Cost of Living #5

[nightshade]

I had put a bit of water in the almost empty tomato sauce bottle to really use it all up

I do that with sauces, shampoo, pretty much anything in a bottle or jar! I always add milk to scrambled eggs too, make it stretch further.

 

[TamsinValencia]

I like Disney plus but netflix isn't worth the money.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

So I got that issue with the local tax authorities settled, I don't have to pay the 1000 $ per quarter in advance payments anymore, thanks god for that!

I really need to keep all my money together right now, as I did manage to find an apartment in Düsseldorf! I'm quite stoked about that, but the costs connected are enormous. I'm trying to manage that bit by bit right now, by basically living by the bare minimum until the move is all done. I'm looking to move probably around end of February / early March, so let's see how well I'll be able to manage.

I have to say I do kind of enjoy trying to use up everything I still have in my current apartment, both to let nothing go to waste, save money and have less stuff to move across the country. So doing a lot of baking right now for example, to get rid of all the flour I still have and piece by piece thawing all the veg I still have in the freezer.

 

[nightshade]

@TriBel I cancelled a charity direct debit! Have you done yours yet?!
It's only going to save me a fiver a month, but still.

However I went into the supermarket hungry, and instead of just getting cat food and bread, I got pringles, shortbread, malteasers and chocolate coins! Oops!

 

[TriBel]

I cancelled a charity direct debit! Have you done yours yet?!

Nope! Partly because when a chugger stops me in the street I can truthfully say "I'm sorry - I have 3 charity covenants and if I make one with you I'll have to cancel one"...then I add "blame the Tories". Partly because I'm useless and apathetic. Other things not cancelled (because I'm useless and apathetic): a) Tate membership (which is first degree stupidity because I only ever go to Liverpool Tate and it's closed for 2 years); b) Audible (I have 6 credits and 35 "books" in my library, and I've only listened to Sandman 1, 2 & 3); and c) Netflix (which I only renewed to watch Sandman. I'll cancel it when I've finished The Crown - which is now crap).

On the plus side, while I paid full price for a pair of DMs for one twin, I've just bought a pair of Vans for twin 2 for £58 instead of £90. I'm feeling smug about it.

Oh...and I found a mint, 1st Ed. copy of this in a charity shop:

It's Chris Ware's 2012 graphic novel "Building Stories" (£50 in Waterstones - I paid £4).

Also this (plus France and Australia) - again mint:

£50 each on Amazon - I paid a total of £12 for the 3. I'll give them to my brother. At that price it doesn't matter if his mad dogs chew the pieces.

Thinking ahead - I found this bear for £7. I'm gonna make him a Liverpool Uni Doctorate cap & gown in the hope that twin 2 stops moaning about the fact I didn't get him a teddy for his BSc or MSc.

So - while I might be pretty shite when it comes to canceling charity d/ds, I'm bloody hot at charity shopping. I think I'm breaking even. 😄

 

[November]

I left Australia to live in Bali because I couldn't afford it anymore

Adina Shon, 32, moved from Australia to Bali in August last year to flee from the cost of living.

www.dailymail.co.uk

If my health wasnt so bad, I'd follow her! I have no desire to live in bali, but for that price of rent, its super tempting!

The lady down the road had a big garage sale so Im assuming shes back off to Uganda soon. The clever ones are leaving for easier living.

I need to price a new wooden front gate. I think I have paint, just need to replace it since its all rotten. I want to put up a proper solid tin fence over the driveway too. Last night some guys were kicking at my dogs through the mesh. Im so sick of it, but changing that big driveway gate is a want, not a need.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

I left Australia to live in Bali because I couldn't afford it anymore

Adina Shon, 32, moved from Australia to Bali in August last year to flee from the cost of living.

www.dailymail.co.uk

If my health wasnt so bad, I'd follow her! I have no desire to live in bali, but for that price of rent, its super tempting!

The lady down the road had a big garage sale so Im assuming shes back off to Uganda soon. The clever ones are leaving for easier living.

I need to price a new wooden front gate. I think I have paint, just need to replace it since its all rotten. I want to put up a proper solid tin fence over the driveway too. Last night some guys were kicking at my dogs through the mesh. Im so sick of it, but changing that big driveway gate is a want, not a need.

If you are renting the property, why do you have to spend the money to buy the new gate? One of the advantages of renting is that you don't need to spend anything on capital equipment, the landlord should foot the bill for that.

 

[nightshade]

My broadband contract end next month, so I've had to look at other options. Found one that is basically the same price. However the current contract jumps up £20 a month so definitely worth checking when it ends and what else is available.

 

[November]

Got a frozen rolled turkey breast in that big IGA haul the other week for cheap and now this week spuds are $3 a kilo so I have them ordered for Saturday 😀 i should be set for food good over the weekend.

I dont have much petrol in the car so have deliveries coming this week and am desperately hoping they have everything I ordered in them cos that will save me big on petrol during a holiday week. And keeps me off the highway when its full of tourists!

Oz Lotto is 90million next week! Already have my ticket.

