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

missymoo81

Loving the picture you paint of the house and lifestyle you want @elisheba. I think you’ll manage it one way or another. How’s your dog getting on? I hope you have a lovely breakfast, we’re out for breakfast too. Enjoy!

Elisheba

Afternoon, all, 

@SuzeQStan I'm laughing thinking of myself as Snow White now 😂. Maybe Snow White 20 years on, about triple the size and with a Glaswegian accent 😂.

@missymoo81 Breakfast was lovely, thankyou. It was a local farm shop, so gorgeous food although a bit pricey and if you didn't want something (I don't like grilled tomatoes) they wouldn't replace it with anything else, and a bit stingy on the toast. We have another couple of breakfasts planned over the next couple of months in different places, so we can contrast and compare them. My dog is very well - he's currently playing one of his favourite games which involves him slamming a door closed and then crying for me to open it 🙄. 

Getting out for breakfast means I started quite early, so have got quite a lot done with a fair bit of the day left. Dishes and hoovering and a bit of cleaning are done, I've been out for a good walk with afore mentioned daft dog, and been to Lidl to get some bits for the meal plan this week.

Meals on the menu this week include - 

Breakfast - hm muesli, or weetabix with tinned fruit. Also have some reduced pain au chocolat which will be nice. 

Lunch - various soups based on what frozen veg I have, with hm bread and hummous, or cheese spread. Or baked potatoes with either cheese, or cottage cheese, and some salad

Dinners - 
Roast dinner
Fake Sausage and Mash and peas 
Cous cous and veg and feta
Fake chicken chow mein
Fake Mince and tatties
Frozen lasagne and garlic bread
HM pizza

I'm due to go swimming twice this week, and there is a Lent class as well during the week. So all being equal and me actually doing these things, it will be quite a busy and sociable week.

I'm quite looking forward to the new David Attenborough series starting tonight, on the British Isles which will be really interesting. There is talk about it being his last ever series which is ever so sad. I guess he's got to stop at some point though, considering he's in his 90s.

Money wise I'm almost resolved to paying off my overdraft. I need to decide if I'm going camping at Easter as well. The car boot is opening again now and the mechanism looks fine, so I don't know what the problem was or if it will happen again, which would really cause a problem if I'm away and sleeping in the car and living in a tent. 

Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend 😊

Elisheba

Afternoon, frugal friends!

I have been inspiring myself with a bit frugal You Tube over the weekend.  So thusly inspired I looked at what I had already spent this month and realised I had already hit my 100 limit for food, and wasn't far off for pocket money.  So all spending nipped in the bud for the rest of the month.  The only think I may need is bread yeast, but I'll see how today's loaf goes.  I've doubled the yeast and sugar and halved the salt, so fingers crossed it will rise fairly well. I've also got a lunch out with work which the rest of my pocket money can go towards.

I have loads of food in, and I think enough UHT milk so see me to the end of the month.  Although when I first looked in my head it was still February and the month ended on 28th  - so there are 3 days more than I originally thought.  However, the fridge and freezer and pantry are all fairly full and its only 2 and a bit weeks.  

I've also remembered to cancel Spotify again now the deal is finished, and I went into Netflix and changed from the all whistles and bells plan to the basic plan with adverts for £4.99.  I would have cancelled it completely but there are still a few series I want to catch up with.  It is true that all your expenses just creep up if you aren't paying attention. 

I also remembered to scan my receipts for the first time in ages yesterday, and I see HuYu is closing in a week or two. There were 4 or 5 apps when I originally started scanning receipts and only Shoppix is still going in the UK.  Airtime rewards might stilol be around but I had some log on issues so gave up with it.  Since they are not exactly generous with the points they give out for us providing our data I can;'t see why they aren't making money, but there we go. 

I'm also a few points off £8 on my Tesco Clubcard, so I'll keep that by as I'll either want to get 3 months free Disney Plus when the new Loki comes out, or I can put it towards something else.  Annoyingly they don't allow them to go towards the South East railcards, and mine will need renewed in a few months.  I hope they do another sale on them!

I used my new soupmaker today.  It did take a bit of getting used to as the controls are slightly different and it's smaller than my old one.   I made a sort of cream of mushroom and sweetcorn soup which I can't say I'm that keen on (its really strongly flavoured even with it being creamed), but its filling and healthy so I'll use it.

The weather is absolutely hideous here, with bins blowing about the street.  It isn't cold though and I haven't had to put my heating on.  With my thick fleece jumper I'm even a bit too warm moving about!  Long may it continue and I can get my energy bill back to something respectable.

I realised I'm getting a bit lazy on my eco saving things.  Because I have been going swimming I bought deodorant and shampoo and conditioner, but then started using them all the time when I have shampoo bars and crystal deodorant just sitting there. Same with reusable toilet tissues, same with moon cup.  Thinking about it I have spent about £10 this month on toiletries I don't really need and are bad for the environment.  That's 10% of my monthly budget I could easily save.  Rather than seeing how low I can go on monthly shopping I've been seeing budgets as a vague movable target.  I need to refocus.  

Hope you all stay warm and dry out there if you are getting the storm I have.

Elisheba

Happy Hump Day, frugaleers!

I would like to say the last three days have been no spend days, due to the fact I shouldn't be spending anymore this month, but I did buy 2 Kindle Daily deal books yesterday.  I justified them to myself as being self help and thus good for me, But it was just sheer spendiness.  I would delete my card from Amazon, but I am getting nicotine patches delivered every two weeks through them and saving 10% on subscribe and save, so I would rather not do that.  Mind you if the book buying continues I am spending far more on books than I am saving on the subscribe discount.

