Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

@ladyholly - What a good idea! It was only after the big lightbulb moment that I realised coming home from a shopping trip with nothing wasn't actually 'nothing' because I still had my money!

@Blackcats - Yes, there were of course ample supplies of cushions & scented candles not to buy. Popping back there tomorrow now that we've measured up for that rug, so can enjoy not buying everyrhing again, lol.
F

foxgloves

@Pixiehouse55 - So exciting for you. I can understand your looked-after lady feeling upset. Will you be able to stay in touch with her, say with postcards from your travels, or is that not encouraged?
Hope she soon settles with her new carers. 
F 

foxgloves

Hello Saturday Savers, 
Am talking to you from our courtyard coffee bench in the shade. Mr F has just made me a cup of tea & I intend to spend a peaceful couple of hours reading. Whatever Mr F is doing, it defo involves stormtroopers as I can hear the theme music! Busy day. Town first thing - used my £2 off voucher for a magazine, posted a sympathy card to a friend, bought birdnuts from the market & some silver thread for my charity stall knits. Also saved £34.....at least I think I have. I bought a new pair of hiking boots recently. Last time I bought cheap & quick because I was on holiday at the time & my old boots split in 4 ins of snow. While the replacement boots have done their job, there was never as much support in them as I like, esp now I have a dodgy ankle tendon. So I have recently bought a really good pair. The leather is stiff because it's new & spending most of summer in my silver toe-posts means my feet have 'spread' as always happens & my new boots are uncomfortable to wear. I was intending to spend £39 on a beechwood boot stretcher gizmo today & popped into the local cobbler's shop to see if he had one. He didn't, but said they do a shoe-stretching service for £5. If I decide after that, they still need a bit more stretching, they can go back on the machine for no further charge. I am going to drop my boots in next week. Pointless me ordering a size up as I've never been a 6 & they will be too long, will flop about & rub my heels. I hope this works. £34 less than buying a gizmo myself, anyway.
Today's garden pickings: 2 courgettes, 3 guatemalan blue squashes, blackberries & windfall apples. Mr F has done a lot of clearing & helped me with some heavy lifting jobs. I've blitzed my half of the shed becaise the chaos was doing my head in. I can now see where everything goes as I continue packing away for autumn. Sorted all my seed trays, pots, labels, cloches, etc. No need to buy anything for next sowing season. We shall however need a new spade as Mr F has broken yet another one. It seems to be almost an annual event now, not helped by the fact that he is built like the proverbial brick privy & goes at these type of jobs gung-ho. Grrrrr. 
Well, that's me for the day. Hope everyone's ok. Worrying levels of Covid & doubtless it will have a surge when the students go back. Even Johnson is making noises about possible October half term 'firebreak'. And on it goes.
Be safe, 
F xx

poppy811

Thought of thought of you today, ordered a kit to knit my first socks, keep your fingers crossed!
Have prepped my cooking apples and frozen them and passed the remainder on to my neighbours gate.

Pixiehouse55

foxgloves said:

@Pixiehouse55 - So exciting for you. I can understand your looked-after lady feeling upset. Will you be able to stay in touch with her, say with postcards from your travels, or is that not encouraged?
Hope she soon settles with her new carers. 
F 

@foxgloves yes I will be phoning her now and again and send her postcards of where we are and photo's of us and our narrowboat. I will send them to the day centre where she goes. That way I will know that she will get them. 
Had a weekend of selling beds wardrobes, sideboard and TV unit today so all good. We booked a pub lunch at lunchtime so we didn't have to worry about cooking today. Sat watching a bit of before bed. 
P x

HairyHandofDartmoor

Sorry I've been awol Foxgloves. I hope your boot stretching makes them comfortable to wear.

foxgloves

Welcome back, HHoD. I absolutely understand you being AWOL. What a worrying time with your OH. It must have been very stressful.

I think my new boots will be ok after a good stretching on Timps*n's machine. I have started the stretching process by wearing them around the house with my thickest pair of hiking socks & even that seems to have made a little bit of a difference.
F x

foxgloves

Morning Campers!
Well, I had to put the heated airer on for a couple of hours last night as the laundry didn't quite get dry outside, so I think that means it's now officially autumn at our house! Yesterday's garden pickings - pears, blackberries, lettuce & a bunch of spring onions.£29 on a spade to replace the latest one snapped by Mr F & then the coffee machine conked out, grrrrr. Apparently not a sufficiently expensive model (£129) to warrant a repair, but thankfully we bought it from the large dept store which generally does 2-yr guarantees so I phoned yesterday to arrange return & refund. Dug Mum & Dad's old cafetiere out of our camping box while we decide what to do. Won't be buying this brand again as we have had two of their coffee machines, both of which lasted less than 18 months.
Only other money saving stuff I did yesterday was make a fish pie using all the trimmings I saved when I divvied up our last Grimsby fish box. Oh... & continuing to knit up my yarn stash by making things for my sister's charity stall next month.
Very wet weather forecast here today so am planning a day of indoor productivity. Must just go & get pastry out of the freezer while I remember.
Chat later probably, 
F x

foxgloves

@poppy811 - Good luck with those socks! Turning the heel can feel a bit counter-intuitive, but once you've sussed it, you'll always remember it.

@Pixiehouse55 - Glad you will be able to drop your ex-looked after lady a line now & again. I expect she will appreciate that & it will feel like hearing from a friend.
F

Four_Seasons

Hi Foxgloves, please could you give me a little advice I am looking to purchase a heated airer I have looked on Lake.... and am not sure if as there is only two of us the mini would be ok or if the bigger one would be better?  I love drying washing outside but needs must if this morning is a sign of whats to come this winter! I was very successful with my tomatoes, spinach, cucumbers and lettuce not bad for my first attempts thanx to your advice.  Have you sewn all your knitted squares together yet or are you concentrating on christmas gifts, I have knitted a couple of scarfs for presents and need to settle down to a cross stitch project  keep putting it off as its been years since I last did cross stitch.  Hope you have had a good productive day, stay safe FS x