I am feeling materialistic, will power is waning. Today, if I had the 'readdies' I certainly would have spent them.
My lust list encompasses everything from new socks and trousers, film for my plethora of cameras, new roasting and muffin trays, Croc boots for Martha, a nice dress from Matalan, a new DVD and a cleaner, or even better a butler crossed with a PA!
I think sometimes a lack of cash can make you want things even more, especially if you had a challenging day with your daughter which you only made it through with the bribe of some Disney princess knickers! (I know totally corporate and £6!!!!! but she's two and a half, a girl and they were mostly pink with sparkles and hearts on. They worked their magic and were worth every penny)
Maybe I should throw a swap shop party and offer out my decrepit wardrobe and possessions in the hope that someone decked in Zara clothes and with a wheelie trolley full of habitat belongings is looking for a trade!
In reality I'm hoping a trip to my local charity shop and a project from the Junk for Joy book with have the desired affect.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Monday, 7 November 2011
Fen Potatoes
This post is irrelevant unless you live in Cambridgeshire. If you do however, get yourself out into the fens in search of a sack of potatoes. If like us you are a potatoes lover (mashed, jackets, boiled, roast, saute, dauphinous, you name it I am addicted to them all) then you can save yourself a small fortune.
Sainsburys potatoes 2kg = approx £2.00
Fen Potatoes so heavy I can't lift the sack kg= £5.00
I always like an edible money saving tip.
Sainsburys potatoes 2kg = approx £2.00
Fen Potatoes so heavy I can't lift the sack kg= £5.00
I always like an edible money saving tip.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
A Month In Recession Re-hab
Apologies followers for the distinct lack of activity. It certainly isn't from a lack of money saving, it's more from a glut of money depression. Several days after my last post I had the embarrassment of 'transaction decline' in the supermarket and my weeks shopping had to be paid for from the savings account. I dared myself to check my online banking only to discover I was in the red. What's worse is it came just a fortnight after being paid, so the following two weeks was spent scrapping my petrol money together from the coppers pot, nicking change out of Max's trouser pockets and eating a mainly vegetarian and lentil based diet!
Grabbing my deerstalker and magnifying glass I scrutinised my spending to see what had happened and after the initial certainty that my account had been hacked and someone had spent all my money in Sainsburys, Clarks and the garage I realised that the cause of the cash flow crisis was actually a rather steep car repair (£110), some new shoes for Martha (£35) a night out with my new work colleagues (£30) and some generally rubbish account keeping. What it did force me to do was actually look at my spending and really account for what goes in and out. I noticed the fact I am still paying payment protection on a cooker for a house I don't even live in any more so that was swiftly canceled making me a whopping £1.20 richer each month.
My new job leaves me financially worse off than my old but I am definitley much happier with my work/stress/life balance so that's acceptable but it does mean for a while at least I am on a very tight rein so that new yoga class I was itching to start will have to wait and that mythical £30 a day we are meant to be saving may be a challenge!
As for general money saving we are doing well, rather than find us in Waterstones on a weekend we are more likely to be found stomping through the countryside with a thermos and some homemade cupcakes for sustenance. I am in the proccess of listing some items on ebay in order to make the money to buy the new camera I want and I have even resisted the jewelery making kit that I tried to convince myself myself I needed for the Green Fair 'craftathon'. I still have moments of weakness when I can be found making an online shopping basket at ASOS (only for pretend buying though) but on the whole perhaps I am a little less materialistic? Though I dread to think the sight that would behold if I got to do a trolley dash round Primark!
What I have been so warmed by is my lovely family who have come to the rescue and cheered us up no end. The Jone's and Blick's came en mass for a visit with a full on lunch (Including jacket potatoes and a pie traveled up from London in tinfoil) and Olivia took me and Marty to the seaside for a day out and even insisted on driving us so it wouldn't cost me the petrol.
Max and I even did a date night for a cheap break from the daily grind, Martha tucked up in bed early, a nice home cooked meal, a bottle of bargain wine and an evening playing cards was a right chuckle and next week it's his turn I shall enjoy kicking back and relaxing while he uses every utensil in the kitchen to make a pasta creation and then challenges me to a match of Scrabble or Cluedo!
