Sh*t creek - is now in my rear view mirror...!

Onebrokelady

Irenadler said:

Onebrokelady said:

Irenadler said:

Well, I survived the outing, and spent the grand total of £5. Talk about sticking to a budget for the first time ever....

Had a great browse around, even with temptation everywhere, looked at the poorly plants (reduced section) and talked myself out of buying:

75% reduced damson tree (was £40)
Bucket loads of cute dog related giftware (mugs, name tags, amusing signs, kitchenware, coasters, and blank cards)
Attractive preserves with the funny names, like 'Gardener's rest chutney', 'Flaming hot mango spiced what-not', 'Diabetes-inducing bramble-fied jelly'
Christmas stuff  items which you would normally buy for winter festivities.
Plants, more plants, and even more plants.
Golden raspberry - very difficult to resist.
Jostaberry - even harder to resist. I mean, come on, twice the size of normal blackcurrants?
Blackcurrants!
Thornless blackberries. Which seducer of wallets invented that one?
Herbs (reduced section)
Flower bulbs (sobs quietly - it isn't fair!)

Must. Resist. Glass. Baubles. Hand-hewed by Nuns in the Far East. And priced at a whopping £16, what the heckers like?

That was easier to resist. Garden centres should be re-named as seducers of pockets. Just as many gift shop items as there are plants now. Totally proud that I did not go into the shop that advertised a 50% off sale. Didn't even press my nose on the glass, because the danger signs of 'bargain' that floated into my brain...

Anyway, after much happy tired wandering, found the grow your own section, and settled on the less fun but totally more practical and value for money options:

50 onions sets (Senshyu yellow, claims to double up as spring onions for young growth too) £1.99
2 garlic bulbs (Topadrome French, soft neck apparently early harvest AND good storer) £2.99

Actually, I am UNDER budget by tuppence! There's a first...

Really thinking hard about what to get, what was worth buying, best value for time and effort. I use onions and garlic so much for cooking it would be fantastic to get these in and growing.... thank you to a certain someone for that top tip....
 

Well done on resisting the nuns baubles 🙀😀🙀😀

Ha! If only I could do that with chocolate/junk food....

Chocolate is evil and I love it,it's sooooo hard to resist, you just need to build a small chocolate treat into your shopping budget but once it's gone it's gone 

Onebrokelady

Meant to say I have a smart phone but can't get the NHS app because it's an iPhone 5 which is too old,I think you have to have an I phone 6 or above. My phone is actually playing up so I might need a new one but I'm going to buy a refurbished second hand one,I've had this one for years 😊

MovingForwards

Saving takes time, there is no instant win unless you do the l0tt0 😉
Chocolate does release endorphins, that's why it's an instant feel good factor. Eating fills the belly void, but also the emotional void that's not around.

Saving is tedious, it's boring, money could be better spent modernising the home, eating kebabs every day, buying new curtains and bedding each year. 
Live for the moment as tomorrow may never happen, there may be no leak, no service or repair needed and there's no moment of thought it ever will, after all, it's not happened yet.
Imagine how much fun it could be not worrying about walking into a shop and spending £100, £200, £1000.
It's hard isn't it?
Seems impossible to remember what those days were like.
The reality is, neither of us have the income to do that without having a serious knock-on effect somewhere else.

Saving means there's no panic when a bill lands on the doormat, when the kettle breaks (it's not fun boiling water on a stove), when it's a birthday, wedding or Christmas and cards / presents to get, or friends have invited you out.

All the advice I give you is what got me out the poo when I started over, it's works otherwise I wouldn't even recommend it. But it needs a serious helping of willpower to do it and stick to it.
Each time a hurdle gets in your way you learn to walk over it and not curl up under it until it goes away.
Until you are ready, that molehill remains a mountain to climb.

Irenadler

Onebrokelady said:

Irenadler said:

Onebrokelady said:

Irenadler said:

Well, I survived the outing, and spent the grand total of £5. Talk about sticking to a budget for the first time ever....

Had a great browse around, even with temptation everywhere, looked at the poorly plants (reduced section) and talked myself out of buying:

75% reduced damson tree (was £40)
Bucket loads of cute dog related giftware (mugs, name tags, amusing signs, kitchenware, coasters, and blank cards)
Attractive preserves with the funny names, like 'Gardener's rest chutney', 'Flaming hot mango spiced what-not', 'Diabetes-inducing bramble-fied jelly'
Christmas stuff  items which you would normally buy for winter festivities.
Plants, more plants, and even more plants.
Golden raspberry - very difficult to resist.
Jostaberry - even harder to resist. I mean, come on, twice the size of normal blackcurrants?
Blackcurrants!
Thornless blackberries. Which seducer of wallets invented that one?
Herbs (reduced section)
Flower bulbs (sobs quietly - it isn't fair!)

Must. Resist. Glass. Baubles. Hand-hewed by Nuns in the Far East. And priced at a whopping £16, what the heckers like?

That was easier to resist. Garden centres should be re-named as seducers of pockets. Just as many gift shop items as there are plants now. Totally proud that I did not go into the shop that advertised a 50% off sale. Didn't even press my nose on the glass, because the danger signs of 'bargain' that floated into my brain...

