No-spend January/Frugal February - the no-spend challenge continues

[roguepixie]

OK - am attempting to start the second thread ... hope this works.

It's incredible isn't it Dlamis? I can't believe how much money I have wasted each month on those trips to the newsagents, going to the supermarket three times a week and doing an almost full shop each time , popping in to clothes shops and buying unnecessary clothes for DS (he doesn't need them I just "fall in love with them" ..., needing to spend £3.00 on something but finshing £20.00 worth of extra stuff to go with it to "justify" the purchase. Seeing this written down I think I may have need intervention before long if I hadn't found this thread.

Am chuffed that I have managed to bank so much this month but really need to continue the thrifty/frugal ways. I can't see a time when I can relax on it, tbh. I won't be able to bank £1000 each month but will definitely try to put away any extra/savings and will continue to practice frugality (is that a word ?) for evermore .

Fishy - sending mega-big good vibes to you for your first day

finding ... not finshing??????

Hello everyone, am very excited to discover this thread. Have been reading a book called "how I lived a year on just a pound a day", and am inspired now to try and reduce my spending right down to say no more than £5 a day, this includes all personal items and going out, I also want to reduce all our family food shopping to about £75 a week. I think I was spending about 150 last year and throwing a decent amount in the recycling. I was also shocked to discover I spent nearly £50 on books last month, I now have a library card and will be using it! it's so easy to spend without realising! Are your DH/DP's on board?

Hello new people! welcome welcome...

I have had a sneaky win today. Ocado order due 5.30-6.30, got a message at 4.30 to say there were problems and my order might be delayed. Made up my mind right then that if it was, I'd definitely make the complaint that three of the last four times I've booked an early evening slot they have been late and they need to sort out the standards of their afternoon shift at the distribution centre. (MN balls strapped on). However it wasn't late in the end.

Message also said there was a substitution, which doesn't often happen. Last time there was a sub it was salmon steaks (£1.56/100g) for mackerel (£1.12/100g). I was annoyed that I accepted that without thinking, and this time knew from the message that a 'Duchy for Waitrose' topside joint was definitely going to be more pricey than the Ocado Top Rump joint that I'd ordered. Sure enough, it was £12.99/kg rather than £9.99/kg.

DH met the order at the door and was keen to action this point of principle, nicely, with the delivery man. (I DH). He also didn't laugh when I said I'd inventoried the cupboards but had yet to do the fridge and freezer.

Have postponed the bathroom plumbing expenses until Monday (at least) as I needed to supply a part which I wouldn't be able to get by tomorrow morning.

Today I took the boys swimming so spent £4.80 on entry & snacks. Then £20 into our kitchen pot which is used for little things at the coop like milk & bread etc so that should last a while.

Got an email to say my norton antivirus will automatically renew on the 30th, costing £40! Do you think this is steep for a years cover?

Sleeves the norton auto renewel (sp?) is a rip-off. I got a years norton anti-virus, which can be registered on 3 pc's, for £17.99 on amazon :)

would I have to get the exact same anti virus program? dh thinks if I dont auto renew with the same program I have just now it could make my computer go wonky?

Gosh, don't buy anti-virus software! You can download AVG software for free and it's perfectly fit for domestic purposes.

Just spent £6.60 on parking today (no Blue Badge but not too bad as I managed to get a parking space right by where I need to be). Nothing else spent, and an invitation to a posh work dinner, so an evening out for free with fine dining, good company and decent wines in one of the more attractive Cambridge colleges as well. However on the down side, my cheap tights chafed my upper thighs so I now have a rash. Anybody got any ideas about where to get good value, comfortable tights?

Boffin New Look do brilliant value tights. Sounds like you had a great evening :o

We (ie dh ) abandoned Norton years ago and went with AVG.

Welcome trying. Dh is definately on board here.

Re anti-virus software, I agree, def don't buy it. We use Avast on our laptops, which is free and does the job.

I like Boots tights - 3pairs for £6 I think on the thick-ish black ones.

