It's looking increasingly likely that G will be giving up his weekend work sometime this year. It's getting much harder for him now that they have put him on variable shifts. He used to work from 10am -4.30pm on Saturday and Sunday only, but now it can be at any time, really early starts or 8pm finishes and it's killing him. His neck pain is worse by the end of the shift and he falls asleep in the chair once he's showered and changed (usually into PJ's) It can't go on.
We are still on a mission to have enough money put by so that either one of us can survive for a whole year on their own, to allow enough time to decide what to do (eg stay put or move) The savings have been depleted a little by the acquisition of the new-to-us car but it will save us money over time. Now I'm thinking up ideas of how to increase our income or stretch what we have still further.
Frugal things I'm doing now:
Paid surveys
Using coupons/discount codes on food shopping
Entering free competitions
Using the O2 Priority app for a free hot drink once a week and a vegan sausage roll on a Friday/Saturday if I'm near a Greggs shop
Selling on eBay
What do you do to make ends meet?
I sent my friend some chocolates for her birthday and received this lovely thank you card in return.....
It says just what I'm feeling now that Spring has officially arrived 😂
Thanks so much for popping in and stay safe wherever in the world you happen to be x
Iceland 10% discount for over 60s on Tuesdays. Selling books and CDs to Ziffit. Keeping my collapsible Stojo cup in my bag -if I do need to get a drink while I'm out, there's usually a discount for using your own cup. Asking 'do I need this?' before purchasing stuff. Make-do-and-mending. Using a small 'stump' teapot - it holds enough water for 2 mugs, but only needs one teabag. We drink lots of tea, but this saves us £1 a week.
ReplyDeleteWe eat soup once a week and I keep track of the food bits to use them up. I too carry a mug for reduced hot drinks and at the library where I volunteer I have my own mug and a box of cappuccino coffee instead of buying expensive drinks. One grocery store gives me a discount for bringing my own bag so I always do that. Make do and mend and all reading material from the free box at the library or borrowed from the library.
ReplyDeleteIf we go anywhere now we travel with a flask or two - sometimes with just soup for lunch together with a sandwich (all homemade) or if we are out for a shorter length of time like the supermarket shop we take a drink. We try to avoid going in to a cafe. I must have earned 100's of pounds now on ebay and still have things waiting to sell. We even got £20 for our old wall phone which only cost us £17 when we bought it. We take advantage of any discounts on foods or items we would normally buy - unless we are desparate for something I only buy food that is on offer or reduced and stock up with it and don't really go shopping anymore in town or on the retail parks and malls unless it is for something we need - if we can't see it we can't buy it!! I am recycling cards we are given for birthdays etc into new cards and I am looking to make people gifts from my fabric stash rather than buy them. I am wearing out the clothes in my wardrobe at present and have only bought a couple of new tops for parties and some new leggins in the last year.....and of course we are cutting down on heat, power and water usage. It is like a full time job - just lucky we are retired.
ReplyDeleteAll leftovers are used for another meal or even two at times. I mend what I can and reuse other items into quilts or rags.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Making ends meet can be quite challenging and it sounds like you are doing quite a lot already. I'm not sure I can add to what you are already doing, but, here are some of the things I do (and don't do)
ReplyDeleteI mainly shop the sales, no matter what I buy; I plan my meals around sale items and what I have on hand.
I don't buy books or magazines, anymore, I don't go to movie theaters (and, since Covid, I don't go to restaurants to eat, although I will get a take out meal from time to time, usually when my daughter is home).
I don't get my hair cut or colored.
These are some of the things I do or don't do to make ends meet.
We are using a teapot when more than one cup is being made. I also try and recycle things as much as possible such as an old door becoming a work/potting bench and covering it with the remnants of roofing rubber when our flat roof was replaced last year. Leftovers I either freeze or use the next day. Best wishes to you and G xx
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