Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

Morning all,
Absolutely zero chance of getting outside for more garden clearing today. It's been raining every since I twitched the bedroom curtains first thing to see if there was any ice on the cars. Just rain. And more rain. Never mind, 'if life gives you lemons' & all that cheesy motivational stuff......I've whizzed through my weekly house cleaning. I just need to do a bit of Dysonnage. Decided to leave it until cat goes outside as he really loathes vacuuming & as he can be like a pesky child on wet playtime in this weather (HH0D, you'll know all about those!), it felt like I'd be more productive if I left him asleep.
I've done the meal plans for next week too. As we haven't technically started this month's grocery budget, I wasn't too impressed that it is down by nearly £18 already, so we both decided that the answer is to focus on the food we already have in, & there's a lot of it. So I've planned what we're going to eat & written the shopping list for tomorrow & there are just 17 things on it. Mr F was wanting to go to Sainso's as he has extra nectar points vouchers but I think anything we made on those would probably be wiped out by the 31 mile return journey. So I think I'll hold out for a quick dash to A*di when it opens tomorrow, then a nice look around town with maybe a coffee & toasted teacake.
We had a lovely candlelit meal in the conservatory as planned last night & the beef in beer was lovely. I will definitely make it again. I didn't have to wrestle the pan off Mr F before he could snarf 2nd helpings. he liked it so much that he actually wanted to leave the leftovers for tonight so he could enjoy it again, so that was a result & the meal I'd planned for this evening has now been moved to tomorrow, meaning a small useful stretch of the grocery budget.
Despite looking out of the window constantly, the 'visitor' didn't show up. I felt so disappointed! This morning, I went out to see if there was any more mystery poo. It was difficult to say because I didn't count all the poos that were there yesterday. There may have been a few more, but it wouldn't be scientific to say so without proper evidence, so (in the pouring rain), I stood out on the courtyard earlier counting them! I made it 9 & a half. My best guess is that it may be a hedgehog who is eating a diet of things he shouldn't.....something red, & a whole lot of our bird food. However, I know what normal hedgehog poo looks like & this is very different, so unless his bowels are in melt-down from binge eating our bird seed mix, I am still prepared to think it could be a different animal.
And yes, I shall be going outside tomorrow morning early doors & seeing if there are more than 9 & a half poos there. If there are, I will know we've definitely had another visitation.
This morning, over breakfast, this was the conversation:
Me - What does snake poo look like?
Him - Snake poo? You think it's snake poo?
Me - Well, probably not, but I'm just thinking about all the possibilities.
Him - Just how big to you think a snake's bum is?
Me - I don't know. I've never looked at one.
Him - It's not snake poo.
Me - Well what do you think it is?
Him - No idea. Maybe it's a bird.
Me - What sort of bird would visit AT NIGHT & leave behind poo that looks like that?
Him - I don't know, you're the expert.
Me - I'm not, I just want to know.
Him - Well wait till there's a really fresh one then take a photo of it & upload it to the Autumnwatch social media page. Someone on there is bound to know what it is.
Ok, & I might just do that.........if the neighbours happened to see me out on the courtyard at first light counting mystery poo, they will probably love it if my weirdness now extends to photographing it!
But I haven't ruled this out.
Will keep looking out though.
Well that was a long post. I think I'll go & crank up the coffee machine now .
Cheers,
F x

crazy_cat_lady

I wouldn't have thought your place could use too much more rain Foxgloves - the river was so high the other day that the path to walk beside it was also underwater.

foxgloves

Yes, you're right, CCL. A main road in & out of town has been closed due to flooding for the last couple of days & there are local fields completely under water. Our village floods but thankfully not usually too bad at our end. Our village is right on the river & also has a marina which fills up like a big bowl then overtops. Fingers crossed we've never flooded on our street but apparently the council did bring sandbags round the year before we moved in! I wouldn't think the previous occupant of our house would have needed them as she had so much cr*p hanging around the garden it would have provided a ready made barricade...... a lot of which she left for us to deal with when she moved out (plus all her bloody debt letters, but that's another story)
It must have stopped raining for a bit at least, as cat has gone out!! Think I'll just get some veg & jacket potatoes prepped then I'm treating myself to a lovely soak in the bath.
I feel a bit like I'm coming down with something again but whatever it is, I consistently seem to be fighting it off as nothing has materialised yet.
Hope you feel better soon.
F xx