I started watching a new (to me) frugal You Tuber the other day - What Vivi did next.  Its very much just a stream of consciousness from her, lots of waffling and sidetracking, but gentle and enjoyable.  From what I can gather she has paid off her flat, no longer works and makes the small amount of money she lives off through various little income streams, and grows most of her food on her allotment.  I was feeling really down in the dumps on Monday night, and watched a random video where she was sitting on her couch rambling about some books she had read, and it made me feel so much better - for no particular reason that I can work out.

So anyway she has inspired me to chase up where I am on the lottie list with my local council - if I can get an allotment soon I need to start thinking about seeds and what not.  For those poor souls who have read this whole diary you will recall I had an allotment in 2019/20, but with the pandemic, getting my new dog etc, etc I didn't have time (or money) for it, so gave it up but went on the list to get another one later on. Now I am more settled and have a bit more spare cash so hopefully will be a better time.

I don't think I could go as far as Vivi and eat mainly beans and veg, or be as frugal as she is - she has never bought a takeaway, or a coffee from a shop!  But she is inspiring me to try a bit harder, and also to focus more on my hobbies.  I love reading, I want to try my hand at writing, I want to try making more things in my home.  It is so easy to get into a rut, but a little bit of inspiration and energy and you can get things moving again.

My dog broke into my fridge again yesterday and had eaten the red and orange peppers (not the green ones), the hummus and the cheese spread by the time I came down stairs and caught him. I have been sticking it shut with duck tape, but if I forget or the tape loses its stick he manages to get in, so I need to buy a childlock at some point soon. 

I've pretty much gone off list meal wise this week, but as long as I stick to the ingredients I have in that's okay.  Think tonight will be tortilla pizza.   Just about finished the mushroom and sweetcorn soup, and very glad about it as I don't like it.  My bread did work out with double the yeast half the salt, so hopefully I'll be able to get to the end of the month without buying new yeast.

Heard a bit of the budget while driving home from my dog walk.  Think the Tories have been poaching policies off me!  I've been saying we need free childcare from the end of maternity for years.  Mind you I also said we should nationalise nurseries - none of this payments business. Do children only go to childcare for 30 hours a week?  I would have though if you worked full time it would be more, so not sure why only 30 hours will be free?

Hope the rest of your weeks go smoothly 

badmemory

I thought the 30 hours was something to do with the number of hours you need to work to claim certain benefits.  The bit they missed out (as they usually do) is the bit about having to work longer hours to claim the full amount.  They give nothing away.  The next question is, will they pay the nurseries enough to pay their staff to work these hours.

SuzeQStan

Allotment! Very exciting!! That is just the thing!!  

And this time you will know what to expect…and think of all the courgettes!! Courgette bread, vegetti, risotto omg the list is endless.  

When I was a kid the church we went to in our rural community - it was not unusual to come out and find someone had left a box of courgettes in your car (v rural no one locked up) Whether you wanted them or not 🤣.  

I’ve got a small veg patch and have had mixed results despite all the chicken manure and turning over I do. And the water it needs - my rain barrel water is not too good for veggies either - it’s a bit yucky and not sure what to do about it. But we did manage some v nice tomatoes last summer.

give yourself a break on the toiletries - at least you are mindful of it all - the number of threads on this forum about using toiletry stashes etc! I recently found out our local CS takes part used toiletries so I was able to donate a shampoo that my scalp disagreed with. 

Hope you having a good
evening Elisheba 

signed one of your frugaleers! 😉🤣👍🏻

Elisheba

badmemory said:

I thought the 30 hours was something to do with the number of hours you need to work to claim certain benefits.  The bit they missed out (as they usually do) is the bit about having to work longer hours to claim the full amount.  They give nothing away.  The next question is, will they pay the nurseries enough to pay their staff to work these hours.

I think I remember Hunt saying both parents had to be working 16 hours to get the 30 hours (from 2025) but don't see that written on the summary on here.  I'm presuming the amount you can claim back on Universal Credit is for those not working? Or else what would be the point of it, if you get 30 hours free automatically?  

I personally think all early years childcare should be free on point of access for everyone to cover full time hours, and we should work towards getting childcare workers on a higher salary.  That would free women up so much, and would stop the moany minnies who say girls are having children so they don't need to get a job.

badmemory

Elisheba said:

and would stop the moany minnies who say girls are having children so they don't need to get a job.

And that is a major wind up for me.  Girls are having children because some man persuaded them that they wouldn't get pregnant or if they did they would look after them.  Too many people forget that it takes two to tango, the more things change the more they stay the same.  I do think it is a pity that men don't get pregnant at the same time as the women do, as in not one without the other, now wouldn't that be life changing!!  How's that for a new sci fi program.  I bet I don't get the credit!

Wish my father was still alive at this point because he wrote a couple of sci fis & this would be right up his street.  I knew I should have self published!!

SuzeQStan

badmemory said:.  I do think it is a pity that men don't get pregnant at the same time as the women do, as in not one without the other, now wouldn't that be life changing!!  How's that for a new sci fi program.  I bet I don't get the credit!

Wish my father was still alive at this point because he wrote a couple of sci fis & this would be right up his street.  I knew I should have self published!!

I’d watch it! 😉👍🏻

WinterWarrior

Thanks for the YouTube recommendation. I find A to Zen really easy watching too.