The Frugal Hearth: Stories of Simple Living and Living Well

Moorviews

So many positives in that post! Well done for the diet wins, the vinted sales and getting your house tip top! It will be far too hot to safely do very much so you can relax, paint your nails and enjoy your book with a very clear conscience. A gentle amble around the village fete sounds just right for a summer weekend. They were my favourite events as a child, very safe and good old fashioned fun. Now, I am more likely to be baking for the Cake Stall, or selling raffle tickets which isn’t quite the same but still very enjoyable. 

scandimore

You've been getting loads done! Well done.

Makingabobor2

Its lovely when you order trouser or shorts online and they actually fit.  I have lost count of the amount of pairs I have ordered and retuned, and in the case of V*nt*d, I have had a few that I ended up donating to CS as they didn't fit.  But actually I had a lovely pair of crop trousers delivered today from V*nt*d and they actually fitted....so pleased. M&S ones in a lovely shade of pink. 

Your post is sounding like you are on a roll now, well done. x

Elisheba

Evening, thrifty folks,

Hope everyone is well. I've been busy with the ongoing organisation and decluttering. In good news I've made £81 since I started putting things on V!nted, so that means my savings should be just over £7k come the end of the month 😁.

I've been watching loads of YT videos on minimalism, as well as my normal ones on frugality. I don't think I'll ever be a complete minimalist, but it's all been really helpful in being quite brutal when I've been sorting stuff out. I've now got a boot full of stuff for the charity shops, lots more clothes to list on V!nted, and some things have been binned that couldn't be repurposed.

There is still a huge amount more to go, but as long as I just keep at it I'll get there. And that will pay lots of dividends in making the house easier to clean, and making the removal company cheaper when I'm finally really to buy a house.

It's also hopefully going to translate to useful principles in managing my time and social life. I am often guilty of planning too much, and feeling like I should be making and going out and seeing people and doing things. However, I've realised recently that I very much need the balance of downtimes as well, and that's not something I need to feel guilty over. So one of the tips the minimalists use is 'If it isn't hell yes, then it's hell no!', and that can apply to life as well as stuff. I mean, I don't think I'll ever be quite that brutal with people. There are some things that you might not be massively enthusiastic over - long journeys to see people, phone calls when you are tired, that sort of thing, but which are necessary to be a good friend. But it's definitely something to be aware of when planning things.

There are also a lot of great tips that translate well into frugality. Things like don't buy a problem, i.e. don't buy things that will cause you more work. Also being aware that most purchases will make absolutely no difference to your life - for example, if you already have trousers, buying another pair will make zero impact on your life. And then the idea that every single item you own or buy is a whole to do list on its own. Looking after it, cleaning it, storing it, even seeing it, and eventually disposing of it at the end of its life - you really have to think with every single item, do I want to take on this much work? And then there is the obvious stuff that most of us on these boards are aware of, like you can never buy the lifestyle the adverts are trying to sell you, and impulse purchases are a bad idea. It's all very inspirational and refreshing, and I'm getting lots of good ideas from it all.

In MSE news I had the car at the garage for an interim service and a couple of things I wanted checked today, so thats a £200 odd bill I'll need to pay this month. I have £800 allocated for car maintenance in one of my annuals pots this year, so that's where the money will come from. Full service and MOT are due in November I think, so that where the rest of that pot will go.

Also got the car insurance renewal quite through today, so I'll need to do some shopping around next week and see if I can beat it. I seem to recall that between 21 and 24 days before is the sweet spot for getting the best prices.

Oh and while I was waiting for the car earlier I took silly dog on a long walk, and I have almost 17000 steps on my Fitbit today 😁. Which will partially make you for yesterday when it was raining and I didn't bother taking him out at all 😳.

Everything else continues apace. I had salad with boiled eggs and some defrosted fake ham slices (which I got on yellow sticker months ago) for dinner this evening. I'll probably have much the same tomorrow, and maybe salad with a fake burger and cheese on Friday. Also got some veggie Bolognese in the fridge I'll need to either eat this week or freeze. And as a reward for having lost 20kg I treated myself to some strawberries and cream this week's as well, which was absolutely delicious.

In terms of setting up my routines for cleaning and the like, they are still evolving. Having a day where you do a 'home blessing' type thing and do all the big chores at once doesn't really suit me I've found, so I am breaking the tasks down and allocating them to different days instead. Today was hoovering upstairs, so that is one thing out the way for another little while.

Hope everyone is keeping well. Life is so much easier now that it isn't silly levels of hot isn't it?

honeybee1234

*makes notes about minimalism*

Love all this, so thought provoking! It's a great idea to be dealing with "stuff" now and making considered decisions about what you want to own before you buy a house and need to move. I did this at my previous house and honestly, it was so freeing and did indeed make the mover's bill relatively low!