 

[nightshade]

Thanks to my dad giving me cash for Christmas I've made the last payment on my credit card. So that's one less bill for next year, I also had a little left over so put it towards my cruise.

I need to go through my finances in January after pay day, work out if I can save anything. I change internet on 4th January, so need to write that down for when that contract ends.

 

[November]

I have finished my bulk cooking for the year haha. Turkey with white sauce and veg, chinese beef noodle, savoury mince and spag bog all packed in the freezer 😀

The unleaded petrol pump in town has been having issues and is now out of order indefinitely, so I really need to be better with keeping the tank FULL especially now in fire season. Amazingly, I havent blown through the entire fuel card yet! So thats great for me. I have restricted my driving a lot this year, but I do find I am getting stir crazy with it. Isolation is fine when I am sick, less fine when I have energy but no money to leave.

I have grown my own tomatoes this year and now they give me hives lol. The grapes are looking great, but I havent net them so its just a race between me and the birds. Got strawberries by the front door and blueberries out the back. My garden is being good to me this year.

 

[November]

Do households need one of everything? These communities show another way is possible

These libraries lend useful household items such as tools and gardening gear, and are prompting communities to rethink those items that sit unused most of the time.

www.sbs.com.au

This is a great idea and would be so helpful in a little town like mine. Everything runs on social connections and the ones outside of the social circle are far more disadvantaged than those in it.

A library like this would cut out the need to be on a close friend level to get anywhere. It would help the very tight knit community untie a bit! Especially if it was run out of the mens shed or op shop. Although there are potential issues, if things are broken or catch fire or anything like that... The culture to sue people has reached our shores since 2001.

 

[nightshade]

Just paid my car insurance, best deal I could find was still £100 more than last year. Just got the mot next month to get through.

 

[nightshade]

Just received the email to renew my car insurance, and it's £200 more than the deal I found. So don't let companies auto renew!

 

[November]

How WA family fled Australia to escape cost of living

A WA family has told of the bold decision they took to pack up their lives in Australia and travel full-time.

www.perthnow.com.au

Clever family! I know of a few people, mostly single, spending their "home" swings off the mines in asia instead. Two older men in my family went to chase thai wives and are living like kings over there. Its a much smarter idea with how quickly it all went to crap here. If I was able to fly, it would actually save me money to go on a longer term overseas holiday, how mental is that!!! I wont ever force myself on a plane again tho, even for frugal living haha.

My neighbour gave me yet another bag of tomatoes. Gotta be worth at least $15 this week. Im lucky to have neighbours who share. Hopefully i can pay him back in pears.

 

[November]

I have to rein myself in a bit of paying things too far ahead. Just cos I got the room to stock up, doesn't mean I have to stock up on everything! I have way more wiggle room in the budget and its tough to get my mind around not optimising every cent and paying bills too far ahead in credit. My power bill is in credit and so is my gas (but I've lost the $80 of credits on my gas before so this isnt really a good thing). I have soap, loo roll, dishsoap and socks 6 months in advance.

Im thinking maybe i should spend some money to make the house a bit easier to manage. Its really far too much for me to run this whole place on my own. Its sorta wild how disabled people are supposed to be superhuman, functioning in isolation on poverty line payments with no access to services unless you find the right doctor to pay off for paperwork. Now that I do have a bit saved, maybe I should spend the money to simplify things further. Because I know for sure I cant move within 2 years, there just isn't enough housing stock in the state for the population so I would be stupid to try and leave a home I know I am secure in. Despite the lack of options in anything else. A house gives the most stability and I need that the most above all else. I just have to figure out how to manage the workload of it better.... Without dexamphetamine lol.

 

[nightshade]

This cruise is getting more and more expensive. Just looked at booking parking for the week, and that's £150! I hadn't realised it would be that much, it'll have to wait until next month to be booked, I will have to use the council tax money for it. I was hoping that I could use that to pay off the cruise, but I have to get the parking booked.

 

[nightshade]

Octopus saving sessions are back, just an hour one tonight but good to have them back, not that I'll save much. Now the energy prices have gone up, any little savings help.

 

[November]

Its getting apocalyptic in some of these inland towns. We have no fuel and no phonelines and no water in my town (its getting carted in and new plant opens soon), Kal and the roads leading to it have had no power for days, we've had both minor floods and minor flooding in the last few days. At least the smoke has cleared from my town for now. That fire has been burning since before Christmas.

Its a weird stage, not far off some big infrastructure projects being completed ,but they are not here yet. Heaps more families have moved to the region which I am happy to see. Its sad and negligent to put oldies out here with no services. The families are fighting for changes.

Watching China and watching the mining. It could become very, very interesting if the miners lose their jobs.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

I had a real scare today. A few days ago, my hot water stopped working. I looked at my water heater and saw the pilot light had went out. I tried to relight it with no luck. So I called the gas company to get it serviced. He came today and told me the knob was broken and that I needed to hire a plumber to fix it. My heart sank, because I definitely can't afford that. but then he messed around with it a bit more and said he thought the cold had just made it stick. So it's okay and working properly. Thank God. And we have had a cold snap here so I especially need hot water.

And my internet bill went up $15 for no reason.