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

puckishpixie

Hey Elisheba, I been watching Vivi for years but due to the waffling I do have to be the correct mood. But remember not to compare, she has been doing this for years (she had to give up work as as nurse due to ill health) and even she acknowledges that a lot of her situation was down to right place/right time in terms of when she was able to buy etc. 

Let me know if you want any suggestions for youtube gardening content - that is probably 70% of my youtube

Elisheba

Good evening, frugaleers, 

@SuzeQStan Oh, I would have liked to have grown up in a community like that! My Granny had an old farm house in the country which I visited as often as possible, and we were on the country at first, but from 9 years old onwards I was in the ugly old city.

@badmemory If men got pregnant and were expected to be primary carers maternity pay would be at 100% and last for years 🙄.

@winterWarrior you are very welcome. I'll have a look at A to Zen 😊

@puckishpixie welcome 😁. Hold off on the gardening recs for now. The town council tell me there are 80 people on the list, and won't tell me where I am on it. It must have jumped massively since 2019 when I only had to wait a year.

Well, I have to confess to having found cottagecore on YouTube and become rather obsessed. For those thinking 'Is this some weird new sexual fetish? And why on earth is she discussing it here!?' I can assure you, your tender hearts and minds are completely safe. It is instead a sort of lifestyle movement towards pretty, cottage sort of things.

I knew of cottagecore before, but had had a look at a couple of books which seemed obsessed with buying stuff and decided to give it a pass. But the You Tube videos are much more about stylised, pretty homes and gardens, and talk of baking, and crafts and books. One You Tuber even has videos of pretty cottage things by seasons, while reading an epistolary novel they have written, a letter each season. It's all so pretty!

So being inspired to being a bit more pretty and cosy I have turned off the electric lights, and am writing this by candlelight, with an atmospheric winter You Tube video on with the sounds of a fire burning with a storm outside. I shall even put on my Victorian style nightie when I retire to my bed. 

What one of the You Tubers (Darling Desi) suggests is to try to romanticise everything you can in your life. I know I used to do this a lot when I was younger - imagine what I was doing was a scene in a book, that sort of thing. But having only come out of what was basically a decade long depression within the last couple of years I have forgotten a lot of the things I used to do that were little simple things that made me happy. So time of try that again 😊.

A lot of it is about mindfulness as well. Focusing on the moment you are in, doing things slowly and taking the time to appreciate them. Showering, cooking, eating, walking my dog. Finding the beauty in our little every day rituals.

I also just love the clothing vibe. Dresses, cosy jumpers and cardis. I used to wear dresses all the time until I got my dog, and because he jumps a lot it means I get scratched more easily and tights ladder. Alps walking boots looks silly with a dress. I was thinking though, I can wear dresses with leggings in winter and get some DMs to go with them, or I can try anyway. Said daft dog might try to chew floaty dresses 🙄. I'll have to have a think.

Am also feeling inspired to be a bit more creative and crafty. Probably if I am sat at the dining table, my dog won't try to run off with balls of yarn or items I'm sewing. I'll give it a go anyway. I love my dog to distraction but his behavioural issues are rather limiting at times! 

Bad news on the soup maker front. The one I bought is rubbish! It burns at the bottom within a couple of minutes then switches itself off. It's done it with both soups ice made now so I'm sending it back. Need to decide whether to stump up for my old model, or try living without for a while. The thing with a soup maker is you can just press start and leave it, do some work, go out for a walk, whatever. You don't need to remember you gave a pot on the stove and attend to it. 

Money wise, other than swimming the last two mornings I am spend free. Tomorrow is my office day so I'll need to buy my train ticket. Severely restricted service due to strikes on Thursday and Saturday, so I'll buy my ticket tonight to guarantee a seat and hope office day isn't cancelled for any reason.

I have dinner out tomorrow night with a business meeting for the social club I'm a member of. I must remember to post the agenda for it tomorrow. Shared lunch with Quakers on Sunday, so if I have time I'll make something to take along. I must order my Mum some chocolates for Mother's Day as well, and remember to post a card tomorrow! Can I buy stamps in a little supermarket? I hope so because the post office in the city I work in is always mobbed and you end up waiting about an hour to be served.

House things that need done on Saturday are the basics like hoovering, dusting and bathroom. I should also clean the fridge and microwave, and wash all the throws and blankets. If I'm feeling energetic I might change the bedding as well.

I have to say, just having candles lit and a relaxing background scene and sounds on is very atmospheric. I think I'll do it more often 😊.

Sleep well, everyone, and may the night give your brain a good deep clean so you are fighting fit and raring to go tomorrow 😴🛌

Elisheba

Oh for flips sake. My train is fully booked tomorrow. As is the next one. Looks like I'm working from home. My boss is going to love me 😕.

I shall try to romanticise this by imagining I am a poor, hardworking woman trying to get to work in a time of great hardship and strife. Oh, wait a minute... 

Four_Seasons

Thank you for such a lovely post. I am very lucky and live on a farm surrounded by lovely countryside that I don't always appreciate, you have given me lots to think about, I will definitely be checking You Tube.
I use my slow cooker for making soup, usually through the night.
Have a lovely weekend x

Cheery_Daff

I agree, a lovely cheerful post 😊 (apart from your train palaver, of course). I've not heard of cottagecore (although I am already sitting here bathed in candlelight and the (shhhh) Christmas tree lights 😂😂 Will have to investigate. 

