Showing all posts tagged frugal

In General

Be My Fashion Wheel!

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on 7 Comments

Do you remember this? It was fantastic – you could choose your head, top, skirt/dress/shoes – so many combinations, then colour and cut out your creations. I need a fashion wheel, a real one!

I am 28 years old, married and a lucky mum of two gorgeous boys. I work for myself at home, have a fab husband and all is good! Over the past 12 years I have gained so much – unfortunately I seem to have lost or at least temporarily misplaced my sense of style! And I want it back.

Anyone who regularly reads this blog knows I’m on a bit of a reinvention road. I’m at Weight Watchers and am doing well, have picked up the exercise, had my hair all thinned out and feel great for it. Unfortunately – the body isn’t the problem anymore – it’s the clothing! For too long I have worn shapeless, colourless clothing, flat clumpy shoes and well…. looked crap! Don’t get me wrong – everything I currently own is tidy and symmetrical…. rather than scraggy and filled with holes, but thats the best thing I can say about my wardrobe. Seriously, my wardrobe just needs emptying out, next job on my list is to rent a Man and Van and have a big clearout!

Where do I start? I want to be a yummy mummy! I’ve made the first step myself and ditched my faithful but hideous and falling to pieces walking boots and bought some fab boots, low heels, higher heels, ankle boots and mid calf boots. Well it’s a start, fashionable feet!

I need a Gok, a walking fashion wheel…. something. Someone to help me!!! (And ideally someone who can win the lottery for me first as my clothing budget is about as substantial as an ice-cream during a heatwave!). I’m so out of touch fashion-wise I don’t know where to start, only to say I don’t do strappy and the last time I wore a dress I was getting married!

This is a serious one for me actually, for all the silly words. I am sick of looking like a scragbag – so I’m going to try and get out there and find my Fashion Wheel! If you a Fashion Wheel looking for a home, or a person/company who would do a good imitation and likes a challenge – pass them this post link!

In MoneySaving

Frugal Friday

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on 3 Comments

Nowadays many of us are trying to be more savvy with our money and I have taken being more frugal/cautious/money-saving as a challenge that I actually quite enjoy and get a kick out of!

I hate waste of any kind anyway and it seems ridiculous to me now wasting money especially (it didn’t bother me so much before having kids)  when there are so many easy ways you can save money! Every Friday I take an hour to go over the past week’s spends, and set myself up for the next week by doing a few basic jobs. Here is my list for today – do you have a frugal friday list or similar?

  • Check internet banking (I actually do it more often than once a week but a good nosy at what has gone out etc keeps me in check as I know straight away what money we have in, and whether or not it’s been a frivolous week rather than a frugal one!)
  • Book and checkout a weekly shop for Sunday. I do my grocery shop online and switch between two stores depending on offers and which one I can get a free delivery code for! By doing this I can meal plan, ensure I have everything I need for packed lunches, and avoid impulse buys! Quite often I find supermarkets have some great “online exclusives” so extra savings. I have extra bread and milk delivered each week that I freeze to try and avoid those costly top-up shops.
  • Fridge and freezer clear-out. I have the food shop coming Sunday so I sort the fridge and freezer and we eat up anything left over that will be getting replaced with the shop. That way items aren’t wasted after being left too long, I get a lovely fridge/cupboard full of fresh stuff to start the week, and by doing the “use up” I’m not popping to Tescos and spending the usual £20 on “bits” that we really didn’t need.
  • Purse and wallet clear-out. I have a terramundi and copper jar. At the end of the week any copper goes in the jar and any larger coins go into the terramundi. I also check through any receipts to make sure that clubcards/advantage cards were used (and if not I take these in to get the points added) and check the valid to date of any vouchers I have to use up.
  • Get cleaning! Friday I have a good housework splurge – a couple of “power hours” with my scrubbing brush is great for the soul, and an all over general tidy helps and you me organised! The more organised, the less likely to lapse into lazy/wasteful habits. It’s all in the mind you see!
  • Plan ahead. We live by our calendar, it really does keep me organised! Five minutes with the calendar and I can check for upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, school birthday parties etc and can buy in advance, meaning no last minute rush buy (which costs twice as much and you’re never as happy with) and that I have time to shop around online, using cashback and find something just that bit more interesting.

So – what do you to to keep yourself on the straight and narrow moneysaving-wise and within budget?

 

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