Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

Welcome back @crazy_cat_lady! Made me smile to think that part of you winding down was reading my daily dronings-on, 😂. If you are going to channel my budgeting & planning, I must channel your finishing-off of uncompleted yarn-based projects. I've started sewing together all those bedspread squares but keep putting it off because I find sewing together about 1% as enjoyable as doing the knitting. Also grinding to a halt on my cable fuchsia pink wrap & making virtually no inroads into stash-busting.
F x

foxgloves

OK, back again my little sausage rolls, 
Achieved both today's goals. Reconciled December's budget & set January's. As predicted, I did find the remaining £50 of that 'missing money'. It was very simple. I had paid off something I bought using my credit card, but had forgotten to update my Personal Spends spreadsheet. It's funny how you just sometimes can't see these things for looking, then when you come at things fresh, the anomaly just jumps out at you!
Have also finished last of the turkey
 s-t-r-e-t-c-h-n-g duties today. I enjoy doing this, as you know how evangelical I am about using up leftovers. Our turkey did Christmas roast lunch, Boxing Day cold lunch, 2 bagels with leftover stuffing & cranberry jelly, 4 portions of stew (made my Mr F & frozen for his work lunches), 7 portions of chilli, 3 portions of bhuna, 5 portions of soup & 1 carton of stock. Have also frozen enough turkey to put with New Year gammon leftovers to make a pie. So in total, that's 29 portions. I did insist on a free range turkey, which was a good bit more expensive but with all the meals that have gone in the freezer, it has worked out at around £2.30 per serving, which I don't think is bad.
The freezer is utterly rammed. We were on our own at Christmas but we are entertaining 2 days over New Year. My bright idea was to buy a huge gammon to serve as a roast to friends on one day, then use the cold leftovers to fill rolls for part of a buffet for my family visiting the next day. The problem is that the gammon is like trying to accommodate a hippopotamus in the freezer for a week longer than we have room for it.
Looking forward to writing up my new 2022 diary as my current one is a mass of scribbled stuff waiting to be transferred. Love sorting out a new diary.
Take care m'dears,
F x

crazy_cat_lady

foxgloves said:

Welcome back @crazy_cat_lady! Made me smile to think that part of you winding down was reading my daily dronings-on, 😂. If you are going to channel my budgeting & planning, I must channel your finishing-off of uncompleted yarn-based projects. I've started sewing together all those bedspread squares but keep putting it off because I find sewing together about 1% as enjoyable as doing the knitting. Also grinding to a halt on my cable fuchsia pink wrap & making virtually no inroads into stash-busting.
F x

You need to do what I call 'sew up Sunday'. That's what my Sunday crafting is for - no matter how much I want to do other stuff. Even if it's just an hour or a morning - keeps you on top of it. The bedspread is going to be so fab though.

foxgloves

So I could knit on the other 6 days, @crazy_cat_lady? That sounds like something which could work for me. I've also been contemplating a week in which I have a massive splurge on sewing-up while watching a boxset - the 'carrot' being that when it's done, I won't have anything that big to sew up again for a very long time.
F x

Baileys_Babe

Or you could set an amount you have to sew up each week and once that is done you are free to knit and craft to your hearts content until the following week and if you choose to watch a box set that is fine.

Could you do the sewing up over 10 weeks? That should get it done by Shrove Tuesday (if my calculations are correct).

foxgloves

Thanks, @Baileys_Babe - that is also a good idea.
F

CRANKY40

I prefer to do sewing up in daylight as I'm less likely to make a mess of it then. If I have things to sew up or ends to sew in on crochet work I make myself do one thing or one bit before I carry on with the fun stuff. I am not the slightest bit disciplined and I will finish things that I've made for people that I've promised items to way before things like hats intended for the local church mission place. 

HairyHandofDartmoor

I'm glad you had a nice Christmas Foxgloves. Who did you spend it with? (Or with whom did you spend it may be better grammar) At home with Mr F? Or did you see your sister? I'm looking forward to being a more regular reader of your doings .

Onebrokelady

Just caught up with your dairy Foxgloves and I related to every festive spendy sin that you wrote about apart from the January sales. I hate looking through sale rails so avoid them like the plague, I'm not sure if this is good or not because it means I always pay full price for things, I've had a few lucky purchases over the years but they weren't intentional. The magazine thing is still an ongoing battle that I'm constantly fighting. My fix is home magazines and I love them at Christmas, I don't buy the expensive ones anymore but I did succumb to three for December and January. I don't normally buy them at any other time now but I'm weak willed at Christmas 

foxgloves

@CRANKY40 - Yes, I prefer daylight too for sewing up, or failing that, my reading spotlight. Once I am back into my usual routines, I'll plan in regular time for sewing up.
@HairyHandofDartmoor - Lovely to see you posting again. I spent Christmas with Mr F, just the two of us. We were supposed to be hosting but the rota is a year behind due to covid, so we will be hosting in 2022 instead.
@Onebrokelady - I have had Christmas 'Period Living' as I have an annual subscription to that & my sister gave me a few December mags. I do like them v much, but I find them a bit more 'samey' than I used to.

F x