I don't have a soup maker, but I am a complete convert to my hay box. You have to start stuff off on the hob of course - it's literally just a box filled with hay - but then you just wang the pot in the box, put on the lid (just a pillowcase filled with more hay) and leave it for however long you like. Not quite as convenient as a soup maker, or a slow cooker, but it was at least free and doesn't need any electricity 😂

Elisheba

Thanks @Four_Seasons and @Cheery_Daff. I hadn't even thought about using the slowcooker, and it was only when I read your post just now, Cheery, that I thought 'Oh, I could use my home made haybox!'. Definitely both worth a try before I stump out the best part of £100 on a new one.

Oh @Four_Seasons you are lucky to be on a farm. Its so easy to take for granted, but as someone stuck living in a town I do recommend taking time to enjoy the views, the smells (yes even the muck 😂) and the (hopefully) lack of constant car noise. When I first got my dog and we would get in the house or car when it was wet, and there was that typical wet dog smell, you know the one - it's strong and most people don't like it. Well, I was just in seventh heaven. I had grown up with that smell at my Granny's farmhouse, but had no dogs since and it brought it all back. Even now, three years later I still love it 😁. 

Elisheba

Evening, all, 
Just back from a lovely dinner with friends. Only £7.39 as £10 was subbed, and a few pence on cashback as I paid the subbed amount for everyone on my Amex. 

I had a good hour beforehand with the candles lit, and a winter library ambience video on You Tube. Caught up on some MSE diaries and then read for a bit. 

As I couldn't get the train to work today that saved me over £20 which is always nice. Then I paid £6.15 for some chocolates for my Mum. Didn't get around to sending her a card, but I don't think she'll mind if she gets one late.

I'm really glad it's the weekend now, and I'm feeling happy and positive going into it. I woke up without an alarm this morning before 7am, and didn't feel tired and exhausted all day, so maybe my sleep is sorting itself down a bit as well!

I made the mistake of looking on Popsy earlier on, and oh my goodness it was so hard not to buy things. I'm really tired of my current wardrobe and haven't really bought anything new since just before the pandemic when I started hitting the debt on the head. I think I might budget for 2 items a season, and since I normally wear skater dresses with leggings, they can be worn most weather, just with cardis in winter. 

Longer term I'm thinking about starting dressmaking. I'm a bigger size so it would be lovely to have clothes that properly fit. I've got a sewing machine and did a dressmaking course years ago, but would need to refresh my skills with a few basic things first. It would a good hobby to have. 

I got most of the blankets and throws washed today since I was unexpectedly at home. I'll do some housework tomorrow morning, and then might go out to look in the charity shops and the 2 house clearance/antique shops in town. I have a hankering after a writing bureau, but not sure I want to pay the £80-100 I've seen them going for in the antique shops. Nice to look at them though 😂.

I think that's it for all today's news. Oh, I must remember to drop of the rubbish soup maker for collection tomorrow as well. 

Take care everyone, and I hope you have cosy, relaxing weekends 😊

SuzeQStan

Happy weekend Elisheba -

I think you are so creative - dressmaking sounds a brilliant hobby. Very jealous of those with the skills to do it.

maybe you could find a less costly writing box that needs a bit of attention online  - and refinish it or embellish it a bit? Paint covers a multitude of sins! 

WinterWarrior

Happy weekend and thank you for mentioning cottagecore ♥️ I follow someone on Instagram who falls into this category and I love it. I shall YouTube some more. I also stopping wearing skirts and dresses when I got dog and have had 12 years in jeans. I am too lazy to change every time I need to take her outside and dogs go with mud so well. I think I’ve forgotten how to dress pretty, but when I get to my weight loss goal I could wear my old pretty things and give off a historical vibe 🤭

Elisheba

Evening, thrifty friends 😁

I hope all you Saturdays have been productive and fun.

@winterWarrior I know what you mean about forgetting how to dress pretty. What with my dog, being isolated in the pandemic, working from home, and also a genuine desire for simpler, slower living I feel live I've been rather plain for years now.

I bit the bullet this morning and dyed my hair for the first time in about 5 years. I had bought a highlighter kit a few weeks ago, but the hat was a pain in the neck, so I ended up just brushing lots of thick streaks through. It's come out okay, although maybe a tad more brassy than I'd like. I'll see how I feel in a week or so and may run a browner sort of dye through it.

Got most of the house work done this morning, and my house still smells nicely of furniture polish which I love. I've not had the heating on so the throws are still drying on doors. It has been raining on and off so no chance of getting them on the washing line. My baby dishwasher is making my life so much better. I really, really dislike doing the dishes. 

Apart from that a bit of a spendy day. I went in to B+M for a few bits and ended up spending about £30 🙄. Only treat in there was a big candle for £5 and some fruit pastilles, so it's not wasted money. 

Then I went to a few shops and got a big bottle of Yardley rose perfume for £15. You don't mind skooshing it on at that price 😁. I found a wok at a charity shop for £3.75 after saying last week I could use one, and a pretty green and pink top, and pink cardigan together which came to about £6.

Dinner was marmite pasta, followed by bananas and custard and jolly nice it was too😋. My not actually sciatica is playing up after all the walking round the shops earlier, and the dog walk, and the cleaning, so it will be a night on the sofa for me. I have the candles lit and shall do some reading and watch some TV. 

Hope you are all snuggled up and cosy.