Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

Hello Monday money-wranglers,
Thanks for all your comments, which I enjoyed reading. Yes, @Blackcats, that definitely sounds like the same energy supplier 🐙 letter we received. All we can do is wait, while endeavouring to build up as much credit on our energy accounts as possible before October. That's my plan anyway.
Interesting about the 'fridge gazing' partners, lol. One of my bugbears is becoming habitual use of YouTube videos on TV. We do have a few we like to follow, but a lot of it when we've finished whatever programme or dvd we're watching, then Mr F (for whom the TV remote control is like a 3rd hand) will sit flicking around random stuff, which as we all know can be a bit of a rabbit hole & is still happening 30 or 40 mins later. I have always had low tolerance of TV as 'background' so would rather engage with chosen viewing than lots of clicking around ephemeral stuff & wasting electricity.
Useful day today. Builder here at 7.45 which means a nice early start for me too. I've done 3 loads of laundry, all line-dried for free (surely our favourite word atm), baked bread, done budget updates, ordered a witch hazel (none available at local garden centres which means I've had to pay postage, but they were reduced by £10), wrapped Easter choc for my sis - family....just made up a bag of assorted small eggs to share. They look pretty with a home made tag & recycled ribbon. I spent a lot treating them at Easter while we were locked down but in my renewed spirit of thrift, these will do perfectly well for this year. Also emailed a local gas engineer for a quote on boiler/stove servicing to see if it is less than what we pay our current gas people. Cancelled my magazine subscription. Am paid up to October's issue so shall enjoy those, but I am ready for a change of content which better reflects how the majority are living.
Mr F working a later shift tonight but v little cooking required as I'm simply serving leftover Cajun pork from the freezer with rice. Tomorrow's packed lunch is also microwaveable leftovers. 
Builder brought me a big unwanted compost bin today. Defo not unwanted by me! I don't think there's any amount of compost I couldn't use. Anyway, swapped it for a jar of my home made marmalade.
Well m'dears, time to put my plant babies to bed.
Hope everyone's managed at least a reasonably decent day.
F x

Baileys_Babe

What a thoughtful builder.

My OH seems to think the tv remote is for his sole use. I detest that flicking randomly around watching snippets of this that and the other, when I comment, he says things like I was browsing to see what we could add to our watch list, no discussion with me if I would be interested or should he add it to his own watch list 🤣 as you mention this goes on for a long time if left unchallenged.

foxgloves

Yes, exactly that, @Baileys_Babe. It is annoying sitting thru the bitting & bobbing but it's kind of come to the fore in my mind recently because of the need for renewed thrift where energy use is concerned. My preference would be that if neither of us is watching something properly, to switch off & do something else. I think all the clicking around can also result in later bedtimes than we would often like.
F x

Baileys_Babe

foxgloves said:

I think all the clicking around can also result in later bedtimes than we would often like.
F x

Yes at times it certainly does.

Crazycatlady2

Here’s a funny for you….think I might be only person in country being told to reduce my monthly gas and electricity DD. Obviously I won’t and will keep an eye to make sure they don’t change it either 😂

savingmore

what is it with men and remotes?  Mr sm does exactly the same.   when i suggest he looks through our 72p tv choice paper, he rolls his eyes.... of course, he has already been through that and red penned what he wants to watch...never things i want...and can declare nothing on, but when i look, may be several things i want to watch.   defo one of the differences between sexes.   🙈🤪

marionmgcars

Loving the posts about the remote controls for the tv.  I tend to sit with headphones on listening to talking book while knitting, but when I want to claim the remote I feel like my credit is good 😊 

foxgloves

On that basis, @marionmgcars, I must have built up so much 'remote control credit' over the 23 years that Mr F & I have been together, I could just have the wretched thing every night forever!
F x

foxgloves

I do feel my life is very unexciting these days with the building work meaning I am confined to barracks, but I am still getting plenty of tedious jobs done, so that by the time this final renovation project is finished, I shall have time to do other things.
Hello m'dears,
Fog this morning, clearing to a low overcast sheet of greyness, which only now, when it's too late to do anything, is it deigning to brighten up. Builder has been busy, so I should think our electricity meter has been churning with the cement mixer running most of the day. Walls are finished, looking good & the old pavers are coming up tomorrow. Things are slowly taking shape. I've not spent a single penny today. I've checked on all the seedlings, potted up cucumber babies & covered them with home made bottle cloches, I've sorted this week's laundry & done the ironing  - delighted to find only 2 items actually required ironing, so no energy wasted there - either mine or the expensive paid for kind. Did meal plans for next week. Apart from some mince to batch cook another crock of slow cooker bolognese, all the other meals continue to make use of freezer &/or pantry stores, which has very much been our plan for March. Checked online banking for a late transaction which was starting to concern me, but it appeared mid-morning, did a survey & wrapped some birthday gifts using materials from my recycled wrappings stash. Did the foot shaping on B-in-L's socks for the presents stash & so it's just a case of straight rounds now until I get to the toe shaping so speedy & easy to do while watching TV (as you know from previous posts that I will not be operating the remote control at the same time.......)
The weather is forecasting a much colder 2 or 3 days & it sounds as though wintery showers could be possible here. The colder temperatures will trigger the heating to come on more frequently, but we will definitely not be turning the thermostat up above 18 deg. Oh...forgot to tell you this conversation with Mr F the other week:
Him - It's dropping really chilly, shall I just crank the heating up a notch? Are you cold too?
Me - No. You're cold because you're just sitting there in a T-shirt. I've got an extra layer on. [I was wearing a long-sleeved dress & a big chunky cardi]
Him - I've got layers on too.
Me - Have you? I can't see any layers.
Him - I'm wearing two T-shirts.
And he was! But of course they both had short sleeves & were thin cotton jersey. He was insistent that this was 'layers' & thought I was being pedantic when I said that 'layers' need to be a warm thing over a thinner one/s. He did go & fetch his hoodie though rather than add any more ooomph to the heating. Two or three nights recently, we haven't lit the stove at all. We haven't needed it - it would just have been habit or lit for aesthetics. 
Well, I can't regale you with anything even a bit exciting today, so will sign out & go & chop some peppers.
Stay cosy, can't beat a hot water bottle tucked up behind your back & a chunky blanket.
F x

QueenJess

Well just to break the mould, I am the one in charge of all the recordings (don’t watch anything live), the TV remote and what we watch. There is no channel surfing here.

DH set up a new remote as the old one died and then said it would not work with the TV as there was an error. So for months he insisted you had to use one remote for the Sky box and the other for the volume control and to turn the TV on and off, which was really irritating. When I recovered a bit from having DD I took a look and solved the problem in under 10 mins 🙄. That’s why I’m in charge 😂