Future Proofing my life: Deposit saving then MFW journey in under 13 years

South_coast

LadyWithAPlan said:
Cars and driveways dont float my boat, though boats do.. However whilst I do occasionally see a canal boat for sale and think 'ooh' I then remember I have art, loads of clothes and shoes and travel loads and have zero boat maintenance skills. so that lifestyle makes zero sense. even if I do have the cash to buy a boat right now. 

Anyone else picturing LaPlan signing up to a boat maintenance course next term 🤣?

I think I am in Camp C for frugality. I have no issue with spending money on things that I want (although I genuinely don't want very much), but value is important to me - whether that's value for money, or "Is it something that I will value?". I absolutely hate feeling like I am being ripped off, and will go without altogether if I think something is overpriced

LadyWithAPlan

South_coast said:

LadyWithAPlan said:
Cars and driveways dont float my boat, though boats do.. However whilst I do occasionally see a canal boat for sale and think 'ooh' I then remember I have art, loads of clothes and shoes and travel loads and have zero boat maintenance skills. so that lifestyle makes zero sense. even if I do have the cash to buy a boat right now. 

Anyone else picturing LaPlan signing up to a boat maintenance course next term 🤣?

I think I am in Camp C for frugality. I have no issue with spending money on things that I want (although I genuinely don't want very much), but value is important to me - whether that's value for money, or "Is it something that I will value?". I absolutely hate feeling like I am being ripped off, and will go without altogether if I think something is overpriced

Of course you know I was looking at boat DIY  courses  last year Then decided its a bad idea  much as I love boats...

Value and beauty is what works for me too. Nothing worse than an expensive meal where you dont feel it was good food etc.
There is a thing we chant for in Buddhism on experiences, on finding a job, on a home etc
'beauty, benefit, good'  so everything should be beautiful in our eyes, benefit us, our lives and others and is  also good for us and our life & others, our pockets  (so not crazy expensive etc) so
..........................................

MG  yesterday  was actually 25 items as I rather excitedly found a bag of unneeded receipts and bits as I searched for my 5 items for yesterday.   Something quite fun about opening a cupboard specifically  to find something to declutter !  Living my rich life

So Jan 48 things to Jan 5 
I popped a huge bag of stuff to CS today  - good to get it out the house - more to go.
Jan 6 declutter so far  2/6 - some old yeast I had been gifted and OOD (!) and an old iphone lead that died. I will be going back into the hall cupboard

Amazo* mess up
I had asked for a return on  a xmas gift - something that was clearly sold as kids but was sent full adult size. Last Saturday  they said they would investigate and get back in 7 days.. today is day 8 so I called. First they said oh we have returned the money of  £15? Er no it was £27.. Then we refunded to you yesterday - i checked nothing was refunded.... so then she said let me check and disappeared for 5 min and on her return said you will get the money refunded to your cc tomorrow... weird. Plus I have been told to keep the item - so another thing to sell or declutter ... I have had a confirm email.. but if I had not chased it ...

Undelivered Xmas gift 
I also ordered something as a gift, not arrived. I did get the 'you have ordered, we will let you know when we have dispatched it' but nothing since and no item delivered - I emailed them last week and no response.... So I will email one more time then contact my credit card

GROCERY - £34.92  today of which £5.20 bulk (olive oil, yeast) , £3.15 toilet rolls,  £26.57 Groceries
Grocery is £70.98/£175, bulk £7.19/£50

popped to my local Mr Lid after the gym - annoyingly the Mr Lid is closing later this year..  was easy to pop in after  - I will have to go to the local Mr Al but thats 15 mins away from the gym... 
FR corn chicken, lots of greens and veg, apples, blueberries and satsumas.. ginger, dill, almonds - no crisps and no sweets.
I have my HellFresh arriving tomorrow so maybe I didnt need the chicken but as per my trip in Nov to the States having a lot of cooked chicken breast and sliced veg crudites really helps with eating well.

