Time to mend and make do, beg, borrow and barter.

Pippilongstocking · 15 January 2018 at 3:22PM

Needed to top up some essentials over the weekend so himself helped out and we now have exciting things like dishwasher tablets, milk, bread and loo roll.

You were waiting for that weren't you. Must tot up the spends - its not been pretty I don't think, but required, we ran the house down alot in Dec due to going on holibubs. Although I check the household emergency stash in the larder before the supplies were bought, so we defo OUT of some stuff.

my nifty wee app says I've spent most of my transactions (9/11) in the local co-op (s) - which I'm OK about - as its largely bargains but some 'essentials' have spread in there due to CBA and I'm not really shopping syndrome. Although tis not a real strategy, aside the reduced shopping.

I've been reading a lot of UFM - well I did before friday - and there's been so much on plastic waste on the news/social media I'm really thinking about those longer spends.

Rice
Porridge (smiles)
Sugar
Dug fud
Loo Roll

etc the big stuff could be bought in bulk and not in plastic. I know this stuff but I don't do it.

BT bill is off the bank at £54.45 I'm always astounded its so much, I always mean to phone and find out why, then loose the will to live, its so blinking expensive. At least, these days it works. I've only £50 budgeted for this, so its a bit over.

Mob is off too at -£26.68 I think its just under as I put 30/aside for this. I guess this could be cheaper, must investigate, I hardly use it outwith home/work Wifi and never go over my allowance.

Should phone up and do some begging to get things down I guess. Will try when feel better.

Pippilongstocking · 16 January 2018 at 9:13AM

Morning moneysaving moonbeams

Feeling much brighter today, not sure I'm up for a full on day at work though so unusually I've opted for bed. I think I'll head back tomorrow - first full night sleep without meds last night (although I opted for the cold room, wet hair, woolly hat (sexy huh?) sleep) and managed a good full night with limited waking up. Breathing much easier in a cool room tbh.

OH back to work yesterday, ferretting in the freezer seems to have shown, a severe lack of soup (or a very economical use of home made lunches) dear hearts we have only 2 tubs of soup left.

So there's a pot mulling away on the stove as we speak (poached some chicken this am) and there's a scotch broth a brewing. It should net 5 lunches or more, so I need to make another soup of some description, so I've taken some HM stock out of the freezer and it will likely metamorphasize into tomato soup as there are about 4 tonnes of tomatoes in there too.

Tea last night was pulled pork from HY, with HM frozen yorkies and roasties.

Enough pulled pork left to put in the soup - so that will go in the broth, not traditional I know but hey, freestyle and all that.

Pulled out some chicken curry leftover from HY as well, and there's a big pot of rice cooked up so that's tea sorted. Might add some tatties to it.

Need a bit of a go through the fridge/freezer today as not managed over weekends since hols.

Also need phone the vets and do a few things this side, get in order for return to work.

I feel a list coming on.

Frosty here but nae sna yet. Have a good one and keep warm out there.

Pippilongstocking · 16 January 2018 at 10:23AM

Wee list

Look at YNAB and see if that might work for me, loving revolut card and its instant analysis, but I'm not sure I want to fling all my money that way, or do i?
Soup - box one up and freeze
Make another pot of soup
Put the washing in the machine on the airer
Do another wash with work clothes
Fire on in kitchen might hang on in there but loving being on sofa bed
Need walk mutts but not too far and locally
Phone vet
Check all my tax paperwork is up to date, I canny mind
Clean cooker if I can be !!!!ed, unlikely
Check out fridge/freezer make sure nothing is spoiling
Look for w/sale or sacks of rice/porridge online get an idea of price, might be best at chinese supermarket when next in city.
Need a wee declutter but lets get the xmas stuff away first.
Banks/CC's

If I manage even half of that I'll be happy.

UncannyScot · 16 January 2018 at 10:37AM

I had a look at YNAB when I first started on here... didn't like it
It's the idea of paying for something that with a wee bit o work I can set up for myself FREE
Sticking with my spreadsheet / Journal cos it works for me.

