More WIRE than FIRE, simplifying, saving and savvy spending

Katiehound

I still haven't totted up my stash busting from 2024 as I need to collect in monies from the duvet & pyramid sales which are achieved by others for me (such as groomers & dog training club.) I don't think I have raised anywhere near the amount of the year before. I am hoping to collect in the money & /or figures by the end of the month.

On private sales I am well in profit and only need to buy some large balls of 'bright' white DK for angel making. I have tried with thicker yarn, creamy yarn etc and it's not a success! other than that I have stacks of card making supplies etc but don't begrudge the odd rubber stamp purchase in a CS.  Do need some embossing powder- haven't found exactly what's needed- clear, detail, fine! Will have to use what I have first.

There are still 8 duvets to collect in and I am going to have to store them, so dragging my heels somewhat!!

Stashing busting is an 'open goal'... as much as possible!

I realise I haven't done some things this year- no dog coats for example and not even one crochet blanket! One has been part made for months........

Hope you are going to join us on the crafting board

ShyAndRetiring

Katiehound said:

I still haven't totted up my stash busting from 2024 as I need to collect in monies from the duvet & pyramid sales which are achieved by others for me (such as groomers & dog training club.) I don't think I have raised anywhere near the amount of the year before. I am hoping to collect in the money & /or figures by the end of the month.

On private sales I am well in profit and only need to buy some large balls of 'bright' white DK for angel making. I have tried with thicker yarn, creamy yarn etc and it's not a success! other than that I have stacks of card making supplies etc but don't begrudge the odd rubber stamp purchase in a CS.  Do need some embossing powder- haven't found exactly what's needed- clear, detail, fine! Will have to use what I have first.

There are still 8 duvets to collect in and I am going to have to store them, so dragging my heels somewhat!!

Stashing busting is an 'open goal'... as much as possible!

I realise I haven't done some things this year- no dog coats for example and not even one crochet blanket! One has been part made for months........

Hope you are going to join us on the crafting board

Wow @katiehound it sounds like you achieved a lot throughout 2024   

Thanks also for the reminder about the crafting board, I've signed up to the 2025 challenge as it certainly fits in with my stash-busting / money-saving ambitions for this year! 

ShyAndRetiring

JANUARY GOALS & CHALLENGES

  Finally catching up with myself.

This post is a quick post of the challenges for this month, coming out of the main aims for this year. Popping them into their own post will make it easier to note down my progress as I post and to review them at the end of the month

• SURVEY GOAL aim £50 pm
• POT GOAL - Focus on Grocery spending this month: aim to limit food spends to £300
• WEEKLY NSD GOAL aim 5/7
• SAVINGS GOAL for WEDDING WEEKEND - £750 
• DECLUTTERING #1: 52 in 52 stash-busting challenge
• DECLUTTERING #2: 365 in 365 
• NO BUYING TOILETRIES USE UP CHALLENGE: use up 52 items in 52 weeks.
• LIFE ADMIN:  ID, passports,driving licences check dates / renewals / numbers etc

S&R x
 

ShyAndRetiring

  Hope everyone has been keeping warm, dry and safe following the recent weather! 

Failed to post over the weekend  however this is because I have been busy getting started on all of the things! 

Extra income / surveys

• £5 / £50 so far in Prolific, slow start really.

Spending

• Last week's NSD goal of 5 NSDs met - largely because we were so busy with visitors, but also have actively avoided online sales shopping.
• NSD GOAL - 1/5 so far this week.
• GROCERY GOAL - £300 has been allocated for the month - this is £60 less than the usual budget of £90 per week. First week is going OK.

Saving

• Have opened a Principality Saver for the wedding weekend saving challenge. Thanks to @Katiehound for the heads-up on this  Deposit of £60 / £750 - this £60 is the anticipated underspend on food budget - if it's not in the pot, we can't spend it! 
• Saved an old wire-framed wicker drawer from the rubbish by repurposing as a planter for the garden.
• We signed up to AppleTV+ for their free weekend, in order to watch a couple of programmes which had been recommended to us. It was fun doing a bit of box-setting whilst the weather was so foul (wind and torrential rain where we are) but we're in no hurry to pay for the service so won't be subscribing.

Sorting

• Making good in-roads to sorting my She-Shed (work room) at home. One bag of rubbish, one box of recycling and 8 items passed on already. Floor space reclaimed after dumping plopping lots of things out of the way whilst our tiny house was full of visitors. 
• Box file retrieved and repurposed as the hub for the Life Admin box of docs. Next stop: the personal docs to put in it.
• During She-Shed sorting, I recovered a folder of random pension paperwork, so I have this safely ready for future follow-up.

Challenges

• DECLUTTERING #1: knitting project for Jan sorted - 1st ball of yarn is now in use! 
• DECLUTTERING #2: 8/365
• NO BUYING TOILETRIES USE UP CHALLENGE - aiming to use up a shower gel, lip balm and handcream which have been on the go for ages, this week.

