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

Baileys_Babe

We often use dried coconut milk when we only need a small amount.

Watty1

TallGirl said:

I really like the idea of a wishlist it is all too easy just to get something without thinking but if you do you might often find you do not need it. Good luck with the comping hope you get your tickets. 

I think this is really true. It is why I committed to the "no spend" this year although in my case it is seriously reduced spend because I will still spend but putting things on my wish list lets me work out if I really want them or if there is something I have that will do the job, or, maybe they will turn up in the charity shop (I'm allowing charity shop spends as my reasoning is I'm adding to their turnover and not buying new means I'm not using world resources and I only buy if it is on my list or my usual CS buys like candles).

Debsnewbudget

I keep my wish list on the big river store. It allows you to add items without finding them on the website. So I have things like
A voucher for a pedicure, ring Sarah on ******
salad leaves seeds
you can then share the wish list with others f you want.
My birthday is 7th Jan so anything I think of from now until next December goes on my list and also comes off if I have bought it. 

LadyWithAPlan

SandyShores said:

Merlin's_Beard said:

I think the attraction of food boxes pretty much amounts to them being a cure for decision fatigue. You can sit down, choose your next 3-4 weeks meals in one go, and then it's done.

No checking the fridge to see what you've got, searching for recipes, then writing a list, then deciding which supermarket to go to, then spending time going there, then putting everything away, then pulling bits of from different cupboards, and repeating that every single week.

Just boom, it's at your door, you put the paper bags away, you pull em out when you need them.

This, exactly!  We've had Gousto about a year now and the portions are definitely smaller than we were used to.  But when we cooked in larger quantities, with some for saving/freezing, frequently there wasn't enough left because we just ate more!  Mr Shores usually supplements the Gousto meals with a side e.g. onion bhajee, samosa, or even some garlic bread slices from the freezer.  And I agree the veg is a bit on the skimpy side so we add some where we can or get the steamer out and do some brocollli as a side.

Oh no to the dairy LadywithaPlan, hope the swelling goes down soon.  I tried a vegan diet for about six months, and I've got to say that cooking without dairy was the hardest part - its an eye opener how much we use.  

I definitely think there is a place to try out meal planning things -  all person specific - just depends on one's budget, diet and time and cooking abilities
I have a friend who cant cook - really .and no confidence. so she loves HF ... plus she likes the smaller portions to keep slim.. which is fair enough... For me I actively look to have loads extra veg for nutrition and health.

I have enjoyed the HF as a novelty but I have my one last box free on credits which I will use next month and then I will cancel. I probably will trial the others only on serious discounts .... and for fun to discover new recipes. I have done a lot of cookery courses over the years as I like to play with ideas.

SandyShores said:

Oh no to the dairy LadywithaPlan, hope the swelling goes down soon.  I tried a vegan diet for about six months, and I've got to say that cooking without dairy was the hardest part - its an eye opener how much we use.  

Vegan diet is v difficult - dairy is everywhere .. and no eggs! 
 I was a veggie for 5 years but even with good nutritional understanding I needed meat - no matter how many beans, veg  and vitamins I ate   I felt wrong and my body wasnt happy - I am an O type blood which apparently is hunter genetics..
I think the Dairy reaction is why I was driven to buy ingredients for dal yesterday I have just realised. I have a friend who had huge amounts of allergies so her local Indian health nutritionist got her on dal every day as a side dish and 2 days a week it was only dal.  Her allergies really cleared up. Dal is incredibly good  and rebalancing for you.
I tend to largely eat white meat but  I always  found myself headed to buy beef or defrosted beef  a couple of days before my period - I didn't think about it my body just naturally went and cooked red meat and then I realised why .... so my making dal might just be my body telling me what I need to do to feel better.

SandyShores said:

Congrats on the CC's.  Over Christmas I have definitely starting using current month to pay last months spending so I need to get a grip on it again i.e. just stop spending

I am only ahead on the CC cos of ynab  pointing out end Nov how much I was using a cc float... Really seeing how much I paid in Dec to clear it up and what it took out of Dec income to then assign was ouch even though I had large invoices paid.

TallGirl said:

I really like the idea of a wishlist it is all too easy just to get something without thinking but if you do you might often find you do not need it. Good luck with the comping hope you get your tickets. 

My 3 wish list  things I am actively saving first for is  an expensive makeup item (S), some art supplies  (M).. and the side hustle trip (Large size)   plus   a European passport myself, which is the 4th one It can wait but its a wish/want/need so I have allowed it as a 4th..

I also add things on to the bigger 'wish farm' list - the items I want but they are not my current top 3 to save for. As I see things I like I add to the wish farm list inc cost. Sometimes a month later you think I am not that bothered or I really want this still but in the future.  Often  it makes me question what I spend /fritter away on.. vs do I want X over Y. Of course this years X is a house! And taxes to pay ...
My wish farm this year has tech stuff, a new ipad, upgrade phone, a sme* microwave/airfryer, a Le Creus** crepe pan, do some reupholstery, a few fabulous Sm** kitchen items .. but they all in the future ....