Breadmaker finally on - GF brown bread in the mix
I wanted to finally trial the brown bread in the Panasonic (tried white at my familys one and is always great) but this the first brown one and first time I am using my new bmaker.. I needed eggs, DF milk, yeast. I could not find yeast in  but managed to buy at Lid but then found mine in a jar at home....
So currently bread is on -  was meant to go out this eve but I do feel a bit sick - straight after having a HM soya latte - hmm - not had DF milk this year so maybe it s that? So seeing friend tomorrow and going thru my 23 v 24 review tonight
Hoping the df milk works ok... I will report back.
Gf bread tends to go hard quick so I will have a slice or 2 fresh then pop in freezer sliced. This be so useful for making GF sandwiches 

Nutrition -I have lost over 2lb since Tuesday weigh in  - no sweets, cakes, crisps, alcohol, dairy etc  sadly works - have been feeling full as eating loads of greens and lean proteins and complex carbs plus blueberries and satsumas. i have also been trialling L-Glutamine and chromium piccolate supplements as helps with sugar cravings - and think it is working  as I have found it easy to be disciplined.
I get to a certain place where I feel heavy and feel the need to get back to normal then when I get on the scale  it is always cos I have tipped 10 stone.. Good my body has its own set point - so whilst the gym is important I am tackling it with nutrition mainly and weight lifting.
As they say abs are made in the kitchen..

Lunch today  
pork chops fried in coconut oil and nicely spiced, kale, spinach, mushrooms and broccoli - also fried up the brown rice  plus  a side of guac
Had a kale, blueberry vegan protein shake - am really off the dairy and  feel better, have stopped coughing  up stuff, scalp getting much better every day... I do know I should cut dairy out completely but its v hard when one travels and dines out, I am strict with the gluten  but DF and GF travelling is difficult no matter how much food I travel with
Dinner will be something fabulous on GF brown bread - I have a fried pork chop left  so I may make a pork, mustard, mushroom, tomato sandwich with DF butter

Streaks 
Gym day 1 (2 gym this week plus a long walk day) - Leg day in gym today  Streak day 1 starts again
DF days - 6 
Junk free days 6
Alcohol free days 6
NSD STILL 3/13  

South_coast

LadyWithAPlan said:

I had asked for a return on  a xmas gift - something that was clearly sold as kids but was sent full adult size .... I have been told to keep the item - so another thing to sell or declutter 

Keep it, they will grow into it eventually 😀😀😀

CRANKY40

Maybe coconut milk would be better as you can tolerate coconut oil? My best friend is dairy free (allergy) and he reckons Koko milk is the only one that tastes ok on his cereal. 

If you are not diagnosed coeliac until  later on in life then you usually have a dairy intolerance too because of the damage already done to the small intestine (cousin is coeliac and dairy cause a lot of pain and other issues). I bake dairy free and sometimes both gluten and dairy free due to sharing with best friend

LadyWithAPlan

CRANKY40 said:

Maybe coconut milk would be better as you can tolerate coconut oil? My best friend is dairy free (allergy) and he reckons Koko milk is the only one that tastes ok on his cereal. 

If you are not diagnosed coeliac until  later on in life then you usually have a dairy intolerance too because of the damage already done to the small intestine (cousin is coeliac and dairy cause a lot of pain and other issues). I bake dairy free and sometimes both gluten and dairy free due to sharing with best friend

The only way to test for coeliac is to eat wheat for 6 weeks before the test...  so I am choosing to not do that as family members got v ill. I have had a life time of feeling awful after bread and 4 years into not gluten at all I feel great and dont get that stabbing pain and bloating - so I am never going back 
 I will try the koko milk - I never have. - the ALPRO i cant believe its not milk is v good - oat based..
I do use loads coconut oil to fry...and mct oil in myshakes.

