2014 Here We Come!

2014

So, yet another new year approaches and no doubt many of you will be pondering your resolutions............

Well I for one am not making ANY!

Why not? Well for one thing I hate to feel like a failure........... and so many times I have made resolutions and not kept to them.

So this year instead I am simply going to aim for a healthier, more eco-friendly way of life. I intend to start making a lot of items that I usually pop into my shopping basket; deodorant,  face cream, toothpaste (I already do this one), plus all my cleaning products to join the air freshener I already make.

Not only am I hoping to improve my finances but also the impact many of these shop-bought items can have on your health.

I'll let you know how I get on & post some simple recipes for you to try if you want.

Till next time

Lesley xx

Well the celebratory glass of wine turned into a bottle!!!

After telling you all how chuffed I was at getting an even better deal from my telephone and broadband provider last time.......

When their confirmation e-mail arrived I spotted a couple of glaring errors :(

Firstly they had omitted my FREE calls 24/7 and only added evening and weekend calls - which was NOT what I had previously and which was NOT what I wanted.

So on the phone I go to sort it all out. Grrrrr

Anyway when I finally got to speak to a human rather than a recording................

I explained the problem and pointed out that I really didn't require their 'super-duper extras' - Call Waiting. Call Divert and Three Way Calling (Did they think I was planning a phone orgy??!!). But what I really had to have was FREE calls at any time.

And you'd never guess; Suddenly when these supposedly 'free' extras were removed my monthly bill dropped by another £5!! Amazing!

So now, for just £16.49 per month I have telephone with free calls at any time plus my broadband.

'Over the moon' just about says it all!

Now to see what other bills I can cut!

Take care

Lesley xx

Naturally Economising

So I'm still feeling the pinch......................

Time to look for other ways to cut my bills me thinks.

                                                      
Well, you could have knocked me down with a duster! Just as I started writing this the phone rang; my telephone and broadband provider getting panicky as my contract is nearing its end. And guess what??? They are offering me exactly what I have now PLUS some added extras........... for £5 LESS per month!!
And I didn't have to do a thing apart from sort of hint that I was searching for a better deal!! Result!

Completely thrown me now as that wasn't what I was going to write about today at all.

I was planning to talk about saving money on cleaning products for the home but I think I'll just have a celebratory glass of wine instead and leave that for next time. ;)

Till next time

Lesley xx

Not Seeing Red

So I'm still desperately trying to cut ALL my bills...........

When my last energy bills arrived I was horrified to see that they wanted to increase my monthly electricity direct debit. Okay so they were also reducing the gas one but even so I decided to take drastic action. After all if my bills were increasing during the summer months what on earth would the winter ones be like?!

So I took a look around and made a few changes;

• I replaced the electric kettle with one that goes on the gas hob. My partner is a massive tea drinker & the kettle was always on the go!
• I got rid of the radio alarm clock - I have an alarm on my phone which does just fine.
• I Freegled an oldish freezer which was never fully used. It went to a disabled lady whose own had packed up.
• Started soaking our washing by hand and only using the machine for a final spin.
• I now only do the washing up once a day and boil a kettle for the hot water.
• We have a solar shower for camping and on hot days (I know there aren't too many!) we use that water for washing.                                                                                                               All these small changes have made a big difference to our bills. We have gone from being in debit to being £58 in credit!   And it must be better for the planet too - a subject close to my heart.                                                                                       Till next time, hope I have inspired some of you to cut your bills too.                                                                                                  Lesley

Stretched To The Limit

Is it just me or is it getting harder and harder to make ends meet?

Every week I seem to strike something I once thought of as an 'essential' from my shopping list.

Shopping is no longer a pleasure -  now just an extended slog to find the cheapest of everything. It's not as if I have extravagant tastes but even buying the 'basics' at an affordable price has become something of a challenge.

Luckily for me I have a good memory and know where to go for the cheapest loaf of bread, what time the supermarkets do their 'reducing, which ones have the best 'basics' range but of course all this does mean shopping around.

Wasted food is anathema to me: I have learnt to make the most of whatever food I have and it is not unusual for me to make a roast chicken produce up to five meals!

One of my favourite budget dishes is a simple chicken stew with dumplings; After we have used the chicken breast I boil the carcass, wings, legs & skin in a pan with a few cloves of garlic. I then remove all the meat and place it back in the pan, season with salt and pepper, add an onion, some frozen peas and sweetcorn and pour over the stock produced by the boiling of the carcass. Whilst this is cooking I make a pile of dumplings and throw these on top. When all is cooked I add some chopped parsley. This is so tasty yet so cheap and simple to make. Just the thing for these chillier evenings.