So for the moment it's a bit of a wait and see with how the finances go. We are still toying with the idea of downsizing the house to save some money and Martha may get a few more home made Chrimbo presents this year but we are all happy and healthy and that the main thing.
Grabbing my deerstalker and magnifying glass I scrutinised my spending to see what had happened and after the initial certainty that my account had been hacked and someone had spent all my money in Sainsburys, Clarks and the garage I realised that the cause of the cash flow crisis was actually a rather steep car repair (£110), some new shoes for Martha (£35) a night out with my new work colleagues (£30) and some generally rubbish account keeping. What it did force me to do was actually look at my spending and really account for what goes in and out. I noticed the fact I am still paying payment protection on a cooker for a house I don't even live in any more so that was swiftly canceled making me a whopping £1.20 richer each month.
My new job leaves me financially worse off than my old but I am definitley much happier with my work/stress/life balance so that's acceptable but it does mean for a while at least I am on a very tight rein so that new yoga class I was itching to start will have to wait and that mythical £30 a day we are meant to be saving may be a challenge!
As for general money saving we are doing well, rather than find us in Waterstones on a weekend we are more likely to be found stomping through the countryside with a thermos and some homemade cupcakes for sustenance. I am in the proccess of listing some items on ebay in order to make the money to buy the new camera I want and I have even resisted the jewelery making kit that I tried to convince myself myself I needed for the Green Fair 'craftathon'. I still have moments of weakness when I can be found making an online shopping basket at ASOS (only for pretend buying though) but on the whole perhaps I am a little less materialistic? Though I dread to think the sight that would behold if I got to do a trolley dash round Primark!
What I have been so warmed by is my lovely family who have come to the rescue and cheered us up no end. The Jone's and Blick's came en mass for a visit with a full on lunch (Including jacket potatoes and a pie traveled up from London in tinfoil) and Olivia took me and Marty to the seaside for a day out and even insisted on driving us so it wouldn't cost me the petrol.
Max and I even did a date night for a cheap break from the daily grind, Martha tucked up in bed early, a nice home cooked meal, a bottle of bargain wine and an evening playing cards was a right chuckle and next week it's his turn I shall enjoy kicking back and relaxing while he uses every utensil in the kitchen to make a pasta creation and then challenges me to a match of Scrabble or Cluedo!
So for the moment it's a bit of a wait and see with how the finances go. We are still toying with the idea of downsizing the house to save some money and Martha may get a few more home made Chrimbo presents this year but we are all happy and healthy and that the main thing.
Monday, 10 October 2011
Music Magpie Update
The boy is obsessed!
He is at this moment still adding CD s to the Music Magpie haul. Grand total £112.54. I think I may get up tomorrow to find we own no more music and Max has pulled a bar code typing all nighter. It may not pay the mortgage off single handedly but if he makes it to £125 that is a quarter of the bathroom re-fit paid for with old music and films.
Watch this space.
He is at this moment still adding CD s to the Music Magpie haul. Grand total £112.54. I think I may get up tomorrow to find we own no more music and Max has pulled a bar code typing all nighter. It may not pay the mortgage off single handedly but if he makes it to £125 that is a quarter of the bathroom re-fit paid for with old music and films.
Watch this space.
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Music Magpie In Progress
I handed the thankless Music Magpie task over to Max. Hours sat typing barcode numbers into a website wasn't my cup of tea, but it turned out it certainlywas his. Two hours later and we have two bags for life packed full of DVD s and CD s waiting for a courier to collect and our grand total of cash in the pocket £70, that's if none of the selection are rejected.
Max is a brave man too, he has bid farewell to his entire James Bond catalogue and cast aside an unusual collection of classical music. I on the other hand clutched onto my DVD s. Even though I have Napoleon Dynamite recorded on the Sky box I still couldn't bring myself to let it go, and that was along with demanding to keep the first CD I ever owned (even though I haven't listened to it sine I was about 18!) I think Max's second round will have to be done while me and my sentimentality are out of the house.
All in all far easier than a car boot sale and it gave Max an excuse to have the rugby on in the background without being nagged.
