Put away your purse & become debt-averse

amber03

It's great when you find money, think I continually look at the floor just in case.x

foxgloves

HHoD - That lucky pound coin bought almost half of his ice cream at our local ice cream parlour earlier, lol.

Amber03 - I used to find the occasional coin, even a couple of pound coins just walking around the village & when out & about, but virtually nothing recently. When I was a little girl, about 7 or 8, I can remember going into Northampton for shopping with my Dad & Grandparents. I don't know why, as we didn't live particularly near but it sticks in my mind because we got out of the car & Dad went off to the car park machine to get a ticket. My Grandma & Grandad were taking their time, so I started skipping my way across the car park to Dad & happened to spot a coin on the ground. I picked it up, walked a couple more steps, then found another..........then another, etc. I was so excited, I collected them all up & showed my Grandma. We counted them up & there was 25p. The doesn't sound like much at all, does it? But this was back when you could buy a Mars bar for 4p. I remember Grandma saying 'Five bob!! Foxgloves has just picked up five bob! What a lucky girl!'
When we got home, my Dad discovered he had a hole in his trouser pocket & had left a trail of small coinage when he got out of the car. I was adamant I wasn't giving it back because it was his own silly fault for having a hole! My Mum agreed with me, so my pocket money (18p) was very much boosted that week!
F x

foxgloves

Hello December Icicles,
As I sit typing this, there is a beautiful sunset visible between the houses opposite, laced with black silhouetted winter trees. It really is the simple things these days, which make me catch a breath & think 'Awesome!'
Another icy night. Our car was almost entirely white when I woke up, its roof swirled with a paisley Jack Frost pattern of swirls & ruffles - I was glad I wasn't the one to do the warm water defrosting ritual when it was time to go out. We almost didn't bother. As I'd spent such a lot of the week indoors number-crunching, we had planned a very low-cost relaxing outing for this morning - just to a local park/beauty spot, but no sooner had I laced my walking boots on, when it started raining. I couldn't see a lot of point in going out for a walk in the rain, but we'd already made a flask, packed the last of my 'use-it'up' pineapple muffins & were standing by the front door in our coats, hats, scarves & mittens. So we decided to go for it & I'm so glad we did! For just a very small parking charge, we had a lovely walk, enjoyed seeing the birds navigating the semi-frozen lake, all the wildlife & some fab wild holly bushes studded with bright red berries. The fresh air did us good & as the morning went on, more people started to arrive, having obviously had the same idea about some fresh winter air & exercise. The rain actually stopped as soon as we arrived. We found a picnic table for getting our flask & muffins out. The chairs were very wet, but I was able to delve into the depths of my copious handbag & dry them off with my 'Festival Toilet Roll'! A very low cost day, which has done us both a lot of good. I always say that being out in nature 'sorts my head out' & it really does.
Oh, I wish you could see this sunset - the sun has sunk lower even while I've been putting up this post & the sky is now the colour of the inside of a ripe peach. But I notice that the cars are already icy & it is not yet 4.30pm. Another cold one, Icicles! Take care on any freezing roads & pavements if you need to go out later - also tomorrow, as I think it will be scrapers & hot water again!
It's Mr F's cooking night tonight - he's busy in the kitchen getting a tray of veg ready to roast with the chicken that he's got in the oven. I've done my German practice - I'm enjoying re-learning the language as had forgotten most of it & it will be nice to be able to talk to & welcome European visitors to the UK if I get the opportunity. Admittedly, I'm slightly struggling to see exactly how useful "The beetles are eating the bananas" and "We have pigs" is going to be, going forwards conversationally, but you never know!
Cheers all,
F xx

Dottles1

You never know Foxgloves. After Brexit (if it ever happens) the beetles MAY be eating the bananas....and you'll definitely/probably have pigs

foxgloves

P.S We decided to book a holiday cottage (UK) for 2020 & 2021 which gives us a nice long time to save the balance via our new Spreadsheet Pots savings system. We'd identified the week we wanted for both years but the cost was way more than we were prepared to pay - I think that holiday rentals seem now to be extending the 'Half term' holiday tariff for longer than they used to. I know schools in different parts of the country have half term at different times, also private schools & I think holiday rentals are probably trying to catch as many customers at the enhanced rate as possible. Not us - we thought it an extortionate amount & swapped our plans to the following week which almost halved the amount!! I feel grateful we have this flexibility. It must be very difficult for families & school staff who can only go away in holiday times. A very unfair system, I think.
F x

