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

SuzeQStan

Hi Elisheba - hope you have had a good weekend -know it’s early days but am  interested to hear how the Instapot has been for you? 

Elisheba

Evening, everyone. 

Bit early to say @SuzeQStan. I made a huge pot of mince and tatties last week using the pressure cooker function , and pizza quesadillas tonight using the airfryer, and both were fine. I had used frozen onions and peppers on the quesadillas and they were all cooked and piping hot when I ate them so that was good. Its going to take some time to get used to, and to adapt recipes for, but it looks positive so far.

Today was the day most of my bills come out. My energy bill was just under £85, which is about £17 more than last month. Last month had a week at the old rates though, and this month I did have the heating for 2 or 3 days when my brother was down, so I'm still not sure what level it's going to average out at. I have a friend staying for Hogmanay so I'll have the heating on then as well, but am away for a week at Xmas, so December won't be clear but either. 

You might recall if you read this diary earlier in the year, that I purchased a pair of ski pants in a sale. Now the weather is getting cooler I thought I would see how I got on wearing them. I already knew they were hideous on, from trying them on when I got them. I don't think I appreciated quite how big they are though. There must be about 10 inches of extra fabric on each thigh. And the waist is very weird - it's only poppers which pop open when I sit, but standing the waist is too big and can slide down. I think they are Regatta, and I've had problems with there walking trousers in the past. Cut for a tiny waist and massive hips and thighs. I bought these going off my waist measurement iirc, so that would make sense they are far too big everywhere else.

I moan, and honest to goodness, if I had paid full price - £60, I would be furious. I didn't though. I think I paid a tenner plus postage, and although it might have been useful to be able to wear then outside for dog walking etc which I obviously won't do looking like the abominable snowman, they were always mainly for working from home. So as long as they keep me warm, and noone sees me in in them, I don't suppose it matters much how hideous they are. It's a bit annoying walking around in them because there is so much material rubbing together they are quite noisy and bulky, but they aren't heavy, so I guess if I don't look in the mirror they will do. I do feel very snug and warm with them and my heated hoodie on. Even my hands and feet are warm, which is unusual for me.

I mentioned at the beginning of November I was trialing grating all my cheese in a oner and keeping it in a tub in the fridge. I did this, and even with my brother down for a week, only used the one 900g packet. I normally use more than this, so pre-grating clearly works well for using less cheese. I got to the bottom of the tub today, with maybe one portion of cheese left, and I did notice a couple of spots of mould. Not sure how to prevent that - the lid of the tub is cracked I noticed so it might be that, or maybe I should shake the cheese around more to air it? It didn't go dry though, which someone asked about. 

I'm almost completely out of butter - I bought 2 cartons of spreadable for November, and I think it would have lasted without my brother visiting, but he did and now I have almost none and hadn't planned to shop until the weekend 

Milk wise, I have 6 cartons left, so that means I've used  9 litres in November (with 2 days to go) . So much less than I normally use if I buy fresh milk, which I can and do drink by the pint. I think I'll buy enough to get me up to 12 cartons for December - hopefully that will be enough for all the cocoa I'll be drinking - I do love spiced cocoa at Christmas time. 

I think I'm going to have to do a little tiny shop to get me to the weekend when I can do a big, monthly shop. How annoying. I should put together a meal plan for December this week and a shopping list. I can pick up butter and cheese from Tesco tomorrow I suppose. 

I've done a draft budget for 2023, although it's a bit difficult when I don't know what my monthly salary will be with the National Insurance decrease and cost of living pay rise. I have a feeling I might have been too generous in my estimates. Anyway, the plan is to get £4k in my LISA by the end of the financial year, and then pay off both remaining credit cards (this excludes the Amex which get paid off in full each month anyway). I'll then be left with my overdraft and the money I owe my ex for 2024. The way I'm working things between my bank account and Amex means I pay almost nothing in charges, and my ex has said no rush on what I owe him and to save for a house first, so I'm not too bothered by the debt that will remain at the end of 2023.

Granted all my budgeting does depend on my sticking to the budget, and that's a bit hit and miss when it comes to my pocket money budget - so I'll need to work on that as well! I'm pretty spot on with the other budgets though these days. Was about £15 under on my food budget this month, and about £10 under on the pet food budget, but as both can be a bit variable I think they are set at the right amount. 

I'm off to catch up on other posts and maybe read my book. Hope the week has started well for everyone 😊

WinterWarrior

I understand you can freeze grated cheese, would that help make it last longer? 

SuzeQStan

WinterWarrior said:

I understand you can freeze grated cheese, would that help make it last longer? 

Great idea! Cheese is perfect for freezing with the high fat content and grated would thaw in no time 

jcriyadh

I grate and freeze cheese, just remember to give it a bit of a shake after about an hour in the freezer.  This loosens it up, stops it forming a lump, and you can then use it a handful at a time.  It times no time at all to defrost on pizza, toasties, pies, spaghetti Bol, etc. X 

Elisheba

WinterWarrior said:

I understand you can freeze grated cheese, would that help make it last longer? 

That's a good idea, thank you 😊. Even if I just freeze half of it and bring that out when the first half is gone, that should solve the problem 😁

SuzeQStan

Oh Elisheba you have given me a proper belly laugh about your ski pants! You certainly paint a picture with your words! I can just imagine the swishing noise which admittedly would be annoying on the dog walk! But I bet you will be more than grateful for them this week it’s supposed to get quite chilly! 

Good that your ex is giving breathing space re debt - is it interest free? If so that’s brilliant especially if they say to get your house sorted 1st. Result!