Simple pleasures

• I've enjoyed wearing my new woolly hat (Xmas gift) on the wet, windy dog walks!
• It's been so wet, two swans have landed on the 'pond' which is now on the field where we walk the dog. Lovely to see them doing their thing!
• OH cooked a fab curry from marked-down veg at supermarket yesterday, comfort food is a fine thing that I'm very grateful for.

Hope everyone has a good week, S&R x

ShyAndRetiring

   Time for a mid-week update, and feeling very positive ...

I'm enjoying the benefits from my first full post-festive week of freedom from my job! A certain level of stress I didn't even realise I was carrying, has just gone, kaput. I feel it's a sign that the right move has definitely been made.

On that note also, a friend has asked me to do some work for him (a few hours a week ongoing, plus a couple of projects) so it looks like my freelance foray is going to be a thing for 2025. Very pleased about this, and also glad that I started sorting my She-Shed space for a focus on freelancing. Of course, despite a small electric heater it's chuffin' freezing up there at the moment so I anticipate being in the lounge with a laptop for the time being!  

Extra income / surveys 

• £7.50 / £50 so far in Prolific, another £6.50 pending although one of these surveys didn't perform well so I doubt if the £ for it will clear.
• Forgot to mention that we won £100 from our Premium Bonds for January! 

Spending

• Doing OK, NSD = 3/5 so far.

Saving

• PB win of £100 has been reinvested back into PB.
• Our energy provider has been in touch to say our DD is going down by almost £20 a month. This is good news, although we've had the heating on so much over the Xmas and New year period, it won't surprise me if it goes back up again!

Sorting

• Paperwork sorting and shredding this week a bit really. I definitely need to get more items out of the She-Shed though so aim to do more up there once we're through this cold snap.
• Starting to sort out some health appointments too, as I have a bit more time for managing these. 

Challenges

• DECLUTTERING #1: knitting project for Jan ongoing - 1 / 52 balls of yarn used up.
• DECLUTTERING #2: 12 / 365 + a bag of donation items to leave the house.
• NO BUYING TOILETRIES USE UP CHALLENGE - ongoing, must remember to use hand cream - I received 3 more at Xmas, must have at least 12 pots and tubs of different types
• Xmas 25 52-week challenge now stands at £250 / £1378.
• Wedding weekend (Principality Savings) = £60 / £750.

Simple pleasures

• I usually take the pup for his afternoon walk, usually just before twilight, either on the field or the beach. Depending on the weather, this can be 'Golden Hour' where the setting sun paints the field in fantastic shades of gold; or 'Blue Hour' where everything is an amazing glassy blue (especially down at the beach). Yesterday we enjoyed a fabulous Golden Hour on the field, with the swans still in play, complete with perfect reflections in the water - just lovely.
• Thinking about the above - having beach and countryside walk from our front door, a simple pleasure I truly appreciate, we're very lucky to have this.
• Hot water bottles and warm socks on these cold nights.

Hope everyone else is staying warm, do look after yourselves, S&R x

Savvy_Sue

I can recommend a gilet for warmth, and add an oversized hoody with a hot water bottle in the pouch if sitting still in a shed! 

Humboldt

@ShyAndRetiring great mid-week update.  Nice to read that you are feeling positive.  Loving your simple pleasures.

ShyAndRetiring

Savvy_Sue said:

I can recommend a gilet for warmth, and add an oversized hoody with a hot water bottle in the pouch if sitting still in a shed! 

Thanks @Savvy_Sue ... the good news is that you reminded me I have a hoody 

The not so good news is, having rescued it from the depths of the drawer, it appears it's me that's oversized, not the hoody 

Have hot water bottles at the ready though, S&R x

ShyAndRetiring

Humboldt said:

@ShyAndRetiring great mid-week update.  Nice to read that you are feeling positive.  Loving your simple pleasures.

HI @Humboldt I always used to try to add something positive when I was doing my MFW diary. and now that we've been fortunate enough to opt for more time over more money and enjoy the simple things in life, it's nice to note them down. I do find nature features a lot  so it also serves as a bit of a reminder of what's around across the seasons.

Happy holidays when you get there, S&R x

Savvy_Sue

ShyAndRetiring said:

Savvy_Sue said:

I can recommend a gilet for warmth, and add an oversized hoody with a hot water bottle in the pouch if sitting still in a shed! 

Thanks @Savvy_Sue ... the good news is that you reminded me I have a hoody 

The not so good news is, having rescued it from the depths of the drawer, it appears it's me that's oversized, not the hoody 

Have hot water bottles at the ready though, S&R x

Oh dear, that's a shame ... Mine is a men's from B&M last year, so it comes down to my knees, not sure how many Xs there are before the L, but I do recommend them.

I used to have a heated seat pad on my office chair, but it's died the death this year. Looking at new ones, they all say you can't sit on them, so what's the point of that! HWB on my knees it will have to be. 

Gilets were my 'amazement' discovery a couple of years ago, found one in a charity shop. Until this last cold snap, I haven't felt the need for a cardigan: just vest and long sleeved thin cotton jumper under a shirt or blouse. Long johns under my trousers, of course ... 

I do have a heated gilet somewhere which I haven't tried, we bought it for FIL but he couldn't get on with it.