Now it's my turn. This week challenge is listing some pre-loved baby items on eBay, lets see if I can beat £70.
Max is a brave man too, he has bid farewell to his entire James Bond catalogue and cast aside an unusual collection of classical music. I on the other hand clutched onto my DVD s. Even though I have Napoleon Dynamite recorded on the Sky box I still couldn't bring myself to let it go, and that was along with demanding to keep the first CD I ever owned (even though I haven't listened to it sine I was about 18!) I think Max's second round will have to be done while me and my sentimentality are out of the house.
All in all far easier than a car boot sale and it gave Max an excuse to have the rugby on in the background without being nagged.
Now it's my turn. This week challenge is listing some pre-loved baby items on eBay, lets see if I can beat £70.
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Philosophical Frugality!
Apologies for of lack of posts but I have been somewhat busy. Beavering away at my new job while trying to be a mother, housewife and crafter extraordinaire uses up a lot of time (and energy). I have spent most evenings this week crashing out on the sofa moments after I sit down.
We should be celbrating though, we saw in the start of the month with record funding in our bank accounts after the super saving month and we are at it again this month. Last months excesses haven't gone towards the mortgage yet though, we're still playing catch up and its going on credit cards to pay off summer Euro tunnel crossings and new cars (well pre-loved cars)!
The most striking outcome is that our attitude to things seems to have changed, on a small scale we have broken the routines of spending, pack lunch and thermos's are common place and I am shocked at the idea of spending Two quid on a cup of coffee when I go into town. I am far more aware of spending and prices as I toddle round the supermarket (This week I estimated my shopping as I went round the supermarket and was only a pound off at checkout, not bad eh) and we are more conscious of cooking and enjoying eating on a budget. However on a larger scale things have really got going and has posed us some interesting dilemmas I shall leave you with one to mull over.
Our house has three bedrooms and a cellar bedroom come office too. We occasionally have guests but on the whole theses rooms are dumping grounds for laundry and clutter. While we tackle the pennies by turning lights out and taking packed lunch surely we are wasting a great deal of money by owning (courtesy of the mortgage lender) two rooms we barely use. Wouldn't we be better downsizing, shrinking the mortgage and paying it off faster? And if we achieve paying off said smaller mortgage, what could and should we do after that?
hmm perplexing.........
We should be celbrating though, we saw in the start of the month with record funding in our bank accounts after the super saving month and we are at it again this month. Last months excesses haven't gone towards the mortgage yet though, we're still playing catch up and its going on credit cards to pay off summer Euro tunnel crossings and new cars (well pre-loved cars)!
The most striking outcome is that our attitude to things seems to have changed, on a small scale we have broken the routines of spending, pack lunch and thermos's are common place and I am shocked at the idea of spending Two quid on a cup of coffee when I go into town. I am far more aware of spending and prices as I toddle round the supermarket (This week I estimated my shopping as I went round the supermarket and was only a pound off at checkout, not bad eh) and we are more conscious of cooking and enjoying eating on a budget. However on a larger scale things have really got going and has posed us some interesting dilemmas I shall leave you with one to mull over.
Our house has three bedrooms and a cellar bedroom come office too. We occasionally have guests but on the whole theses rooms are dumping grounds for laundry and clutter. While we tackle the pennies by turning lights out and taking packed lunch surely we are wasting a great deal of money by owning (courtesy of the mortgage lender) two rooms we barely use. Wouldn't we be better downsizing, shrinking the mortgage and paying it off faster? And if we achieve paying off said smaller mortgage, what could and should we do after that?
hmm perplexing.........
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Wonder Weather
So the trip to the coast was an absolute success, I haven't felt so relaxed in a long time. A complete change of pace and scenery sorted the three of us out a treat. All this month we have been frugally saving money and thinking about the future but all it took was to stretch out on the sand to put a few worries into perspective and to consider what we could do next with our lives. Max especially had a chuckle about his looming 40th birthday and the ensuing mid life crisis. I don't know if a motorbike or sports-car will fit snugly into the budget.
OK so we did spend a Tenner on fish and chips and we had a cheeky half of Adnams, but I think we both agree the benefits of the day definitely outweighed our financial slip up.
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