Dusty's Frugal Fortnights

mark55man

dustydigger wrote: »

Sheesh! You would think I am trying to rival War and Peace here!Some VERY long posts. Sorry!

We don't mind! We love it - all part of life's rich tapestry (yours is the Bayeux tapestry, but that's the one that's famous for its length if you think about it that way)

dustydigger

mark88man wrote: »

We don't mind! We love it - all part of life's rich tapestry (yours is the Bayeux tapestry, but that's the one that's famous for its length if you think about it that way)

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
thanksmark88man.......I think.......

dustydigger

Never got back on here last night. I had my retinopathy diabetic eye test,2 weeks wait for results.My foot neuropathy test went well,doc was very pleased that I could feel all the little shocks and pressures,the circulation was excellent so doesnt look as if my feet are going to drop off at the moment,even if they feel sore or tender all the time. I obviously need to rest them from all the excess standing.shopping,climbing ladders etc I have put them through lately.
The eye drops they used seemed particularly harsh this time and when I came out of the clinic the bright sunshine was painful. Usually I recover within about 1 hour,but still hours later my sight was a bit blurred,and I decided not to exacerbate them reading or typing.
Spent more time restoring order in the kitchen,and the electrician came at 8.30 to mend the light fitting. He was on ages and then said it would need a completely new fitting which he had to move bit ,so I now have an unsightly patch of unpainted dirty ceiling board showing. Yep,the ladders will have to come out once more to paint the strip of ceiling.:(
Warning to self NEVER NEVER accept help from Mr Dusty when electrics are involved:D

dustydigger

I intend to rearrange my bank accounts. I have an branch easy access ISA,but its a nuisance as it's two buses away.In fact I havent used it since Oct last year,and there isnt much in it. I will open an online ISA instead.My bank has one with 1.30% rate,with only two withdrawals per year allowed.Thats ideal, I will use that for my USA trip savings. My NS&I online account will be for the Xmas savings,and my Post office account for miscellaneous.That way I dont need to do a lot of work adjusting the various balances in the one major account.:)

dustydigger

Preparing this fortnight's budget I checked out the food cupboards and freezer,and I have quite a bit of stuff which was for the visitors and family,but because we were out a lot I have at least 3 days salmon for Mr Dusty,plus a tub of tikka masala,3 Ald!'s tikka pasties,and some chicken wings.At least 8 days food for him,though of course we will need to buy his usual fresh beef and lamb.
I have lots of tins of various types of beans,,4 cartons of yoghurt (with lots of berries to go in them,so no outlay for my breakfasts)and lots of frozen veggies too.One tin of sardines one of pink salmon,plenty of grated cheese and 2 lettuces,so salads are sorted,not much spending for me either.

So I wont do my usual Asd@ home delivery,and will make a small top up there with my trusty shopping trolley next week if necessary. I am hoping to save a substantial sum this fortnight to get the saving off to a great start:j

dustydigger

Dusty's Frugal Fortnight 11 June - 24th June
This fortnight's income : £291 from Mr Dusty,£71 from my pension.total £362


outgoings:
life insurance - £20
house insurance - £20
water - £36
passport fund - £10 (now £50)
hair - £6
birthday fund - £10
total £102

---

household budget (in cash) - £141

---

total income - £362
total outlay - £243
savings - £119

---

Right I'll transfer £120 to my bank right now,plus the £300 DSS gave to me.


..........Done!
Present savings in the major funds

Emergency Fund - £400/£400
Xmas Fund - £300/£500
USA Fund - £200/£1000
Passport Fund - £50/£90
Decorating - £20/£200


Things are looking up. Its about time after 5 years pain misery and crises!
From my experience,the next crisis will hit next week!:rotfl:
But this week it's all good:D

beanielou

Glad all is good this week
Savings are looking good.

