Put away your purse & become debt-averse

Sun_Addict

On a separate note @foxgloves it must be about time to dust off Love Actually 🥳 I have it earmarked for a week on Sunday when I will have had my Covid booster the day before. As I’ve felt dire the day after every single jab I’ve planned a relaxing day. 

Makingabobor2

Oh yes @Sun_Addict,  love that film. Its always the first Christmas film we watch. Even DH watches it with me, which always surprises me. I actually had a survey the other day asking which was my favourite scene from it. I still can't watch it all the way through without shedding a tear, even after seeing it about 12 times or more.

foxgloves

I'm sure I read something recently about a 'Love Actually' reunion or something similar. 
F

Makingabobor2

foxgloves said:

I'm sure I read something recently about a 'Love Actually' reunion or something similar. 
F

Aww that would be great. 

marionmgcars

I love reading all the comments, they help me keep on the straight and narrow.  I’m like you Foxgloves, knitting a few pair of socks for friends as gifts.  I made this little Santa bunting for friends children.  I might make a few to pop in with Christmas cards

Baileys_Babe

@marionmgcars your Santa bunting is fun. Individual Santas would look good hung on a tree.

Tescodealqueen

Just caught up after my holiday. Thank you for the fudge recipe, I am hoping it is a bit like the Scottish tablet. I bought a tin of condensed milk many moons ago to make coffee cream liquor then went off it so it will become fudge me thinks

foxgloves

Love the bunting @marionmgcars. I made some knitted Christmas tree bunting for someone a few years ago. I did think I might make some for myself but have bumped the idea to next year as all knitting efforts need to go into that 2nd mitten atm. First one complete, all ends sewn in, etc, but 2nd one not even on the needles yet. 
F x

foxgloves

Hello Monday Money Savers,
I thought I'd pop a post on before I put my laptop away. It's almost dark already & it's barely 4 pm. I've had a busy day today - all very humdrum, nothing exciting from me (when is there ever?) but I do feel it's been useful. Money saving wins as follows:
*Baked a loaf (used up various odds & ends of flour then made up the rest of the weight, which has made a little bit of room in the pantry)
*Did 2 loads of laundry - now on heated airer with dehumidifier on. I keep popping through & moving thing around to try & minimise the time that it's switched on. I read somewhere last week that it's worth standing the dehumidifier right near to the airer so that the bit which blows out air also does a bit of drying, not just the water-sucking function. I'm testing it out on a row of pants to see if they dry more quickly!
*Cheap meal tonight from my monthly meal plan - slow cooker dhal served with rice & a shared portion of batch-cooked courgette curry from the freezer.
*Big Budget Day today, so lots of number crunching & associated admin. Reconciled November's budget. We overspent by £14.48 on groceries, but I wasn't too annoyed about that because we have been buying in some of our Christmas food items too.
Set December's budget. Mr F suggested we had £20 less Personal Spends money for December to free up £40 to boost other budget areas. I also decided only to pay 1 savings pot this time - the Holidays Pot - because I have made a strict payment plan with that to ensure we can cover our 2023 & 2024 commitments & if it isn't fed £90 per month, then I will have to fund the shortfall from elsewhere, which I don't want to do. By the time I'd allowed for various one-off payments inc piano tuner, an annual car park pass, a donation to a Christmas charity appeal , extra milkman bill (due to guests staying), etc, I decided to leave the remaining discretionary sum in as a bigger than usual buffer zone. I think I've budgeted sufficient for festive food - we can't afford to go mad or other bits of the budget won't get paid -  but prices are rising so fast, I think we'd all agree that they are visibly higher almost every time or couple of times we go to the supermarket, so that's why I've left a bigger than usual buffer. Mr F doesn't need to know it's there. It will only be activated if we genuinely need it, not for buying extra stuff we don't need.
*Did various financial admin & filing.
*Sorted rest of nephew Christmas cash into nice envelopes & labelled them.
*Wrapped outstanding present which Postie brought this morning.
*Did a few surveys. I will do my usual end of month cash-out on PA this week - waiting for a few payments.
*Intend to knit cuff of Complicated Mitten no. 2 tonight. Must hammer that job this week. Presents all wrapped apart from mittens (not finished), S-i-L's fudge (too early to make it) & an extra small gift for youngest nephew, as discovered his brother has an extra one (not yet bought). I do think that starting early spreads the cost. I'm so much more conscious of what I spend too - such a huge difference from back in the Spendy Decades.
Right m'dears, that's your lot - nothing remotely exciting, as I said.
F x

foxgloves

@Tescodealqueen - You're welcome, & yes, it is.
F x