Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

Morning all,
Normal diary service resumed! Have been away for a short camping trip. Was set to cancel it with Mum being so ill, but as the hospital is equidistant from home & the campsite, we decided some sea air would be good for our stress levels.
Now, back in the day, my spending levels while on holiday, were (surprise surprise) pretty ridiculous. All those little upmarket seasidey shops were sooooo tempting. You know the sort of thing.....tie a bit of old driftwood to a string with half a dozen shells & a tin bell & charge £20.....but I'm pretty angelic these days. And like everything else, it's down to budgeting. We have a cash bag containing that week's grocery budget, usually rounded up to £100 to allow for a meal out plus a couple of coffee shop visits. And we each have our personal spends for the month so we have the choice to dip into that if we see anything so blimmin' lovely it simply can't be left in the shop. This time, I DID see such an item......in a charity shop - a purple velvet long jacket/coat, beautifully lined, a brand I like ('White Stuff') priced at £12.50. I bought it for autumn. It looks barely worn. It has a loose button which will take me a couple of mins to repair. I wonder if someone gave it to the charity shop because of that button? If so, their lazy loss is my gain. And no impact on the budget at all because it was bought from my personal spends.
Thankfully, the days when I'd return from holiday with 3 or 4 carrier bags of 'lovely things' bought with my old friend the Everlasting Overdraft have long gone, & I actually enjoy my time away much more because I don't have the worry on my return of having to confront the sorry fact of just how much I've wasted.
To anyone out there wondering if it is possible to change the bad financial habits of decades, yes, it really is! Start today!!
F x

crazy_cat_lady

I'm pleased that you had a good trip Foxgloves. The coat sounds like a real bargain as well - fantastic!

foxgloves

Well, a bit of money saving going on here already. Another hospital visiring day today. We can't do anything about the 140 miles' worth of diesel but we can be better prepared on the food & drink front. The hospital has a nice coffee shop (well-known chain) with plenty of seating outside in an attractive garden, but we are finding ourselves going for a coffee as a default, when Mum is receiving treatment or nursing care during our visits. Sometimes we think we will be home in time for late lunch, but whatever treatment Mum is having in the morning takes a lot longer than anticipated, & we feel we've barely seen her, so we end up buying our lunch, then popping back. Anyway, today mr f announced he was not only taking a big flask of coffee, he was also making cheese & tomato cobs & packing crisps! As we regularly take picnics with us, I don't know why this didn't occur to us before. I shall need fortifying as am.on a mission to get a few answers about Mum's condition. The nursing staff are lovely, but when we phone (we don't live locally), we are just told she's 'comfortable' or 'had a good night' & we need some much more in-depth medical information. Oh well, I shall self-caffienate with that 'free' flask of coffee & see if I can find anyone who will talk to me.
Very difficult times.......at least the coffee shop spending is stopping.
Best wishes all,
F x

Chrystal

I hope you get some answers Foxglove (hugs) If not you should be able to make an appointment to speak to her Specialist, who is the only one able to answer fully.
Had a little smile at you not thinking to pack food etc to take with you - bit of a relapse to 'the spendy days'

crazy_cat_lady

I really hope that you've managed to get some answers today Foxgloves, and also hope you enjoyed your sarnies.

foxgloves

Thanks for your kind wishes, CCL & Chrystal. I did manage to talk with the surgeon - sadly Mum's progress has stopped & it is very 'touch & go' , so it was very stressful but I would rather have the facts straight, however bad they are.

foxgloves

Morning debtbusters,
The week ahead is definitely going to involve apples. Lots of 'em! Mr f collected all our windfalls the other day - a bucket full to the brim & a basket. Windy overnight, which will no doubt have brought down several more. A free resource, as our huge old tree was here when we moved in, so I will make the most of them with appley pursuits all week!
Today will be apple sauce (mr f roasting pork tonight) & a double batch of brown sauce. I'm just about to find suitable jars from my stash. Over this week, I intend to make plenty of other preserves. I love stocking up our pantry for the year ahead & nice jars of jam or chutney are useful for gifts, putting together mini-hampers, etc.
Ok, must crack.on........
F x

1LuckyLady

So sorry to hear that Foxgloves.

joedenise

How do you make the brown sauce? I’ve never seen a recipe for it.
Denise

crazy_cat_lady

Sorry to hear about your mum Foxgloves - sending lots of love your way.