I have managed to win the last few years - always took effort but

LadyWithAPlan

Baileys_Babe said:

We often use dried coconut milk when we only need a small amount.

This is a good idea - I will get some
Thanks

Watty1 said:

TallGirl said:

I really like the idea of a wishlist it is all too easy just to get something without thinking but if you do you might often find you do not need it. Good luck with the comping hope you get your tickets. 

I think this is really true. It is why I committed to the "no spend" this year although in my case it is seriously reduced spend because I will still spend but putting things on my wish list lets me work out if I really want them or if there is something I have that will do the job, or, maybe they will turn up in the charity shop (I'm allowing charity shop spends as my reasoning is I'm adding to their turnover and not buying new means I'm not using world resources and I only buy if it is on my list or my usual CS buys like candles).

No spend with a twist! I am with you Watty, though I can buy too much CS clothing so I am not doing that this year unless its exceptional

Debsnewbudget said:

I keep my wish list on the big river store. It allows you to add items without finding them on the website. So I have things like
A voucher for a pedicure, ring Sarah on ******
salad leaves seeds
you can then share the wish list with others f you want.
My birthday is 7th Jan so anything I think of from now until next December goes on my list and also comes off if I have bought it. 

Happy belated birthday!
The Big River  obviously makes sense for you  and as you say good for gift ideas -  but dangerous for some I can imagine as too easy to press BUY NOW ... and with CC details attached its too easy to buy. I like a bit of friction between wanting  stuff and buying. The stores deliberately try to minimise the pain of us buying things online -  its how they make us spend more and have world class tech and marketing people working at that friction-less part to get us to consume more.

I have free 6 month Prime as Student at present... then from next month its half price but still think I will cancel as too easy to think I will get this its free p+p ...- all those subscribe and save things that fly through also can add up - again its the lack of friction .. I want lots of friction
(sounds slightly wrong I know!)

I am planning to delete /cancel all subscriptions on the food/vitamin etc front.

South_coast

You can just delete your card details from them you know 😘! I only ever spend on there with vouchers I earn from surveys, so never have my card details saved - feels like I am winning against the mighty behemoth!

LadyWithAPlan

South_coast said:

You can just delete your card details from them you know 😘! I only ever spend on there with vouchers I earn from surveys, so never have my card details saved - feels like I am winning against the mighty behemoth!

I think you are I dont actually spend much on amazon til I got the free 6 month student prime.. and with xmas  coming up... I am not planning any big spends in the next  few months 

Food 
Inspired by the entire of MFW it seems who are all making soup/stews from bits from the fridge and left overs  I made some soup as part of lunch.
I had made stock from my chicken bones yesterday - I usually like to freeze it but I took what was left of my chicken meat, added the frozen leek and red peppers from my 'shove it all in the freezer' pre Xmas dash, plus kale, the remaining stock, fresh dill, tomato puree, half a sweet potato, maybe 25g of dried mung beans, spices, a bit of harissa paste from a pot i am finishing up and shoved it all the Pressure cooker for 25 mins. Enough for 3 portions at least. I ate one portion hot but I will blend the other two for sides the next 2 days.

Reading the grocery challenge thread especially frugally brilliant people like London_1 she inspires me to really think about using everything in the fridge and really think about my food budget... I accidentally watched that Chris guy on UPF's... had no haribo in 2024 and it needs to stay that way - citric acid will rot your teeth errr....

So lunch /dinner was the dal from yesterday  (delicious) with some DF yogurt and HM soup and slices of DF buttered, defrosted HM brown bread. 

I actually won my 6 in 1 Pressure cooker/saute/slow cooker thing a couple years ago  and having never used a pressure cooker before  I find it invaluable for stock, soup, beetroot and squash and beans..  At present I use it every day, its saute function is also great
I do have a halogen oven I use for roasting chickens and pork (and a normal oven that rarely gets used beyond the rings and for toast) but never bothered with an airfryer as gather the process is the largely the same as the halogen - I may try to win an airfryer to try it though for chips.. not that I eat chips at home

NSD yes!  4/13 

MG - been a bit distracted from this but have now decluttered 3 items so far including last years a4 diary ... nothing in there of note ..

