Cheery's buttling diary: tea in one hand, plant pot in the other, running shoes on

Cheery_Daff

Morning chums :hello:

Just popping in to report that I've done banks and YNAB (much needed after a small bout of Christmas shopping the other day - purse almost wouldn't close cos of all the receipts and small change :eek: )

Everything nicely enough balanced :j And Mr Cheery has been paid for a small bit of work he did so we've bunged £150 of that into the house fund :j :money: :j

Also, thanks to Greying introducing me to the FrugalWoods blog, we've decided to join in with her uber frugal month in January :j

Not entirely sure what that will entail for us but we can certainly spend less than we are at the minute, and I'm up for a challenge :j :j

Right, best get my act together...

EssexHebridean

I looked at the Uber Frugal month idea too but it doesn't really work for me I don't think. I KNOW I'll be making trips to Lincoln, pal up there who is being posted to a new base is having a joint leaving do with another pal who is coming to the end of her time in the RAF so I definitely want to do that, and we also have the trip to Manchester already planned in there...

Well done on balancing finances and christmas shopping! :T

Cheery_Daff

Thanks

We'll definitely be having exceptions for example, it'll be our last month of house prep, so there'll be no restrictions on DIY spending - if we need to do something, we'll do it. But on the other hand were naturally frugal in that area anyway so won't be going out and buying all new furniture anyway!

Also we've already decided that if we get invited to a social event (eg going out for a curry or something) then this won't stop us going.

What we *will* do though (and we'll talk about this more nearer the time) is:

* if we suggest a social event, it'll be house or picnic based

* no going out for breakfast just the two of us for the month (we like this but in one month we'll hardly be deprived)

* I will take all lunches to work

* no takeaways :eek:

* I'll add in no charity shop purchases (except necessary house stuff) - no clothes, books, candles etc. Not talked this one through with mr cheery yet and as he's an avid charity shopper he may not go along with it... :rotfl: might do it for myself anyway

I might even get my bike out of the cellar and challenge myself to do all round-town rides on it :eek: always used to but since moving here we live on top of a hill and it right puts me off good excuse for some exercise!

My gym membership is due in Jan too and I have a vague memory of a discount if I took part in some health assessment - missed it this year but might investigate so I don't miss it again. Might reconside the gym altogether although I have actually used it this year for the first time so we'll see!

So probably more "more frugal than normal" than "ultra frugal" for us but better than nowt :rotfl:

Greying_Pilgrim

Gosh Cheery you're a good 'un. I don't know whether to sign up or not - not doing facecloth doesn't help. But I do like the concept of a frugality 'reset', because I think that we all let things slip. But I'm wary with having Baby Greying now. I can't do anything to jepardise them - even if it's innocently and inadvertently. I might watch closely from the sidelines to get a *feel* for it and then apply the logic to our own circumstances. Much to ponder....... as you're never too old to learn new tricks

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

:hello: evening

Greying, I'm so sorry to have to ask, but what does "not doing facecloth" mean? Ah, just dawned on me that you might mean !!!!!book - is that it? Or is it some kind of bizarre flannel-based MSE challenge, which was my first assumption??

I am on !!!!!book but probably shan't be joining in on there, this is more just for me (and I'll keep track here )

Never too old to learn new tricks indeed Greying :j :j And I get the impression that I'll be doing it more as a 'frugality reset' myself - with working full time and having a payrise this year (in fact two, with changing jobs ) I've lost a few of my old good MSE habits I certainly don't feel very frugal at the minute you're about a million times more frugal than me already, bet you'll catch me doing hundreds of non-frugal things that I hadn't even thought of all through January! I certainly won't be achieving a 72% savings rate! :eek:

Just been to gym for half an hour - now down to £4.21 per visit :j :j Thought I was doing pretty well but that doesn't actually sound that frugal now I say it :rotfl:

Oven's on for a(nother) pizza Not my fault - I was going to cook but Mr Cheery will be unexpectedly in tonight and asked me to bring one on the way home. Vexingly, the orange supermarket didn't have their £1 one (our usual choice) so I had to go with Mr M's £1.50 instead. It had best be worth the extra 50p! :rotfl:

Greying_Pilgrim

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

:hello: evening

Greying, I'm so sorry to have to ask, but what does "not doing facecloth" mean? Ah, just dawned on me that you might mean !!!!!book - is that it? Or is it some kind of bizarre flannel-based MSE challenge, which was my first assumption??

