Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

@marionmgcars - That's a shocking overcharge on your bill!
F

Pixiehouse55

Hello Mrs Foxgloves & Gang. Just popped on to let you know we have sold our house. Went live Wednesday. For Sale board up 8.30am Wednesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon we had 2 viewings for Thursday 2 for Friday and 2 for Saturday. Friday afternoon we had a phone call. Cash buyer 5 Grand over the price we were asking!!!!.   I'm not going in to it all but they've shown proof they have the money so my hubby accepted their offer. Mad rush now to get everything sold give notice on our people as the buyers want it all finalised by September 30th at the latest. 
I will pop on again when I can.
How are you all? Are you happy to go without your masks from July 19th?  I'm not sure. Figures are going up again  in some places.  Keep Safe and take care X 

Baileys_Babe

That is great news about the house sale @Pixiehouse55.

We are sticking with wearing masks and so are everyone locally I have spoken to. We will not be changing any of our current practices and caution will remain our watchword. Here the infection rate is on the rise yet again. 

foxgloves

Ooooh, that's good news @Pixiehouse55. You are the 2nd person I've heard from this week who has been offered more than the asking price for their house. I think the gazumping that we saw in the late 1980s when many people (including me!) were temporarily priced right out of the market, has been making a bit of a comeback. a family member was offered significantly above the asking price on her house last week & apparently it was because their buyers had already lost two properties. They had, had their offers accepted in both cases, then the vendors were offered more from other people so reneged on the deal. Anyway, great news for you. It's really all happening now!
Re the lifting of Covid measures. We are worried with Mr F managing a public sector service as he is not so far up the managerial tree that he can hide in his office or keep working at home so we'd rather that masks were worn in indoor public places until the very high infection rates have fallen. The Government keeps repeating the same mistakes. I have no faith at all that they will do the right thing. We do all have to learn to live with Covid, but really, how inconvenient is it to wear a mask on a bus or in the supermarket or bank? Those senior Tories keep on whining about their rights, but I consider it my right not to be exposed to Covid. Lots more young people still to be fully vaccinated. That should make a difference. I think this decision will come back to haunt the Johnson in the Autumn & I for one will have precisely zero sympathy for him.
F x

foxgloves

Hello Monday Money Savers,
Quite a low-key day here so far. Had access to the Wheels & had intended to go into town but have felt a little bit 'off' today.....almost certainly the naughty gallstone jumping around - maybe due to half a bottle of wine last night, I don't know, so I didn't bother. Anyway, at least my money has been safe. No temptation to go 'off list' as I have stayed at home, apart from just trotting down to the postbox with a card for my friend. Not a no-spend day though, as I have ordered a pastry board to replace my old glass one which shattered so spectacularly last week - tbf, I'd had it about 25 years, that's a lot of pastry-rolling, biscuit cutting & bread kneading, so I think it had just given up! New one ordered on click & collect so no delivery charges. Other frugal activity? I've done my regular Monday morning budget updates & moved funds around as required. Today's veggie garden pickings = courgettes, a bunch of coriander & the first ripe tomato of the season. I'm doing the first of this week's planned batch cooking today. I've got the cauldron out to make a double batch of spicy vegetable & chickpea stew. Will serve it with herby couscous tonight, fill a microwave mug with it for tomorrow's packed lunch, then portion up & freeze the rest. I am prioritising recipes which contain courgettes this week, then my friend who has an allotment gave me a cauliflower, plus our coriander just keeps on putting out more & more leaves, so this stew is perfect & freezes well. Also found half a cabbage in the vegetable basket doing nothing, so I've prepped, blanched & frozen it. It'll do as an accompaniment to something at some point or it can go in some bubble & squeak - I don't care, as long as it isn't wasted.
I've managed to finish the last chapter of the book I was reading first thing, also the last half a disc of my current audiobook & will be back on those last few bedspread squares later, so it hasn't been a wasted day & I guess it's also saved my personal spends from another little coffee shop trippette. 
Best Wishes for a calm & productive week, everyone.
F xx

Tescodealqueen

foxgloves said:

