Two Pennies Left

beanielou

Good friends are worth their weight in gold.

Fortune_Smiles

We've had a fabulous Easter weekend. A mix of pottering and socialising.

MS wise:

• went to Step class on Good Friday and today :A Mr F and I went together to save on fuel. They've introduced a new season which is always hard to start with. Still, that will go a long way to burning off all the chocolate I've eaten :rotfl:
• Mr F and I got paid (and my wages are up to date at last) so did the monthly money shuffle. A lot of lillies bought already so the entertainment budget is looking a bit squeaky. £350 has gone to savings but it might be a bit optimistic to expect those pounds to stay saved
• Mr F did some small Landie and house repairs
• spent the day at our neighbours yesterday. I took a Mustardy Potato Salad and Tuna Pasta Salad for the lunchtime buffet and contributed a few ingredients and bottles of wine to the Roast Beef dinner. We had a lovely time and I particularly enjoyed hiding the eggs for the children's Easter Egg hunt
• Mr F and I went out for lunch at the local pub again today - this time to use Mr F's birthday voucher. We have eaten so much over the weekend that we couldn't manage much - just some soft drinks and a main and one of the mains was free with the voucher so £23.50 in all
• there's a small portion each of Friday's Sausage Casserole left for supper tonight and I think that will be all we need

An afternoon of lounging in front of the telly ahead. Hope you've had a fabulous weekend too

Fortune x

lulabelle1

Sounds like a perfect Easter weekend, glad you enjoyed!

Fortune_Smiles

A sudden blizzard yesterday caused the world to become white again and, as a robin peered at me from the back garden, I wondered whether Christmas had come early - or maybe hadn't left. If so, I'd like my presents now please :rotfl:

The continuing cold weather is driving the wildlife closer to the house. A mallard made her nest in the flower bed by our front door a couple of weeks ago. We tiptoe in and out of the house so as not to disturb her. I've also noticed a weasel scampering in and out of the compost bin - probably a good source of worms in there.

Recent MS:

• Zumba yesterday. However, I think I've pulled a muscle in my shoulder so may have to give Step a miss tomorrow
• 12p to Mr Marmite
• 67p Tillytidy OP'd
• Wa1tr0$£ delivered - £25.18 under budget as I used some J0hn L£w1$ vouchers I had
• £24.17 from Qu1dc0. I'd usually OP this too but I'm going to keep it in the current a/c for the moment. We're off to London on Saturday to see War Horse so may need the cash
• off to the dentist this afternoon. No bill though as I've been paying a monthly amount through their payment plan
• Rosemary & Tomato Meatballs with Roasted Mustard Roots from the meal plan for supper tonight. I feel the need for some comfort food.

Have a good day all

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

What a fabulous day to go to London. War Horse was brilliant (although I did find the French and German accents a bit irritating). I'd certainly recommend it and they release tickets for £25 at 10 each morning at the box office. Still a lot I know but significantly cheaper than normal.

MS on our spendy day:

• took the company car to the station so no fuel costs
• £3.50 parking
• £29.10 for the train tickets. Was nearly double that though! There was no one at the ticket office when we arrived so we had to use the machine. I'd never used it before and, because the sun was shining for once, it was difficult to see the screen. I bought 2 singles instead of 2 returns :eek: The assistance point at the station was hopeless (think it goes through to a call centre in India). They told me I'd have to apply for a refund and there would be a £10 admin fee :eek: Fortunately the guard on the train was great and just did us an upgrade on his machine. I think I'll write in about him actually - I'm the first one to complain when things go wrong so I should be the first to say when things go right :A
• booked dinner at Navaj0 J0es in C0v£nt Gard£n through T0p Tabl£. £17.50 for 2 courses and a cocktail. However, when we got there we were presented with the menu for 3 courses and a cocktail for £22.50. We were asked for 2 courses but the waiter said he'd have to check with the manager. When he returned he said we could have 2 course but it would cost us £20 :eek: I've written in to complain today as this smacks of sharp practice. Mr F had a couple of beers so the final bill was £60.75 and I think we were overcharged too :eek: Never going there again.
• we paid for the theatre tickets at Christmas as a present to each other so no additonal costs there
• £2 for a drink at the station on the way home.

All from the entertainment budget which is wiped out now. Fortunately I have some free cinema tickets from my 0d£0n membership to use which will keep us going until payday.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend

Fortune x

beanielou

I hate being ripped off.Grrrr.

QB_Wolf

Hope the restaurant experience didn't spoil your day too much. Doesn't sound like it did

Fortune_Smiles

Thanks guys. I have complained to the restaurant but haven't heard back yet. And it didn't spoil our day, we had a lovely time.


MS:

• a local commercial nursery had an open day on Sunday so we went along and bought a hedge. This is to fill the gap left in our front garden hedge when we built the garage. We chose Pyracantha as it's evergreen and has flowers and berries. We wanted it to look as pretty as possible all year as it will face our neighbour's kitchen window. Three plants for £20 in the sale and we bought 9 in total so £60. That was £40 below budget :T however....
• we accidently stopped at an interesting looking village pub for Sunday lunch on the way home. £28.40 Mr F said he needed to build his strength up for the planting :rotfl:So we only saved £11.60 against budget in the end
• Step class this morning
• a 79p Tillytidy OP'd today
• £10 CP voucher arrived so OP'd that too
• popped over the road to see my neighbour and was invited to join her and a friend for a lovely lunch. Goats cheese and fig salad followed by apple doughnuts with a couple of glasses of Pinot. Nom, nom, nom
• ordered a birthday present for DSS1. He's getting a company car soon and it will be the first brand new car he's had so we bought him a posh valeting set. Shopped around for the best deal and used my Amazon gift balance so £13.59
• feeling lazy tonight so Smoked Haddock Fish Cakes with Chips and Peas from the meal plan for supper.

I'm still struggling a bit with the loaves and lillies balance. After hearing the sad news about my friend having cancer part of me feels as though we should be living life to the full while we can. However, my neighbour's husband is working his last week at the moment before becoming redundant so another part of me thinks we should concentrate on building the savings and OPing the mortgage. I suppose it's a little like walking the tightrope - it's not possible to keep entirely upright, you keep your balance by leaning first to one side and then to the other. Hope I don't fall off :rotfl:

Hope your books are balancing

Fortune x

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi Fortune, I had a similar conversation about life today with a guy I work with. We can't live our lives as though they will be over tomorrow as there would empty bank accounts, but on the other hand we shouldn't stop doing things and thus not live our lives. Difficult to navigate a path and I understand exactly what you mean about keeping the balance.

Best wishes Tilly x

Fortune_Smiles

Absolutely Tilly. Funny though, it's only the loaves side I struggle with - the lillies side comes so easily to me :rotfl:I will imagine myself as 'Justice' with a sword in one hand to slash spending, scales in the other to balance the loaves and lillies and a blindford to help me avoid temptation!

Fortune x