2023 Frugal Living Challenge

Debsnewbudget

@Frugaldom. I am an Olio volunteer and regularly have people collecting for others. The only problem might be if you are requesting before 9pm as you are only allowed 7 items in 7 days, or you then get a 1 hour delay in seeing the listings.  If you talk to your volunteer and explain then put on the request this is for me or this is for my auntie, then they might be OK with it.

Cas

Hello everyone.  Missed checking in last week but I’ve enjoyed catching up on what everyone’s been up to.  We’ve had a mixed time of it recently.

• Have been tracking our weekly meter reading for the past month whilst EDF try to fix the smart meter and I can see that the things we’re doing like turning down/off radiators and ditching the tumble dryer plus the weather turning milder means we’re using less gas and leccy. 
• Now that the pup’s over her first season we can take her back into the local parks and fields instead of spending money on secure dog parks but she’s hurt her paw so we’re £150 lighter after a couple of visits to the vets. 
• Bit of a rattle coming from the car which was only MOT’d a few weeks ago.  Turns out one of the brake pad cover plates has corroded with age. Apparently it’s a common fault but it cost £150 to get both front ones replaced. 
• Car insurance renewal has gone up a shocking 27% in a year despite no claims!!!  Did try all the usual comparison stuff plus haggling but our current provider was still the cheapest. 
• Dental insurance has paid out on DH’s claim so that’s £200 back in the pot but he's had another bill for £400 so fingers crossed we get a £200 payout on that one too.  I’m so glad he opted to get dental insurance as this year we’ll get more back from claims than we’ll pay in premiums. 
• DH cashed in a matured SAYE plan he has through his work so that will cover much of the dental, vet and car bills.  
• Very few no spend days this past fortnight and we’re still spending too much on groceries and household stuff.  We really need to reign in the spends so we can rebuild the savings pots after all the recent bills.

Has anyone sold clothes or footwear on Vinted?  Is it easy to use and did you get much response?

Cas

@joedenise and @willow_loulou I agree about sausages from the local butchers - they're so expensive thanks to farmers experiencing huge increases in the price of fertiliser, fuel, animal feed and utilities.  That said they taste far better than anything I've ever had out of a supermarket!  Same goes for the bacon they sell.

willow_loulou

Sorry @cas I’ve not used vinted, though my sister buys regularly from there and says it’s brilliant. 

The tgtg bag from Starbucks was not my favourite. Good value as we if four toastie type things but the taste was not great. Son did not like the tuna and the cheese toastie was sourdough so a bit meh. Tomorrow we have a sausage bap and no beef focaccia for lunches. I’m hopeful they’re better. But still where can you get anything like that for £1 each. 

Cas

willow_loulou said:

Sorry @cas I’ve not used vinted, though my sister buys regularly from there and says it’s brilliant. 

Thanks @willow_louloul. I need to get myself organised and give it a go!

fionaandphil

Hi @cas I've used Vinted and sold one thing. There is a lot on there so it's taken months to sell. I had lots of enquiries but no sales and then last month it sold to somebody who asked one question and then purchased. The process was easy but I wouldn't expect any quick cash from it. I am planning on trying some more items on it, but whether or not they sell is hard to tell. Hope you have more success 

Annies_too

hi - I started using Vinted just over a year ago. I’ve sold more than 40 items of clothing and 3 pairs of boots. I try to give lots photos, information and measurements. One item disappeared during shipment but I was reimbursed for that. Easy to use. Money made certainly helped my budget last year.  I’ve also bought a couple of things. Definitely worth giving it a go. 

Cas

Thanks @fionaandphil and @Annies_too.  So glad Vinted is easy to use and I will keep my fingers crossed that my stuff will sell! 

Frugaldom

Debsnewbudget said:

@Frugaldom. I am an Olio volunteer and regularly have people collecting for others. The only problem might be if you are requesting before 9pm as you are only allowed 7 items in 7 days, or you then get a 1 hour delay in seeing the listings.  If you talk to your volunteer and explain then put on the request this is for me or this is for my auntie, then they might be OK with it.

Thanks for that, I'll have a word with them and see what they say. We love Olio, it's been a great help to the food budget, even when it means sometimes eating strange concoctions at mealtimes. I try to request stuff that can be frozen and often get fresh veg for our sanctuary animals. Friends do similar and then bring the extra veg for the goats & ponies at the weekends.

Frugaldom

Cas said:

Frugaldom said:

Is there anyone else on here follows the Scottish hutting movement?

I don't follow it as such but I do regularly read the articles journalist Lesley Riddoch writes about it and how much she likes the Nordic way of life with the embracing nature and community spirit it encourages.

We built our hut a year ago and now have plans passed for 2 more, to be built & used by friends & family who help look after the Frugaldom project. Spending time in ours is a real frugal living dream as being off grid makes you so much more aware of what you use at home in a normal day. It also teaches you that cooking with one pan and making meals without an oven oven are both possible. I love the lifestyle and hope to get veggies growing soon.