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

scandimore

Hi Elisheba I've been reading your diary and just caught up to the present so thought I would come out of lurkdom. You're doing so well and are so driven with your debt busting journey and a lot of what you say resonates with me. We can all make little choices towards the better in our lives that are more eco. However some cost more money and conflict with the df journey so can make you feel guilty if you cant afford them. I have been finding myself coveting things which I don't really need (£40 stainless steel washbowl) just because it's a greener option than a £3 plastic one. And it never seems enough, just a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed. Like you say though we can only do what we can do. The cheapest and best thing for the planet is not to buy at all -we are so programmed to buy buy buy! Especially at this time of year, with all the product bombardment. We can only hope a growing number of people do the eco thing imperfectly, and put more pressure on government and manufacturers /retailers etc.

2Scratters

@scandimore you  will get annoyed at the stainless steel bowl with the scratch marks and it loosing the shine in time so it will be wasted money even in the long run. The plastic one will/should have another life before it leaves your property i.e. the garden, or bathing the dog or washing the car a mini duck pond You are definately in a want moment rather than a need.
 It is right of us to question ourselves first before making that spend. We need to evaluate VFM on items we like the look of. I did the same but with another type of plastic bowl my current one is plain plastic and does the same (shows scratch marks) previous bowl was a lightly mottled grey shades and was actually better looking even given its age at the time
2 Scratters xx

capuchin

I'm unconvinced that neoliberalism and climate change action are compatible. I'm sure that some sort of Keynesian capitalism could be though. The problem isn't just with consumption, it's also with working rights and changes. To me, some sort of universal income and universal action is inevitable.

I think making personal changes is great and important though. If 10% of people have the same attitude it's a huge difference. Unfortunately though, we need to change the attitudes of the top 1% of society to effect the most change.

I think the one convenience I'd struggle to go without is MEAT. I'm just too much of a meat lover

Elisheba

capuchin said:

I'm unconvinced that neoliberalism and climate change action are compatible. I'm sure that some sort of Keynesian capitalism could be though. The problem isn't just with consumption, it's also with working rights and changes. To me, some sort of universal income and universal action is inevitable.

I think making personal changes is great and important though. If 10% of people have the same attitude it's a huge difference. Unfortunately though, we need to change the attitudes of the top 1% of society to effect the most change.

I think the one convenience I'd struggle to go without is MEAT. I'm just too much of a meat lover

I agree in the main, @capuchin. I don't think our current economic model can accommodate the changes needed - where in neoliberal capitalism can you find provision for self imposed limitations across the board in order to achieve nebulous benefits 50 and 100 years in future.  It just can't cope with what's necessary, which is why I think we might be stuffed  really. 

I don't see any other model taking its place any time soon.  Even Keynsian capitalism would rely on the elected governments to make the sacrifices necessary - across the international board. I just can't see any elected government doing what is necessary and taking the hits in popularity for it.  Immediate crises are one thing, but when the crisis is as nebulous and long term as climate change the democratic set up is as ill equipped to cope with it as the economic set up is.  And when the crisis is obvious and apparent and utterly unavoidable, then it will be far too late.

I'm quite lucky on the giving up meat front, as I became veggie when I was 11 for some mainly inane reasons to do with a crush on a movie star I had read was vegetarian  .  I just never started eating it again and its been 30 years now  so I don't miss it at all.  I have flirted with veganism and find that difficult as I love cheese so much and even the nicest vegan cheese (Applewood) isn't a scratch on real cheese.  It can also be quite pricey to use dairy substitutes, and I'm not sure I want to or can be bothered changing my diet so completely that I wouldn't need them.

Elisheba

Welcome, @scandimore Yes, I agree.  Coveting things is one of the main things I need to talk very sternly to myself about! 

It is just learned behavior for us all though I think.  We have all been brought up being encouraged by the entire world to get the newest and most shiny model of everything, so even when we try to be green we want all the cool, green things instead of the non green thing we already own. 

But what is the point of that if the non green thing isn't doing any harm? As you say, we actually need to retrain ourselves to want as little as possible because not buying anything is infinitely better than buying even the green option when it comes to the environment and world resources.

Elisheba

You are very welcome on the soapbox with me @WinterWarrior We all just do what we can.  

I dunno though @badmemory. Sometimes the press report things in a slightly biased way, but would any of this be getting such a lot of publicity without direct action?  Of course there is no room for violence, but without the direct action of the suffragettes would women have gotten the vote when we did?  Without the 1960's sits in would Vietnam ever have ended?  It is an absolute nuisance for the drivers if people are super-glued to the road, no doubt about it, but isn't that the point?  To make things uncomfortable so it gets attention and starts getting talked about?

Glad you are finding this journal interesting @missymoo81.   I'm thinking of you as I know you are going through a difficult time right now.  Hope things are getting clearer for you.

Elisheba

Okay, an actual money saving update now!  Let me see - so Saturday and yesterday were spending days.  I went out for a hot chocolate with a friend yesterday evening and it was very nice indeed to get out the house and have a chat.

I was so annoyed yesterday when ordering a birthday present for my niece on Am@zon though.  I was getting her some Lego which was on sale, and when I went online last week I had an offer to credit my account with £5 which I happily accepted.  It seemed a bit to early to order the present though so I left it in my basket.  When I went buy it yesterday the £5 credit had disappeared.  It must have been time limited or something (I didn't check) so I had to pay it after all.  Thankfully the Lego had been reduced even more, so I only paid £3 more than I would have,but its just so annoying when you know you haven't gotten the best price on something!

What I really should do is keep an eye out all year and buy from charity shops in advance rather than buying new when i see something suitable.  She's at an age now though where she is a bit more discerning so ts tricky.

Other than that, I still need to go through all the credit cards etc and find out what my debt total for October is.  The big loan that I took out with my ex to pay off cards (and then promptly ran the cards up again) will be paid of in December. It will be lovely to see that one go, and then I can use the money to fire through the rest of the debt.  I'm very much hoping for a debt free date in 2023 sometime, and then I can start saving a deposit.  Fingers crossed!

I'm having baked potato for lunch in a bit, and I think I'll have pie and chips for dinner with some veg.  I need to make more bread at some point today.  I washed the dog blankets yesterday and they are hanging out the forecast is for rain but its been dry so far so we'll see.  I need to do a clothes wash but I'm holding off till tomorrow as I'd like to be able to hang the big stuff out and the forecast is for two dry days.

I think I might have to take one of my cats to the vet for a UTI.  Shes had a couple of accidents and I have spotted one tiny drop of blood.  She is susceptible to them, but sometimes they clear up so unless she seems uncomfortable on the litter tray I like to wait and see for a day or two.  Its an ongoing claim on the insurance though, so the excess is already paid so at least its no financial problem.

I hope everyone is having a good week.  Almost Wednesday already - stay strong - we'll get there!

badmemory

I don't really expect one of our governments to do something serious about this until half London is underwater along with Norfolk/Suffolk & then they will all start blaming one another.  So predictable!

WinterWarrior

On the Amzn voucher, they only apply to things shipped from Amzn I believe. It might automatically apply if you try something else. It happened to me with a credit…so if you go to checkout you’ll then be able to tell if it applies before you hit buy. 

Elisheba

WinterWarrior said:

On the Amzn voucher, they only apply to things shipped from Amzn I believe. It might automatically apply if you try something else. It happened to me with a credit…so if you go to checkout you’ll then be able to tell if it applies before you hit buy. 

Yeah, it had been applied when I looked at the subtotal on Thursday or Friday but had disappeared by Monday. Very  annoying!