Judicious January - Long may the credit crunching continue

[roguepixie]

So, the credit crunching team are into Year 2013. Happy New Year everyone.

Let's continue our cost-cutting, , money saving,penny and pound pinching, NSD ways.

2old2be, in actual fact it's quite hard over here but when I was at full flow I was getting 25% off my shopping every week with the help of the nice Waitrose ladies, who are even better supermarket shoppers than I am.

It relied on walking in there with a big wodge of coupons though, in a shameless fashion. I have also been known to pick up vouchers and price match offers from the floor in Sainsbos and Asda as well.

Hello, another lurker, inspired to join in by some very interesting/useful posts this time. Boffin I have already downloaded your book this morning after being recommended on another thread. Thank you for making it free! I will certainly try to review when I have read it.

DH has been out of work for 6m and we've been frugally living on our savings, for the second time in 2 years...

Have already cut food shopping, utilities, Sky is gone (Gary, I cancelled in the summer and just before the end of the notice period they offered me 4 months free. Have now cancelled again as still no income and hoping that by the time we have some money coming in they will offer us something great to come back. My dad has just been offered 75% discount to return after 6m). Reduced use of car (although petrol remains one of our biggest outgoings) and will shop around for insurances when they are due as I have always done. Sacked cleaner so now drowning in ironing!!! I managed to pay for all Christmas presents from eBay sales and Quidco cashback earned in the process. Now buying up presents for DCs friends birthdays for the year ahead in the sales.

Am looking for a job myself but after 4 years as SAHM am finding it quite difficult. I can't really do what I did before as it requires commuting into London, which I don't want to do now I have DCs and also, there are no jobs in this field in a recession, which is why DH is out of work, as we do the same thing. However, that's another topic!

Thank you Boffin Mum, I have also downloaded your book.

In return, I can tell you that CeX are best for selling cds/dvds etc. You can do it online and box up and send to them by freepost!

Another downloader here, Boffin!

Thanks fluffy and jen. I've emailed TopCashBack as I can't find anything about the money I'm owed.

So, today Orange/EE finally sent us the new router. Except they didn't. Just a random cable that is no good to us at all. So I rang up and in my most passive-aggressive manner got a month's credit on our broadband. Why people can't actually do what they're asked is beyond me.

We were meant to be having the oven cleaned this afternoon (not done it since we moved in and I shouldn't be faffing around with chemicals in my state), but the guy has just phoned to say he has the vom bug, so I guess that's good for our bank account, but not for him.

Off to compose a very stern email to the broadband numpties (using my friend's internet because, you know, we still don't have it at home).

Back from town. A fairly successful trip in that I didn't spend much - £2.35 (on Debenhams Gold Card) on coffee for me, drink for DS1 & scone to share between all 3 of us, plus £24 in Clarks for new shoes for DS2 (were £34, plus I had gift voucher really they were free ).

However, I didn't find any jumpers I wanted in Debenhams - they were all £15 or more & it grieves me to pay that when I know that in a couple of weeks they will be half that, so I will wait & see what is left then. Also, the 7 cards for £1 in Card Factory are thank you cards, for which we just send emails or plain notelets. Also forget to get DH's scraper

Have to say, I didn't know you could get Nectar points with Amazon - I've spent loads on there in the past Must do that from now on!

This afternoon, must download BoffinMum's free book , join Weightwatchers online (have code so £34.90 for 3 months, cashback of £32.32, so will be £2.58 for 3 months), book spa morning (DH guilt gift for the night he went out & got ratted after promising he wouldn't, which happened to be the same night that DS2 was up 12 times with high temperature & virus) & go to B&Q for oven sealant.

Also love the idea of extreme couponing. I have discovered that the Tesco self-service tills take coupons for even products you haven't bought, if less than £2 (bit naughty, I'm sure )

£5 for 20kg of chick crumb for cat litter, it was short dated. It ought to have been £8.

£7 on 6 bottles of co-op loo cleaner and two basics multi surface cleaner, it was all BUAV approved. Normally I get smart price sainsbos.

I have downloaded the book, thank you!

Have downloaded BoffinMum's book, thanks

Feel like having a little weep over my finances. It's getting beyond a joke, and I have lots of money due out over the next couple of months.

I have enough to pay the bills, which I am thankful for, but I don't have much left over to make any headway into what we owe.

