Dusty's Frugal Fortnights

beanielou

Hope that you have some arnica.

dustydigger

“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”
!!!8213; Anna Quindlen

Yay,finished my final book of the month,the Hugo winning SF novel,N K Jemisin's The Fifth Season.Very striking,but somewhat bleak.That makes 56/65 Hugo winners completed,well on my way to finish the lot - but there are some really monster tomes left to read.:eek:
Have already started several on next month's list,since I have stayed at home,a little wary and shook up from the fall.Good excuse for reading instead of doing chores:rotfl:
Did tidy the kitchen,much easier these days since my kitchen declutter,it looked very nice - then I started making the dinner and it looked like a bomb had dropped. Hoovered through,waste of time since the tribe will demolish the place this afternoon:rotfl:
One bit of frugal living to report.On Top Cashback I got a good introductory offer on H*lland & Barr*tt,buy one item,second for a penny.I got some selenium for £10 the second one for a penny.Then had £1.60 cashback too.:jEvery little helps!

lonelyrat

Hi Dusty! Sorry about your fall Are you sure it wasn't on purpose so you could fit in more reading? Hmm?? Just kidding, I hope you are mending well. I've got terrible balance and crash into things and fall over all the time it's not fun. At least your bruises are interesting colours now

I need to get some stuff from Holland and Barrat so will pop over to TCB and have a nosey - thanks for posting that here

I do have to admit I wasn't sure what 'parsing' was when I read your post... Shocking!

dustydigger

lonelyrat wrote: »

Hi Dusty! Sorry about your fall Are you sure it wasn't on purpose so you could fit in more reading? Hmm?? Just kidding, I hope you are mending well. I've got terrible balance and crash into things and fall over all the time it's not fun. At least your bruises are interesting colours now

I need to get some stuff from Holland and Barrat so will pop over to TCB and have a nosey - thanks for posting that here

I do have to admit I wasn't sure what 'parsing' was when I read your post... Shocking!

Hope the H&B offer is still on,they change frequently,and I am a new member. I was delighted with an offer to get £15 reward for going through TCB to order an Asd@ home delivery,since I already do that every fortnight. Easiest £15 I ever earned. Only pennies from other purchases,but my total is £3.49 so far (cashed out the £15 as soon as possible before they could change their minds ) but since I was buying these things any way, £3.49 in my pocket instead of the retailers' pockets is a good thing.


Ah,LonelyRat.the delights of parsing - not!:D we spent years dissecting more and more complicated sentences,but I 'm sure we did learn how to write clearly and grammatically, dying breed who still use ''whom'' and are careful to use ''different from'',not ''different to'',put in the subjunctive after ''if'' etc.....hmm,I'm sure most readers havent a clue what I am talking about anyway!:rotfl: Notice I always,however, mispell ''havent'' and ignore the apostrophe in it,its just a crazy quirk I have when doing my two finger typing,hate having to put on caps lock,do the apostrophe,come back out of caps -that irritates me so I refuse to do it,spoils the flow:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Some flow!
But I am always driven mad by ''greengrocers' apostrophe'' (they seem to be major offenders in this regard) ,where they say they sell apple's,pear's,tomatoe's and the like. They must have been traumatised by grammar lessons years ago abut the dreaded apostrophe so feel they have to have one SOMEWHERE if a word ends in ''s''. :D:D
Also thinking of the old grammar school sort of lessons, I have not-at-all fond memories of doing music theory at school for one year. Transposition:eek::eek:

''Transpose the key of A Major to E minor''.Oh lord,it was torture,reminded me of algebra. I was hopeless,slow and inaccurate,and overjoyed at dropping music altogether at the end of the third year. But to this day seeing a treble clef with all those little sharps and flats gives me the horrors! ;)
Once again,I doubt if many people have a clue what I am talking about,unless they are into music.
Must go off now and do some housework (for a change),then sort out my tasks for the day,and think about this Frugal Fortnight's budget etc.But the dust on the telly glass stand is rather thick, its shaming me,so I'm off to do something about it!
I have been a bit stunned and depressed about the thyroid thing,but am pulling myself together now and need to tweak my diet somewhat.
More later on all that.Ciao

dustydigger

[FONT=&quot]
NST May 2018: May the odds be ever in your favour![/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. Stephen Hawking.


MMM says: If you are one of the 99% of people who is forced to live with only a finite amount of money, you should probably give some thought to how that money is spent. You can buy [/FONT][FONT=&quot]things, [/FONT][FONT=&quot]like cars and mobile phone plans for your kids, or you can buy [/FONT][FONT=&quot]freedom[/FONT][FONT=&quot], in the form of paying off your debts, saving most of what you earn, and soon being able to choose your own work schedule or even retire early.

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Motivation[/FONT][FONT=&quot]:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] what is your personal motivation for joining in with the turtles? To get out of debt? Too stay out of debt? To build up savings / an Emergency Fund? FIRE? What is your personal timeline for reaching your goal? If it seems too far away, break it down.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Money[/FONT][FONT=&quot]: [/FONT][FONT=&quot]know your income and outgoings. To the penny. Know when every single DD goes out, when the annual payments are required. If you cannot cope with cash in your pocket, only use a card; if, like me, you work better with cash, then use that. Note down EVERY single spend and eliminate the unnecessary ones.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Me[/FONT][FONT=&quot] time:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] look after yourself. Get enough sleep; eat well; move; do things you enjoy. Last month we were encouraged to take up a new hobby / revive an old one. Such a good thing to do!

