Meanqueen's tightwad diary (Saving September)

[Meanqueen]

Hello. This topic is ongoing for me, I have to watch my pennies, so I will document my savings here for September. Keeping on top of the job is important, I don't have a load of dosh stashed away anywhere. It's true that I have no mortgage and no rent to pay, and I get a discount on my council tax, but that doesn't mean I can go bonkers and splash the cash. I have an emergency fund in the bank which is there for any unexpected bills. At the moment I have a poorly cat which has cost me a bit more than normal, with tests and treatment. I have an elderly dog which will eventually need more money spending on him. I like to put a bit by for when I will change my car, which wont be for another three years, but it's best to save a little for a longer period of time, rather than the car becoming old and worn out with no money to replace it. The house is still standing so that's good news, I don't intend to spend a lot on it.

I have just taken my meter readings, I do it every month and email them to my energy supplier. I am on a good tariff for low users, no penalties for a quarterly bill, and no standing charges. My readings today are 1544 Gas, and 1505 Electric. I tend to use more electric than gas, and as the nights are drawing in and the darkness comes earlier lights will have to be put on sooner. I shall try and monitor my usage closely and see if I can manage with the absolute minimum. Only one light on at a time, switch off when leaving the room. I will try and cut down on my internet use as well, but I am a bit addicted so that will be hard. I am on a water meter, the reading today was 132. This hardly moves as I am very careful. I have a lot of rain water in containers in the garden at the moment so I will use that for flushing the downstairs loo.

I've just booked the car in for an MOT on the 15th. I booked online at a well known bicycle shop which now does car servicing etc. The cost is £30. I am hoping it will pass, I have had it since March and it was serviced just before I bought it.

I am going on holiday soon, the accommodation is paid for, five nights at three different Youth Hostels for £95. I will drive to the first one and leave my car there and will walk to the others. I will be self catering, taking some food with me, and buying some from shops to cook in the hostels. Some money will be spent on petrol, but I view my car and holidays as the bonus I get for being frugal with my other expenditures. I have a friend who looks after my cats, and another friend who looks after my dog while I am away, and I do the same for them. They won't take money so I get them a gift.

I will have to go shopping in a few days to stock up on cat and dog food. I have ordered two OS maps which should arrive today.

This is my September money saving diary. Thanks for reading.
Ilona

[Mo]

It does help to have enough money to replace the car rather than struggle on meeting one big bill after another to get it through the MOT. Always hard to decide what to do at that point - whereas if you see something coming you can change it while there is time left on the MOT.

[Meanqueen]

Hello. I got the all clear from my annual dental checkup today. Cost was £18.80, appointment made for September 2016. I am NHS and don't have a plan, prefer to pay as I go. I haven't had any work done for the last five years, so that all that brushing and flossing is paying off. I don't have an electric toothbrush, manual is ok for me, moving my hand up and down is free.

I picked up some free brochures from the tourist information while I was in town. And I spent some money. I wanted a soldering iron for my crafting, not for use on metal but to use on fabrics and plastic. I fancy doing some experiments. Cost £6.

Dinner tonight is the second portion of something I made last night. I find that making double portions saves on time and gas, warming in the microwave is quick and cheap.

[Richard]

Well done Ilona.

Just read Mo's comment, kind of long term cost effectiveness.

I once went by the 'get a car for £300 and when it goes wrong get another one' !

The other alternative, which I did, was to buy a brand new car with all the warranty's etc. That was very good, but I could only afford a little car. Great vehicle for running round town but for longer trips plus loading it up with odd jobbing was difficult.

Good luck Ilona, you've much experience with vehicles of all sizes, so I'm sure you'll spot any missing links so to speak.

Richard

[Meanqueen]

I can remember my first old bangers, Richard. I started with a Bedford Viva van, first a blue one, then a grey one. Van's were cheaper to insure, and I didn't need four seats. I went to car maintenance classes at the college and was allowed to take my van in and work on it. I wouldn't want to do that now, in fact I hardly look under the bonnet. Thank goodness I can now afford something a bit decent. I still use my focus estate like a van.

