Petrol, shopping and sprouting broccoli

I think I said in an earlier post that I find money quite boring, however it is a necessary evil as without it I would not be able to go on holiday, pay the mortgage or buy yoghurt and dog food. So this post will be about the changes I've made to cope with the changes in my income since being made redundant. Or in election speak it lays out my fiscal policy and shows how I plan to balance the books in these times of recession.

First thing I did when it looked like redundancy was on the cards was to cancel my organic veg box delivery. I have been having a fortnightly box delivered for years and really enjoyed getting it but thought that it was an unnecessary expense. Instead of this I have been pinching veg from my Mums garden with the result that  I am beginning to look like a hybrid of kale and sprouting broccoli as that is all that is ready for picking at the moment. She has just planted beans and carrots so I'm looking forward to some more variety soon.

Next thing was to cancel some of  the email updates that I subscribe to companies such as Radley Handbags, Groupon, Fat Face, holiday sites etc. I figured that I could do without temptation of getting emails of new styles of handbags, clothes, gadgets and details of holidays that I can't really afford at the moment and definitely don't need.

Whilst in work I spent a lot each month on petrol as I needed to fill the car each week where as now I haven't had to fill the tank once since leaving my job. I have also decided that it makes financial sense not to just use the car for a journey with a single purpose and will only drive it if I have at least 2 errands that necessitate driving.  So I won't take the car to just drive to the shops but will also get my hair done and visit a friend too. That's why this weekend when planning to go and visit my aunt who lives about an hour and a half drive from me I decided to get double value out of my petrol money and so have booked to stay at a holiday park near where she lives for 3 nights. Critics of this plan may say that going shopping and having my haircut costs more than just going shopping but they haven't factored in the petrol saving, ditto visiting my Aunt and having a weekend away. It's all in the manifesto, the figures don't lie (much).

I am also saving money on my food bills. As I tend to be at home more at lunchtime I am making my own lunch rather than buying something out which is of course cheaper (and healthier). I've always been a rubbish shopper and will buy things just because they are on special offer. Sometimes I've even bought things I don't really like just because they are a bargain. This is why my cupboards are full of food that I never really eat. So I've decided to save money by using up this food. When I looked through the cupboards I found packets and packets of different pasta, bags of rice, jars of curry sauce and 3 tins of corned beef (which I am not even keen on). So rather than waste it I thought back to my student days when I lived with a girl from Liverpool who made really good corned beef hash, I googled the recipe and made it yesterday and it wasn't half bad. The hardest thing was deciding what wine to serve it with. I tried Champagne but it wasn't right somehow...only kidding I had Chateauneuf du Pape. So as you can see I am being quite sensible about money. You've probably heard today that one of the major supermarkets has made huge losses recently, well I don't think that it can be a coincidence that its at he same time that I have cut back on my food shopping.

However there is one thing that I am spending more money on and that is toilet rolls. When I was working many of my bathroom visits were during work hours so I used the toilet paper at the office. Now because I suppose I am in a lot more and drinking more at home then an increased use of toilet paper is the obvious result! Luckily though toilet rolls are cheaper than petrol so I'm still quid's in. I would just say that if you do have money to invest in shares it might be worth thinking about selling any shares you have in Tescos and buying some in Andrex instead.

I am also focusing more on the free pleasures that there are around which we often overlook. The other evening I took Billy, my dog, for walk on the cliff path near where we live. It is quite steep in places so Billy and I stopped, pretending to admire the view whereas really we were getting our breath back. There was a grassy bank overlooking the beach and sea so I sat down to admire the vista (it was really, really steep!). Billy sat down next to me, just like a proper dog, and we both took in the scene. The sun was shining, there was a gentle breeze, the guls were wheeling and the surfers were, well, surfing. It was a perfect spring evening. I'd remembered both my sunglasses and my keys so didn't have to squint and wouldn't have to break in when we got home. I could smell the gorse and wild garlic flowers, this should have smelt bad but actually the coconut scent of the gorse mingled with the smell of garlic and reminded me of  a Thai curry. Billy and I sat for maybe 10 minutes admiring the view (it was really, really, really steep!) It was just one of those perfect moments, they don't come along that often but when they do they fill you with contentment and wellbeing. Maybe if I had still been working I wouldn't have taken time to enjoy the moment and may even have wasted more money on petrol and unnecessary food by going out to buy a Thai curry instead of eating my corned beef hash and sprouting broccoli.

So this post sums up my pre-election budget, not exactly austerity measures but in my mind it all makes good financial sense. Buy less, drive less, enjoy more free stuff and steal veg.