What small mse things will you do this week? 12/02

maria3104 · 15 February 2018 at 12:13PM

Hi All

Been very busy and am struggling to keep up with everyones posts. I hope everyone is well.

Today I am determined to refocus on lots of things.

Eat from stores
Stick to £250 per month groceries
Try not to have any food waste
Use cheap rate electricity
Do not buy any more stuff
Use up wool and material stash

All fine things to think about but remarkably difficult to manage.

Keep smiling everyone, we are hopeful of a dry day.

Maria

DawnW · 15 February 2018 at 2:46PM

Afternoon all

Rotten night's sleep again, so I don't have much energy today. Shame, as I ended up getting loads done yesterday :T
Anyway, such as it is:
Been to market in next town to stock up on veg. Having an additional large appetite to feed, I find buying lots of veg, and basing meals round those, with some meat, fish or other protein (mainly offers from either a local butcher or an online one I use occasionally) some days is much more cost effective than 'regular' shopping in a supermarket. I think when the blessed day comes when OH and I have our house to ourselves again, I will continue with this, as I think we are actually eating better / more healthily.

Spent £7 on veg, and have 2 large shopping bags full of potatoes, carrots, cabbage, a cauliflower, peppers, leeks, mushrooms and tomatoes

Also popped in to Lidls on the way back, got most of the other things I need

Did a survey for Yougov
Load of washing pegged out on line, we keep getting showers, but it is windy too, and sunny in between, so hoping it at least partially dries! Almost dry - I am about to put it on the airer to finish off by the stove

Tidied kitchen, put shopping away, sorted washing up etc.

Still to do:
Brother has gone to the dole office or whatever it is called these days, so will make the most of this and tidy the lounge as well, while he isn't parked there. Done, though you wouldn't think so to look at it now

Maybe get out into the garden for a short while, for some fresh air

Sowed some rocket and oriental greens in the greenhouse. Watered the geranium and fuchsia plants that may or may not have survived the frosts, also in the greenhouse
Finish paperwork for business that I started last night Done
Check banks Done
Update spreadsheet with today's spends Done
Bolognese made yesterday for dinner Done, only used half, so that is a meal I won't have to cook :T
OH can do the dog walk

Done
Curl up next to the wood stove later, and get an early night! And I am off shortly!

FatVonD · 15 February 2018 at 8:45PM

Evening all.

After sleeping most of the day yesterday I only got four hours sleep last night so getting up for work was the last thing I wanted to do but I did it.

My boss was in today and had seen my note about my hours and apologised as she'd already done next weeks schedule before she saw it but at least the end is in sight.

Despite buying food at work all day I kept it cheap (and it's really just like buying it at the supermarket except work IS the supermarket!) Breakfast was a croissant, for lunch I bought a small piece of cheese to go in a roll from a six pack I bought last week and I brought a cooked pizza home with me (staff don't have to pay for it to be cooked.) I bought a largish basics sandwich box last week for my supplies in the work fridge because, even with my name written on it, folk were using my butter and it has the double benefit of keeping my rolls quite fresh.

Tomorrow I need to pop to see a printer locally, my loyalties lie with the one I've been using mostly but the other is cheaper and just around the corner and if I can sort out some colour issues then it's a no brainer.

I then have a longish drive to collect my eBay light fittings but I'm going to go straight from there to another town to make it more of a circular trip! I am going to visit a shop to talk about renting a small space there. I have checked and checked again that they do have small spaces as I can't afford the big one but, just in case there's still empty space I have sourced some nice bits and pieces from a Chinese site that I could put in baskets to maybe make a bit of extra money. I also picked up some cute (unbranded) baby wear today that was half price plus 25% off plus 10% off that has the same theme as the bits and pieces. If I don't need them I will sell them at the craft sale, I'm sure I'm allowed a couple of things not made by my own fair hands (though some are knitted so they *could* be!)

Like a sign from above I had an ad for Hlppo bags on FB just as I was trying to remember the name of them, I will order one and set about dismantling my fence at some point and also have another declutter.

One-step-at-a-time · 15 February 2018 at 9:22PM

Hello!
I've only been on the site for a few days, but have been in debt-busting mode (albeit with setbacks) for the last year or so.

Today's victories are:
-Another NSD (I have taken breakfast and lunch to work every day this year and my only food buys this week have been yellow label items already on the normal grocery list)
-I completed part one of a balance transfer shuffle which will save me over £800 in interest over the duration of the offer
-Thanks to a well-timed topcashback email I have saved £6/month on a new SIM deal, and have £45 pending in my cashback account, which will save me another few quid in interest when I throw it at my highest rate card.

I'm pretty happy with that

Happy_Kitties · 15 February 2018 at 9:42PM

Evening everyone

Haven't really had much chance to check in, RL has been getting in the way.
Was up at 6am this morning writing a reference and despite having a week off I said I would work this afternoon which turned into most of the day. Was shattered when I got in.

