Five frugal things we’ve done for this week…
If this week had a theme, it would be “quick, finish the house!”
We had a mad rush to get essential jobs done and the house tidied before Thursday, because – well – you’ll have to read on.
1 – DIY kitchen and living room updating
My DIY jobs are a recurring theme, of course, but doing jobs ourselves does save money.
We finally bought some timber and boxed in the pipes that run from below kitchen the countertop up to the ceiling. This is one improvement that didn’t cost much, but definitely makes a huge impact on the room. It’s interesting how there are often small fixes that can make your home seem much more expensive!
2 – £10 and £2 discount coupons at B&Q
Lord Balders had his heart set on a pair of Carina curtains from B&Q, but they were pricier than I’d have liked them to be, so we spent some time shopping around to find an alternative. We couldn’t find anything as nice, so I compromised and said “Ok, you shall have your curtains”.
Normally, I always think, “Curtains? Nah, I can make those.” But really, I don’t have the time, space or energy to do a good job right now.
The good thing was that I found some unopened and long-forgotten B&Q club emails with a couple of money-off vouchers in. We got £10 off of the curtains, and £2 off of some white emulsion (bought separately to use both vouchers).
3 – 5% cashback for using my Pockit card at B&Q
After getting the discount on the curtains, could it get any better? Yep! I’d loaded my Pockit card with enough money to cover the curtains (minus the £10), and as I used that to make the purchase, I’ll get 5% cashback!
4 – Free groceries via CheckoutSmart
Thanks to CheckoutSmart, we’ve brought home two free loaves of bread and two Pot Pasta thingies (which I didn’t actually want, but brought extreme delight my 12 year old). Free food is always good!
5 – Little Balders is planning internet entrepreneurship
My 12 year old son has caught the entrepreneurial bug. I’ve been trying to convince him of the benefits of building a business online, but of course, despite all my nudging in other directions, he’s fallen in love with the idea of making money from video game streaming.
Now, there are people who do this, I know. And I also know that it’s not easy, and it’s also unlikely… but because video games are something that my son loves, he’s actually become self-motivated at last. He found Mixer ages ago, and this week, he set up a Patreon account!
It can be hard to get kids interested in personal finance and making and managing their own money, so whenever I see a spark of interest, I cultivate it. So I’m hoping to watch his example and learn how to do it for my artwork… thanks, son!
Why the rush to finish the jobs?
We finally booked valuations from three estate agents. Yep, the sale process is finally getting under way. I’m happy and sad at the same time…
Over to you…
What frugal things have you been up to this week?
