Turning Straw into Gold: Creating Long Term Security & A Solid Home

MillQueen

It's time for a no spend day again, of getting the house cleaned up and ticking some work tasks off the list. I am having a bit of time off this afternoon though. I've so far spent it on the sofa gazing into space so I decided to come on here to give myself a bit of focus. I'm going to try to last a few more days without doing a big shop. I have got stuff for tuna mayo jacket potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, a tin of soup, a single frozen portion of veg spag bol, ingredients for a big vegetable omelette, ingredients for pizza wraps, ingredients for veg chilli, a frozen pepperoni pizza, ingredients for some kind of rice and veg thing with beans, I also have plenty of cereal and toast. I can also get a supermarket TGTG if I need to.

I'm glad that I don't like seasonal decor, as everything seems to be about buying candles and pumpkin shaped mugs at this time of year. I'm going to have an autumn and winter of under-consumption. I watched a video about "what if your home is already ok" that talked about the pressure to buy things and decorate, when actually it's fine for it to look dated, as long as you have what you need. People all over are living just fine in un-stylish homes with worn interiors and old hand-me-down items. It's been a bit chilly the last few days but I haven't put the heating on, I've just put a hoody on and a blanket. I am going to try to avoid putting it on until the end of October. I am not averse to wearing a hat and coat indoors if needed, as I am trying to get my gas and electricity account back out of the minus figures.

Ok I've got the focus I needed, I'm going to put the baking potatoes and sweet potatoes into the oven so then I'll have a few day's worth. I've been thinking I'll get a mattress for my bed this month as my back is hurting and the futon maybe isn't helping. I'm nervous of spending from the emergency fund though.

MillQueen

I'm investigating the possibility now of sustainable lunchboxes. I like the idea of having one that lasts forever. I go through plastic food containers at a silly pace, as they either go weirdly shaped in the microwave where the lids stop fitting, or I leave them somewhere with food in and they go horrible.

I am looking at a stainless steel lunchbox that should in theory last for decades and always be cleanable, or possibly a glass one as it can also be used for the microwave. I did find some stainless steel ones that can now be safely microwaved but they were more expensive. That might have to be a payday purchase.

I really like just having one of everything - it makes life easier.

MillQueen

I've seen a stainless steel washing up bowl as well, which is lovely, but expensive. I have a tendency to like things that will last forever, as I prefer to have one thing and look after it, rather than keep replacing it (more to do with being a creature of habit than sustainability, but that's an added good thing). I like the idea of keeping a washing up bowl until I am old and its battered but still doing its job well.

Just read an article titled "Workers return to packed lunches to cope with rising cost of living", which said 46% of workers are taking a packed lunch more frequently than last year, with 64% of 18-45 years old taking a packed lunch more often. It's renewed my determination to take lunch to work. Tomorrow I have got a jacket potato to have with the frozen spag bol that was in the freezer and some grated cheese.

MillQueen

I have just sent £37.55 to my student loan to keep it on a round figure. I have added a new line to my signature so I can track my net debt, as that worries me much more than wealth, as the wealth isn't accessible and is a byproduct of paying off the debt, so the debt seems more sensible to focus on.

MillQueen

Had the remaining sweet potatoes and a jacket potato for lunch with tuna mayo. This was 73p as the potatoes were reduced and it was just a cheap multipack tin of own brand tuna. It was really nice, simple foods are so good. I need to have wrap pizzas for tea, as the wraps have gone out of date and I have an open jar of tomato pasta sauce that needs using. It's time to read a free book and maybe take a nap.

Also, to motivate myself, I calculated how much I have paid off debts so far this year (since we are 3/4 of the way through), and it's £6119 or £680 per month. I also calculated that I have paid a depressing £9000 in mortgage interest, but there you go, it's how the rich stay rich and we stay poor. I might try for a yearly aim next year to pay more off my debts than I do on that.

MillQueen

Currently down a rabbit hole of reading and watching videos about "buying for life" and I am going to adopt this principle - where whenever I buy something I try to find one where I will never need to replace it (or that it will be as long lasting as possible). Stuff isn't made as durably these days and there are already so many items in the world, we really need to stop adding more. Also I read something about debt versus savings that said "you're either paying the bank or they're paying you". This makes me more determined to get my loans down to zero over the next couple of years and then focus on saving 10k in the EF.

I am currently mattress shopping as I intend to get one for my bed at the end of October and I am going to choose very wisely, so I can get one that will hopefully last 10-15 years. I have never bought a proper new mattress in my life before, it's pretty exciting. I am not going to get the cheapest, nor most expensive.

MillQueen

I had a late shift so I got a couple of TGTG bags on the way home so I won't have to buy anything else until I get paid. I haven't actually done a big shop at all this month. I got a 500g pack of beef mince, a large beef rump steak burger (both of which have gone straight in the freezer), 6 sausages, pot of coleslaw, bag of salad, slice of quiche, cheese strings, 2 litres of milk, pack of chocolate tiffin, a couple of doughnuts, a chocolate muffin. Happy with that, as the meat makes it very good value.

I have kept the sausages out, as tomorrow night I will use them to make a sausage, rice, veg and bean stir fry thing with some spices, which will last a couple of days heated up in the microwave or will freeze in portions. I'm also going to chop up my stale wraps and make tortilla chips with them. Exciting!

There are a few things there that will make good work lunches as well. I am going to chop the cakes up into 4 small treats and freeze so I can just grab a little one to take to work when I feel like it. These bags bring me a lot of joy and are helping me stay afloat and pay down debt 😍

Dakota_Rose

That sounds like a good haul! Out of interest, how often do you get a good or bad TGTG? I’m sooo risk averse, I feel like it’s too big a gamble to take for food I don’t like 😂

MillQueen

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82144317#Comment_82144317

I got more bad ones when I first started using it as I tried lots of places and some weren't right for me as they were more likely to contain things I didn't like. I gradually discovered which ones were best (I prefer the supermarket ones). The surprise part is quite nice I think, as it's then a challenge to think of ways to use it. If I get things I don't like I give them away - I guess neighbours may be glad to receive stuff, but I have usually taken it in to work and given it to colleagues when I haven't liked things I got. Now I have got a few regular shops I go to, where I know I will always get quite a lot of good value and mostly it works.

ArtyJ931

I’ve bought quite a lot of bags in the past but I don’t eat meat and my son has a restricted diet so more often than not I was just giving most of it away. I love the surprise element of them though! I might try some supermarket ones and see how go