I didn't go out on Thursday, so no money spent. BUT I did go to town yesterday and spent some dosh. I needed to stock up on pet food so my sitters have plenty to feed the cats and dog while I am away. I also filled up the car, the price of petrol has gone down a bit which is nice. A total of £82 spent. I did the discount stores and £1 shops, the market and the Cash and Carry, looking for the best prices. I can get Ultima dry cat food in the £1 shop, and noticed it was on special offer at Mr Wilkooo for £1.50. Their pet food is still more expensive even when it's on special offer. Found some bags of muesli, well know brand, for 50p at the Cash and Carry, way cheaper than other places, I bought six bags.

Today I'm cleaning the house and packing my rucksack. I will be spending a little bit on food along the way because I can't carry the weight of a whole weeks worth. Besides, I prefer eating a little and often. I don't like eating out, never eat in pubs, cafe's or restaurants, I find it boring to sit there alone, and the food isn't all that good sometimes, and it costs too much. I love having a snack out in the open air, sat on a bench with a cheese and onion pasty.

Catch up soon. Good luck with the money saving.
Ilona

[Spreckly]

Ilona - hope you have a good holiday. I always enjoy reading your diary.

[Mo]

We bought a new van in '69 to replace Jim's old car (an ex-pool car from work). Back then there was no purchase tax on vans, so a lot cheaper than a car. We put in a wooden framework for child seats. It lasted till '77, then was failing MOT (did they have MOT back then?), the corrosion was letting water into the rear light which kept blowing the bulb.

[Meanqueen]

Back from holiday, walked 67 miles, cut it down to three and a half days instead of the four I planned. Filled the gap with a couple of bus rides, with the pass of course.

Money wise what did it cost me? £95 for five nights in Youth Hostels. £42 in petrol, 350 miles, Scunthorpe to near Great Yarmouth and back. Two hostel breakfasts £10.25. Oddments of snacky type food from shops £20, this was for nibbles during the day and a light meal at night, bread and cheese and a banana for breakfast. £7.50 for a round of four drinks. £3.30 entrance to a castle. I took some food with me. A weeks holiday for under £200. On the plus side, I found a £5 note lying on the ground.

Now back to normal. Hope my car passes it's MOT on Tuesday.

Ilona

[Meanqueen]

Hoooooray, the car passed the MOT test, with no notifications. £30 well spent. The man said it's a good one, thank you my Focus Estate.

I did some shopping while I was waiting for it at the discount stores. Spent some time in the library reading the papers and got a couple of books out. Collected the car then went next door to Aldiddly, spent £21 on fresh food. Needed bananas, cheese, fruit and veg, yogurt, bread. The dog food is reasonable in there as well. Thought about wine, but managed to walk straight by, don't really need it.

Stopped raining and the dawg wants to go out, then it's head down get on with some sewing. Oh, and I need to dig some spuds up in the garden.
Ilona

[Meanqueen]

Good morning. Most of my spends seem to be on the animals at the moment. Heidi cat only likes the small pouches of Sheba, she eats three a day, cost £1.50 for 6. Plus she eats dry Ultima, not so expensive I get it from the £1 shop. Elderly cat Bugsy is fussy, he likes chicken and tuna, so he gets that as well as Felix which he likes mashed up. Mayze is fussy also, eats mainly dry plus chicken, if she doesn't like what I am serving up in the wet food.

Rocky dog is not doing very well with his arthritis, had some restless nights. I got more Metacam from the vet, plus some joint tablets from P A H. This has worked in the past so I am hoping it works again, the colder damp weather doesn't help. Hardly anything spent on myself.

Keeping busy with sewing and crafts, this is a cheap hobby because I use recycled materials. Just made twelve cushions for the church, I had spare fabric which I found in skips, yes people throw away brand new stuff still in the wrapper. Also fabric from the Scrapstore, cost virtually a few bob. I made the cushions as well as the covers, from curtain liners and foam crumbs from an old garden recliner mattress.

