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

MillQueen

I'm taking a hot water bottle to bed tonight, as I am trying to last until the end of October before putting the heating on and it's gone a bit cold. Feeling quite smug about this as I will be super warm for a low cost.

Going to watch a few videos about under-consumption before I drift off, in an attempt to programme my mind 🤣

ArtyJ931

there was me impressed about nearly getting to the end of September

ellenvan

Just an idea, maybe keep something for work lunch as a backup plan in your desk.

E.g. pot noodle type long lasting.

MillQueen

@ArtyJ931, I'm going hardcore. I'd go to December except I don't think too much damp will do the house any good. I'll be putting it on at a lower temperature even then and switching some radiators off.

@ellenvan, this is a fabulous idea, thank you for this! I may even get a store brand pot noodle in the spirit oif money saving 😁

Dakota_Rose

I second the suggestion of having a work stash. I have a box of porridge sachets and breakfast biscuits in my cupboard at work. I know I’m desperate if I get them out but will never go hungry!

I don’t get a chance to leave work for lunch so if I forget something, I’m going without completely and I don’t deal well with hunger.

MillQueen

Got paid and that really felt like forever. Made a round down of £5.65 on loan to make it a round figure, and paying an automatic overpayment. Both of the loans will go down to below the next thousand next month, which is pleasing. I have to wait a few days to update my mortgage, net worth and net debt, as the figure hasn't updated yet. I decided to go to the opticians and order my new glasses at the weekend now, as I have put this off since last October and that's enough. I am trying to come out of my overdraft, but depending on how much the glasses cost I may not be able to. Going to have another cheap month of groceries and no other expenditure, with continued TGTG, yellow sticker items, and frozen fruit and veg.

I had to buy a new phone charger (sadly £8) on the way home (why are these so short lasting?). If anyone can recommend an iphone charger where the wire that goes into the phone doesn't go weird within a year of use, then please do so. Do they make them deliberately bad, so you have to keep purchasing a new one? Whilst at the shop, I couldn't resist looking at the yellow sticker items and for £10.48, I got: a Pizza Express american pepperoni pizza (straight in the freezer), a mexican bean chilli and rice microwave meal (also in the freezer), mixed fancy mushrooms, double chocolate cake bites, pulled ham hock, a ham and cheese sandwich (lunch for tomorrow), large pot of skyr, 2 x large kefirs, wraps, thin bagels, jar of cranberry sauce, and excitingly, pistachio crisp milk chocolate dates.

It's mushrooms on toast for tea and this all will ensure I can delay grocery shopping a bit longer. This is my life at the moment - delaying expenditures. I am delaying groceries, delaying buying anything new, delaying new clothes and shoes, delaying toiletries until what I have is entirely used up, delaying house items until whatever I already have falls apart, and only buying one of everything. The energy price cap goes up by 4% this week and I was horrified to read earlier that it's going up by another 16% in January. How can they continue to justify doing this to people? I saw something I liked on social media: "Being broke is exhausting in ways people don't talk about. Fix the debt, build the cushion, and watch how much calmer life starts to feel". I am renewed about being sensible, paying off debt, building the EF.

MillQueen

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82152813#Comment_82152813

That's good to get something I don't really like, as I won't eat it unless I really need to, and it will make me remember lunch - as I would work hard to stay focused, to never have to eat a breakfast biscuit 😂

MillQueen

I've just paid £33.01 to round up the emergency fund to a round figure. I like doing that! I started my training course yesterday, which comes with the occasional half day out of work, so that was nice. Today I've brought a yellow sticker sandwich that I got last night and will be filling my nice new water bottle with free water. I'll have to cook something later on to use up some stuff, not sure what I'll make yet. It's tempting to just exist on yogurts and bread for a few days but not very practical or healthy.

MillQueen

Had a nice day. I didn't spend any money, though I actually tried to get some chocolate from the vending machine and it wasn't working. The universe must have been looking after my wallet, as then our manager gave me some chocolate toffee crispy things instead, so that was a nice free treat.

We were supposed to be having an informal team catch up at lunch time but I was the only one who attended so I had some more free snacks and bananas and sat and had a laugh with our manager, and it was actually really nice. I forget sometimes with how serious work is, that it's nice just to chat. I like the people I work with and I am lucky to have my job. I'm going to go to bed early with my hot water bottle.

MillQueen

Having my Friday night tradition of low cost pizza tonight (spicy chicken for £1.52 from a yellow sticker haul). I was thinking back to the days before the cost of living increases and when I wasn't thinking about money so much, where I would think nothing of spending £20 on a takeaway pizza. I wish past me had known to be a bit more savvy with money and save and invest what I could! It would have made things a lot less stressful now if I had done that, and realistically I am just as happy with a frozen pizza.

I popped to the shop on my way past and picked up a big tub of Utterly Butterly for 70p, spring onions for 22p, and some frozen peas and peppers, which I think were about £1.70 each. I am gradually restocking the freezer by buying a few bits of fruit and veg. I filled up the car with petrol as well and that was £48. I'm going to try to have a work from home day next week, probably Tuesday. If I try for one each week, it will save me nearly a week's worth of petrol over a month, as I'm not using the car now except for work.

Looking forward to having a night off, wrapped in a blanket, cosy slippers, reading a free book on Borrow Box and probably falling asleep.