I haven't been wearing much makeup since I stopped wearing it to work in 2014, which explains the delay in it running out and also means I won't miss it too much!
I am a bit nervous though...especially about mascara!
I never considered make-up a huge expense...because I never bought a lot of it(that is my full collection shown). But I was considering getting a new foundation as the one I have is almost empty (the first of my pre 2016 supply to run out) and have decided against it...and to wean myself off makeup instead...I am not sure how this will work interms of using up what I have got as foundation is a pretty basic component...but I will see how I get on!
I haven't been wearing much makeup since I stopped wearing it to work in 2014, which explains the delay in it running out and also means I won't miss it too much! I am a bit nervous though...especially about mascara!
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I haven´t been blogging too much lately because I am not really aware of the little things that I am doing to be more environmentally friendly that also end up saving me money. But someone was talking about cleaning products on Facebook today and it made me think. Apparently the average person spends €300 a year on cleaning products. I spend a lot less. Some of it is savings from buying in bulk. 10kg or dishwasher powder or laundry detergent while it is a big outlay in one go saves you in the long run. But most of the savings are because I am not buying lots of different products and instead using a few more versatile ones. Mainly vinegar (A 5l container that I have been sharing with my parents and is still lasting ages), baking soda, Dr Bronners soap (I think I am still only on my 3rd bar after over a year) and the recent addition of citric acid (a jam jar full of which I picked up for €1.
In the kitchen I use baking soda to clean the oven and anything that gets burnt onto the hob. I wipe down surfaces just with a damp cloth and I use the bar soap for dish washing (or powder if I am using the dishwasher) and washing the floor. In the bathroom I use apple scrap vinegar for cleaning the shower glass and mirror and alternate baking soda and vinegar for everything else, occasionally using bar soap. I got the citric acid to try and shift an unsightly limescale stain that is hard to reach. For the rest of the house it is mainly hoovering and dusting and no extra bottles of chemicals are needed. Laundry as mentioned above is done with bulk powder, but in this case I think the eco brand works out more expensive...I am happy enough to let it balance out because all in all it is working out much cheaper for me overall. I didn´t really notice any saving here, because I never had to pay bin charges before (usually because they were included in rent in apartment complexes) but on the street we live now there is a bin bag system where specified prepaid (€4 for general waste €2 for recycling) bags are picked up on a Tuesday, so I think I am saving a fair chunk by not needing this service! Instead we produce less waste, (general, recycling and compost) by buying much less stuff, buying unpackaged food and second hand goods (which means they usually don´t come in packaging), and eating as much of the food as possible by turning vegetable scraps into stock for example. We still have things like coffee grinds and banana skins, so we do have a lidded bucket for collecting compost but this we empty (monthly) into friends´ or family´s compost or brown bin. We bring any packaging we do have to the bring centre directly, and our black bin waste amounts to about a sandwich bag´s worth every few months, so we just ask family if we can throw it in their bin too! At I don´t claim to have a capsule wardrobe...yet ...but I am working towards one, which I think plays a big part in reducing my spending on clothes. The reason why I didn´t jump straight into having a capsule is that some of my clothes are not good enough to donate (wouldn´t sell well in charity shops) but I will still wear them for a bit longer (before turning them into cleaning rags or sending them to be recycled). But in the mean time I am being very careful about how much and what i do bring in (even if it is from clothes swaps and charity shops) so I am gradually cutting down and will finally reach capsule level. I am still donating some things to charity or bringing them to swaps... when you are only getting second hand, sometimes you have to settle for almost perfect, so if a few months later you get a closer match to what you want, you can swap that out! I think this will speed up the process of getting t to a capsule wardrobe as I will generally be happier with my clothes. Another thing helps keep me motivated is challenges and restrictions, the photo here shows the 30 items for 30 days that I did in August...it really made me see that 30 items was plenty...and when I was picking them out I realised that I had worn less than 30 in July! At the end of the month I did go back to my full wardrobe....but only because I felt that the other items were being wasted...so as I gradually wear clothes out or replace them with more versatile pieces I will reach capsule, and until then I will keep an eye out for more challenges to keep me focused on the goal! This app is finally taking hold in Dublin, I´ve had it for a while but only in the last few months has there been regular uploading of food close to me (thanks to a dedicated network of volunteers). Less food waste and free food...what´s not to love!
This is a website where you can rent out, borrow or hire things, so they can be useful when you aren´t using them and you don´t have to buy your own if you only use it from time to time! A great idea, but it hasn´t really taken off yet...I am optimistic about the future though, and these things only work if we get onboard with them... I have managed to rent out my hair dryer for a day, so I do have a bit of credit if there is every anything I need!
We over spent a little bit...but if we only count the living expenses it is much less than €750...with over 2 thirds going on treats, travel and hobbies.So C took a trip to Scotland, but some of that was already covered, the balance was 120 euro, and apart from 15 spent on sports (football and swimming) and 36 for CSPs we spent 40 on groceries and 20 on dinner on the go. leaving us 60% over budget and our worst month except January with the ski trip! We are now over by €1,725 or to put it another way, to stay within budget we should only spend €500 a month for the rest of the year. This isn't really realistic, but I amn´t disheartened that I haven´t set out to do what I intended (we actually got a housemate ...space sharing...low waste, and some other cash has crossed my path from a bit of extra work I was doing, so money wise we are not in trouble...which has probably helped with the over spending), even though we haven´t stayed under €750 a month a lot of what we spent has been on travel and hobbies...So I feel in terms of household budget we did ok!
I will make a nice pie chart and post it up when I have 6 months of data! Money saving, better for the environment, healthier, more convenient and sometimes even quicker.
Aside from the occasional inconvenient puncture, and the initial investment, bikes work out really, really cheap. But as well as that they are much more convenient for getting places than buses (no waiting around) and often you reach your destination quicker, as well as being more in control of how long it is going to take you, and never having a walk either end. I still get buses for longer journeys (or in the case of yesterday when I got a puncture), but so far this year we have only spent €110 on leap card credit , so really have made quite a saving since I would have been spending €20 a week minimum on buses. We had some computer trouble, and we weren´t keeping track of things on a daily basis (or at all) so this may not be accurate, which is why I have decided to lump it all in together:
Groceries €52 Car boot sale and charity shop: €25 Swimming (lessons for me and pay as you go for C) : €73 Credit card stamp duty: €30 Trips: €120 Sterling withdrawal: €350 (this will last us through some more trips, but it is just easier to record it like this instead of having to convert each transaction) Climbing: €75... 12 entry pass Leap card credit: €40 Phone credit: €40 Treats and drinks: €20 Bike repairs: €10 New stuff(but Eco stuff): €76 (Solar powered battery charger, water bottles, toothbrushes, socks and pants) So that adds up to €920 which means we have overspent for the month again (with have a full week left) and we haven´t managed to make a dent in our previous over spends, and are now €1,480 (or almost 2 months) over budget...I am forever the optimist though and I think we can scale back in the future to cover it! |
When I started this blog I was on quite a tight budget, I was on carers allowance and C was looking for work. Our monthly budget was €750 a month after rent. Archives
June 2018
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