Voluntary Spending £124.71 this month (not today!) 
- this includes 2 work things that are for side hustle development but not essential, hairdresser and my HF meal box.. This is impressive after my last few months.. of £4.9k in 3  months 
I would pull into another 'budget' in ynab my 2023 spending and then roughly categorize it ... but ouch it may be better to just look forward as I think i will see exactly how much I spent on travel in 2023 (3 european trips, 3 north american ones - 5 of them work related)

Taxes
Not heard back from acctant so will call Monday  or I may decide to work it out myself as I have the software to declare my ltd company accts  - I do know more  than most accts I have met  as I actually think about the numbers -  i just need to check on how final numbers 

SuperSecretSquirrel

I'm with you on the soup LaPlan 😁 I stocked up on a load of 15p veg before Christmas, made a massive vat of spicy peppery garlicky very heavy on the broccoli vegetable soup. Under £2 for all the soup ingredients, plus a £3ish lump of stilton makes 20 or so servings at about 25p each. It's delicious, nutritious, freezes well, and you could almost pass it off as a healthy option were it not for the delicious cheese that I absolutely could not live without - my commiserations on that one! Something so virtuous about eating a home made soup for lunch. Almost makes up for the pickings from the remaining Christmas chocolate mountain that's invariably enjoyed for afters 🤣

Think I might join you on the dal too. I love lentils and spice, and like to have a veg packed lunch to boost fibre and vitamins. Most days I have a vegetarian lunch to minimise calories and as a happy byproduct price. We eat a family dinner, same for everyone with a very rare substitution if someone really can't stand something that the others love. Lunch is where I go to town on spices, garlic, onions, the things I love that the rest of the family aren't quite so hot on 😋

LadyWithAPlan

Where is this 15p veg from @SuperSecretSquirrel ? I have seen it mentioned elsewhere .. 

Glad I’ve inspired you SSS - have you tried the Dishoom house black daal? It’s unbelievable- has double cream in that I can’t have but you would love it - there is a recipe for it on guardian website - if family members don’t like spices it’s a great cheeky side dish if you batch make enough to freeze  - plus as you say daal is cheap and incredibly nutritious 

https://amp.theguardian.com/food/2019/sep/07/four-classic-indian-recipes-dishoom-chaat-dal-salad-jackfruit-biyani-chicken-makhani-curry

Your  cheese soup sounds wonderful - my standard to gos are chicken and veg and also borsch - love beetroot and now I have discovered I can pressure cook the beetroot in 20 mins and keep more of the juice ( just scrub them in their skins and top and tail them ) once they are cooked the skin just peels off - less fuss and you keep more vitamins in - also tastes great with a blob of sour cream (sob)

I ate all of my Xmas choc mound and gave some as gifts this week at our belated Xmas party so less temptation on the dairy 
It’s amazing how when I don’t have it I feel so much better, the eczema goes and my eyes aren’t swollen etc - if I eat too much consistently I get a bright red patch on my neck 
so I do know I shouldn’t be eating it all - I am strict with the gluten free . I have a 2024 resolution to not eat dairy but one dinner party and I was sunk .. making it a hard no like the gluten is so difficult when one travels or dines out .. it is a hard no in my home at least 
my family all have allergies from my mum to my nephews and nieces (who has even more)  and us going  out to dinner is not fun! 

Apologies for all on my dairy diary musing as I go back and forth reflecting  - how are you all not yelling ‘Just find a way and STOP eating dairy - it’s clearly bad for your health’ 
- I feel like one of those diary entries who keeps saying I know I shouldn’t do X, buy more clothes, spend what I don’t have or get onto debt on the cc  as I have debt  but then 2 posts later ‘oops I bought X’ and it’s not on the budget, or oops I bought takeaway on the cc  .. very human and very easy to do ., I myself have said I want to save for a house deposit and then oops I extended my States stay - which I am glad I did but it was against my own superior goal. 

it is far easier to see what someone else is doing and see their particular patterns of behaviour and think why don’t they just stop doing X - given they say they want Y - than change one’s own behaviours when they don’t reflect one’s true priorities !  We are all in a learning process  but really come on LaPlan get off and stay off the  dairy! This is your health and wellbeing ! 

Why MFW DFW diaries are great ! 

- we can see when people are modelling behaviours that make them win so we can copy those! (TT’s, soup making, budgets, YNAB, tracking spends especially grocery) , don’t over buy a house, keep adding to your pensions 

- AND also recognise in others  diaries the patterns of behaviour that we have ourselves that actually take them in the opposite direction to our stated goals - 

- i also think us processing our thoughts and writing down our actions and then seeing the results is hugely helpful. 

-  rereading our own diaries can be quite an insightful Way to see our own patterns of behaviour- my first entry I was talking about having less days work from my main contractor . And actually 3.5 years on it’s the same - or worse - I have just got comfortable

- and the community here is funny, honest, unflinching in looking at ourselves, have many diverse lives but all of us focused  at us controlling our money and winning in our chosen financial goals so ladies, gentlemen and all others (however you choose to identify) on mse I salute you ! .. 

happy Saturday 

Watty1

South_coast said:

You can just delete your card details from them you know 😘! I only ever spend on there with vouchers I earn from surveys, so never have my card details saved - feels like I am winning against the mighty behemoth!

I've done that and it is so helpful.  I also think about which card I am going to use so make more than one conscious decision.  This has ended up with moving a lot of things to my buy later list and only a headtorch for WattyDog remains in the basket which I am thinking over (I use them round his neck on dark night walks and the last one is broken)