Lol, you two. I'm defo in a higher age bracket than you, as in their heyday, I always regarded Bros as 'for kids'!
F x

Sadly me too. The first song I bought was a  45 rpm single of Monster Mash by Bobby Picket and the Crypt Kickers when it was re-released in 1970 which I believe I purchased in pre decimal coinage. 

ziggy2407

foxgloves said:

Re the lifting of Covid measures. We are worried with Mr F managing a public sector service as he is not so far up the managerial tree that he can hide in his office or keep working at home so we'd rather that masks were worn in indoor public places until the very high infection rates have fallen. The Government keeps repeating the same mistakes. I have no faith at all that they will do the right thing. We do all have to learn to live with Covid, but really, how inconvenient is it to wear a mask on a bus or in the supermarket or bank? Those senior Tories keep on whining about their rights, but I consider it my right not to be exposed to Covid. Lots more young people still to be fully vaccinated. That should make a difference. I think this decision will come back to haunt the Johnson in the Autumn & I for one will have precisely zero sympathy for him.
F x

 I reckon Autumn/Winter will mean yet again another limited Christmas and lockdowns, and no one will be to blame but all those who have put wealth before health esp Johnson and his cronies.  I have no sympathy for him at the moment and am extremely annoyed at the scenes in London and the crowds at Wembley (although Wimbledon was also full too, so thats another area in London to watch for Covid cases rising).  

Blackcats

My first record I bought was Long Haired Lover from Liverpool - "little" Jimmy Osmond 😵‍💫

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Blackcats said:

My first record I bought was Long Haired Lover from Liverpool - "little" Jimmy Osmond 😵‍💫

oh haha mine was a record by Donny &/or Marie Osmond, possibly Paper Roses!

Foxgloves - you do cook some yummy sounding recipes!

Well done pixiehouse and i hope you will keep us updated on your new life or post a link to your blog

Deni x

foxgloves

@ Blackcats, Oh my days, no!!! That was a shocking earworm......& as a comedian (I forget who) once said. ....Little Jimmy O.....he didn't have long hair, he wasn't from Liverpool & he was too young to me anyone's lover, lol. And 'Paper roses', @Deni_debt-free_dreamer, that wasn't much better.....though I have to admit I knew all the words to both songs! I wish I could tell you that my first record was a thoughtfully composed prog rock classic with a fabulous guitar break, but alas not. It was 'Under the moon of love' by that sugar-almond suited rockabilly revival line-up Showaddywaddy. It wasn't easy to be into pop music in our house, as my parents were both professional classically-trained musicians. As the intro to that coveted single started off yet again, I will never forget my Dad stomping upstairs & saying 'I know for some reason you like that thing, but really, DO WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO IT 26 TIMES IN SUCCESSION?!!'
Anyway, back to money saving. Apart from a couple of budget updates so as to get the figures straight for tomorrow (which is my mid-month budget check-in day), today's efforts have been very much kitchen-based. I have been batch cooking for the freezer: courgette curry, meatballs in a chunky veg sauce & a tamale pie base. This has made a modest but pleasing dint in the courgettes. I think the basil looks sufficiently hearty to make a batch of pesto this week, so will aim to do that later in the week. I've been making the meatball recipe for years. It's known in our house as 'Aunty F's meatballs' as when one of my nephews was about 6, he asked me what was for dinner & when I said 'Spaghetti & meatballs', he shot off down the garden like a rocket punching the air, shouting 'AUNTY FOXGLOVES IS MAKING MEATBALLS!!' (except you know of course, don't you, that I am not really called Foxgloves, lol). I should think the whole village knew what we were having!
Anyway, I just popped on here while waiting for the 2nd load of laundry to finish churning, then that will be pegged out & I will plan the rest of my day. Bedspread squares still not finished. Gutted yesterday to find I was one behind the number I thought I'd done, which is ridiculous as a single square when I've knitted 137 is neither here nor there. Oh, & I've popped a couple of little things in the presents stash this morning. Always worth keeping that ticking over as we head into the 2nd half of the year.
Keep on keeping on,
F x