The Frugal Hearth: Stories of Simple Living and Living Well

themadvix

 You are absolutely doing the right thing by avoiding Amazon and paying the extra - Amazon’s many tax avoidance and unethical practices may save us money in the short term, but don’t reflect the external costs to society and the environment (poor working conditions causing poor health outcomes for workers, tax avoidance last year alone that could fund tens of thousands of nhs nurses etc.). I know the struggle is real, but stick to your guns! If you want to read more, there’s an article here: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethical-campaigns-boycotts/amazon-free-pledge.

Hope vet visit goes ok. We have a pot for cat expenses, but not a separate budget line for the vet - makes me wonder if we should have. They are so expensive (cats, but also vets!)!

Nonnadiluca

Thanks for the link @themadvix. Interesting fact; since I have stopped using Amazon everything apart from one item has been either the same price or cheaper buying elsewhere. Example, supplements I buy £7.49 with free postage buying directly, exactly the same product from the same supplier £8.49 from Amazon; garden parasol exactly the same price, free delivery, arrived in two days. We've been brainwashed into thinking that Amazon is always the cheapest and it's quite often the opposite. I use the site to find what I want and then see if I can get it directly from the supplier then they don't lose money when Amazon takes their cut. Also, the supplier is quite often based in the UK and probably paying tax. 

themadvix

Nonnadiluca said:

Thanks for the link @themadvix. Interesting fact; since I have stopped using Amazon everything apart from one item has been either the same price or cheaper buying elsewhere. Example, supplements I buy £7.49 with free postage buying directly, exactly the same product from the same supplier £8.49 from Amazon; garden parasol exactly the same price, free delivery, arrived in two days. We've been brainwashed into thinking that Amazon is always the cheapest and it's quite often the opposite. I use the site to find what I want and then see if I can get it directly from the supplier then they don't lose money when Amazon takes their cut. Also, the supplier is quite often based in the UK and probably paying tax. 

That's very true - I've not found them cheaper for a lot of things - I think it can almost be a laziness thing, as we know they sell everything. 

I've long been an avoider of Amazon (and recently closed my account), but I keep reading more about them recently and it just paints a worse and worse picture (so I'm becoming more and more anti-Amazon evangelical  -apologies! (I was quite tempted to write to the MSE team after seeing their lengthy Amazon article in the newsletter...)).

(Sorry for the hijack Elisheba!)

Elisheba

Evening, all,

Just a quick update today as I need to get to sleep soon. Been out this evening at a board games night with friends. Lovely evening, great company, and not a penny spent (except a few pence for the diesel to get there and back). It was at a friend's house, another friend brought the games, and we drank hot/soft drinks. 

Spending wise today, I realised I had accidentally bought decaf coffee yesterday, and as I still had the receipt I took it back today. They didn't have any of the cheaper stuff left, so had to pay about £1.50 more. 

The black cat was at the vet. £75 just to get her set up on a repeat prescription of metacalmand for a small bottle of the stuff 🙄. I'll need to sort out the insurance claim tomorrow, as she'll be needing the medication going forward now.

And that's it really. Dishwasher is on so I will have clean dishes for the dinner. Clothes are out for tomorrow, and teeth are brushed. Dinner was using up fridge things, so courgettes, onions, kale, spinach, yellow pepper and smoked tofu, cooked in a tbsp sesame oil, then some left over pasatta mixed through with a couple of stock cubes, a good amount of smoked paprika, just a touch if chilli powder, and with an ounce of grated cheese cover the top. It was really nice as well, and I've got another two portions put by in the fridge for the rest of the week.

Don't worry at all about hijacking the threat to discuss Am#zon, @themadvix. I found the link you shared really interesting, and watched some of their videos. I'm afraid I won't be closing my Am#zon account though, as I have too many Kindle and Audible books I've already bought. I probably won't even boycott it completely - some things are just a lot easier to order on there when I'm so rural, and the ex is paying for my Prime through some odd throwback from when we had a family account, so postage is always free. As with everything I'm just going to try to be more mindful and intentional with whatever I buy.

