Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

It was an old out of print book with a bit of fading on the spine, @Deni_debt-free_dreamer. If they'd rejected it on grounds of condition, I probably wouldn't have argued the toss, but to claim I hadn't sent it was a p*sstake as far as I was concerned. Never had any issues with them before. No reply from Y*uG*v yet.
F 

foxgloves

Greetings Sunbeams,
Cloudy & humid now after a morning of fab sunshine. Productive no-spend day. I planted up the remaining front border - this has had to be absolutely no-spend planting because our finances need to settle down after paying for over 2 years of refurbishment work. I took divisions of 4 different hardy geraniums - 7 clumps in all & in between them, I've planted home grown echium 'blue bedder' & cosmos 'Double Dutch rose'. Bit too hot a day for planting so must water them all in again tonight.
Spent about 3 hours on random back garden jobs - all fairly old-style stuff - planted half my outdoor tomatoes in their bottomless pots (too much of a tightwad to buy pot rings), planted out the daffodil bulbs salvaged from Spring containers, got last 2 pelargoniums into their summer planters, salvaged a trough of recycled compost which will do for sowing more Spring onions or salad leaves, & picked lettuce & radishes for tonight's salad, Also did half an hour of weeding out the more evil stuff.
Last of this week's laundry has blown dry for free. 
Oh....& the 'missing' book which I disputed? Payment arrived today.....£1.26 instead of £1.10. Price on the 2nd hand market had obviously risen by a truly dizzying 16p. But as my Grandma would have said, "Better than a slap in the belly with a lump of wet cod!'
Cheerio,
F x

marionmgcars

Love to hear about your garden jobs you do.  I don't garden, only in my daydreams, but like to have a few house plants.  I am  preparing to go on holiday for 10 days, so meal planning to use all the fresh fruit and veg before we go.  Today I made coleslaw with some left over cabbage, two carrots and some red onion - we can use them for the next two days.  Charity shopping yesterday I found a lovely white t.shirt with blue and red hearts on - tags still on and reduced to £4.50 - that will be my tribute to Queen's Jubilee in June.  I'm much happier when I live a thrifty life.  

Onebrokelady

foxgloves said:

I have just eaten an Irish cream walnut whip though.......
F

🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀WHAT 🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀I didn't know things like this existed 😍😍

Onebrokelady

Finally caught up with your dairy and I'm now itching to get out in my garden 😊it's going to have to wait a few days though I think, everything is growing like crazy because it's rained for the last three days, I'm going to need a machete at this rate 😊 the iris you showed is beautiful,they are one of my favourite flowers. How lovely that all your renovations are now also finished and you can now enjoy your house and garden with no builders in sight 🎉🎉

foxgloves

I know!! @Onebrokelady, & not only do they exist, they were found on a table of yellow stickered goodies at a garden centre. Two in a pack (& I did share with Mr F as he spotted them - I was too busy gabbing with my sister about scented candles) - they are the traditional walnut whip shape topped with a walnut as they should be - no shrinkflation walnut-less ones for me, thank-you very much!) & the filling was Irish cream truffle. Very nice. Only two packs left. Should have bought both of them. Oversight on my part!
Re my iris.....what a shame you live so far away because it is definitely going to need dividing in the Autumn. I have already chopped a chunk off it this year, potted it up for my sister in February & it is already flowering. 
F x

foxgloves

@marionmgcars - You are being nicely thrifty there! I am much happier now than I was when I was spendy - not because other things in my life have changed/progressed, but because I always felt conflicted, if I'm honest, between my Lefty values & wanting to be 'green' & the sheer amount of stuff I bought & money I frittered. The two sides of me never quite 'jelled'.
I love a good charity shop find. Haven't been on a really decent charity shop trawl for ages. I shall have to cycle into town when my bike has had a safety check, & spend a nice long time looking in all of them.
Enjoy your holiday.
F x

foxgloves

Evening m'dears,
I've not long got in from watering the veg & am all ready for bed, though I shan't be heading that way until after 'Sewing Bee'. We are trying to have earlier bedtimes Sunday-Thursday & so far, we both think we feel better for it.
Before I forget, I must thank @Sun_Addict for mentioning the 'Get fit with Rick' YouTube step work-outs. I tried one today, found it perfectly manageable & although in all honesty, I was only about a tenth as enthusiastic as Rick, it did get my step-count up.
Anyway, today's money saving wins:
*Checked my credit card account as advised & thankfully no sign of any further dodgy transactions.
*Did £13.10's worth of surveys.
*Baked this week's bread in one job lot again to save on gas use. One loaf for eating now, the other cut in half & frozen for later.
*Sorted clean laundry thoroughly & only ironed what really needed it - switched off the iron for the last garment as plenty of residual heat  - yes, I know that is a micro-measure, but they will all add up & frankly, the trajectory of energy prices atm means that there is barely a micro-measure too small for derision, in my opinion. 
*Cooked dinner in the slow cooker, I want to do this at least once a week, preferably more, as it uses far less energy than the oven. I cooked the yellow stickered pork shank which Mr F found (£1.68). We ate it as a (non) roast meal tonight. There is sufficient meat left to make something for tomorrow, as well as leftover gravy which Mr F nabbed for the freezer for his next Epic Man Stew. 
*Planted out the rest of the home grown echiums. I'm filling gaps without more planty purchases. I didn't get as far as I'd hoped with getting various bedding plants in because the combination of warmth & rain has caused such an explosion of weeds, I was having to weed almost everywhere I wanted to put a plant before I could dig a hole & pop it in! I need to keep at the weeds big time as it's a big garden if they get out of control. (I will be doing 'Weed-Fit') Once everything is planted in situe though, hopefully by the end of this month or early June at the latest, it'll pretty much just be maintenance after that....& harvesting, which is my favourite bit!
Oh......I needn't have bothered watering....it is now pouring with rain. Grrrrr. Could have read a chapter of my book instead. Ah well, such is life.
F x

Sun_Addict

Glad you enjoyed Rick. He does like the sound of his own voice a bit 😆 but he also does some without commentary. A colleague is moving to Dubai shortly and I told her to look out for him filming on the promenade. 

I never use my oven. I have 3 Ninjas and they work out better for us as DD works until late. 

foxgloves

Morning Frugalistas,
Well I'm going to get the rest of the summer bedding & last year's seed-sown perennials planted out today regardless of rain showers, heat, sore muscles, you name it. I intend to be outside doing this in precisely 8 minutes time. Have to wait in for gas engineer this afternoon, so time is precious. Whoops, it's just gone down to 7 mins cos I'm gabbing on here.
Chat later,
F x