Anyway, after much happy tired wandering, found the grow your own section, and settled on the less fun but totally more practical and value for money options:

50 onions sets (Senshyu yellow, claims to double up as spring onions for young growth too) £1.99
2 garlic bulbs (Topadrome French, soft neck apparently early harvest AND good storer) £2.99

Actually, I am UNDER budget by tuppence! There's a first...

Really thinking hard about what to get, what was worth buying, best value for time and effort. I use onions and garlic so much for cooking it would be fantastic to get these in and growing.... thank you to a certain someone for that top tip....
 

Well done on resisting the nuns baubles 🙀😀🙀😀

Ha! If only I could do that with chocolate/junk food....

Chocolate is evil and I love it,it's sooooo hard to resist, you just need to build a small chocolate treat into your shopping budget but once it's gone it's gone 

What is this thing you call 'small chocolate?' Ha!

Irenadler

Onebrokelady said:

Meant to say I have a smart phone but can't get the NHS app because it's an iPhone 5 which is too old,I think you have to have an I phone 6 or above. My phone is actually playing up so I might need a new one but I'm going to buy a refurbished second hand one,I've had this one for years 😊

Thanks OBL
You know I am sure I read somewhere they have a built-in obsolescence so you have to get a new one.... Not paranoid or anything....lol

Irenadler

MovingForwards said:

Saving takes time, there is no instant win unless you do the l0tt0 😉
Chocolate does release endorphins, that's why it's an instant feel good factor. Eating fills the belly void, but also the emotional void that's not around.
Too true...
Saving is tedious, it's boring, money could be better spent modernising the home, eating kebabs every day, buying new curtains and bedding each year. 
This and then some....  maybe I can factor in some endorphins by throwing it up in the air and rolling around on it? Ha!
Live for the moment as tomorrow may never happen, there may be no leak, no service or repair needed and there's no moment of thought it ever will, after all, it's not happened yet.
Imagine how much fun it could be not worrying about walking into a shop and spending £100, £200, £1000.
It's hard isn't it?
Seems impossible to remember what those days were like.
The reality is, neither of us have the income to do that without having a serious knock-on effect somewhere else.
Yes, reality has a painful habit of creeping up behind me and biting me on the bum...
Saving means there's no panic when a bill lands on the doormat, when the kettle breaks (it's not fun boiling water on a stove), when it's a birthday, wedding or Christmas and cards / presents to get, or friends have invited you out.
THIS IS WHAT REALLY MATTERS. 

All the advice I give you is what got me out the poo when I started over, it's works otherwise I wouldn't even recommend it. But it needs a serious helping of willpower to do it and stick to it.
Each time a hurdle gets in your way you learn to walk over it and not curl up under it until it goes away.
Until you are ready, that molehill remains a mountain to climb.

This is the whole crux of the matter. I thought I was ready to do this, especially after the not so easy win's of direct debit reductions. Where I have fallen down is the inner mind set. The inner spendy me is still there only the income isn't. It isn't as simple as saying I am/will save.

It's the follow up actions, and the setting up the habit of saving, that I need. That will 're-set' and 're-train' spendy me...

Tomorrow is the start of it. After sorting out something for the relative, I am pulling on my massive big girl knickers and doing the big 3:

ATM - find it and cash out week's budget.
Bank - get my assertive head on and sort it.
Shop - meal plan, list, and stick to it, and no more spending....

Action not words!

MovingForwards

With old smartphones, it's only apps which are not maintained for the old ones, surfing the net, making calls, taking photos etc all still works. 

Yes, action does speak louder than words.

You are ready to do this, you can do this and it's only you stopping yourself. There's nothing to fear, but fear itself.

Treat what has happened as trial runs, tests before grabbing the bull by the horns. Remember, if at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again.

I've run out of tacky sayings now 😁😁

savingwannabe

That was inspirational and has helped me get back on track too. Thank you ladies. 

Irenadler

MovingForwards said:

With old smartphones, it's only apps which are not maintained for the old ones, surfing the net, making calls, taking photos etc all still works. 
Thanks for this - I really have no idea what the blessed things do....
Yes, action does speak louder than words.

You are ready to do this, you can do this and it's only you stopping yourself. There's nothing to fear, but fear itself.

Treat what has happened as trial runs, tests before grabbing the bull by the horns. Remember, if at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again.

I've run out of tacky sayings now 😁😁

Ha! Laughing my head off at the tacky sayings!   

I have to change this: 'because I'm worth it/ooh look shiny/it's a bargain/gotta have it'...

To this: 'Is it worth it to risk an overdraft/is it worth it in pounds of stress eating/is it worth it for my future/look away from the shiny things/it is not a bargain if I don't need it/won't use it/already have one/no I don't'...

My favourite, and one which I think really applies : Fall down 7 times, get up 8... this is me....

OR, stolen from the sci-fi film 'Never give up, never surrender' (Galaxy Quest - Star Trek spoof).

Off to fish out any official paperwork I might need to assert myself with my own bank....

Irenadler

savingwannabe said:

That was inspirational and has helped me get back on track too. Thank you ladies. 

Thank you too Swan - you don't realise you inspire me too, all of you do. Now I have to go before the hospital trip... and before I start filling up....sniff