foxgloves

Morning diary readers,
Another soggy day & I confess to having had a strop in 'S*perdrug' this morning when I realised that the zip on my new coat is faulty & won't do up. Mr F fanned the flames by telling me I have no patience. He was treated to my sarky riposte about the sheer number of zips I have dealt with over the course of my life & that I am perfectly capable of operating them. Got home (soaked as couldn't do coat up) spread it out on the table & tried again. Nope, nothing doing. Mr F had a look at the mechanics & found a piece of metal was faulty so he bent it back into shape & although the zip is stiff, it will work now. I'm trying it for a week or so & if problems continue, it will have to go back. Am reluctant as I have a feeling they will have sold out & it was the exact coat I wanted. Bah to the hassle of faulty purchases!!
On a positive note, my shop from home meal plan & shopping list really paid off this morning. Target spend was £44 max. We spent £38 & that included a few extras such as some Brazil nuts to add to my Christmas cake ingredients stash & a couple of bread flours, as A*di had got both their white & wholemeal at 55p each. It costs double that at most other supermarkets. W*lkos still have cat's brand of choice (F... x Doubly Delicious) for £3.50) so he will be purring this week.
We are intending a lazy day now..... a film lined up for later. I am hoping to read a bit more of my book (a charity shop find) & to draw out a knitting chart so as to get the next section of my new jumper right. I was intending to buy squared paper for this in town this morning but I just had in the back of my mind that there was some at home somewhere. Yay! Found it! Two pretty notebooks my friend bought me a while back, which both have squared paper pages. So I'm going to fight cat for my favourite end of the sofa, fetch my pencils & rubber & get that chart done. Another item happily shopped from home!
Stay dry, Frugalistas. We've had to put our coats on the towel rail as we got so soggy.
F x

foxgloves

I have to confess, readers, that I have this morning experienced a little flicker of my old Spendy Thoughts. We're going out later. We have tickets to a rock gig...... of the 'back in the day' kind of guitars & leather variety. I woke up at Stupid O'clock wondering what to wear. Decided on an outfit, including a black top with kind of dangly bits on it. Dilemma solved. Not! I couldn't find that top anywhere. It wasn't in my wardrobe, my drawers or with my stored summer clothes. Was absolutely baffled..... until I remembered I gave it to a charity shop....on the grounds that I had gone off it & didn't intend ever to wear it again.
And you know that feeling where you then look at your wardrobe & can't get enthused about wearing a single thing in it? That was me for a good half an hour & I actually briefly found myself thinking I'd got time to pop into town & look for a nice long black tunic-style top!! This is despite a tight month, financially, during which we have really stepped up our pressure on the solicitor to action what was agreed in August! I have enough nice clothes to be able to put various outfits together - it was a classic throwback to my old past ways of thinking to think of buying something new to solve a very minor issue that was easily solvable at home.
So I had a strong word with myself, got a heap of stuff out on the bed from whence it took me all of about 7 minutes to put an outfit together. I WILL buy a new black tunic top when I'm more easily able to afford it & it won't end up being an 'it'll do' kind of purchase. In the meantime, long purple skirt, nice top I'd pretty much forgotten about, DMs & leather jacket...... Oh & a shawl with loads of dangly bits...... I did live through the 80s, after all, & hippyfied bits & pieces have never entirely left me.
Back in the Spendy Years, yes I'd have almost certainly gone into town to buy something new. I don't THINK I'd have succumbed today, but was surprised that the idea popped into my head so quickly as a solution. I suppose the key thing that's changed is that I can say 'no' to the impulses these days.
F x

Kantankrus_Mare

Well done on coming to your senses and not dashingout for something new!!

Whats the rock gig you're off to?

I went to the allotment yesterday and as I opened the gates it started spitting. Then the heavens opened and never stopped so I had to come home again. :mad:

Much nicer weather here today so have been for a few hours and pottered. Have loads of wood and cardboard to burn so I got a fire going in my burner. Wood was far too damp so just managed to get all the cardboard out of the way.
Weeded ready for next bed to go in. Lifted all my sunflowers. A couple saved for the seeds. Never saved them before so not quite sure what to do with them. Birds will get them failing all else.

Tidied my strawberry beds and cut back loads of brambles. My plot is surrounded by them which is great when they are fruiting but not so great when they just keep growing and encroaching on my plot!

Blackcats

Enjoy the gig - your outfit sounds great. I nearly succumbed to a completely unnecessary sock purchase yesterday. I already have lots of socks! I was in Bo*ts to purchase a single item, but as I walked around looking for the item I wandered into the tights and socks section. 3 pairs of beautiful bamboo socks for just £6.75. I picked them up and they were so pretty and so soft. Then I reminded myself of my early retirement mantra "don't give up what you want most for what you want now".
I hope the solicitor finalises things for you this week. It must be very, very frustrating for you and your sister.

crazy_cat_lady

Enjoy the gig tonight, and well done with not falling back into old ways with your spending.

foxgloves

Thanks. It was a great night out. I felt good in my chosen outfit all evening. I can't tell you how many 'women of a certain age' there were in leather jackets, lol - the guys in their own 'go to' outfit of elderly gig t-shirts.
Also, prior to gig, I'm pleased to report a 'No, I think I'll leave it' moment at the till.
Need to crack on with my 'Monday jobs' now, but will pop back later to tell you about that.
F x

wishingthemortgaheaway

Sounds good Foxgloves - it's also a little comforting to hear you still have the same thoughts as the rest of us sometimes. Pleased you resisted.

I did have a 'this is the sort of thing Foxgloves would do' moment yesterday when I put the last 4 stubbornly not drying socks over the door handle of the oven whilst the jacket potatoes cooked to dry them off.
Very efficient it was too (and as the oven was already on - free)

Have a good day/week. Love reading your diary.

Wish.