Fabulously Frugal and Free at 50!

Pippilongstocking

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

:rotfl: at your Fred Flintstone car :rotfl: I might need one of those as my new commute will be about 54 miles of driving a day :eek: :eek: Will have to swear never to use the lifts at work :eek:

Might have to walk the boundary of my land each morning before I set off :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Or get a motor bike - ? That's what TRG has done as his commute is 35 each way - its cut his costs down considerably although you'd not get me on a bike for love nor money that's more LHG's style.

My wee car is a fiat eco panda - £30/year road tax and does an extraordinary amount of miles to a full tank which costs not very much to fill. Wasn't dear to buy either.

I like the idea of you having land me dear it would suit you - you'll be out doing the chooks before you go to work anyway!

:money:

Cheery_Daff

Indeed I will :j :j

Oddly enough, we've been looking at a Fiat Panda :j Wouldn't get me on a motorbike either, although Mr Cheery is considering a scooter But I think a little Panda would be most jolly and would mean I could leave the Kangoo at home most days (but Mr Cheery would have it for carting stuff round if necessary).

Pippilongstocking

Time for a weekly spends update I think.

Yesterday was spendy - £19 in charity shop for a couple books, three pairs of breeks and a few bits crockery. Cookbook was Economy Gastronomy:Eat Well for Less - for £1 I thought it looked like it was worth a read.

Seeing the merit in having a 'treats' or personal spends budget. LT mentioned they do so I think perhaps I should add that into the budget next.

£7 spent on exercise breeks in Mr A - my old ones are fading and as they're older than the hills I think that's ok to be new - can't hardly ever find these kind of trousers in charity shops.

Saw a nice chair yesterday but did the leave it 24 hours before I buy something big for the house - whilst it was gorgeous I'm not sure I need it - or have room for it £25 half price. Might pop in and see it again today and make my final decison. If it does come in something needs to leave the house as we have a one in one out rule. Will ponder some more.

Inherited a winter jacket here, some wee white dishes and a large jeely pan. So love handmedowns.

Spends this week updated in a mo.

Mutts and I did 12k steps yesterday - went for a nice walk when chums daughter was riding. Also stopped in a forest and did some brambling - whilst they're not ready with us they are here. Found a very odd prostrate bramble in the woods - having secateurs in the car is handy sometimes - I've taken a few wee cuttings from bits that would only be run over on the path. Ahem. Yes I'm importing alien species to scotland today. oopsie but they looked like they have a great growth habit and good berrying.

Last night was a lush tea of salad and leftovers wiht plenty new tatties.Lush a roonie.

Pippilongstocking

Weekly spend update
Credit card one - 900
Credit card two - 2700
Overdrafts both still at 1000
account 1 - (-978)
account 2 - (-387)

So total debt at 5600 - no change but don't know when being paid so I'm being conservative

Budget wise - here's where we are at but its not been a normal week as I'm away.

Grub account - 54.90 left of 200
Petrol account - 45.16 left of 200

Not much paid to the CC's this week - still waiting to be paid from second job. I paid the extra interest off (28.73) to keep them both at round numbers.

Progress I guess but not perfection at all. Still thinking of reducing O/D but want to get to end of month and see what we have left before madly hitting cc's and OD's

UncannyScot

Hi Pippilongstocking

have just read through your diary (Subbed it too ) whilst having my brekky...

I am looking for a wee cheap n cheerful runaboot motor and have been thinking of a wee Panda as a mate has one and says its best wee motor he's had in years. Says all the old FIAT jokes just don't apply any more, great wee car, he's had very little bother with it...

As you can prob tell I'm a fellow Scot
Look forward to your updates
:A

Pippilongstocking

Hey up chaps waves hello update in a bit!
Welcome to the mad house? Cheeshouse? Mad cheesehouse!?

Welcome

Pippilongstocking

Well today was a day let me tell you - the heavens opened and oh my the deluges we hid from. Good thing about gardening is a well stocked biscuit tin and a potting shed/glass house to hide in.

Spends update first - 7.68 yesterday on reduced protien and veg including chicken breasts and fruit for work lunches, bagels, pasta and milk (well the S (red top) was reduced to 24p but we don't like that, so two times those with one times same volume full price FF (blue top) milk I combined the milk bounty and voila SS (hybrid top) milk was ours - 4 litres frozen one in the fridge. woop woop. bit of creative thinking there but done it before and it works a treat.

