What small DFW things will you do this week - w/c 28 August

foxgloves

Hello Friday Frugalistas,
Quite a good day, but did have yet another thing we needed to replace.......think there are gremlins at work here, at the moment. Anyway, I'm kicking in my list of good bits:
*Packed away the garlic pickle & spiced plum jam I made yesterday (from 1 kg gifted plums, which were a nice surprise).
*Baked a sourdough loaf.
*Baked a pear & cinnamon cake to take down to parents when we visit tomorrow. Only had to buy butter as had everything else in stock or growing in garden.
*Picked courgettes (again!), french beans & scotch bonnet chillies.
*Cut a bunch of sage & hung up to dry.
*Transplanted 8 clumps of parsley from a supermarket pot - 4 outside in herb bed, 4 in greenhouse border. I don't usually do this as find supermarket herbs too lanky & tangled together to get off to a good start, but my own parsley hasn't self-seeded as much as usual, so it seemed worth a try.
*Updated grocery budget & managed to via an extra £10 into the Holiday Cash Bag. In recent years, this has become a really good method for us. We put our usual grocery budget for the week we are away into a cash bag, plus any extra money I have budgeted for this & a contribution from our Leisure/Entertainment Piggy, then we aim to use this sum for our food while we are away. I've budgeted for us to each have an additional £40 each on top of our September Personal Spends too, so we do always have the option of using our own spends for treats too.
*Bought big multipack of cat's best brand in Pets at Home. We ddn't get there in time for the boxes of 44 pouches for £10 but they had plenty of the 40 boxes, which were also £10 (FVD - your suspicions are correct.....the assistant said she thinks the 44's are stopping & the new size is 40........looks like shrinkflation strikes again!! Anyway, 40 pouches for £10 was still good. It works out at 25p a pouch. Our previous 'best price' is Wilko's when it's on offer at £3.25 for 12 pouches which is 27p each. At full RRP (which, sorry, cat, we don't buy!), each pouch costs 40p, This is for the Felix 'As good as it looks'.....about the only one where our naughty boy can't manage to lick the jelly off. Boo to jellylickers!! (Sorry, if you don't have a cat, I should think you've nodded off by now!)
*Treated ourselves to a coffee in 'Costa's'......oooooh, mr f still owes me for his!.........but we reduced the cost a little by sharing a toasted teacake instead of having a more expensive cake each.
*Entered a competition.
*Did a Ugov survey.
*Entered a prize draw.
*Free fruit today as my greenhouse grapes are ripe & we are inundated with conference pears from our old tree.
*Use-it-ups for lunch & tonight's jacket potato night to use up more stuff that's backing up.
*Knit & find yarn for next project (from stash).
NOT money-saving:
Had to replace our air-bed today before camping trip. Our old one sadly turned into a DE-flatable air-bed & while we didn't mind re-inflating it mid-holiday, having to do it everyday was getting to be a chore. Bought a sleeping mat instead, which inflates itself & looks like it will hopefully last a lot longer. mr f renewed his loyalty card (£5 cost) which knocked a big chunk off the bill, thankfully. Also bought pack of new extra-strong tent pegs as mr f doesn't know his own strength & manages to smash a few into oblivion on every camping trip.
I think that's it for today. I had intended to tackle the ironing, but I think I will postpone that until tomorrow afternoon instead........unless I get a burst of energy.
Enjoy your Friday night, Frugal Friends,
F x

foxgloves

Oh my days! Just realised it's THURSDAY!! That's what happens when mr f is on leave.....I lose all sense of what day it is......or just lose all sense!
F x

dizzyblnd

Foxgloves do you have a recipe for your pear and cinnamon cake? That sounds delicious.

La_escocesa

Well hello there my lovely pals :wave:
I didn't have my online shopping party last night - yay, resisted groceries shopping until September! :T Need to check my voucher to make sure I don't miss out on the £10 MOC. :think:

FVD - you'll never guess what?! I took that bag to the 2nd hand shop I bought it from and they said they wouldn't take it because it was too worn! Boo, I've only used it a few times so it's not more worn than when I bought it! They did take a pair of shoes I bought in a charity shop and said they'd sell them for £25-£30 so all is not lost. Guess you win some and lose some with this second hand selling malarkey...