Signing in for some real lifestyle changes. No excuses in 2013.

It is a bit depressing, isn't it? I have been earning negative money after childcare and commuting costs for about three years, and I am really feeling it now. I am hoping this will be the year I move forwards, not backwards.

I'm in. We the decision to get all work on our house finished in time for Christmas (after 8 years in the house). We've funded that partly with 0% credit card spending, so we have 12 months to get the money together to pay it off without incurring any interest. It should be doable, but the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. Hence I'm meal planning, selling unwanted stuff etc etc.

Today I've cleared out and reorganised the kitchen. It feels like I have my new kitchen back again . The kitchen was done 4 years ago but for most of the time since has been cluttered due to the rest of the ongoing work in the house.
So I now have some rather iffy looking prunes and apricots soaking in tea ready to be put into a tea bread. Also some very out of date haricot beans, brown lentils and chickpeas which I'm on the lookout for recipes for. Any ideas most welcome!
Am hoping keeping posting here will help keep me on track.

I have just spent the last couple of hours, whilst my boys were napping (lucky I know!) doing some online surveys. I have had £7.84 paid into my bank from doing Annabel Karmel surveys done over a few months & have joined Nectar surveys, where I completed a 20 minute survey for 100 Nectar points. Not a lot, but it all helps, especially if I say to myself that eg £7.84 is one pack of nappies paid for etc

Another delurker wanting to join here. Have made it my new year resolution to have a frugal new year.

jenduck do you do Swagbucks? I've been doing it for the past few months and have made about £25-£30 in Amazon vouchers. You earn points for things like surveys, watching videos (not that I actually watch them, just start them up and put the laptop down!), searches and other things.
I spend about 15 mins a night (possibly more if I get a survey, you're not always eligable for them) and make about £5 every 3 weeks. You can use your points to get various things but Amazon vouchers are most useful to me. Some people manage to get lots more (I've seen people claim to get £25 a month) but to be honest, I don't want to put in much more time than I currently do.

If anyone fancies it, pm me as I'm sure I can get extra points for referrals!

Just downloaded your book boffin mum, looking forward to a read when baby goes to bed.

Spent today £1.50 on baby group, coffee afterwards and top up shop in tesco for £9.65. Have enough food to last the weekend and early next week now.

Sorted out £40 worth of DVDs/CDs and £40 worth of books for sale at MusicMagpie and WeBuyBooks respectively. Feeling quite virtuous now. Might go up into the loft and sort out some stuff for ClothesforCash as well. Then there's a bit of Ebaying to do when I have recovered, although I am going off Ebay a bit now the return rates are so low.

Off to have a look at SwagBucks now.

Another NSD! Whoop!

Might manage one tomorrow as well though only because I am going to be in work so dp will be doing the shopping, so not sure it really counts.

Please can someone post a link to this book that you can download?

Can I ask - do people hope they can get through without spending. Or plan?

I've decided to have set days. I know that if I hope to get through I will weaken. And once I weaken, it will be all over.

I've discovered a good trick with Sainsburies loyalty cards. They work for anyone, not just the person whose nectar card "earned" them.

DS's dad (couldn't call him DP, but we get on well as friends) lives alone and spends very little in Sainsbury's whereas I use it for almost everything.

He occasionally gets vouchers for £2 off if you spend £20, while I only get vouchers for money off if you spend more than £70. He passes them on to me, as he is never going to spend £20 on a Sainsbury shop.

So over Christmas, when he stayed at ours, I popped in for a couple of pints of milk (and half price xmas goodies) so only spent about a tenner, and used his nectar card instead of mine, and guess what, out popped a £3 off if you spend £30, which is around my regular shop.

In the meantime, I leave the ones where you need to spend more than £70 in the trolley for someone else to use. So if you find one lying around in the trolley, use it.

My son has got into the habit of checking to see if people have left those vouchers behind in the self service till. Don't know whether to be sad or proud.

One of my goals is save Nectar and Tesco points till the end of 2013 and use them for the Christmas shop.

Have also downloaded (and read!) the book boffin. A morning well spent!

Have any of you thought of switching to Aldi? Much cheaper than sainsburys etc.

I think links are being deleted but if you go to Amazon and put Austerity Housekeeping in the search box, you'll find it.

Glad you liked it, Virgil!