Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Spendywendywoo

@foxgloves, likewise, I always have a reading book and an audio book on the go as I listen as I walk. 

Need to catch up with your diary but I wanted to ask please, where did you start doing surveys? How I sign up? Also, is there any factors to consider when completing surveys? X

Makingabobor2

foxgloves said:

@Makingabobor2 - I am counting audiobooks too as I usually have one of each on the go. 
F

I've normally got a fiction & a non fiction on the go at the same time. I keep thinking of trying some audio books,  I listen to a lot of podcasts when I'm doing jobs etc. 

Suffolk_lass

"A very nice bra in an indie lingerie shop which I stood outside & admired but I'd have had to have a fitting as was not familiar with the brand & you know, there are some days you just feel more like getting your boobs out than others, so more spendy temptation vanquished. And in any case, 2025 is about filling our Savings Pots up, not emptying them out on glorious bras!" 

Oh how I laughed. You are right of course, and a very sensible outcome!

KajiKita

Just catching up after two weeks of the most vile cold bug …

Your dresser looks lovely and it cheers me that you use those items as well as them being decorative. 😊How is the slimming regime working for Soot …? 🤔

KK

foxgloves

@Spendywendywoo - I'm not the best person to ask about surveys sites as I am only signed up to very few of them: YouGov, Prolific Academic & Ipsos I-say. I was also recruited onto 'Taste Nation' from another survey site I no longer visit. Their surveys are exclusively about shopping for meat. I think I just picked up these sites via knowledge of other MSE website users & signed up. YouGov takes a long time to reach the £50 cashout but I have cashed out several times over the years I've been doing it & I like that some of the surveys are political in nature. You can cash out of Ipsos at various levels. I cash out at £10 which is usually added to our Leisure & Entertainment Pot. Minimum cashout on PA is £6 I think. My monthly earnings target from there is £40 but it is sometimes £60 to £70 depending on how much time I've put in & number of available higher-paying surveys. Mr F had 2 or 3 months last year where he cashed out at £100+ because he was invited to do several surveys which paid £15 a time.
I used to be signed up to a couple of additional sites but gave them up to reduce screen time.
F

foxgloves

@Suffolk_lass - Happy to entertain....it's true though!

@KajiKita - Sorry to hear about the horrid bug. Soot is unimpressed about the slimming regime, particularly as it is now even more stringent thanks to shrinkflation on his preferred brand of fishy stink. Yes, all pouches now 85g rather than 100g so that is an additional 30g reduction a day. Needless to say, he still looks as absolutely solid as ever & I know he isn't a 'Six dinner Sid' cat. They are due their booster jabs next month when the vet will almost certainly weigh them so I shall be interested to see if his weight has dropped a little or whether he continues to defy science.

Hello Saturday Savers,
So little to report, it's barely worth posting, but in the spirit of keeping the MSE faith, here we go.....
*Postponed our planned snowdrop walk until tomorrow having seen the weather. Venue not far (big NT place) but it is still wasted fuel to drive there for little more than a coffee shop visit because it's too soggy to enjoy a walk. Forecast looks better tomorrow.
*Mr F fulfilled his intent to clean the oven, spurred on by the gradual kitchen deep-cleaning I've been doing. It is absolutely GLEAMING! He had his audio box-set of 'Hitch-hiker's guide' playing while he was scrubbing & polishing, which was a fairly recent charity shop find so he was well entertained. We never buy extra products for oven-cleaning - just what usually have in, so pink paste, soda crystals.... & caveman elbow grease, of course.
*Progressed my recipe sorting/copying project - mostly my own recipes for various preserves today. All the clean-on-one-side A4 scrap paper this is creating is going into a box for re-use as a new desk pad once I've used up an unwanted freebie one Mr F was given by a corporate partner at work.
*Did a few PA surveys & one other. My Feb PA earnings are now at £24-26 with another £5+ pending, so I must keep checking daily as this month's is all destined for the Savings Pots.
And apart from the above, I have been a proper lazy-a*se. I've been reading, we did the Guardian quick cryptic crossword over lunch, then I tried the main one which I can't usually do at all, but surprised myself by getting a few clues in. It's not my cooking night - Mr F is doing something with garlic butter chicken thighs which we get from our local market butcher & are very affordable & tasty. I spotted he has snuck some mini-galaxy eggs into the cupboard, so I reckon he's decided we need a treat while we watch 'Slow Horses' later. I am going to read a couple of chapters of my current library book & pick up the stitches for the foot on my pretty sock. Told you it had been a slow day, but enjoyable none-the-less.
Wishing you a cosy evening. Nothing beats a good old-fashioned hot water bottle tucked up behind one's back. I am off to fill the kettle forthwith!
F x

