My Personal Diary: Thrifting to a better bank balance (longer term goals)

retireby35

What a month! We had awful news after awful news followed by sickness bugs, etc. A lot to come to terms with.

I've been reviewing my spending over the last few months and we spend nearly £500 a month on average on food!!! Honestly don't know how we do this - we meal plan, we buy when on offer etc. I also spend a fortune at amazon - something which I am determined to correct next year.

I'm seriously thinking of doing a 'eat out of your cupboards/freezer' in January - where the only food shopping I do is top ups (ie milk, fresh fruit, bread, vegetables). 

I've also been gifted presents from various friends/work colleagues. We all agree not to do presents and then there are always a couple who gift me with homemade wares, like chutneys, cakes, sewing projects, or little nick racks and I would like to give back to them. Ideally I'd like to return with something homemade but its got so busy that I've not had the time to do anything. I ended up spending just over £16 in our local shops on one gift - everything so expensive these days (she gifted me late and I had to return a gift back to her pretty promptly as she lives 2hrs away from me) - her gift was some homemade jam and chutney which is absolutely lovely but its made me think I need to have a drawer at home that's stashed with some generic gifts in preparation for times like this. Or I need to make some gifts in the summer when I have a bit more time and stash them. Do people do this? 

weenancyinAmerica

@retireby35 - You can just smile and say thank you. And wait until later in the year to give them a gift you make if you want - especially if you had agreed not to do presents. Maybe they just enjoy the giving. But you really don't have to follow up with a present from you.

Katiehound

You could always wait until much later in the year... I am thinking you could gift  some home made elderflower cordial. Most folk really like it 

Christianne1957

Following this thread with interest! 
Frugality is going to be necessary for me in 2024 but hoping to make it a positive "make the most of everything" lifestyle - rather than bemoaning what I can't afford!
I am not rich but I am  grateful for what I have

London_1

 yes belt tightening is definitely on the agenda as I am moving house next year so using up as much of what I have in stock and only getting essentials in for awhile as I'm not going to want to be packing tins of stuff when I go  

This month as I'm away until the New Year I have had only 3/24 days where I actually bought a small amount of foodstuff so 21 NSDs and nothing to buy now at all for a week or so at the very least then when I'm home its only likely to be fresh veg.I have lots of UHT milk and bread is in the freezer so it will literally (hopefully) just fruit and veg.

But every pound will be looked at before being spent  Essentials only for awhile I think 

  JackieO xx