Well done on that weight loss, that's fantastic! A well deserved treat for you! 

KajiKita

'If it isn't hell yes, then it's hell no!', and that can apply to life as well as stuff.

I like this .... <files away to reflect over during 2 weeks' leave coming up>

KK

Elisheba

Good evening, frugalistas,

I hope you are all having a good weekend so far. I have been ridiculously busy with the ongoing declutter. I had an appointment booked at the tip for 9.30 this morning, and had to fill the car up for that, but thats another boot full of stuff gone.

Then afterwards a weekly shop, walking silly dog, and a couple of V!nted parcels to collect. I had vaguely planned to have a fairly relaxing afternoon after a busy morning, but I was motivated and in the mood for more decluttering. So I now have another boot full of stuff for the charity shop! That will be 3 boot loads for the charity shop, and I one for the tip just this week 😱.

However, I think that's all the obvious, big ticket sort of stuff done now (except the garage, but that is a mission in itself so it can wait). There are other projects I can do - sorting out and reducing my books, tackling the paperwork, but all main stuff is done now. The house is looking great. Much more organised and easier to clean, and it feels good mentally as well to know things are in order, and where they should be. And getting rid of something feels a bit the same as buying something - that reward centre in your brain is triggered, except it much more frugal and productive than buying, so definitely a win there 😁.

In other news, silly dog is moulting so there is yellow hair everywhere 🙄. Labradors shed all the time, but he also has a moult this time every year as well. I've had 7 big brush loads of fluffy hair from him today alone, and despite hoovering this afternoon the living room is covered in yellow hair again. Honestly, dogs 🙄.

Oh, and some fabulous news - while decluttering I came across my Granny's recipe for clootie dumpling, which I thought was lost for all time, so I'm utterly delighted by that 😁. Granted, I can't actually eat any right now as it's not low carb, but I can share it with my family and they can enjoy it, and maybe one day my pancreas will be up to the task again and I can have a slice myself 😋.

This financial month will end for me next Friday, when I go off on my holibobs and switch to my holiday budget. I had a brief look at all my spending for the month yesterday, and looks like I should be within budget for everything this month - which is minor miracle I think 🤣. I know I'm cutting the month short by 5 days, but I don't think I've been in budget for everything all this year, so thats more very good news, and will mean I can get the savings to over £7k this month.

On MSE news, I only needed at small food shop for the week as will be aiming to use up all fresh stuff before I go away. Think it came to about £13 in all, and half of that was 85% chocolates bars 🤣.

Health wise, I lost another 1.4 kg this week 😱, taking me to 21.1 kg overall, so that's positive. I want to lose another 0.9kg before my birthday in a week and a half, which will take me from 3 figures to 2. However, if it's not lost before I go on holiday it won't happen, as although I'll still eat low carb when I'm away I won't be watching what I eat otherwise. I'm planning on having full fat milk, and strawberries and cream, and any other nice things I feel like. Holidays are for enjoying yourself.

Right, that's all my news for today. Silly dog has flopped, fast asleep in the middle of the floor. Obviously losing all that fluff was hard work 🤣.

Moorviews

Fabulous decluttering and a great find with your granny’s old recipe! Clootie dumpling was a childhood favourite of mine although I have never made it myself since. Very tempted now though as it is a dull day. I agree completely about the buzz from clearing excess stuff out being as good, if not even better than buying in. I have stalled with mine because summer took over and life gets busier socially, the garden runs amok etc. As things build up it starts to drag me down so I really need to get going and have a good session. 

You are sounding amazing with where you are in your life and well done for the weight loss too!

fionaandphil

Clootie dumpling is one of our family favourites too. My mum has a microwave one she makes which takes a lot of the effort out of it. I will try and find the recipe and post on here.

Our garden has taken over the decluttering time too. Raining today so shouldn't have any excuses.

Elisheba

Bore da, my frugal friends,

Not even 10am and I have been productive already! Had an asthma review clinic in nearest town this morning, and then dropped off 3 massive (similar size to those big Ikea size) bags of stuff at a charity shop.  So that's more stuff dealt with.

Yesterday I was feeling tired.  So tired that when I was at church and the minister told a story about the war I started crying!  I mean, I always find the war quite moving but that was ridiculous!  So I said to myself, a day of rest is what is needed.  So I sat down in my book nook, ready to read.  And was looking at my books.  And I thought - I'll just pick out one or two that I can donate.  And then I picked a couple more, and then a couple more.  And I thought to myself - I have these three big bookcases, and one in the hall and one upstairs.  I can't see any of the books on the bottom shelf, so what if I cleared them. And I'd really like to get rid of the bookcase in the hall as it isn't very nice, and reducing the book nook big bookcases to two in here would give me a lot more space... 

