Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

@milann - I can't crochet (apart from granny squares) but I'm sure you'd find that a lovely project to do, as well as it being a decoration which could come out every winter. My sister made a knitted one a couple of years ago & it had all sorts of little knitted flora & fauna knitted separately & sewn on, as part of the design.

And the rest of you.......I can't believe you were surprised about me having a screwdriver in my handbag! (@SusieT - you are the exception, clearly a kindred spirit on the handbag front!) You have clearly never been in a troublesome situation wherein the handy presence of a screwdriver might have heralded your freedom! I have one in my pretty little useful 'bag of bits' next to my chair in the living room & carry one in my handbag at all times. 
F x

milann

I carry a pair of scissors at all times….they’ve been in there years since mil was in hospital  and had a thing about her nails being ‘cut with proper scissors’ - they’ve been so useful for all sorts of things. Kids laugh at me saying they hope I don’t get pulled over by security if I’m going anywhere. I hadn’t even thought of that 😳

foxgloves

Hello Soggy Frugalistas - what a dismal day. The rain started last night, as I discovered when Ash appeared & proceeded to dry his fur on my dress, & I don't think it has stopped ever since. It is starting to seep in under the far end of the front door frame....an old problem which has been much improved, but clearly needs more sealant, & also over the landing window. I've put a towel on the sill to soak it up & have reminded Mr F again about buying sealant. I think I will tell him that he will be getting a tube of the stuff for his birthday if he doesn't sort it out soon. I'd do it myself but would need to go up the ladder right over the stairs, whereas he can reach it easily without.
So no walk, no garden jobs, it's just way too wet. Sourdough loaf & bread rolls proving, have made a list for our planned city centre trip this weekend - the smaller of our 2 nearest cities, as cheaper car parking & can maximise petrol use by calling in to a big supermarket on the road home for our grocery shopping.
I'd so hoped to get onto some garden tasks today, but I'm not going to waste the day. Decided to get ahead with more festive stuff. Have researched a few of the items on Mr F's Christmas & birthday wishlist. Have also been through presents list for everyone else (we only buy for close family, an elderly relative & a couple of friends) & crossed off everything already bought. Apart from Mr F's stuff, only food gifts to buy or make now. 
I'm going to put the radio on now & do an hour of gift-wrapping. This afternoon's confined-to-indoors activity will continue the festive prep theme, as I will be knitting more of my sister's mittens. I got a whole pattern panel finished yesterday so will be joining in another colour today. I'd like to have the 2nd one on the needles by early next week.
Oh, & a semi-shopped from home gift.....I've found 2 large jars which I intend to take to the local indie sweet shop to get filled with something nice, then trim up the lids with Christmas gift wrap & ribbon. I think they will look nice & festive & I shan't be paying for any packaging. It's defo been worth revisiting my master-list & seeing what still needs doing. I think it potentially saves money too. It's the leaving-it-all-to-the-last-minute-itis which sems to result in spending more than planned simply to get the job done. Mr F & I haven't put an actual cost limit on gifts for each other, but we have both agreed that we will be spending less than in previous years. I am definitely shopping around. I know he needs a new cafetiere for work.....the one he's replacing is a more hard-to-find size. I found a perfect one online today - best price £16.99, worst price £30.00. I couldn't believe it was the exact same model, but it was. That's what I mean about sorting out gifts in good time, as it means more time for price-checking, as well as the possibility of finding items in actual shops instead of paying postage/delivery costs.
Soot has just come to tell me it's still raining & he's fed up with slimming.
Warm wishes to all,
F x

foxgloves

Me too, @milann! And tweezers, safety pins & hair elastics - it's surprising how many times I've used those for non-ponytail-related emergencies, lol.
F 

foxgloves

Hello Frugalistas,
A very low-key day here. Mr F not in a good mood....he'd just got home from a training course last night (40 mile-round trip) when he received a call-out to go & co-ordinate an emergency response at his work base (52-mile round trip), so fortified by only a couple of rice cakes as they could go in his pocket, off he went! Today is his day off but he's had to go in for a de-briefing & discovered that the emergency isn't yet quite over. Anyway, here on the home front, a few small money saving wins:
*Unexpectedly a no-spend day as did not go to big tempting garden centre as planned for coffee, scones & to peruse its general sparkliness.
*Free fitness as decided to throw myself into a thorough house clean. Downstairs done, vacuum recharging. House seemed very grubby to me, so really flung myself into some energetic cleaning......which had the following money-saving knock-on effect........
*...... I got such a glow on from all the vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing, etc, that first I had to shed my cardi, then the heating was turned off! Now, 4 hours later, I'm only just starting to feel chilly, so it will go back on this afternoon at some point.
*Did a few surveys.
*Postie brought my credit card statement, which I've paid in full & sorted out associated receipts/payment log.
*Had been thinking maybe I needed an extra small gift to go in one of the present bags I wrapped yesterday, then decided to knock any extra expenditure on the head by making a festive lid-cover & popping in a jar of my home made marmalade, which I know he likes. 
*Have rounded up any vouchers which might come in useful for our shopping trip tomorrow as well as 3 shopping lists - one for the city centre itself, & 2 for the supermarket on the way home, as we will be doing our regular weekly grocery shopping as well as spending our nectar points on items from our Christmas food list. I'm going to put them in my handbag now, as I shall be so mad if I get half way (or worse still, all the way & we've already paid for parking!) then find I've left them sitting on the dresser.
*More knitting of my sister's mitten this afternoon.......I don't think I can finish the first one today, but I'm going to get as far as I can. So I'll crank my audiobook up & crack on with that.
Soot was funny earlier. He's supposed to be slimming at the moment - something he is extremely unimpressed about & I think he thought it was his birthday this morning because the vacuum had obviously fetched out a few stray cat biscuits from behind the lounge curtains, which he fell on with such glee & looked at me triumphantly as if to say "Haha, too late, Missis, I've already eaten them & there's nothing you can do about it!"
Mr F has just phoned to say that the work emergency has still not been stood down, so he's no idea when he'll be home. I've told him to go & buy himself a Christmas sandwich to cheer himself up.......oh, b*gger it, that's just ruined the no-spend day. Never mind, he deserves it after an after-dark call-out & being faffed around.
Bye for now,
F x

Cheery_Daff

That does sound like a lot of faffing for Mr F! Cheerfulness for you though (and for Soot!!) Well done on your epic cleaning marathon, very impressive 

Four_Seasons

Poor Mr. F what a lot of faffing around.  Enjoy your shopping trip tomorrow, have a lovely weekend x

EssexHebridean

That’s all sounding very productive there Foxgloves - what a shame for poor MrF though - it’s my day off too and I would have been most unimpressed had I had to go into work! 

Loving the thought of Soot being all gleeful about the stray cat biscuits - although I bet it left you wondering where else they might have stashed them away too! 

CRANKY40

Mr F definitely deserves that sandwich. I feel for Soot too. Our cat is on steroids for asthma and her main aim in life has always been to acquire human food. She's just louder and a shade more insistent these days. 

ladyholly

Mr F more than deserves his sandwich. I hope he is either paid or gets time off in lieu. Employers are far too keen to intefere with time off. Rember the saying - no one is indespensible.

Productive day otherwise and it was almost a NSD