Did a lethal mid week Lidl shop tonite as needed to spend £3.99 to get my £2 cashback for £100 threshold spend (last day Wednesday 30/11 to get it) and walked out £25 lighter which has really annoyed me - but you are much more disciplined than me. Used to spend so much less in the pandemic when it was all ordered online (T’asda) - it’s got to be impulse shopping. I need to take a leaf out your book. Thank you for being an inspiration. 

You’ve done brilliantly with your debt - congrats on plan to clear the credit cards and saving in the LISA. You are nearly
there now. Debt neutral in 2023 - very well
done!

Elisheba

Morning, fellow moneysavers. Happy St Andrews Day, and lang may yer lum reek wi 'ither folks coal! Particularly in these days of expensive energy.

Its pay day today, so I've worked out what is coming out at the beginning of the month and put the money that isn't needed for that, and isn't covering my OD into my instant access high interest account for a few weeks, until it is needed at the end of the month.

My small shop yesterday consisted of buying spreadable butter at Tescos and some prerolled puff pastry.  It came to £3.44, so that brings my food spend for November to £83.82 from a budget of £100, and that includes the bag of fake coal I brought when my brother was down at £6.99.  There may have been a few little bits that I put in the entertainment budget when my brother was down that should have been food, but it was too complicated to break up those receipts after the fact.  

I've budgeted £100 again for December for food.  As I'm away for the Xmas week that is £80 for food, £10 for Xmas treats,and £10 to stockpile Kraft Cheesy Pasta which is a bright orange sort of pasta and sauce thing that is almost impossible to get in England, and really pricey on Amazon.  Its 79p a packet in the corner shop by my Mum's so I have commissioned her to buy me 12 packets .  Since I make it with butter and cheese its super unhealthy, so that'll be one packet a month for a treat!  I have to ration myself as I might eat nothing else - there is something about its orangey goodness that is addictive!

I had put £25 aside for a real Xmas tree this year, as the 4ft ones in pots are £25 in Tesco.  I was glancing at FB earlier though,when I saw a comment on Frugal Queen in France's recent post about having a frugal Xmas.  She said she thought real trees were like putting money in the shredder.  Since I have never yet managed to keep a potted one alive and have no where to plant them out, I though 'actually, she is right - this isn't very frugal'.  So I decided to get a fake one. 

I looked at fancy ones to start with, and then talked my self down, and down, until I decided on the budget one at Argos for £11.25.  There is no point me getting anything fancy as a) I'm not sure my dog won't try to eat it - he does like plastic, b) I have lots of Xmas decoration so it'll be pretty anyway, and c) its just me and I'm not actually here for Xmas - its just to get in the spirit of the thing really. So I used the 6% discount I get through work, and  0.37% cashback through Quidco, and payed with my Amex which is still 5% cashback.  So my tree cost about £10.02 when everything is accounted for, whic is £15 cheaper than I budgted for .  Hopefully my dog won't eat it and it will last for years!

I have a new prescription from the doctor that I need to collect at lunchtime, and which will no doubt make me very tired for a few weeks.  Fingers crossed it sort itself out in a few weeks though, or it will be back to the drawing board!  I am very appreciative of my prepayment certificate with the NHS.  Its especially useful when the doctor is basically playing Dr House and experimenting with new meds to see what will actually work without unmanageable side effects!

I think lunch will be scrambled eggs on toast today, and sausage and mash for supper.  I am very low on lots of things so may have to consider a big shop sooner than Saturday.  Not sure - I could drag it out if I have to, but I am reduced to opening tins of fruit to try and get to 5 a day. 

Its definitely colder this week.  I have found my heated hoodie is adequate during the day, but putting my hideous abominable snowman ski pants on a night leads to optimal cosiness.  Its only about 9 or 10 degrees just now, so while I am glad this is working for now, I can't write off putting the heating on in Jan and Feb when it gets bitter.

Hope everyone has a lovely day.

Elisheba

SuzeQStan said:

Oh Elisheba you have given me a proper belly laugh about your ski pants! You certainly paint a picture with your words! I can just imagine the swishing noise which admittedly would be annoying on the dog walk! But I bet you will be more than grateful for them this week it’s supposed to get quite chilly! 

Good that your ex is giving breathing space re debt - is it interest free? If so that’s brilliant especially if they say to get your house sorted 1st. Result!

Did a lethal mid week Lidl shop tonite as needed to spend £3.99 to get my £2 cashback for £100 threshold spend (last day Wednesday 30/11 to get it) and walked out £25 lighter which has really annoyed me - but you are much more disciplined than me. Used to spend so much less in the pandemic when it was all ordered online (T’asda) - it’s got to be impulse shopping. I need to take a leaf out your book. Thank you for being an inspiration. 

You’ve done brilliantly with your debt - congrats on plan to clear the credit cards and saving in the LISA. You are nearly
there now. Debt neutral in 2023 - very well
done!

Yes, interest free on the debt to my ex.  He was able to save some money in the pandemic due to having no travel costs and paid off our joint overdraft, and now I owe him my half of that.

Oopsy daisy on your Lidl spend  .  I'm not hugely disciplined I'm afraid, so I try to limit the circumstances I can overspend - so I buy UHT milk so less trips to shops, and have deleted my bank card on Amazon.  I find shopping at Lidl or Aldi cheaper than an online shop, but if shopping online saves you money then do that. Its a lot easier to get a cheap delivery slot now than it was during the pandemic.

Debt neutral in 2023.  I like that 

fionaandphil

Hi @Elisheba don't forget to register for shop small on your American Express card, if you spend £15 you get £5 back in lots of places.  It starts on Saturday for about 10 days. I have a list of local places that I need to visit this weekend to make use of it!