Last week went past in a flash. I didn’t have time for much at all, let alone spending any money. My no spend January continues to go well! This morning I have been considering the frugal things I have done for this savvy Sunday round up. So what have we achieved this week?
Hunkering down
The weather has been so grim and cold, with more freezing weather forecast. I hate it! We have been wearing lots of layers. It can feel very chilly in the mornings at home, but by the time I have rushed around like a lunatic to get to work I start to heat up. So, the layers come off!
The wood burner has come into its own this winter. It is so cosy; we absolutely love it. As the lodger has been away we haven’t been heating the house as much. Instead we have snuggled in front of the fire. I have a couple of throws on the chair too if it feels really cold.
I have been pulling the curtains as soon as I can to help keep the heat in. This really works. It should all save money on our heating bills. This savvy Sunday will be mainly spent keeping warm!
Being a model for the day (and making extra cash)
One of the more unusual ways I have found to make extra cash it to get featured in the newspapers. Journalists are frequently on the look out for interviewees for stories and will pay you if you are chosen. I saw a request on a Facebook group I belong to looking for women who have suddenly developed allergies in later life. There is apparently some evidence to suggest that the menopause may be responsible. I blame hormones for pretty much anything so I applied.
I did a half hour interview in my lunch break with a very nice journalist from the Daily Mail. Yesterday morning she sent a make up artist and a photographer round for a photoshoot. It was really quite exciting. I felt like a celebrity!
Mike the photographer was telling me about all of the famous people he had photographed. Helen Mirren, David Attenborough, FW Declerk and, the highlight of his career, me!
The fee for this will go straight into my contingency fund. If you read my post from the other day you will know that increasing this is one of our goals for 2018.
A super low grocery spend
I have spent hardly anything this week on groceries, just a small shop in Aldi last week of about £23. A replenishment of the stocks is needed, but I will wait until Monday. I want to see if there are any bargains on Approved Food first and maybe stock up on things like casserole sauces, pasta, rice, etc. They are ridiculously cheap, just because they are near or past their best before date. Everything is all still safe to eat! (This is my refer a friend code, so if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a credit to spend.)
I had a quick look earlier and they had three cans of Ambrosia custard for 99p. Mr S loves this! Be careful if you are watching your weight though as you have to wade through lots of tempting chocolate and snacks to find the basic groceries. New customers currently get free delivery on orders over £55.
Selling on eBay
I was surprised to find that have I sold quite a few of my listed items this week. I thought people would be too broke, but it seems they still have an eye for a bargain.
Although it is quite hard work to list a lot of things on eBay, it is handy extra money. If you are interested in trying to sell on eBay I have this guide. I also recently published a post on how to find bargains on eBay for those of you not on a no spend month!
As promised, this extra cash has also gone into the contingency fund.
Selling on Ziffit
Regular readers will know that I have been having a good declutter and have cleared out a load of our books and DVDs. I started to get prices for some of them on Ziffit yesterday and will make this a proper savvy Sunday by finishing them. I think I will make about £50!
It is very easy to use Ziffit, although the items do need to be in good condition. Some items were rejected, so I will donate those to the charity shop.
I am happy with the way my month is going. We are spending very little, saving on our household bills and managing to make a little extra money as well. So that is my savvy Sunday. How is yours?
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What a lovely photo of you with the snapper for the Daily Mail, Jane! It’s fun having this done, isn’t it? (for a feature of mine in the Daily Telegraph some years ago they also sent a professional snapper to our house, but no make-up artist!)
You are doing well with your no-spend January, but do bear in mind that when you run your food and household stock down and these items need to be replaced; you are simply deferring spending on them, so while I applaud the idea of a no-spend January, it could (and I say “could”) result in a more-expensive February, so things eventually even out. Perhaps having a no-spend January, though, helps to focus our minds on what we don’t need to spend our money on at any time, not only in January – takeaways, cartons of coffee and so forth – so in that way it’s a good idea.
Margaret P
Thanks Margaret! Yes that’s possible I am deferring spending, but it also means I am using things up that might otherwise go to waste. It makes me a more creative cook too
Just a word of warning about the wood burning stove – I hope you have installed a carbon monoxide detector?
I know it’s required by law for rented houses that have a solid fuel burner to have one installed now (like with smoke detectors), but I don’t know if the same rules apply to homes with lodgers.
Either way, it’s for your safety as well.
We have two! The chap that installed it gave us one but we had bought one anyway. Good advice though.
Looking fab in the photo. Well done on your creativity in boosting your income. Catriona
With the exception of a few holidays locations where no Daily Mail could be found I have read the Daily Mail every day since I was 18 years old (1974) I shall look out for you.
The wood burning stove looks so cosy. I miss our real fire. Thank you for the information on ebay and ziffit as it might come in handy. I have bought from Approved food a few times but of late haven’t found anything worth buying for me.
I love your blog and think your lifestyle is excellent. However, I’ve been a little concerned about your wood heater. The smoke produced from wood heaters is cancer causing, and where I live in a cold part of Australia, believe it or not, they’ve been banned from the newer suburbs. Perhaps yours doesn’t produce much smoke?
Once again, a useful, resourceful and enjoyable post.
We only burn wood as it is carbon neutral. But you’re right – it does create smoke. There are no restrictions here currently but I have heard some talk about this being a concern. It’s hard to find any form of heating that doesn’t produce any type of pollutant somewhere though so it’s a conundrum
This concerns me, too.
Margaret P
It’s a conundrum for sure. We wanted a wood burner initially because they were billed as being eco friendly (but also because they are cosy and warm). However, there are now some alarm bells being raised about how polluting they actually are. We are using locally sourced wood, which is carbon neutral and burning less gas. However, we are also producing more air pollution locally. We use Good Energy for our electricity so keeping up the green credentials there. In the end all you can do is your best with what you have. No doubt the story will change in the future. I was encouraged to buy a diesel car 10 years ago as being better for the environment. Now diesel is the enemy. It is hard to keep up!
fab looking model, Jane….
Thanks!
Congrats on having no debts, you deserve a holiday indeed. Our mortgage has few more years.