*snort* :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

It's R2's fault - Chris hEavans called it that this morning - but your deduction was correct - F ace book

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

my original guess was more fun!

So... had friends round for tea tonight and made Jack Munroe's bean goulash, both tasty and thrifty :money: wasn't *quite* enough (the horror!) so mr Cheery made supplementary chilli, which mostly didn't get eaten :rotfl: so that will do for dinner tomorrow :j

Also made my own tortillas - a tasty and thrifty exercise but quite a time consuming one. I will do it again though as they were much tastier than shop bought :j (and also a lot smaller so easier to eat!)

Also picked up a mysterious chocolate log with no outer packaging from the greengrocers, which has an odd selection of cheap chocolates and cakes, I presume end of date or slightly damaged or something. This was just in celophane with no outer wrapper :rotfl: but it was also (a) very tasty and (b) only 70p :money: and did 6 of us for pudding very nicely! :j

So carrying on with the gratitude thing, today I am grateful for...

* a lovely evening with cheery pals :j

* my lovely boss, who didn't bat an eyelid when i announced this morning that I was taking this afternoon off :rotfl:

* an afternoon off! :j

* mr cheery, for tidying the kitchen and living room to acceptable hanging-out standards for 6 of us :j There's even room to put up the christmas tree!!! Hope to get round to that tomorrow night :j

Planning a longish run tomorrow morning, then a day of sanding and painting various things. Also need to get on with the online christmas shopping! :j

But right now I'm already worn out and in bed so I reckon I've got about five minutes before I'm asleepzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Cheery_Daff

Evening :hello:

a pretty frugal day today :j I popped down to the parkrun, and then did an extra five miles after, making eight in total :eek: Sounds excessive, but I'm doing a half marathon in FOUR WEEKS and this is the longest I've run in months, and next weekend is my last chance to get in a ten miler before the race, aarrgghh! :eek:

:rotfl:

Mr Cheery and I hopped to check out a £10 bed frame for the spare room in a charity shop - acceptable but it'll need painting. The room's not ready anyway yet, and that shop always has a selection, and we're not looking for anything in particular, so we've left it for now.

(we did sneak out for tea and toast while we were out, but at £3.60 between us it didn't really break the bank - none of that in uber-frugal January though!)

Other than that I've been sanding and painting skirting boards and door frames. ALL DAY. Well, what feels like all day - I probably would have been quicker if I hadn't kept stopping, but, well, you've got to have a break...

Needless to say, I haven't done some of what was on my list but it's too late to start shifting furniture to get at the rest so it'll have to wait. Just trying to talk myself into what *does* need doing before I completely flake out though:

* WASH PAINT BRUSHES - I *hate* doing this No idea why I can handle ones that you wash in water, but these are in white spirit and I just can't be bothered. It's the one thing I'd happily toss in the bin after every single use! (but at the minute that would mean buying new paintbrushes every day and even I'm not that mad)

* wash hands - currently covered in manky combination of black paint dust (yes, from sanding black paint) and new white paint. Not pretty

* wash dishes (after washing hands)

* remove paint-covered clothes (carefully) and don PJs :j :j

Reckon I can do that lot in 15 mins (especially if I miss out washing the dishes - not exactly *essential*...) :rotfl:

Cheery_Daff

Ok, so it took me 29 minutes but that also included filling the hot water bottle :rotfl:

retiredandskint

Re the paintbrushes Cheery, when you've finished painting, dip it back in the paint and wrap in clingfilm or tightly wrapped plastic bag.