I'm going to struggle today - I got really wound up by an email from sister this am, woken up too early and we have no heating until we can get hold of plumber to tell us how to refill boiler. So I am feeling irritable and tempted to go and waste money in a warm cafe on comforting coffee and cake...

On the plus side been clearing out some boxes from recent move andfound some low watt bulbs that I have replaced the old high energy ones that were here when we moved in with.

Another AVG fan here. I had more troubles with bloody Norton than I've ever had with AVG.

You could always try asking PigletJohn about your boiler. He is a plumber on MN I think. But in your position I would venture out to a public library to keep warm and generally hang out.

I have a voucher for Boots, I might pop down there on the way to work.

Bit of a spend yesterday
DP took DD2 swimming and then I picked them up and went to Morrisons for dinner £14. I did however resist going in to shop
Went to Tescos for some bread and ended up with new Kitkat whites, 2 bars of galaxy(on period and NEED chocolate), a coat for DD2 and DD3 (in the sale and only £5 and they need one to muck around in at the stables DD1 goes to, will keep washing of their nice ones down), Gaffa tape to fix car window(thanks DS) £20
Will hopefully not spend too much today and tea tonight ant tomorrow is store cupboard stuff so no more food spends

I've realised I can stop spending by checking subscriptions. I'm stupidly doing a quarterly Direct Debit for TV Licence which adds £5 to the annual cost, and I have a couple of memberships I don't need to maintain any more, both at about £8-10 a month (!!)

It's a little thing, but I am still chuffed that DH was so on board about the inventory-ing and Ocado substitution. This is the secret weapon - not feeling that economising is about going without, but that it's taking back control of our own resources and not being suckered into spends by big companies. Using our time and attention to create fun between and within ourselves as a family rather than paying for organised fun per person.

Tonight, batch-cooking the bolognese for the freezer/individual lasagnes for party, while listening to one of my favourite songwriters on Bob Harris Country.

Agree that inventory of what you have is a good thing, I have at times brought ingredients for dinner, only to discover we already have them! Brought some noodles to cook for dinner today at 66p, I used to spend £2 on ready cooked noodles, madness, I didn't even save that much time!

Right, I have managed to acquire no fewer than six loaves of branded bread for about 50p each, through judicious use of coupons, reductions and marking down at end of the day. I also used various coupons to get £12 off a £48 basket of shopping in Waitrose, then went to Aldi with the £5 coupon I got out the Daily Mirror and spent £90 (after using the voucher) including two pretty decent bottles of wine and an awful lot of food. So in terms of maximising value I think I've done reasonably well. However being addicted as I am to this bargain stuff, I am finding I simply am not getting the same dopamine hit from saving money, and need better and better bargains. The gateway theory of domestic economy. What to do??

Oh, I have a voucher code for Ocado, 15% off a £60 spend if you get it delivered Friday, Saturday or Sunday, £12 maximum reward.

VOU0570294

BTW Boots socks and tights are on a 3 for 2 at the moment, and you also get a £1 voucher off a £5 spend on toiletries.

Much more of this and I will start turning into Martin Lewis!!

Ooooh Boffin, you would have been proud of me last night at Waitrose.

I bought

a whole pheasant - 29p
2 x whole wood pigeon - 10p each
beef joint - £1.62
Loads Duchy lamb - £2
Smoked salmon - 49p
Fresh melon tubs x 3 - 10p each
Peeled sprouts x 3 - 19p each. Now because I bought 3 and they were on special offer to buy 3 packs, I got 45p off at the till which meant they cost 12p!!!!
Bags spinach x 2 - 10p each
Heston Blumenthal burgers - 15p
Duchy gravy - 15p
Duchy sausages - 29p
Quorn steaks - 15p
Indian naan bread - 10p
Bread - 10p
Crumpets - 10p

My freezer is now very very full! No shopping for at least a week apart from milk.

Good grief Collision, did you sleep with the manager?