Noticed my grocery spends have started to go up, just little things but those little things add up. Called in for cat litter on the way home and bought a couple of treats that I didn't really need and once home I didn't really fancy. One thing was a big fancy pack of YS cupcakes so had one with a cuppa and the rest have gone in the freezer for when I do fancy one.

The 3 items I have on ebay all have bids on them.I'm more happy that I will be getting rid of some clutter from the house. Plan to put another 2 items on tomorrow but boy does it feel good just to be sorting stuff out.
Need to do a tip run at some point.
Need to also do a CS drop off aswell
Banking was all checked first thing. Everything good and d.debits all going out smoothly.
Still have to make the chilli.....I will make this tomorrow!

Hugs to everyone who are having a hard/difficult time at the minute x

Happy_Kitties · 15 February 2018 at 9:44PM

:)Welcome one-step-at-a-time:)

PurpleFairy26 · 16 February 2018 at 8:13AM

Morning all :hello:

Done stage 2 of my sourdough. Realise now it's a cheats one where you just make a one off starter rather than feeding one. I feel such a fraud :rotfl: dough feels wet but I followed the recipe and it's on its rise in the fridge.
Checked banking, paid some money to my just for points credit card
Pop to butchers for a joint of meat for the weekend, need 2 other things will just get these 2 only from supermarket
Smalls at home whilst I work saving me £60 childcare :eek:
Washing on, will peg out. Yesterday's was just cold when I bought it in, finished on airer in no time.
Need to vacuum upstairs landing and change our bed. See if my eldest can carry vacuum up for me or if not wait for DH to get home
Get some feta out of freezer for tea

Right going to crack on with some work so I can get ahead and have sometime with smalls later.

allydowd · 16 February 2018 at 10:31AM

Hi February Fabulistas,

Work soon. I'm not a fan of Fridays at present.

Debt Free-Nillionaire Continuity Plan Year Three:

* Good, homemade, sustaining breakfast.

* Work very hard on my own mental health issues. Do App.

* Check online banking and broadband usage.

* Turned off alarm clock until tonight, it resets itself automatically.

To live without risk is to risk not living.

DawnW · 16 February 2018 at 2:46PM

Afternoon all

It is quiet on here today!
Today's list looks like this:
Checked banks and updated spreadsheet

Dry washing from airer folded and put away
Another load washed and pegged out on the line
Small spends in town (stock cubes and stuff to clean the sink from the pound-ish shop to be precise

)
Made soup with some of my veg haul from the market, some for lunch today and some for another day

There is bolognese left for dinner - will use as filling for jacket potatoes with salad alongside today

Found some items to declutter to my brother for his potential new flat

Got RM surveys items ready for next week

Will spend the afternoon doing some cleaning and perhaps a bit in the garden

foxgloves · 16 February 2018 at 2:55PM

Hi Friday Frugalistas,
Useful sort of day. These are the money saving bits:
*Week 4 grocery shopping came in at 64p under target (Aldi & Waitrose).
*Free coffees at Waitrose & picked up their free weekend paper, which often has nice recipes in it & competition.
*Updated February's grocery budget sheet in my bullet diary.
*Cleaned whole house using minimal products & washable microfibre cloths.....to be fair, I only vacuumed upstairs & emptied one bin......mr f is claiming back some time owing from work today & he said he'd do the rest :-)
*Ironing - only did what really needed it, which turned out to be 1 top, 1 shirt & 1 set of bed linen, so not much electricity used there.
*Realised had forgotten to budget for tickets for a Labour Party benefit gig at the weekend, but we still have quite a decent 'cushion' left from February's budget in our bank account, so have sanctioned ticket money from that (it's not much) & we will get drinks from our own personal spends money. one of us will be driving anyway.
*Entered 1 prize draw & did a couple of surveys.
*Paid another 50p into my sealed pot & flung a bit of small change into the shrapnel bowl.
*Big planning session (with cafetiere & crisps!) this afternoon to get all the dates for 2018 stuff into our diaries & generally synchronise diaries so we know what we are doing. This is particularly important for those days where I need to negotiate for the car. I know I've said it heaps of times before, but being really organised does save us money, & it helps to flag up things which may have budget implications well in advance too. I'm finding my bullet diary is useful for this, as I can fill in my monthly calendars in advance, but also have all the following pages marked up for daily task lists, so can write in anything urgent I mustn't forget to do a long time in advance.
*All free leisure activities later, as I intend to finish my (charity shop) novel about vampires, knit, play my piano & fuss cat - we were out late last night & he took a very dim view of this, so will expect to get lots of guilt-fuss today.
*Bake the sourdough I made yesterday.
PurpleFairy - Interested to hear about your sourdough. I'm going to leave you a separate post.
Have a good day, all.
F x

What small mse things will you do this week? 12/02

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