foxgloves

Good evening m'dears,
Another pleasant day of very little action, but there were opportunities for spendy temptation & I resisted them, I'm pleased to say! Anyway. today's efforts such as they were:
*Went for our postponed snowdrop walk. NT, so got in on our membership cards & breakfast in their very nice cafe (which is never as expensive as I think it's going to be!) was from our Personal Spends, so entirely budget-neutral. Enjoyed the fresh air & walk.
*There was new Spring stock in the gift shop & I could have been very tempted, but 2025's challenge is to fill our 10 everyday Savings Pots up not encourage the money to flow out in the wrong direction so I enjoyed a little smug glow of virtue instead of buying a lovely thing. Actually I did buy just one thing having done a quick sum in my head. I'd picked up a birthday card for a friend & was looking for a 2nd one for somebody else when I spotted some really nice packs of blank notecards at £4 for 8. Having done the maths, that's 50p per card, & they are perfectly nice enough to send as greetings cards as I usually write my own message anyway. The 2 cards I'd picked up went back on the display because at £3 each, that would have been £6 & only 2 friends' birthdays covered. I don't send heaps of birthday cards as we are a small family & really only send cards to various besties on the whole, but with Project Surbiton firmly in mind, it struck me that £4 is such a small amount, I can take it from February's buffer zone & leave the Presents Pot untouched.......which is just as well as it has recently paid out some birthday money to our nephew. The pack of little cards I bought today will cover birthdays for 5 of our friends, 2 B-i-L's & one left over which I might even save for another friend next year as I know one of the designs is something she will really like. Can I have a merit point for avoiding the yellow sticker display? There were some very tempting foodie items & it was getting very near lunchtime, but both of us felt that given the amount of time that has now elapsed since Christmas, they weren't really reduced enough to edge them into the 'couldn't leave them in the shop' category.
*Chatted through our diaries so we know what we are doing over the coming week. Being organised always saves us money one way or another, even just little things like which days packed lunches are required.
*Did 1 survey - it was a recall for part 2 of something I did last week. Only 75p (only took a few mins) but I was fine with that as it has nudged my Feb PA earnings over the £30 mark.
*Both of us fancied cooking tonight, so I have made the savoury mince for tonight's cottage pie & Mr F is going to be vegetable sous chef & add the mashed leek & potato and sort out the accompanying veg. I always put plenty of veg in my cottage pie bases, so there is sufficient to feed us tomorrow on a jacket potato too.
*Mr F used some of last night's leftover chicken to make a sarnie for his Monday packed lunch.
Apart from those very small things, I've mostly been relaxing this afternoon. We've had a go at the Observer crossword, I've listened to a bit more of my audiobook & I intend to read & knit later. 
I've decided I want to have a really productive week with not a lot of spending, so hopefully I will be able to kick in some decent budget-friendly activities. Decluttering is still a key factor here, re-purposing items where to do so is helpful, charity bag or bin if not. My new daily hour of looking after our home has been working well so far, so I shall be continuing with that too, as well as continuing to prepare for getting our growing season underway.
Let's try for a good week.
F x

2Scratters

Well the progress of Using Up store cupboard items of the various sorts of bits that fit into said cupboards. Onto a new note pad how exciting small things give satisfaction. 
The button tins have been out trying to find something suitable. No joy yet.... I am now in the slow process of separating colours and intend to find sets of and see where we go from there as they have been placed into glass jars. 
UU another shower gel by decanting the last of the dregs into the hand soap dispenser and the bottle to recycling. I am continuing this year to save a £1 an item and see where that goes then what to do with it at a suitable time. 
Did I mention I had purchased some coffee beans from lidl the bag was 1.5kg and the cost was about 8 or 9 pounds. I rarely shop in there even though it is the nearest supermarket excluding Spar. The coffee is really nice and definitely on par with the Italian Lavazza I tend to purchase on line. This could be a new one going forward and still enjoying a little luxury. 

Off to the cobblers to collect my walking boot as the sole has separated again. Apparently I'm not supposed to walk in sandy areas - What???  makes sense as it cuts away at the glue but really!

Have a good day all

2 Scratters xx

EssexHebridean

Cottage pie with us yesterday too Mrs F - and I also bulked out plenty with a view to cooking one and eating twice - so another double portion is stashed away in the freezer! 

Walking boots that don't like sandy environments? Seriously?! Honestly - some of these people must think we fell out of the tree yesterday mustn't they?! You remind me though that I must start thinking about looking for replacement boots as neither of my current pairs are comfortable for wearing for long walks - I'll want time to get a new pair worn in ahead of our Hebrides trip so ought to get on to that! 

Blackcats

You are very inspiring with your focus on Project Surbiton.  I'm focussing on a savings pot at a time this year and enjoying the saving rather than the prospect of spending.  I managed to get pot 1 up to £500 last month as it got a good boost from a refund from 🐙.  It's the replace and repair pot and MrBC is muttering about me needing a new phone.  I found myself vigorously defending my ancient phone rather than taking money away from the pot that's just been filled up.  I know I'll need a new phone at some point as I probably won't be able to do the enforced system updates but until then I'm more than happy with my ancient relic (phone that is😉)