Frump to Fab 2022 - The Big One

chanie

Hi fabbers,

Yesterday, I was in a shop and the item I wanted to buy two weeks ago has now gone up from £8.99 to £10.99.  I pointed this out to the shop owner and we settled on £9.99.

 This got me thinking about the cost of living crisis how you all are doing.  Are you doing anything to manage the increases? 

I am trying to cut down on our food shopping, top up shopping, plus use the car less, as I think that’s where I can make decent savings.

maman

Much the same here @chanie.

I'm trying not to make any unnecessary car journeys and when I do need it I try to fit in as many errands as possible in one trip. 

I've always done a meal plan and shopping list on a weekly basis. We're having a few more veggie meals and cutting back a bit on the size of meat portions. I try hard (and mostly successfully) to just do one shop a week and no top up shops. I do shop around a bit but only when I'm near somewhere other than Aldi for another reason. 

I have my podiatrist appointment later and I'll be able to walk there (and float back!🤣).

I'm saving money on my hair as I've not had highlights done since Christmas 2019. I'm delighted with my natural colour. I'm also having it cut less frequently as I got used to cutting my own fringe during lockdowns and that gives me an extra few weeks between appointments. 

I tried on some of my holiday clothes last week. The bikinis in particular are looking tired. They were several years old  in 2019 so I've more than had my moneysworth out of them. They'd be OK at a push but if I could pick up a couple of new ones I'd be happy. I plan to look in Asda and Matalan later in the week as I've been lucky with their ranges before. 

I think we all make choices as what's a need and what's a want when it comes to spending. For example, we never have take aways because I'm happy to cook and have HM ready meals in the freezer for when I'm tired or in a hurry. On the other hand, we do eat out a few times each month because we enjoy meeting friends that way. Others might think that's a waste of money. The saddest thing as that an increasing number of people don't have that choice to make. 😧

P.S. I know what you mean about feeling as if you're on holiday @Wednesday2000. I used to live in a seaside resort on the Gower coast and I never tired of that feeling. 😊

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Chanie, I presume you were in a local shop so that is why you were able to haggle. It does give a customer a jolt to see such a big price leap on one item. 

My biggest change in expenditure due to the cost of living crisis was cancelling my 60th birthday party. I was going to go all out with caterers and a DJ but thought it would be worth the cost. I changed my mind and decided to be more prudent and I put £560 on my gas prepayment meter and £249 (the maximum allowed) on my electric prepayment meter and I know that was a far better use of some of the savings I had put aside to pay for my birthday party. 

I am cutting back on only wearing an item of clothing once and this means fewer loads of washing a week. If an item looks and smells fresh after a few hours wear, I hang it up on it's own and wear it again before putting it in the laundry basket. 

I am really shopping around for household goods, so that I am sourcing them at the cheapest possible prices. As my son is not working, he comes with me to carry the heavy shopping when I am stocking up. I do the main shop each week as a delivery from Tesco, but I only buy the items from Tesco that would not cost less elsewhere. I do less top up shops from Lidl each week now. I am trying to do only one top up shop a week. I cook more meals from scratch in my own kitchen, not are they more cost effective, they are more healthier. 

Wednesday I used to love eating out in restaurants with my adult children, but the pandemic has put paid to all of my local restaurants offering Groupons and I am not prepared to pay the full menu prices. Eating out is as much a social event as a dining event and even though it is a want rather than a need, it brings immeasurable joy to the diners. 

chanie

maman said:

I have my podiatrist appointment later and I'll be able to walk there (and float back!🤣).

I love the floaty feeling. OH tells me that ive shrunk after having my feet filed down.  

chanie

…. Back to finish my post.

@maman and @sugarbaby125 thank you for your posts on how you plan to manage the cost of living crisis.  It’s always hear what everyone else is doing.

helensbiggestfan

Good morning lovely ladies. 

Well I have received my £150 council tax rebate this Morning.  Every little
helps. 😡 But yes the soaring fuel, energy and food costs are a worry aren't they.  I knew that with dwindling resources that at some point energy prices would be a problem but I honestly never expected it to be so sudden. I thought there would be a more gradual rate of price increases. How wrong I was. 

I guess I'm doing what pretty much everyone else is doing. Cutting back where possible. Fewer car
Journeys, trying to be better organised, no waste etc.  i hadn't planned on a holiday because I will probably try and move house this year.  I still plan to downsize so hopefully my next property will be cheaper to heat and maintain. At least that's the plan.....

Wednesday2000

I have been spending a fortune since we moved here. My husband works for London Underground so he had to buy a train ticket for the C2C train to get back into London for work. That was almost £3,000 (he does get some of it refunded, luckily) and our new fence cost over £500 and we needed a new sofa, fridge, freezer and dining chairs. We have been spending so much on takeaways too as I got an app that shows what restaurants around here have vegan friendly food. Lol.

We did get the £150 back as well from our old council at least. My water company is the same here and they said we had credit on our account so our bill is only £15 this month.

The binge eating stops today! I am about to go to Tesco Express and buy salad and quinoa to make a big salad to go in the fridge. I am going to batch cook a bean chilli too.

I have gained weight since I moved but only a few pounds. I think it is all the walking I've been doing as it feels like I should have gained about a stone. We took our dog down to Chalkwell beach on Sunday and walked all the way to Westcliff-on-Sea and back. My thighs are still hurting from that walk. Haha.

I did go to a few charity shops yesterday again. They are more expensive than the ones near me in London, weirdly. I did buy two nice Oasis going out tops, a midi dress, a biscuit tin and an LED candle. I also went to Superdrug and spent a lot on makeup and beauty products. I had forgotten that I like the Black Castor and Shea conditioner as I normally order online so I got some and some Superdrug beauty balm that I have just used this morning after my bath.

chanie

You reminded me to check my account for my Cooncil tax rebate and we have it, which I’ve transferred to savings.

@Wednesday2000 I’ve always said that other than housing costs, London is actually pretty cheap outside of Zone 1 and you can grab some great bargains.  Once you’ve settled in, I’m sure you’ll find the best places to get the bargains.

A few things to update;

jubilee weekend - we are having a street party. Hopefully, the festivities and long bank holiday will provide us all with some light relief with everything that has been going on recently.

Building works - the builders have said that they will take me up to the loft over the next few days, so we can decide on the layout of the space. It’s been difficult to visualise without walls. OH won’t be able to make it, as he has to work, so I’m going to try and video call him.

 

Wednesday2000

chanie said:

@Wednesday2000 I’ve always said that other than housing costs, London is actually pretty cheap outside of Zone 1 and you can grab some great bargains.  Once you’ve settled in, I’m sure you’ll find the best places to get the bargains.

Yes, it is weird how you can get cheap goods/food/fruit and veg in London. One thing I've noticed is that there aren't any pound shops around here as the shops are all fairly posh. I use pound shops quite a lot so my husband has been going to the one near his work in east London instead.

chanie

@Wednesday2000 I’d be lost without my poundshops and world food shops 😂.