dustydigger

Oh dear,there are some days when you wish you never got up,and this is one of them.
+Rotten night's sleep,and this a.m. I had yet another ear infection,its was itching like mad. I have been applying drops all day hoping to avoid the dreadful time I had in February when the infection turned to agonizing sinusitis then vertigo,then nosebleeds!Fingers crossed.
+stomach ache gave way to diarrhoea.charming.......
+surprised to find my radiator burning hot. Its usually turned off except to dry bedding and we had masses of it the other day,but I was sure I turned it back off. Discovered the thermostat wasnt straight,tried to jiggle it and it snapped off in my hand.:eek:Honestly,I darent call the council,it seems to have been one repair after another lately.Its jammed in the full on position.Good job its summer and the radiators are off . Leaking taps,unstoppable water running in the cistern,Mr Dusty destroying the fluorescent light,and now broken thermostats...:mad:so I'll wait a few weeks before I call in yet another repair
+needed all my persuasion to stop Mr Dusty calling the doctor for an emergency appointment.They want him to retake the FBC,full blood count, test he took last week,so it was panic stations. I had to point out that the letter carefully said it was a routine appointment he had to make,not an emergency one,but it was a close shave stopping him ringing at once!:D. Here's hoping its not something bad,mine showed up diabetes and thyroid these last 2 years,his have always been clear,which is exceptional for a man in his late 70s and he's gone into full panic mode.:(
+nearly had a heart attack when a delivery man almost hammered in the front door.He was the supervisor who was delivering a parcel which a courier had tried to deliver yesterday. The supervisor said the delivery man had seen a man sitting in the chair by the window who saw him but ignored him and never came to the door!. Mr Dusty was furious.Possibly he was dozing off in his chair,but actually the gate,path and front door are behind him and the blinds make it difficult to see who's at the door. when there was no response why didnt the courier tap at the window?And I was in the house too and never heard the man knock.Mr D wasnt a happy camper to say the least.:D
+I didnt fasten the lid properly on my lemon juice bottle,it tipped over,and the whole tray was swimming in lemon juice including the butter and the tomato puree.
+my energy provider has just told me that my payment is to go up from £81 to £105 a month from July,which is ridiculous.I know energy prices are going up soon by about 5%,or £4 per month,but £24?Especially when I adjusted my programmed thermostat and have cut down the amount I use significantly.I am several hundred pounds in credit I am assuming they are just tying to frighten me into accepting that price or causing me to leave voluntarily. I dont want to go,I am very happy where I am after awful experiences with Eon in the past.Hopefully they will get in touch with a more sensible tariff soon,I think they did that last time,or else there is all that hassle changing providers:(
+ When I gave up trying to lose weight after 3 whole months not losing even an ounce(sluggish metabolism because of thyroid) I decided to increase my calories by about 500 a day to normal level,getting my body out of any thoughts of starvation,which cuts down the metabolic rate accordingly. I expected to gain a few pounds and was prepared for it. I gained about 4 lb in 2 months and was happy to seem to stabilise with that.Then I went crazy with all the stuff I ate when the visitors were here(hate to think of those fish and chips,curries, cakes and all you can eat buffets:rotfl:) and was horrified today to see I have regained 5 lb this week,making a horrendous 9 lbs.It took me around the last 6 months to lose that now its all back on so fast!Weight loss now 3st 5lbinstead of 4 st. So cheesed off
I have my blood tests next week,and hope to get medication to perk up my metabolism.I will restart diet exercise etc probably from the week after,starting out pretty much as a beginner:rotfl::rotfl:What a life.
+and last but not least,I found my bank had a pretty decent e-saver account 2.25% I thought I would save for the USA trip in there,around £80 a month,quite feasible. But after numerous frustrating attempts to get online I had to give up. I would click on ''apply now'' and it just kept sending me back to my online current account,and I gave up.Tried the ''chat'' option,typed in my query,they said some one would talk to me soon - and then it all disappeared! Will try to phone in tomorrow,and thats always a hassle. I think they have about 6 different options for you to click,and mine is invariably the last one. I thought doing it online would be quick and easy.
NOT ON THE DAY FROM HELL:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
OK,rant over,spleen dispersed,problems shelved for now.I'm off to make Mr Dusty's plantain for supper,at least the fish is cooked. And I have lots of veggies so not much to do. Will read at bit ,and warm my poor tummy with a hot water bottle and go to bed early As Scarlett said,tomorrow is another day........AARRGGHH!!!!! Its Thursday,start of the World Cup/6 hours a day solid football.......did I tell you that I am so NOT a football fan?.......(sigh).....

dustydigger

oops,another long post to rival the Bayeux tapestry. Sorry!

Sayschezza

Sorry to hear you had the day from down below but your post was so entertaining it made me laugh at least. Apologies.