Baking success - the GF brown bread came out v well. I will try with a different DF milk than soy but at least the baseline is it works...The other 2 breadmakers were v hit and miss.   
 So just had a  hot out the breadmaker piece with DF butter  - really good crust.... and also another with fried pork, tomato, dijon mayo and gherkin on .. Will slice the rest and freeze it apart from a slice for tomorrow..   GF bread is so expensive so now I can more easily grab it on the go and I love it as toast as well so. 

@SouthCoast or I may use it...;)

QueenJess

LadyWithAPlan said:

I just googled some definitions of frugal - I definitely relate to some of them - I can be thrifty and prudent, I do save up for large purchases but stingy and tight - thats not how I want to view my MSE life
Definition 2  is more me I guess travel one doesnt 'need' but my soul/spirit would argue it is an essential   

1. thrifty, chary, provident, careful, prudent, penny-wise, scrimping; miserly, stingy, tight, penny-pinching. 2. scant, slim, sparing, skimpy. 
2. careful about spending money or using things when you do not need to

Apologies for jumping into your diary (as directed here from South Coast’s diary) and being pedantic, but the words above are just synonyms rather than definitions and I usually find the meanings can vary a bit between words.

Here’s the definition I looked up and I think sums it up quite well:

1. economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful: What your office needs is a frugal manager who can save you money without resorting to painful cutbacks.

LadyWithAPlan

Tx @QueenJess for the extra definition.. I like the not wasteful part the most - as I think that part of frugal - making considered financial choices in all our lives adventures and goals is the most important
 
I  was aware  (on synonyms) and it was a speedy cobbled together of various online entries as I looked at the different kinds of frugal and how it can be defined and described -  penny pinching can be seen as frugal for some as well which really doesn’t suit my personal definition 

Bread 
the gf bread came out v well / brown so took longer - 1hr 50 min I asked for a dark crust and it was v good - my family tend to only make white whereas I like brown or rye which is harder to get right in a gf bread maker- this morning the slices still look good ! 

I did use soya milk and will try another DF milk to see if it slightly lighter next time - almond maybe - plus I will pop to Aldi and get lots of seeds to add - my Panasonic has a separate seeds and nuts compartment as well as a yeast bit. I will order some gf rye flour to try and they have a poppy seed gf recipe plus gf pizza dough and gf cake settings - so pizza dough gf I think I will  be experimenting with a lot 

2 large slices left out for today and loads slices in the freezer so I can  toast on command 

today probably will not be a NSD as I am seeing friend for a walk and catch up / she is on a few days no drinking which is good as she often has wine whilst I order coffee 
Looks fresh out there … 

MG - did 8 things yesterday so 56 items this year (done scraps of paper)
Xmas cards out today so that will help me hit by 7 easily but I am eyeing up Couple pairs shoes for Vinted 

xmas  stuff is deliberately still up - I have decided to be swedish (I am not) as they leave theirs up to the 13th as I want the extra twinkle! 

I will get rid of the cards but I think having cheery lights is a good thing.  

skint_spice

I heard something the other day saying it’s ok to leave your decorations up until candlemass in February…

South_coast

In Poland they keep them up until the beginning of Feb 👍

kaycastle

Hello! 

The discussions on frugality and lifestyle were interesting - I'm excited to see you head towards your goals this year! It's nice to take a step back and be happy about some of the spending and also know that some of it can be redirected to your longer term goals. I too like to do the things I want to do - I'm a mum but I do solo travelling - doing Paris this year which I'm excited about as I have my own need for adventure and get some money off via work too. But I did have a bit of a shock mid way through last year and realised I had spent so much money but had kidded myself I hadn't at some point. Then I got a bit more fussy! 

I'm also mostly now thinking about how tasty your pork chops lunch sound! I have buffalo sauce cauliflower wings to make for tonight and they are yum.

I mostly WFH but also commute to London - where I get a bit of a taste of London lifestyle in a fairly fancy office which I love and then I come home to the countryside and do embroidery, cooking and being mum and live a bit more cheaply than London costs. Sometimes think my colleagues would be very amused to spend a weekend with me.