Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves · 29 April 2018 at 9:00PM

Well now, I think I can feel a good money saving week coming on. I'd like it to be an awesome one. Task list already under construction. Come on debt-slayers, let's see what we can achieve!
F x

crazy_cat_lady · 3 May 2018 at 1:00PM

Found you!

Just spent the past hour or so reading through your diary and nodding at the familiarity of the spendy days. I just wish that I had even a tenth of your motivation for meal planning and batch cooking. I wish I didn't hate cooking as much as I do, and I wish my kids weren't as fussy as they are.

I have subscribed, and you're not getting rid of me.

foxgloves · 3 May 2018 at 5:55PM

Lol, CCL. Yes, I used to be a silly spendy girl! It does help that I love cooking, baking & growing stuff to eat. Of course I have more time for all that since my redundancy, but we still cooked from scratch most nights when we both worked full time with a 40 & 52 mile round trip commute. Shame we didn't also have a budget, meal plans or a sensible shopping list back then too, as we might have been a whole lot better off! Slow cookers are great on long busy days. Might be worth a try x

foxgloves · 7 May 2018 at 5:13PM

Hello Bank Holiday Money Savers,
And you know what? I have saved money today because we haven't been out. We always used to have a long day trip somewhere nice on Bank Holidays, but in later years, well, there's the spendiness it usually entailed, as well as increasingly, a lot of sitting in the car in non-moving traffic. I've kind of come to the conclusion that if I want to sit in a hot car, going nowhere, dying for a wee, I might as well just park on my own drive for 3 hours!
Back in the Spendy Decades, I did used to get through a fair bit of cashola on Bank Holidays.....you know.....stopping off for a coffee & snack, lunch out, sometimes where we were going would involve entry fees/parking, etc, then buying things, as I love gift shops....though less so these days when I am much more able to stand back & consider how much of this not-very-competitively-priced-loveliness I would actually use. While we would often take a picnic, it would tend to involve lots of tasty little wot-nots from the deli, rather than going more the home-made route. Then, after getting back home, having usually met with the inevitable traffic on the way, what would we do 'just to round off the weekend?' Yes, you've guessed it! Phone out for a takeaway, & add another £25 or so to our day's outgoings. Well, we still like to go out & we still like a treat, but we've decided to have our day trip next weekend, to take a really nice picnic we've made ourselves plus a big flask of coffee.
Today, we've been polishing our money saving halos. mr f took some of my home baked cobs out of the freezer last night & made bacon cobs for breakfast with a big cafetiere of coffee. We then cleaned all the conservatory glass, inside & out, & he cleared its gutters & washed the roof, while I cleaned all the furniture. We worked so hard that I hit my daily fitbit target without even going for a walk, so free fitness too! Then we divided labours.....mr f to cutting back naughty pyracantha which was trying to come indoors & me upstairs with the laptop to see if I could sell any more of our decluttered CDs/books to Ziffit......with their bank holiday 15% code, I soon had a small box full which will be another almost £9 to the Loan Pay Down Fund.
Felt like a little snackette - started thinking about ice creams.....but then remembered we'd taken a few of my little mini-muffins out of the freezer in case temptation struck, so that was the corner shop dodged again.
Finally......the Great Bank Holiday-Take-away-Temptation (you would not believe how much curry mr f can eat......). Nope! Dodged it. Have put Spanish Beef in the slow cooker this morning, while resolve was still strong. It's starting to smell very nice - think it's the chorizo & smoked paprika. There will be no take-away purchased here this evening. Only slight wobble is that I don't think there's any beer in, but he might well decide to forgo it, as beer that isn't bought as part of grocery shopping ( no more than a couple of bottles a week max) has to come out of his Personal Spends cash......(as mine would, if I fancied a nice bottle of Bombay Sapphire!) so I think it's going to be a total NSD.
Hope everyone's enjoying the sunshine.
F x

crazy_cat_lady · 7 May 2018 at 9:56PM

Fantastic day - although I don't think that I'd ever be tempted to do that level of cleaning.

