

I made bread in the bread maker yesterday and it was a disaster  It didn't rise properly despite me measuring everything exactly and the yeast being in date.  Really frustrating.  Anyway I'll toast that for lunch and make some soup in the bread maker to go with it. I ended up not being very hungry for dinner last night so just had eggs on toast.  So tonight I'll have the veggie burger and sweet potato fries planned for yesterday.

Just seen the Lidl leaflet for the week after next.  They will have 50p off the mixed nuts I buy for my homemade muesli on the weekend of the 22nd so I should probably try and remember that so I can bulk buy some.

Hopefully a quiet day today.  Work then dog walk, dinner and a quiet night reading.  I should probably hoover a bit, but nothing massive needs doing.  

Tomorrow will be a difficult day.  I have counselling which always leaves me feeling all the things, and desperately craving cigarettes and wine.  I've also got a doctor's appointment (on the phone) and a chap out to sort a few things round the house, and a fair bit on at work. I'll need to make sure everything is warm and snuggly and cosy, and have a nice easy dinner and totally simple evening (maybe catch up on Bake Off) as I won't be up to much at all and I need to avoid the cigs and wine at all costs.  So bad for me and far too expensive.

Elisheba

Just had to pop back on to say I just noticed it's my 13 years MSE Forum joining anniversary!  That seems very long ago and far away.  A completely different life really.  Sad sometimes to think on the changes and losses, but no way upwards but forwards I guess.

I'm having a virtual tea-party to celebrate *hands out slices of chocolate cake and mugs of tea to everyone*. Slainte Mhath, everyone!

WinterWarrior

Happy anniversary…grabs cake 🍰😁

Elisheba

I've been playing around with my budget spread sheet tonight. As long as nothing unexpected turns up I should be fine for the cars MOT and service. I've budgeted £500 in case in needs work, and that will leave me enough for Xmas as well. If it needs more than £500 work then Xmas is cancelled    

I've put together a budget for next year as well. I've factored in putting money aside for the annuals and setting up a £1k emergency fund, and if I stick to budget perfectly (which I never do!) I'll have 2k to overpay on one of the credit cards. Just got to decide what one now. I'm leaning towards the most expensive rather than the smallest first. 

I also created a debt free budget. In a scenario where I had absolutely no debt, and was sticking to my very rigid budget, then with everything as it costs right now, I would be able to put 10k per annum aside for a house deposit.

I mean, that's not going to happen. At the very least when I'm debt free I'm going to put money aside for an annual holiday, and I imagine I'd put more aside for socialising as well. But isn't it interesting to see what is possible? That little cottage in the country is looking more and more attainable