I'm working at a client's office tomorrow (read: free food :rotfl:) then I'm going up to visit the parentals (read: free food and board ), so all is looking cheap for the weekend.

I sorted YNAB today - Also trying to get as many payments etc out of the way before my 'fresh start' in September. :rotfl:

Right, dinner is calling... Then I said I'd make OH tuna pasta for lunch

Catch up soon my lovelies!

crazy_cat_lady

Evening all :hello: :beer:
Been off in the Lakes again for a couple of days visiting a friend. I do love it out there but there are very few of my home comforts there. Such as Costalot and Wifi :rotfl:
I'm so tired, but think I've gotten all of my spending out of my system ready for a fresh start in September. It's my wedding anniversary today and I looked all over for the card I'd bought for dh but couldn't find it so have had to go and buy another one. Plus I took the kids out to a trampoline park after we got home. And I had to pick up dd's school tie.
DH still struggling massively with his anxiety but there's nothing at all I can do about it.
Back to school for me next week Not bothered about the kids going back but I'm nowhere near ready :rotfl:

dizzyblnd

CCL hasn't the summer flown. I can't believe it's time to go back already.

ziggy2407

Hi All

Today has been a day at home due to very heavy showers, so we have:

Checked Bank & made PAD
Paid Road Tax
Baked a couple of banana cakes for mum and her friends
Purged a few emails
Entered a few comps
Done a few surveys
B and L from cupboards/fridge/freezer
Tea at mums
Checked: Luckyphone, Ashleigh, FPL

Night all.

C x

determined_new_ms

Morning yay to Friday and then 3 days off :j busy day today to get ready for the festival tomorrow :j loads to do!

* make lunch - have no idea what I'm going to have!
* write a shopping list and stop at SM after work
* super efficient as I can be at work today - I have a new team member shadowing me. However need to do a few important things
* bake cake & make tiffin
* put freezer blocks in freezer
* pack and get tent/bedding/batteries ready
* exercise
* submit expenses
* drop off some paperwork to school and collect last bits of madam's school uniform. Might label them tonight
* reply to an email from my manager who I am still really struggling with. She has sent me minutes of a meeting we have but I do not agree with what she has written. I've asked a couple of times for her to remove/reword bits but she is saying no. I really want this stress to die down and am worried if I don't agree them it will just continue. But the way they are written does not look good on me

ok that's it for me I think. Have a great day :A

PurpleFairy26

Morning all :hello:

DNMS if she won't change them, can you a) ask someone else who was there, their view (if there was a 3rd person) or b) send a statement e mail saying you fundamentally disagree. But then keep that if it gets raised further down the line. I'm sorry you are still having issues with her.

It's lovely and sunny here and I'm WFH so plans to do things whilst working as yesterday I was uber productive, including 5 loads of washing, done and dried outside and vacuumed house top to bottom. Today's plans:
Last lot of washing on line
Man coming for quote for downstairs flooring
HM carrot cake for snacks
Lots of work this morning whilst DD at school, aim to be productive
Return back to shop
Small shopping list, may do next weeks meal plan and wrap it all together so I only have to go once, will still be small
DH pay day so I've moved money to where it needs to be.
Knitting tonight, may buy buttons in town to spur me on

Enjoy your day. Purps.

La_escocesa

Hi guys,

Oh that's a frustrating one DNMS I like Purps' ideas.

I'm just en route for a day on my lonesome with who is known as our most difficult client... :eek: It's just me and 28 of their team! :eek: Annoying, a couple of them used to work for us so they think they know how it works behind the scenes, but that was way before I started so their knowledge is out of date. Nonetheless they're v technical and smart so if I stumble in my explanations they will jump on it! Also, what they've done loads of times is ask me a question they already know the answer to just to catch me out...

Ooh, how exciting that it's a shiny new month! I have fallen pre-9am though as got a £2.10 tea from the train station and didn't get a receipt... It's off-YNAB though/loose change so doesn't count... Right?! £1 of it was an old pound coin so petty much worthless.

I'm also suffering for my art today - don't have a smart blazer so I've not worn any jacket. Went to Tkmaxx yesterday to buy one and then decided against it in money-saving fashion. I'm rocking the long sleeved woollen dress

Right, I'll catch up on the other side... Train home tonight was £14 more for first class so I'm going to get my money's worth - cannot wait! First class to Scotland for £35. Don't think you can complain at that! :T