And then I couldn't stop!!!  So I now have two big bookcases in my book nook, and one upstairs, and a hall filled with bags of books to donate!!!!!!  I noticed on Saturday when I was at the tip (or Recycling Centre as they are called now) that they had a big container for book donations for charity, so I have booked an appointment at 9am tomorrow to go and drop them all off ( which is a lot easier than finding a charity shop that will take them all).

It all feels very freeing.  For most of my life I have collected books, and enjoy having collections.  However, I ended up collecting books on topics just because I could.  For instance, I really like collecting Chalet School books.  But somehow ended up collecting Enid Blyton books as well, because I would often see some going cheap. I enjoyed Enid Blyton as a child, but can't stand her as an adult.  The racism in them is awful.  So why did I have at least half a shelf of Enid Blyton books???? So they are bagged up now to go (although I am going see if the Children's bookshop near me wants them and might get a tenner out of it).

And reference books.  I enjoy Home Front war history, but had ended up collecting every WW2 book I found.  I am not interested in spitfires and battles and the like, so why did I have all these books about them? And general history - if I haven't looked at a book in over 10 years, the chances are I am never going to read it.  So they can all go.  If, for some reason, I really need to read a history of the Roman empire in Britain in the future, then I can always rebuy the book.  

And books with emotional attachments.  The book of poetry my ex bought me when we just met, as it was referenced in a song we both liked.  I didn't actually like the poetry much, and the memory is very bittersweet these days - so it can go.  Same with books I have inherited from people who have passed away.  I can keep one or two of their books that I am actually interested in, but no need to keep everything.  

I feel now that pretty much every book I have kept has earned its place.  Its either useful and I will look at it, or very much loved, or looks interesting to read and I will be likely to read it in the near future.  It had also made me more interested in the books I have kept.  I suppose I have familiarised myself with them again, so I know there are some ones that do look interesting to read.  But also it has reduced my choice somewhat, so that it makes it easier to chose.  Like when you have too many TV channels and can't find anything to watch - but when you have 5 its a lot easier.  

So that's that project pretty much done for now. And weirdly I am not as tired as I was yesterday, even although I didn't do much resting!!!

No more decluttering this week though. I don't have time to dispose of things before I go away on holiday, and I don't want to come back to piles and piles waiting for me.  That's most of it done anyway.  In terms of what's left, there is the garage which will be a big project in itself.  Paperwork - 5 archive boxes stuffed full, and that will be hard - lot of emotional attachment to things.  When I culled it down the first time, post divorce, it was extremely painful, and very difficult to make decisions on things - so that's not a project I want to rush into.  There are also winter clothes that will need sorting out and culling, but I will do those when its time to get them out from where they are stored.   I have a suspicion that I will be keeping very little of them as nothing is going to fit me, so again another big project.  

One interesting thing I have found with the weightloss and clothes culling - I had put quite a few items aside that didn't fit well when I bought them, a bit too small generally, and I hadn't returned them in time or whatever.  I thought at the time - oh, I'll need to sell them as they are good.  However, now I have lost weight they are still a bad fit.  I think such things were just badly made in the first place, and it wasn't that they were too small but that they weren't made well.  For example, a really pretty dress I had but the arms were too tight.  Tried it on at the weekend and its far too big now, but the arms are still tight.  So a lesson there for us all - if it says its your size but doesn't fit well, its not you, its the item of clothing.  

In MSE news, I am mulling over what to do about chipped dishes.  I'm not sure whether its because my cupboard was too full, or because I let silly dog lick bowls before they go in the dishwasher, but my plates and bowls get chipped a lot.  Currently most of my cereal bowls and pasta bowls are chipped.  And I mulling over what do about it.  

1. Do I replace them when they are still usable - but not very nice to eat out of, and a bit embarrassing if I have any one around for a meal.
2. If I replace them, what do I replace them with?  More green and blue style dishes, or do I change over to plain white, which is easier and cheaper to replace going forward?

Decisions, decisions!!!!! What does everyone else do?

In other MSE news, and perhaps TMI for some of you, I think I mentioned a while back that I had moved back to using toilet cloths rather than toilet paper.  Better for the environment and saved me about £100 per annum, on toilet roll.  All fine and well, but... it means I have a ugly, lidded bucket in my bathroom and a tin of ugly old cloths, and that means no matter how clean and organised the bathroom is I am never going to be able to just say to someone they can pop up to the loo. Which seems a minor matter in the grand scheme of things, but I am doing so much just now to get my house organised and and presentable, and I don't want my bathroom to be ugly!!!!! So I might move back to loo roll.

Dinner tonight and tomorrow will be a mix of stir-fried peppers, onions, mushrooms and courgettes (and any other veg I need to use up) in cream cheese and maybe a stock cube, to get some veg and the cream cheese used up.  Then Wednesday and Thursday I think it'll be egg, cheese and ham salad.  

Hope everyone is raring to go for the week ahead, and had a great weekend!