Giving every £ a job

lucielle

Well done on the shopping from home.  I've started crocheting again but can only do granny squares.
L

Sun_Addict

That’s a very impressive Christmas pot. My DS’s birthday is just before Christmas and DD’s just after so it’s always been an expensive time of year for me. The Argentinian cookies sound amazing, what a lovely thought. 

foxgloves

Lovely autumnal photo @Blackcats, (& rather proud vegetable, lol). A good bit of shopping from home there, too.
F

savingholmes

Great result on the crochet sleeve 

Blackcats

Lucielle - I can only do very basic crochet too - mostly granny squares.  All I did was a line of chain stitch the right length to go round the flask and then treble stitch backwards and forwards to the right size.  I'm now making a scarf using the same unsophisticated technique but because the wool is in a blend of heathery colours it looks ok.

we have a LOT of grandchildren between us which is why we have such a generous gifts pot.  We endeavour to buy token presents for birthdays and put £25 into a premium bond kitty with the plan that they will each get a lump sum when they are 18.  It won't be a fortune but otherwise all they would have to show for their birthdays would be a lot of plastic tat in landfill.  

Shopping from home is quite addictive - another couple of wins today - we were planning colcannon and smoked haddock for tea but once it had been trawled from the back of the freezer the haddock looked decidedly iffy.  We looked at each other and it was blatantly obvious that we were rapidly veering down the popping out for a curry path.  Anyway we have a stash of frozen sausages from summer bbqs and so we cooked some of them up.  It was a bit pot luck but they were all yummy.  I'm glad I kept that potential spend in my purse.  It would have been a lazy choice rather than a treat to look forward to and savour.

the other win involves a scented candle 😱 I've been convincing myself that I "needed" an autumnal candle.  I must have had the same "need" last year because I found a hardly used Yankee at the back of my sideboard - freshly tapped maple scent.  Very happy with that!

first part time pay day tomorrow.  I can see the amount pending in my bank account and it's a bit better than I'd calculated so that's a relief.  It seems that my pension processing is finally on the home strait but I won't get the first payment from that until mid November although it will be backdated to 1st October.  I'm glad I've got a month ahead in the bank for bills.  I think the change and uncertainty is making me a bit anxious.  I can't really plan saving and spending until I'm able to see what the various sources of income actually add up to.

deep breath - it will be fine.  

savingholmes

It's bound to be an adjustment after years of full time work and pay. Well done for shopping from home and not wasting £ on things that don't bring enough value. Good your pay was slightly better than expected. It's probably partly a tax refund.

Blackcats

thank yo thank you SH.  You are right and I'm adjusting and it still feels a bit unreal to me.

I checked my bank account tonight and a pension payment and lump sum are both pending transactions.  I'm very surprised as I've had absolutely no paperwork and 2 weeks ago the pensions team were saying it would be at least 30 days til it was processed.

so now I'm feeling discombobulated because I've been taken by surprise.  I know it's a good problem to have but I just wasn't ready for it.

to "celebrate"we've been out to a pub chain with our vouchers - main course and dessert and tea/coffee for £10 each.  I had what appeared to be a very large glass of wine for £5.20 and OH had a lime and soda for £1.  I thought that was a good spend as we relaxed and chatted in the warm.

Sun_Addict

That's good news the pension payments are about to hit your bank account. I like to know where I am with money and what's coming in/going out so can understand you being eager to find out.

Blackcats

Thank you SA.  The money has hit the bank account.  As the lump sum was also paid it was a bit of a scary bank balance.  There was a time when that would have triggered a spending spree ... a big spending spree .... but now it's got me perusing interest rates.  My reformation is certainly better late than never.

we had a nice evening with grandkids last night.  I'm a reluctant participant in halloween activities but we have accumulated a box of halloween goodies - plastic spiders, pumpkin lights, bunting etc.  we cooked sausages from the freezer stash, halloween pasta shapes, jacket spuds etc.  we made monster doughnuts - ring doughnuts with fang sweets to make a mouth and m and m eyes.  Good wholesome food 😱
then we played Othello which we all enjoyed although I was disappointed that they are far better tacticians than me.  Lots of nice memories made and no much money spent.

Blackcats

And my very own halloween black cat