Checked banks no wages. but meeting tomorrow so can absolutely chase up.

Reduced haul tonight was apples, carrots, pasta salad and lettuce nothing over 24p so well chuffed with that - lots of other bargains in the making but just too expensive. Reducing something to £2 is just not on - if walk later might pop in again although we don't need anything. Spent £6.57 remind me after next week NOT to buy apples.

2nd batch of plum sauce made and fridged must be bottled. I think that's lovely stuff. Stewed plums used to make 2ltrs cordial (as redcurrant recipe) and the remaining 'plum' moosh bagged into yoghurt sized dollops and frozen in a bun tray in portion sizes and then bagged - had one today with some yoghurt for my lunch (AMAZING) and its lush with a bit of maple syrup for sweetness. [I know its not cheap but I'm trying to cut out refined sugar where I can and I use half a teaspoon to three plums].

Tea has been from the stores - yesterday was HM chicken curry chinese style - today venison steaks with cabbage and rosti HM. yum venison was reduced to 1.19 so well chuffed with two steaks for that and coleslaw/rosti HM from HG produced - how lovely.

Most exciting day in the garden - not only are the apples ready to harvest - the telly garden folks popped in for a natter - as they do - and bamb! two hours talking to amazing folks about gardening, although aside ooohing and ahhing we all talked about what diseases we had (the plants, not us).

What a lovely day. Cleaner been in today so as its not MSE I don't say much except its v MSE with my time - £22 well spent for a well shiny lovely clean house.

Lunch was HG tatties, tomatoes, celery, saland, onions and butter (not HG). and a long ish walk with mutts.

Glorious evening - must check banks and update both budgets.

£25 petrol in car on way home not sure I logged that after my wee adventure south.

Just nuked a shop bought raw poppadom - 39 calories, zero fat and effort - with a bit of HG onion and tomato relish - oh my. Food of the Gods.

PS reminded DS on a skype call my CC isn't going down alone, he's going to start repaying - hard conversations but had to happen and he was totally respectful and cool about it. Messaged DD about moving house and booking time/dates/van if I can help I will but I need info.

All very fabby lovely darhling in this hoose tonight.

Off to check banks.

*air kisses all* (except the telly garden folk don't actually do that - they just have dirty hand envy. LOL!

Happy Lady.

Greying_Pilgrim

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

the telly garden folks popped in for a natter - as they do - and bamb! two hours talking to amazing folks about gardening, although aside ooohing and ahhing we all talked about what diseases we had (the plants, not us).

Oh. Thank. Goodness.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Greying XX

in_need_of_direction

Brilliant update. Covers so many bases.

Pippilongstocking

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

Brilliant update. Covers so many bases.

I do waffle a lot of nonsense don't I but thank you very much.

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Oh. Thank. Goodness.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Greying XX

Exactly thank goodness indeed! Hope you're bright and breezy today. XOXO

OMG had one of the those awful MSE+LFHW dreams last night that I'd fallen asleep after tea - and then bam all the fruit and veg in the universe (reduced of course) was lying all over the kitchen and it was a warm evening.

Oh the horror rotting vegetables and fruit everywhere.

Martin sat at the kitchen table with is head in his hands expecting better from the pipster and asking where my focus was (did remind me a bit of the old willow project supervisors) and my old LFHW boss saying come on lets do this. Most most bizarre.

Got up at 2am to check. Fruit bowl/basket in fridge where it should be, ALWAYS *except bananas*, nothing spoiled, reduced meat and etc in various compartments of the freezer and fridge.

Close one or what.

Housekeeping from TRG in the bank today so will need to tot up the spends and do a wee recky. I keep forgetting its not quite the end of the month.

Payslip from one job here - old job still not paid. Not quite sure what's going on there. Must chase up tonight in meeting, unless they're not paying me until after this meeting which as its 24 days since I finished, is, quite shoddy.

Plums and greek yogh for lunch, lettuce and bits for lunch too - I'll probably end up nibbling my way around the garden too - scored a free fig and a dodgy looking plum yesterday. Leftovers for tea enough wee bits for a stir fry I think. Mushy omlette for brekkie. All good - they looked a bit ropey but still funguys. Boom boom.

All good.

Have a good one MSE buddies.

XOXOXO