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Move[/FONT][FONT=&quot]: being active benefits your body and your mind. You know that. Now do it. Find your level of activity and crank it up a notch (I!!!8217;ve recently upped some of my kettlebell exercises from 8K to 12K). Get outside. Play!


[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Activation[/FONT][FONT=&quot]: what spurs you on to keep on the path? Does following other threads or blogs inspire you? Dedicate some time each week to expanding your reading and finding ideas that you can use !!!8211; and please tell us about them.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Arm[/FONT][FONT=&quot] yourself [/FONT][FONT=&quot]: you have chosen to follow a path that many mock and despise - that of ridding yourself of debt and financial constrictions in order to be free; free to choose what to do with your money and time, not enslaved to repaying or to other people. Whether you opt to work more or to spend less in order to achieve your goal, stand firm against the naysayers. Stand strong in your personal quest against consumerism and the futility of always acquiring more.

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Ralph Waldo Emerson[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]You[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. Are you happy in yourself? Know what brings you joy, what cheers your heart, what makes you pause and wonder. Don!!!8217;t just stop and smell the coffee in the morning; practise stopping and looking around throughout the day. Appreciate what you have. Be grateful.

*************
[/FONT]Once again the Ninja Saving Turtles are setting out their monthly challenge. Always fun and inspiring,even if I cant follow it totally,I'll peruse it more fully later.:)

dustydigger

Grrrr! I did some long posts ,including the Ninja Savers May challenge,and then the system crashed:mad::mad:
All lost.
I have been out to the Tes* down the hill for potatoes,fruit and veg and milk. £14.:eek::eek: I took my shopping trolley and walked both ways.10 mins sailing down the hill with the wind at my back,14 minutes trudging back up. Muttering and cursing under my breath coming back,because the trolley lidhas no catch or hook to keep it shut,the gusts of wind kept whipping it back. Stupid design. I wasnt so much pushing the thing when I got to the top of the hill as draping myself over it for support.That is some hill.We people living at the top of hills develop good strong calves:D:D Good exercise:rotfl:
We spend a fortune on fruit and veg - but save a fortune not getting the junk/processed food,so it probably evens out.
On thing that pleases me since I started eating healthy etc is how much less waste we produce.I am only putting my recycling bin out monthly instead of fortnightly,lots less packaging etc.:T:TGotta be good.

I am shattered now after a morning blitzing the sitting room(window,mirrors,china cabinet,fireplace,TV stand) and cooking a curry.Then he hike. Now I am going to have a nice cup of lemon tea and flake out reading for a while.
I will come back later to redo the lost posts.:mad::mad:

dustydigger

Well,surprise surprise. Once again I got a message saying the system had crashed,but this time when I pressed restore tab it worked,and at least the Ninja Turtles tab at last reappeared from earlier.The others didnt.Weird.
I will need to update my signature for the new month.Later.

try_harder

Good to hear that you are feeling ok after your fall

dustydigger

:mad::mad::mad: The computer kept crashing last night I couldnt do anything,then Mr Dusty has been demanding attention all morning,and has finally gone off to town,so I can get online:D:D
Actually I have to go off now and start preparing the dinner.Roasties as usual,and a bean casserole for a change.Cannelini tinned beans but I always cook them for at least an hour,tinned beans are never tender enough for Mr Dusty's tastes.I will fry them with garlic and onions,add a little flour to thicken,plus passata,and curry paste,then simmer.Broccoli in peanut sauce to accompany.
I'm off to do the prep and then will hopefully get back on here to sort my daily tasks before Mr Dusty gets back.
He is so miserable at the moment,downhearted about his case,even threatening to sue the magistrate for refusing to give a judgement. Not very feasible,but an indication of his anger and frustration at the moment. All I can be is a sounding board,and show sympathy and support,but it is very wearing and stressful.
Anyhoo,off to the kitchen.
Everytime Mr Dusty comes home he shouts ''Where are you?'' and of course I reply ''Where do you think?If I'm not on the computer I'm in the kitchen cooking for YOU!'':rotfl::rotfl:

dustydigger

Mr Dusty is back already. All he bought is a whole salmon,£17,but we'll get a lot of meals from it.I've cut it into 4 large pieces,each making two meals for Mr Dusty,and I will keep the 2 smaller tail end bits for me. I'll just cook them in the microwave,add lemon juice and seasoning,then flake them into a salad,5 minutes max,no muss no fuss - no temptingly rich sauces with a million syns that Mr Dusty has:D:D
No time now to do anything really but list my tasks for the day;
-check and clear emails
-check for a survey
-transfer money to bank
-quick blitz of sitting room,10 mins only allotted, so I will scurry!
-dinner and washing up
-sort out papers for family history group.(take coins in case anyone has any £2 coins to swap!)

Phew,thats enough to keep me going till I leave for the group at 2.45.Home by 5.15.
-make tea
-fit in some exercise of some sort
-fit in some reading.
-post this fortnight's budget.late as ever
-supper - easy today,leftovers of dinner!That's rare,usually cook fresh.but Wednesday is too busy to spend hours cooking!
-hopefully find time for some MSE posts. I do ramble on,but it helps me clear my mind.