Some folks do seem to like it but I just didn't like it, it's like it's saying,

"Hey your rubbish at budgeting aren't you? Pay us ££ a month and we'll show you just how rubbish you are!"... erm... NAW

Pippilongstocking · 16 January 2018 at 12:27PM

UncannyScot wrote: »

I had a look at YNAB when I first started on here... didn't like it
It's the idea of paying for something that with a wee bit o work I can set up for myself FREE
Sticking with my spreadsheet / Journal cos it works for me.

Some folks do seem to like it but I just didn't like it, it's like it's saying,

"Hey your rubbish at budgeting aren't you? Pay us ££ a month and we'll show you just how rubbish you are!"... erm... NAW

Morning Sir
Aye I'd heard you say that before, I've tried monkeying about with a spreadsheet and couldn't get something to work for me. Don't get me wrong I love using them, had read on your thread about you developing something, must go over and nosey when less diseased

I know a few folks I natter too love YNAB - hadn't looked at cost yet, naively i hoped it might be free :rotfl:

So far I've just used Martins budget tool and keep up with the online spends (of which there are a plenty) with fingers and toes

Although I'm finding my prepaid card and phone app pretty :money: saving handy tool, we used the revolut card when away, aside a set up charge of £5 (lifetime that's it as far as I can see) its free if you don't use it for lots of cash withdrawls, I'm largely card payer so its been really useful for me to take out and keep to the budget and instantly see the spends on it.

DS uses it when travelling and found it really handy for managing his money too.

Will go tootle over and read up on what you've been up to.
Love a good spreadsheet:A

UncannyScot · 16 January 2018 at 2:02PM

Have pinged ye a wee PM missus

Pippilongstocking · 16 January 2018 at 6:03PM

On it - ta monseuir. Much appreciated off for a read........

Just in from the snowy north, where there is sna, then there was none.

Walked muttlets and got a few provisions - largely rice, porridge, few bits veggies and some reduced fish.

55p reduced chicken wings in oven for the tea - with HM hot bbq sauce, looking ace if I do say so myself.

off to get some bits sorted and phone the pesky vet.

beanielou · 16 January 2018 at 9:01PM

Lots of snow here

EssexHebridean · 17 January 2018 at 11:36AM

You ratbag sneaking off to a new diary without telling me!

There's no escaping though - found ya now! :rotfl:

Need to do a proper catch up but have to confess I agree with US about YNAB - it seems utterly counterintuitive to me to spend money on not spending money...! I use a combination of the MSE budget thing, occasionally do an SOA, and have written records of what goes where from monthly money, then the bank accounts themselves work as a reminder for the routine savings account transfers.

troglodyte · 19 January 2018 at 12:16AM

Evening all!

Have never tried budgeting software, just go for the old-fashioned method of avoiding spending unless I have to. Just had a look at YNAB and it's $84 per year, which I guess could be well worth it if you are one of those people who's spending is totally out of control. Not for me though.

Still working on stores here; yesterday made coconut and lime cake as we had a bag of dessicated coconut in the back of the cupboard and a small tub of lime zest in the freezer. Today was bottom-of-the-fridge soup, with half a pepper, half a cabbage, a couple of spring onions and a few potatoes from Grandparents' allotment at Christmas, with stock from a lamb bone and a handful of split peas. Could do with a bit more flavour but it was substantial.

This morning a friend has just taken possession of her new home. Turns out the previous owner emptied the kitchen by the simple method of putting everything in the bin. The friend was a bit worried it wouldn't get emptied this morning as it was too full and they are quite strict if the stuff is piled up too much to close the lid, so we took some out and transferred to a neighbour's bin as she had space. That was when we noticed what was in there; my friend said 'Oh your chickens could have the fruit!' so I took out a bag to take home for them, and a jar of something because I liked the shape of the jar and intended to wash it out to use for home-made preserves (did you know that in Hobbycraft they actually sell empty jam-jars at £1.20 each??)

It was only when I got home that I really looked at what I had and realised I had picked up an unopened, undamaged bag of pears, a pack of grapefruit, and an unopened brand new jar of chilli pickle, best before sometime in 2019. Now I'm wondering whether to eat them myself, or is that a step too far in reducing waste?

Time to mend and make do, beg, borrow and barter.

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