Hazelnutty's New Start

Hazelnutty

Thanks, Karma. Friends were amazing. Immediately offered to have DD one night so the girls can go to footy together then even to drive her the 1.5 hours to the hospital so I won't need to make the round trip. So lucky. It's funny how both OH and I ended up back in our hometown after living elsewhere, including abroad (we didn't know each other growing up) - one major advantage is plugging back into those networks. Having done big moves for work and feeling a little isolated I have definitely appreciated the move home (not in all respects I should admit - the town's grown so big so the infrastructure is creaking and it feels a lot less friendly in some way )

Big shop today, £105 :eek: at Aldi, which admittedly included £9.99 for a posh pink grapefruit gin. But shuld last 2 weeks. Monthly food budget for 3 humans, 2 cats is £220 and should be OK for September. Fuel and Fanta top-ups too £45ish Reading a money diary got me browsing for robo-hoovers I did resist but it's on my wish list now!

Few budgeted spends coming up this week, including cleaner who comes every fortnight and keeps us sane. Hoping to keep petrol down by using my new annual bus pass to the max. It's a great deal offered to the uni so want to make the most of it. No sniffs on the FB bar a low offer for my jacket that OH snorted at and insisted I decline:rotfl:

Sleep well!

Hazelnutty

Evening all

A miserable rainy day here but lit the study candles for the first time in ages, cosied in and managed to get on with work pretty successfully. Lovely bean stew for lunch (thank you Bootstrap Cook!) then collected DD from school. Salmon, spinach and JPs for dinner with another g&t. Spends £37.50 for cleaner and £4.40 Costa on my personal account (I have a guilt-free spening account, usually with £20 or £30 in it for just such purchases - they spark joy:p !) Have listed some bits on FB & the sales email list at work. OH is busy trying to get accepted for product testing - we're hoping for laptop testing as mine is elderly TT'd £1.66 too.

Very excited about the veg box (thank you @F0xh0les) so going to try to nab one one morning. No Lidl near the house but there's one that could just about be justified as somehow on the way back from DD's school, especially if we do a dump and charity shop run along the way. I had a dream last night about being stuck with all kinds of stuff I couldn't get into my bags in time and I was stuffing it in and getting all flustered. Kinda interesting as I'm not a hoarder and like doing clear-outs but maybe I'm not being radical enough? :think: Has anyone else done major league clearouts, Kondo-style or otherwise? I like the thought of having less generally but how far to go?

Anyway, better switch to tea now. Have a good evening!:):):)

Hazelnutty

The clear-out continued last night, inspired by finding a blog that made such perfect sense - it's about introversion and the post was about how a decluttered home environment is really helpful to help introverts recharge. Getting rid of things for a life once lived or imagined and keeping stuff for the life you're currently living was the basic jist and it did help me find a bin-bag's worth of stuff for the charity shop and a further bag's worth of more labelly things from my previous career that I'll try to send to a dress exchange (I don't have the time or energy for eb@y). I've also located my old flute, last played about 25 years ago, which I hope to pass on to someone who'll actually use it!

Hazelnutty

Argh! DD's birthday is turning into a spending nightmare! Having said no to organised parties which fleece you for over £15 per kid I've now ended up shelling out way more Thought I was being super cool getting a 2nd hand t-shirt press off ebay (thought we'd probably get use out of it as we all love the idea) but then started looking for decals etc each one is only a few quid but giving a group of kids some choice and :eek: Just dropped £40 getting 5 kids an initial letter each and a few designs, plus the teflon sheets for the printer, plus £30 on shirts :eek: Not even started getting the food in... Think it's going to be a great party but after a summer of overspending is a little but WTAF have I started! Admittedly she is super excited so if it all works out I'll have one happy bunny.

Otherwise an NSD :D:D

newgirly

Welcome back back hazelnutty just caught up with your diary!

Hazelnutty

Thank you newgirly! It's good to be back

Hazelnutty

Hi all

Amazingly a NSW! Admittedly, OH did cover a few treats like tea and cake out today for our Heritage Weekeend outing I think she's feeling a little spendy given she'll be in hospital or recuperating for a couple of months with no chance to indulge. It meant that I can make it to CC cut-off day (tomorrow) without too horrendoues an overspend. Cruise controlling it down the A14 at 60mph to conserve fuel may have been taking it a tad far but I have a range of 50m left for the school run tomorrow then I can refuel in the new CC cycle Sad, I know!

A few small things MSE things done this weekend:
* Emailed energy supplier as we're more than £150 in credit asking for a £50 refund
* Emailed specialist resellers of designer bags and musical instruments to sell a couple of things I don't need/use
* Messaged dress exchange and bundled up some nicer stuff, which will take down this week (need to call first, which I hate doing, but will be worth it to make a little back on this stuff)
* Made packed lunch for outing (supplemented by cake )
* Storecupboard supper (curry, yum!)

Have a good rest of Sunday :):)

Karmacat

Not sad at all, extremely sensible - using technology to minimise and even cut out spends completely Sounds like you had a lovely weekend.

Hazelnutty

Thanks, Karma. It was until DD had what I'm pretty sure is an onset of puberty meltdown. But we got through it!

Hazelnutty

Dear all

A sorting things out kind of day. Docs and blood test in the morning (ugh but long overdue), trip to town to collect my folding bike from servicing (will be using it to and from the hospital next week),coffee with a friend who's helping out with DD while OH and I are dealing with the surgery, then dump run, school run, tutoring run

Have been looking for a 2nd hand black denim jacket to sew some band patches on. No luck but one in TK M@xx for £19.99 so ended up with that and a bra from M&S. Unscheduled spends Fuel economising didn't quite work so put a tenner in with some cash in my purse. Another tenner in Sainsbos and a £1.50 TT. CC should cut off tonight so will examine the damage tomorrow and make my adjustments for next month's budget. This is the last month before my promotion kicks in. Big food shop Thursday for batch cooking ahead of OP's op and for DD's party. Two tricky diets to cater for so needs some forward planning.

Catch you all tomorrow xxx