foxgloves · 8 May 2018 at 7:35AM

Well? I'd be the first to admit I'm not a lover of cleaning, but it's once a year for the conservatory at that level, so feels worth the effort. It looks lovely this morning with the sun streaming in the clean glass. Just got to put up replacement fairy lights as our ancient set we were given 2nd hand finally carked it. We've bought an inexpensive solar set, so as to cut down electricity use, not that I imagine they use much. I think sometimes that a good declutter is nearly as good as a thorough cleaning session & it certainly makes cleaning easier not having bits of stuff everywhere.
Anyway.....am off to peg out my cheap overnight laundry to make the most of this free line-drying weather x

foxgloves · 8 May 2018 at 3:40PM

Afternoon Debt-busters,
Decided to wear my new jeans for the first time today. Really pleased with them. They kind of only cost me £4. Well, only because £35 of the total cost was money I received for my birthday & £10 was a money-off voucher emailed to me by the store, so I just kicked in £4 from the Clothing Piggy & that was it.....job done. New jeans, & a size smaller than I expected to be able to heft myself into as well.
I'll try not to make this turn into another 'debtisode', but this made me think back to how much money I used to waste on clothes back in the Spendy Decades. This certainly wasn't because I liked designer brands - to be honest, I've always thought people who spend £100s & £100s on a single garment because of the name on the label must have more money than sense. No, a lot of the money I wasted on clothes was on stuff bought from that shocking drainer of bank balances - the 'sale rail'. Don't get me wrong, I know there are occasionally some fab bargains to be had by rummaging through, as well as some deeply annoying moments, when you see the dress you paid full price for is now half price, so I do often still look. What I no longer do, however, is convince myself something is such a totally ace bargain that I just have to buy it. Basically, if I don't like whatever it is enough for it to have caught my eye at full price, then it's probably not going to be a particularly good buy. I suppose it comes back to that old truism about 'a bargain only being a bargain if you needed it in the first place'.
Back in the Spendy Decades, I was drawn to those sale rails as if there were magnets in my feet. "Bargains!!!!" - the word would sound in my head & I'd be rummaging through everything, trying stuff on, & would generally end up buying something primarily because a) it was £20 off and b) it fitted. I can remember only too well how so many of these 'bargains', all considered amazing at the time, turned out to be rather un-special once I'd had them a few weeks. They were usually not quite right, or I'd been so swayed by the price reduction, I hadn't considered if I actually had anything at home that would go with them. I would also let the sale price tempt me into buying things in colours I wasn't all that fussed about - I can remember the most utterly hideous mint green dress - it was only when it finally dawned on me I wouldn't even willingly buy a tablecloth in that colour that it went off to the charity shop! Years after that, I was still doing it......a nice thick jersey dress, just below the knee, great style with chunky tights & boots, so I bought it......but it was navy blue. I never EVER wear navy blue, but again, that reduced price ticket had obviously got into that bit of my brain which processes unsuitable clothing purchases as fabulous bargains!
Anyway, you'll be pleased to know there has been a change of approach in more recent years. Much as I do like a bargain, it's only a genuine one if it's something I utterly love. I would honestly rather pay full price for a garment that I know I will enjoy wearing & looking good in, even though it means buying far fewer new clothes. And I have also embraced charity shops. Same process applies though.....it might be a good 'brand', it might only be a fiver, but if it isn't a truly positive addition to my wardrobe, then it stays in the shop for another treasure hunter to find. "it's OK" & "I quite like it" or "I'd prefer it if it was in black, but this'll do" are no longer enough to get me to part with my cash! And thank goodness for that, as I do still enjoy going in for a rummage at sale time!
Anyone else picked up some terrible clothing 'bargains' at sale time?
F x

Sayschezza · 8 May 2018 at 6:28PM

This hit a guilty spot. I am dreadful for wasting money on bargains which end up in the cs. I also work in a cs for a few hours per week and am known as one of the best customers. I should know better at my age.

Bluegreen143 · 9 May 2018 at 7:20AM

Just read your whole diary and find it so inspiring

love your “debtisodes” and how much you achieve cooking and gardening-wise.

I do cook from scratch but am finding baking bread etc regularly, which I always did beford, is too hard to fit in often at the moment as I’ve got a two-year-old - but then he does enjoy baking so I really should do more. We have a lovely garden though we really are amateurs, so I’ll be following for tips!

I did try Ziffit once for books but got annoyed at how hard it was to get a box together as they didn’t want many of my titles. Must remember to try them again as I didn’t realise what they pay for changes.

foxgloves · 9 May 2018 at 8:19PM

Sayschezza - years ago, there was a woman who lived locally to me.....I didn't know her personally, but often used to see her out & about - I'd say she'd have probably have been in her early 60s. Anyway, I always used to think she looked so stylish. She dressed really creatively, often ankle length fitted dresses, lovely unusual accessories & bags, nice boots, etc. Anyway, I popped into a charity shop one afternoon for a browse & she was working in there. We got chatting & she said "I buy all my clothes in here!" Of course I was still very spendy back then, but she really was a shining example of how to put together a creative wardrobe on a budget!

Put away your purse & become debt-averse

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