Dusty's Frugal Fortnights

dustydigger

beanielou wrote: »

So sorry that things are so dire for you.
Keep plodding.

Actually,Beanie Lou,at the moment I am so busy I havent got time to be very down!:D
My daughter got the keys for her new council flat on Friday and the council ,who had been in there a fortnight actually,apart from new kitchen cupboards,dont seem to have done much at all.
The place belonged to an old lady,who doesnt seem to have decorated in 20 years or more.The carpets are gone,I suppose they were ''minging'' as my granddaughters so elegantly put it,everything is filthy,walls and paintwork in particular. In the past the council would have stripped the walls and skimmed them,and at least slapped on on basic magnolia,but not these days with budget cuts.Its pretty horrendous.So out come the wallpaper scrapers and all hands on deck because my daughter wants it done before the carpets come on Friday. Little hope of that I think,as there are numerous layers of paper to get rid of :eek: But we will do what we can.
GD1 moved out this morning.,15miles away near to her job.DD1 and GD2 were out - more about that later - and she didnt get back from a 3 day work trip to London till 10.30 last night,so I got roped in to wait for the moving van this morning while she had to get to her new flat to meet them.The bed still had to dismantled this morning!:)That was the plan,but she charmed the movers to let her travel with them,so in the end I wasnt needed,though I was up at 6 am,and at their door by 7 am! She had a lot of stuff from her last flat,its amazing just how many trips they had to make up and down the stairs,but they were fit young men and did in all in 15 minutes,and off they went at 915.waved her off,feeling a bit sad at the end of an era. Ah well, thats one room sorted anyway! GD3 is moving this weekend,but only to a friend's 5 minutes away,it will just take a couple of trips to move her stuff,with my son's work van,no having to pay £95 like GD1.
Stopping now to start the dinner,rice and potatoes,spicy cabbage and barbecued chicken wings.
Hopefully I can do another post before Mr Dusty returns from the city all cold and starving:D

dustydigger

As I said DD1 and GD3 werent aroundthis morning,because they had to trot off to Middlesbrough for a sort of ''do'' put on for the surgeon who did my granddaughter's major op for scholiosis. The xray of her back was horrific,the bones up near the base of her neck looked exactly like the''more than'' sign > The acute angle the spinal chord had to manoeuvre could have been very dangerous.a sudden jerk and the chord could have been dangerously damaged.Originally they had intended to wait for a couple of years,but the deviation of the bones became so acute they had to do it 2 years early. The whole blew up from nothing in the matter of a year.It was a four hour op,and inside she is a mass of steel bars and rivets,but he did a fantastic job and she is fine now,so in spite of the busy morning it seemed only right to go and show appreciation,which is why I was roped in to help GD1 and see her off.

dustydigger

I have been to and fro on all my various savings sites,as the Sealed Pot challenge ends today,we announce our total savings for the year tomorrow.really really pleased with my results. In the end I cashed in £77 from surveys,very pleased with that considering how many I miss because of the awkward time they announce them. I miss out on probably 4 out of 5 surveys.:mad:I can see how some people can make a lot of dosh from them. All in allI have about £50 stacking up waiting to reach the limits. eg now I have £34 from You Gov,but need £50 to cash out,so a long long wait:)
Good year on the whole savings scene.Saved up,without any hassle, enough for the laptop internet protection,the home insurance in one payment,so no monthly DD,the passport fund (will sort that in November),and numerous birthdays,lovely not to have to strain to do that:T I'll post the final figures tomorrow
Hopefully I will finally get round to posting my budget later today. Better late than never

dustydigger

Yay! Just received my one year badge.:T Been a real roller coaster ride but here's hoping year 2 goes better.:)
I'd like to thank all of you who have followed my moans and groans,and marvelled at the antics of Mr Dusty. 2175 ''thanks'' and an amazing 28,000 views. Wow!
Coming here has been a real comfort,a real relief. I think I am still recovering from losing my sister in January 2017,probably that factors into the depression,stress and loneliness.I was probably just numb for the first year,and it only hit later.The shock of the thyroid issue didnt help either:(This site has been a welcome distraction from the miseries of real life,so thanks to all who have popped in to read my rather weird ramblings.:)

beanielou

Happy 1 year badge.
What a lot has happened in a year!

GlendaSugarbean

Happy anniversary! What are your thoughts on your next year?

dustydigger

Here's the budget better late than never!
Dusty's Frugal Fortnight : 29th October - 11th November
income: £291 from Mr Dusty,£71 my pension, total £362
outlay:
Save the Children DD - £3
Water Aid DD - £3
Asd@ online shop - £44
birthday fund - £10
NS&I (for USA trip) - £50
PO savings (mixed bag) - £20
gas and electric - £91
phone and broadband - £30
Asd@ delivery charge - £5
Home Budget Box (cash) - £141

---

total outlay - £386
income - £362
top up from savings - £24

Hate to see that top up from savings,I enjoyed living within my cash budget and sending my surplus to the bank at the beginning of each fortnight but I really needed to do a direct debit for the USA trip to make sure I save.
All saving on Tesc* cards is ended,I think the vouchers will arrive around 20th Nov,about £60 towards drinks.Everyone gets a bottle in their Xmas goody bag,I reckon that with the £36 I have on an Asd@ card the whole of that outlay is totally covered.Will get a home delivery to get cashback too,around a fiver I think so its a nice frugal plan all round:T.

dustydigger

GlendaSugarbean wrote: »

Happy anniversary! What are your thoughts on your next year?

Hi Glenda! I will certainly keep on applying what I have learned on MSE.1. My main goals;
1. This coming six months will be dominated on the savings front with the projected USA trip in May. After that I will be back to saving for Xmas.,
2. I need to rebuild my emergency fund,all £400 has had to go to help my daughter get carpets and decorate her new flat. Fortunately I have £500 in my credit union put aside for when the white goods all decide to break down together,so thats fine,but there isnt going to be any cash available if anyone in the family needs help its all. gone!:eek:Once the bills are paid out this month my CA is going to look extremely pitiful indeed. So rebuilding is a priority.
3. After a 6 month hiatus,getting over the shock of the thyroid problem I will try to lose at least some of the 2 stone I regained lately,but its going to be hard.:(
4. Must get back to decluttering,getting rid of excess stuff. I keep thinking how if I pop off I have so much junk for the family to get rid of.I am determined to bit the bullet with my booksand also papers. A year ago I got rid of so much stuff and I felt so unburdene by it. I want to get back into the fray and feel that again.Mind you,cant do a thing about Mr Packrat's stuff,which has taken over several rooms:eek:

Chrystal

Dusty which supermarket gives you cashback for your weekly shop? I've looked at Asd@ and it seems to be for first timers only.

dustydigger

Chrystal wrote: »

Dusty which supermarket gives you cashback for your weekly shop? I've looked at Asd@ and it seems to be for first timers only.

Yeah its just for first time home delivery from Tesc* as well, if you sign in to Tesc* through Top Cashback.However Tesc* do have special cashback offers occasionally for regular bonus cardcustomers. eg at the moment,if you spend more than £60 on a shop you can claim 10p a litre off when you fill up at a Tesc* petrol station.
I intend to get an Icel*nd delivery too,through TCB.At the moment there is a £5 off a£40 shop available. Though if I visit the shop in person Icel*nd themselves have a special offer for card holders,Spend £8 plus on four visits to the store before 24th November.,and you receive a £5 bonus. I can easily do that,buying ordinary everyday stuff,and then in December use the £40 TCB offer shop for Xmas stuff,and get £5 off. Cant be bad!:D