Making shopping bags also. Don't forget the supermarkets will start charging for all bags from 5th October. Take your own with you, or else you have to pay.

There are a few items on my credit card statement to pay for this month, vet, food shopping, petrol, MOT, and two OS maps. It will be cleared next week as always, I never roll it over.

Sunny outside, have a nice weekend.
Ilona

[Barkingharper]

Just a thought. My old dog did really well on Glucosamine. He couldn't go out for more than 15 minutes when I got him. Three weeks later I was the one wanting to go home first! I don't suppose it works for all dogs but maybe it's worth a try. I've just put my more recent 8 year old 'pup' on it as she's showing signs of achiness. I buy it from a health food shop. 60 capsules for 20.00 euros. One a day.
Chrissie .

[Meanqueen]

Just a thought. My old dog did really well on Glucosamine. He couldn't go out for more than 15 minutes when I got him. Three weeks later I was the one wanting to go home first! I don't suppose it works for all dogs but maybe it's worth a try. I've just put my more recent 8 year old 'pup' on it as she's showing signs of achiness. I buy it from a health food shop. 60 capsules for 20.00 euros. One a day.
Chrissie .

Thank you for that. I got some Vetzime High Strength flexible joint tablets from P A H £16 for 90 tablets. He has half a tablet a day, smallish dog. They have Glucosamine, Condroitin, MSM, and Omega 3 in them. He has had them before and they help. We had a better night last night, I think my bed is too soft for him that's why he finds it difficult to get comfortable. I like to sleep in the same room with him in case he wakes in the night. Have solved the problem of him disturbing my sleep by putting up the camp bad in the living room and sleeping on that. It is comfortable, I can sleep on it. He did wake me once, so I took him on the garden for a comfort break. After that we both slept through till 6.45am.

We have just had a bimble round the churchyard, he enjoys that. Might try later but not important for him to go for lots of walks. I have a big garden he can mooch around there.

I have a voucher for the big supermarket, £3 off a £20 shop, last day today, will spend it as I have to go to Barton anyway to the Arts Centre, and there is a store there. Will try and time it for just before closing to see if there are any yellow stickers (mark downs), available.
Ilona

[Meanqueen]

Good morning, time flies when you are having fun. I didn't get to spend the £3 off voucher, because, there were lots of yellow stickers in the fruit and veg and chiller cabinet department, I got a trolley load of food for £6.44 There's no way I was going to make it up to the £20 spend to get the money off.

The camping arrangements in the living room are working out well, I am now able to get a good nights sleep and Rocky dog is sleeping all through as well with no disturbances.

I had a doctors appointment in the next village yesterday so decided to use the post office there, we have lost ours. Two parcels to post, and council tax to pay. Also pick up milk, and a pack of chicken for the cats. That has emptied my purse so I need to go to town today to withdraw cash from the bank, and pick up a few oddments while I'm there from the discount stores. Will do a check on the pet food cupboard first to see what's needed. Will make up a bag of unwanted clutter to take to the Age UK shop. I donate there because they keep prices low, almost everything £1, so that helps people with a low income. That doesn't sound right, does it, I have a low income, but you know what I mean. I think of it as moving things around, what I don't need, someone else might have a use for, and vice versa. I also buy things there, mainly garments for crafting purposes.

Can't sit around here, things to do. Toodle pip
Ilona

[Spreckly]

Love your thread, Ilona.

[Mo]

There's a charity shop in Northwich that sells all the childrens books for 10p. Probably gets a bigger turnover that way. My daughter goes there first.
OTOH I think Oxfam says that items have been donated to help their work so it's up to them to get the most they can for them. I can see that too.
And if prices are low good things are snapped up by dealers. OH overheard 2 book dealers chatting in one shop asking which the other had trawled that day.