foxgloves

Lol, Dottles - In the same context, we could also be eating the beetles before they get to the bananas. I can sense you are as filled with positivity about the B word as I am! As for pigs, when we moved into this house, the shed had been adapted by the previous owner for keeping animals, so & had two stalls. Mr F was ridiculously keen to get a pet pig. I veetoed it. He said he thought we should maybe find a way to compromise, so I said OK, then........we will get a pig, but it will be reared for pork & bacon. He was horrified (although he eats all pork products now, he was a vegetarian back then), that Mr Porky might end up on our plates, so he swiftly went off the idea. I was happy with that result, but if he had gone ahead & arrived home with a piglet, I would have carried out my threat.
F x

crazy_cat_lady

It must have been a gorgeous sunset Foxgloves because even I noticed it tonight, and I really am not one that ever picks up on the beauty of nature - unless I'm in the Highlands of Scotland. But I too noticed the shadows of the houses and trees, with dark blue night sky and the most amazing orange sunset. I should have thought to take a photo.
I'm terrible for getting out when it's cold - I'd prefer hibernation under blankets in the house. We've done the tree today, although I have been out for a couple of hours so got some Vit D at least.
Well done on the dress too - love a bargain!

foxgloves

It really was a vivid sunset, CCL. I do sometimes fancy curling up on the sofa under a blanket with my book during winter, but mostly I prefer to get out there into nature, as I know that hibernating has a negative effect on my mood.
Nice that you've done the tree. I would love to do ours, but it is a real one which lives in a big pot on our courtyard, so I don't like it to be indoors for too long in case it starts getting droopy & flinging off needles everywhere. I used to put my artificial one up in the first week of December regardless of Mr F's protestations! This year, I think it will be around 17th or 18th again, but I love doing it & it will look lovely when it's done.
Yes, I was pleased with the discount on the dress - it was over £13 off - great to be able to pop that back in my little secret tin.
F x

foxgloves

Greetings Monday Readers,
Another icy one here today & an earlier start than I'd intended thanks to a neighbour having a loud conversation with a passing dog-walker while he was scraping his car windscreen. Grrrrrr. Ah well, no matter, I did get lots of useful stuff done - all my usual Monday jobs, with which I was going to bore you, but then I decided to tell you this instead:
OK, so following last week's massively bit of major 'paying-off', we were still awaiting the letter confirming the settlement figure on that last very little bit of outstanding personal loan we took out to help with buying our car. It arrived this morning, containing the usual final accounts. So, there in the details was the amount outstanding, plus the amount of interest they charge for early redemption. All exactly as expected. There then followed a lengthy paragraph of blurb about the 'Early Settlement Rebate' due to us, which is payable by law under the Consumer Credit Act (2004) , Regulation 3, sub-section blah......... I do like to know what is going on so I read it all through carefully, then again to make sure I had understood this correctly, that they were going to pay us a rebate, etc, etc.
I hadn't known about this regulation and so I obviously hadn't expected to receive anything.....................which is just as well, because the vast rebate sum to which we are entitled & which has duly been deducted from the settlement figure is.........6p.
Yep, a whole SIX PENCE!!! I reckon it cost more than that in admin assistant time actually to type that figure onto the letter! We had a good laugh over it. I said "Shame it's not 1973 because we'd be able to get a chocolate bar, 2 black jacks, 2 fruit salads & 4 foam shrimps with that"!
I am assuming this tiny pixie-pennies amount was because we had such a small amount outstanding on the loan - If we'd still owed several thousand, I reckon we might have got a whole 28p!
Time to go & toast my toes by the fire now. Mr F is making chicken, jacket chips & salad and I need to sharpen my brain ready to take him on in University Challenge later - Please can this be the night where they decide not to have 150 questions on the Periodic Table?
Stay warm - hoping you all got off to a good start to the new week, but don't worry if not, just start it again tomorrow. Tuesday is a great day for new starts!,
Bye,
F x

Blackcats

You would have got a lot of flying saucers for 6p in 1973 or 2oz of sherbet pips (a lot of pips for your money) plus some fruit salads and black jacks or "6 of chips - open" smothered in salt and vinegar!
I ate so many sweets growing up that I'm amazed I've got any teeth left. Stopped at the sweet shop after school every day with 2p or 3p. Mind you we didn't have any sweets or chocolates or crisps at home for snacking on - I don't think there were multi bags of 48 bags of crisps in the 70's like there are now. I had school dinners too so no lunch box treats either. Just lots of sweet, sugary puddings - yum, yum.
Anyhow I hope you looked after your 6p well - as a household with 4 savings accounts now it's obviously true that money goes to money !!!