After a few splurges, documented in my round up post recently, for the past two weeks I've been quite frugal, mainly as a consequence of working quite a bit and not having any time to spend any money on anything and secondly as a consequence of going away for a week to France. Here are the Freebies and Frugal Measures from this period:
1) I called London Transport on a day I was due to travel by train again and got them to activate my £7.20 refund on my Oyster card. I used it when I was invited to a little gathering at my old CS and had to take the train there. The refund covered the expense of going and buying a Big Issue from the seller I used to regularly buy it from when I volunteered at the old shop.
2) I found a five pound note whilst walking the dog. I always feel a little guilty picking notes up off the street, but I know that if I didn't the next person to come by would. Anyway, I put it to good use topping up my Oyster card for fares to work.
3) I used a £6 off a £40 shop at Tesco to stock up when we got back from France. I've got a couple more of these vouchers to use during the remainder of this month.
4) I got a small pay rise this month so my wage slip was a nice surprise. Part of it was due to the pay rise and part due to working my first full month. (I didn't start work until 6/7th July so my first wage slip at the end of July was a bit lighter)
5) I bought a great Christmas present for LB from the CS yesterday. It was a brand new copper coloured angle poise lamp for her bedroom, at half the retail recommended price. I think she'll really like it. It will be a surprise for her anyway and buying some presents now when I see them will spread the cost a little.
6) Free seeds this month with my Kitchen Garden subscription: Kale and Spring Onion.
7) My passive income from investments and savings increased a few pounds again this month. It's going in the right direction, but is a very long way from making me financially independent.
Frugal Fails have included:
1) I bought some shares, then the very next day they dropped in price by 20%, when their half yearly trading report was issued, which wasn't very positive. They were very inexpensive shares, but I lost a small amount of money just the same. Hopefully, some of the other shares I bought will make up for the loss if these don't rise in price again. Such is the nature of buying shares. I just have to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth.
2) I bought a drink whilst doing the weekly shop this week because I was so thirsty and hadn't bothered to fill up my water bottle at the gym before I left. I don't do this often, but sometimes needs must.
3) I had to spend £3.85 on my lunch for the first day back to the CS after our holiday, as we got home at midnight after a nightmare journey starting out at 8.45am. We just didn't have any appropriate food in the house, so I bought a sandwich and snack on the way to work. Actually, this was a double fail because I could probably have got better value if I'd got a meal deal instead.
So long as you ended up in the green and not the red then you have won.
ReplyDeletexx
Glad you got your Oyster card sorted out and able to put the refund to good use. We are having to constantly check bank accounts at the moment - decorating is an expensive hobby and I am loathed to break into our savings to buy paint and screws etc - so we are trying to cut spending on the things like magazines and lunches. I manage to take my lunch everyday at the moment and only had one bought one for the same reason as you - back from our holiday. I think with shares you just have to sit tight - it is actually a good time to by more if they are 20% down!
ReplyDeleteI think your successes far out did any of your frugal failures.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Glad you got your refund on the Oyster card. More successes than failures there and no big blowout for lunch on the first day back so that's good going - it's so easy to spend more at times like tat, you did really well not to fall into the trap.
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