Right off to bed. Sleep tight everyone, and looks like we'll need to wrap up warm and dry tomorrow.

Elisheba

Morning, folks,

Pay day yesterday, so I spent some time transfering dosh where it needs to be. Savings now up to £7.5k, and I ran some figures to see when it's going to get to certain amounts. I should be at £10k by the end of the year, which is the amount I want to allow for legal fees and removal costs when I buy. So everything after that will be deposit. You may recall I'm not aiming for a 10% deposit, but a little over 5%, and I think it'll be mid 2027 by the time I'm there. So that's a solid date I'm my head now.

The special deal on the high interest instant access account I keep my everyday money and annuals pots money in is ending about 10th September, so I'll need to open another account soon. The high interest account I use for my long term savings only has limited withdrawals so that's no good.

Also did some playing around with budgets, so I have a provisional one for next year, and a rough one for when I buy a house. Obviously things will change before I need both of them, but it's good to have a rough idea of what I'm doing.

It's due to be a very wet afternoon here so I want to get out early with silly dog. Think I'll go to the nearest big town, and get some shopping at the same time. Also need to pop to the library, and might go to the opticians to get my glasses tightened. I have a free voucher from my energy companies for a coffee at Gr£ggs, so will pop there as well.

I have a list of things I want to get done this weekend, although none of them are essential. Also out for lunch with some friends tomorrow after church in a different big town to normal so that'll be nice.

This weekend I want to (in no particular order):
🍁 Go to library and take books back
🍁 Change cat litter 
🍁 Hoover downstairs
🍁 Have a bath
🍁 Empty some work boxes of paperwork
🍁 Practice keyboard
🍁 Make a start on the bookshop kit I bought 2 years ago
🍁 Take decluttered books to bookshop
🍁 Take a few things to charity shop
🍁 Take soft plastic recycling to supermarket
🍁 Read
🍁 Walk silly dog twice 
🍁 Upload some stuff onto Vinted 

Oh, am I am also trialing this new app on my phone. It basically makes the home screen on your phone really boring so you are less likely to futter around on it not doing anything useful. It can also set timers so when you are on apps you aren't there for hours. It's free for the first week so I'll see how how I get on, and if it does seem to be making a real difference to life I might renew it. Everything I read says playing on phones and social media is really bad for our brain, and our ability to focus.

Hope everyone has a fab weekend and doesn't get too wet!

Moorviews

That app sounds very interesting - says she scrolling on MSE! It is so time consuming trying to keep up with many things on social media such as FB groups and Messaging groups. Life did seem simpler without it although I value the connections that I am able to maintain through using it. 

Well done on keeping up with the savings. You have really pulled everything into shape despite having had to deal with expensive things like finding and setting up a new home and car. A wet weekend here too. Just when we finally have a bit of time to get the grass cut! Enjoy yours, it sounds busy and fulfilling yet moneysaving 😊

KajiKita

I love the fact that you have clear milestones ahead of you. I should do something similar with paying down the mortgage and filling up the pension(s)! 🤔😊

KK

foxgloves

Yes, I agree. Having such a firm & desirable outcome - buying your own house - is certain to be an excellent motivator. 
F

Elisheba

Moorviews said:

That app sounds very interesting - says she scrolling on MSE! It is so time consuming trying to keep up with many things on social media such as FB groups and Messaging groups. Life did seem simpler without it although I value the connections that I am able to maintain through using it. 

Well done on keeping up with the savings. You have really pulled everything into shape despite having had to deal with expensive things like finding and setting up a new home and car. A wet weekend here too. Just when we finally have a bit of time to get the grass cut! Enjoy yours, it sounds busy and fulfilling yet moneysaving 😊

I'm enjoying the app so far. Definitely less time spent on my phone. Not sure if I'll actually pay for it at the end of the week though...

Elisheba

KajiKita said:

I love the fact that you have clear milestones ahead of you. I should do something similar with paying down the mortgage and filling up the pension(s)! 🤔😊

KK

Yes, I definitely found when the house buying plan hit some hurdles a few years ago that 'the plan', ie. Pay off the debts, save for a house, definitely fell apart a bit and I was frittering away a lot more money.