No Buy Year

Worlds_Worst_Superhero

How's everyone else doing so far?
So far, apart from the weekly food shop I've spent:

Bus travel: £2
Large pack of 100 washing line pegs- £2.99. I try to dry my clothes outside and when I went to hang some shirts out I discovered I only had about 20 left.
I have noticed when bringing the laundry in that occasionally the shirts were dangling off just one peg.... are squirrels stealing them?! 

Cherryfudge

Unfortunately squirrels are notorious for taking pegs off the line then running away and hiding behind trees to enjoy watching bewildered humans searching for them. They then hide the pegs in flower beds and under hedges or occasionally in the lawn...

We have wooden pegs and every spring I find the remains of a few in the flower bed. They rot down quite quickly, but the evidence is still there (but plastic ones don't rot, so I don't use those). Personally I blame the wind as we don't have squirrels, but then again, it could be the crows...

Slowdown

I agree about the crows. Very clever little blighters. 

We have some bird feeders and I kept finding them on the lawn. I guessed it was a cheeky squirrel until I saw a large crow unhook the feeder, drop it on the ground and then proceed to shake the seeds out. Amazing!! 

Rosa_Damascena - you are quite correct in thinking it would be better to go to each others houses but one of us lives in the top floor of a tower block and works from home. She has a restricted social life and loves to go out with us every two or three months. I can afford a meal out but I was simply staggered at the cost of it.  

I’m planning a no buy day today but will need groceries and petrol tomorrow. Still eating from the freezer and cupboards for the most part but some essentials such as milk, butter and eggs needed. 

Happy saving. 

🙂

Watty1

On eating out, something I love doing I have come up with a few options that work for me.  I've left eating out  in for this year but need to do it on the cheap.  Going out for breakfast is a lovely one.  It is so much cheaper than lunch or dinner, no need to drink and the food is often better.  A Sunday roast at an expensive place yesterday was £20 (the other mains were a lot more) and my favourite option is going for coffee at the local church.   Tea/coffee and a slice of home made cake is £3.50 with as many re-fills as you like free and an extra slice of cake for £1.  It is every Saturday and I try to meet girlfriends there at least once a month.  The place is always full, we have a lovely gossip and the bill is very cheap.

Slowdown

Church tea and cake sounds splendid but mine only does it on a Monday market day and I can’t go. 

I have a craft evening every few weeks at a friends house where we eat and make something which is fun and I’ve stopped going out for coffee and have a friend over once a week. She often brings a yummy something with her so it saves money. I do have a cuppa after yoga once a week but it’s in the golf club and very cheap. 

retiredinfrance

I , too, enjoy coffee and homemade “British “ cake- chocolate orange, Victoria sponge, etc. at a local charity shop for Abused Women. Cake2.5 euros for a big chunk, half of which is taken home and a euro for good filter coffee. I go alone and there’s always someone I know there for a chat in English or French. Then I have a look round and books are 5 for a euro. All boxes ticked!

Cherryfudge

retiredinfrance said:

I , too, enjoy coffee and homemade “British “ cake- chocolate orange, Victoria sponge, etc. at a local charity shop for Abused Women. Cake2.5 euros for a big chunk, half of which is taken home and a euro for good filter coffee. I go alone and there’s always someone I know there for a chat in English or French. Then I have a look round and books are 5 for a euro. All boxes ticked!

You need a tour guide's umbrella to hold up because a lot of us may turn up on your doorstep!

Yazmina

Eat what's in the freezer before your next shop.  I found 2.5 meals in frozen leftovers in mine. 

Rosa_Damascena

Tea and cake - what's not to love?

Having re-read Marie Kondo, I am using things up and not saving anything for best. I have stacks of thermals, undies, candles etc and if I don't use them up now there will be a nice stash for someone else to enjoy in a few decades time. No point in not enjoying whatever brings a little comfort is appreciated in a way that it wouldn't be when the weather is fine. I have however been buying more candles, I've found some at good prices lately and lighting them makes a difference to my mood, which is generally not the best at this time of the year. 

@Cherryfudge - you have reminded me, I need some more pegs. Mine are old (over 15 years) and although haven't been overused were snapping as I tried to use them last week - most annoying - probably a combination of age and the freezing outside temperature. 

@Yazmina - my freezer is packed with batch meals. Each takeaway container of soup / curry yields 3 servings, there's enough to keep me going until June! But I would rather not use this option more than once a week, otherwise it gets boring. I guess turnover is higher when there is a family to feed. What I cannot do without is fresh food - fruit, veg and dairy - which does mean visiting a supermarket quite regularly on foot.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

I haven't spent anything other than necessary food purchases in the last week except parking at a local beauty spot car park on Saturday.  I keep thinking about buying an annual pass for the National Park which gives me unlimited parking in 7 or 8 car parks for the year for £60.  That would give me lots of walking and running options and we would just need diesel to get there.  We are happy to take a flask and food.

This thread is really helping me focus my mind on these things!