Oops! I've fallen off the OS wagon.....

bluebag

Ah, so yer fell off the wagon LOL, it's no biggie, you didn't fall that far.

To be fair, it all has got a little bit harder lately with stuff going up all the time. Just get hold of it now and make a new plan going forward.

I've fallen off and got back on soooooooo many times.

LameWolf

Hi Skintmum come on, back up on the wagon.;) How about posting on this week's Flylady thread for a kick-off.:o See you there?:o

meritaten

skintmum - You have had the good sense to realise you are starting down a slippery slope! Welcome back!

retromother

Hi, sorry to revive a very old thread, but I fell off the past couple of years and seriously need an old style 101 guide! I have two little boys who seem to enjoy wrecking the carpets, a never ending laundry and pots mountain and no meal planning skills whatsoever.

With a new year on the way I figure there might be more like me who want to get back on the wagon so to speak!

Lilyplonk

Opening the back door for retromother and reaching out to 'give her a hand up and back into the wagon' ......................


Welcome back onboard, fellow moneysaver - hope you have a smooth ride .

retromother

Thanks, it's been a long and hard walk here (with many stops to visit the shops and attractions), but I'm glad to be back on board

Lilyplonk

Make sure that you've got this site in your favourites! I've always found that REALLY helps to keep me focused on priorities.

Every morning, I have a routine of all my 'daily forums', which includes MSE, besides some others that are 'hobby-based'. For goodness sake though, don't have any 'shopping sites' alongside it - you might find that you get dangerously side-tracked .................. .

Keeping a list of some Thrift-inspired Blogs also helps - so you can how others are doing at the same time .


Having said all that - I went out around 9.00 am to visit A$da and then didn't get back home again until 2.30pm. By the time I'd unpacked my shopping, it was 3.00pm and I was cream-crackered :whistle:.

Have to admit though, I DID get lots of stuff on 'whoopsie' and loads of 'SmartPrice goodies' - not letting kids anywhere near the 'good chocolate biscuits'.

Last year, I spotted 'darling niece' take bites out of about four different expensive choccie bics, then pull her face and spit out what she'd bitten ................. :mad:!!!!!!

Shortie

I've not completely fallen off, ut am starting to feel like I'm slipping a bit, maybe it's because it's Christmas... not really sure....? But glad this thread was resurrected, I'm going to have a good read back to be inspired again! I've joined a few threads, some monthly, one yearly to help keep me in the flow but agree what Lilyplonk says about keeping links to threads etc (or subscribing) which I read on the train in the mornings to try and keep myself motivated

Lilyplonk

Hi Shortie - I think it probably IS due to it being Christmas and the extra-spending that goes with it ..................

Have you had a look at the thread about getting ahead for 2014 yet? Once we're into the New Year, I'm going to do a complete inventory of what I've got and what I'm likely to need for NEXT Christmas .................. THEN I'll visit the supermarkets/wilkies etc to see what I can pick up to stash for next year.

In my case, some kind of Spreadsheet is going to be needed - so that things can be 'ticked off', as and when bought. I'm still working my way through Christmas Cards that have been bought 4 or 5yrs ago - due to 'over-buying' in the past - .............. just 2 half-boxes to go now :j. I KNOW that I've got around three packs of napkins 'somewhere' but just not sure where - possibly up in the loft. That's a little job for OH tomorrow while I'm cooking lunch. I'm also missing some 'Christmas Cookie Cutters' - they're probably all together in one giant box :rotfl:.

In the meantime ladies, let's enjoy THIS Christmas and look to the future from New Year's Day - after all, it's a bit 'late in the day' to change things for this year

stiltoncheese

I have always been a bit of an old-stlyer, as living by myself for many years meant having to be quite frugal and creative to make money stretch further on a single wage. However, since meeting OH, getting married and having DS, I have fallen off the wagon badly. I have stopped bulk cooking and freezing, using leftovers, stopped using the slow cooker, stopped cooking from scratch and stopped menu planning. In fact, I would go as far as to say I have become inredibly lazy on maternity leave and I hate it. It's just not me!

I am back at work now (part-time hours) and expecting baby no 2, so I am determined to get back on the OS wagon and re-find my ways before mat leave starts again. Money is a bit tighter now anyway due to the reduced hours at work and me and DH are saving for a mortgage deposit.

We have a greenhouse in the garden which we got for free and put up this summer but it has sat empty due to it being too late to put anything in (and me being a lazy so-and-so). Hubby did grow some chillies from a kit I got him for Christmas last year which he loved. Next year, I am determined to use the greenhouse properly and try and get a bit of veg (courgettes, runner beans, baby carrots) in the garden, plus some salady bits and herbs.

Initial plan of attack is...

Slow cooker dusted off
Switched from monthly food shop (plus excessive, unnecessary top ups) to weekly food shops (no top ups)
Meals planned out in advance for the following week
Weekly meal planner written up onto kitchen blackboard
Set and stick to food budget for month (and re-join challenge on here)
At least one meal to be cooked in the slow cooker each week
As many loads of washing dried outdoors as possible (no tumble drier, but use airers/radiators indoors)
More homemade meals (no more buying freezer food like kievs, fishfingers and things in pastry).

My husband is going away for 6 months next year (he's in the forces) so I will be at home by myself with 2 babies (will be 3 months and 18 months when he goes) and having to do it all myself so I need to be organised and back in good OS habits so I don't find myself slipping back into lazy ways.

Hoping to join in a few of the OS challenges again and get to know people a bit more, so apologies if it seems like I have put a few posts up recently or asked some obvious questions. I have always loved how supportive this site is. I joined 8 years ago, but more as a lurker than a poster.