Greying's Gaining Ground - with Gratitude & Grace

Moneywhizz

It is good that properties are still appearing from time to time. January is never a great time for buying a house but things will start to pick up by the spring and hopefully you will have more choice. Is there anything you could do in the meantime to increase your income even just to give you a little extra in your grocery budget. I am wondering if your husband is working less hours if that could free up some of your time to make a little extra. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Hi Moneywhizz - yes, I agree this time of year is slow in property terms.  And despite the stamp-duty incentive, people are more likely to stay put unless they have to move at the mo, or it's an estate sale.  New-to-market stuff is around, it's just not in our price bracket.  Situations vacant are a bit thin on the ground at the mo too.......

The parental shopping has been done and I've banked their cheque at the PO (such a good service that!) and checked my bank balance.  There is now sufficient in the bank to pay the bills, so W.I.N 😁 Counting the pennies and cutting your cloth does work.  But let's not kid ourselves that it's not h.a.r.d. g.o.i.n.g.  At this moment in time, I am still going to work on the basis of a £150 budget for groceries (food & non-food) in February.  This will be the sixth month of trying to make it eke out, and whilst it is a 28 day month, which helps;  it'd be disingenous to claim that I was happy about the situation.  But, there is still some food in the cupboard, and we have managed this month, so I'll celebrate the small wins.

The walk to the PO and back home via the 'longer' route has given us a breath of fresh air and a bit of exercise.  Today has been a spend day.  I got the TV guide.  

Right, I'm away to pay the visa bill, now that I know that I can, and then I'll be starting the tea.

Greying X

Moneywhizz

I was thinking more of doing something like surveys rather than actually looking for a job. I know it doesn't suit everyone but some people seem to make quite a bit from it. I only use one site, Prolific Academic and usually average about £10 but I don't check it that often. Its not much but it could always boost your food budget at the end of the month. 

redofromstart

Lovely to see you back posting GP, especially with pictures.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning!

Hey redo! - Great to "see" you too.  How ya doin'?

Well, we've limped to the end of the week - and the end of the month is in sight, although I am loathed to wish away this precious life!  

We start with good news (YAY!) the salary has hit, and we're slightly up in the moolah stakes.  Nobody (including moi) need get too excited, it's only a 2 figure improvement on last month.  Probably about the price of a starter in a ultra poshy restaurant.  But we're grateful.  I've decided to take the 'bold' step of upping the grocery budget to £200.  But rather than blow it all on 'burgers and champagne', I'll try to keep the £150 budget for 'fresh' type foods, and use the top up to re-stock the cupboards, and get targetted restocks of the non-food items.  Far from champagne, we definitely need shampoo this month....... 😂

I ended up raiding the freezer for tea last night, as a slight case of cba hit.  I'm not proud of it, but there you go.  It happens.  And I still have the quorn for another day, so nothing really lost.  

Nothing on the property front - rental or purchase.

Did anyone else watch 'Winterwatch' last night?  Did you see the otter up on Arthur's seat in Edinburgh?  What a location to live in!  Can you imagine how much a lakeside property would cost us humans?  Canny these birds and animals 😊  And all the little films or pictures - definitely soothing and helped with mindfulness.  

Right, can't think of owt else MSE/MFW focussed, so best shift-a-tail-feather.

Ta for popping by.

Greying X

rtandon27

Greying_Pilgrim said:

...We start with good news (YAY!) the salary has hit, and we're slightly up in the moolah stakes...

Payday here too! Time to shuffle the money around to pay the monthly bills next week

I've taken to paying as much as possible in one fell swoop, so that I'm not lulled into a sense of comfort with what appears to be a high balance!  I *know* it's all ear-marked for routine payments, but somehow I feel better when everything is paid up

Busy_Mee

Payday here too  So glad that you have a bit more to play with this month and can restock your cupboards. I honestly think you have done amazingly well with very little x

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Afternoon!

I know I'm ducking in a bit early, but I thought I would do my 'round up' now, just in case I run out of time later - lolling about watching 'Winterwatch' and all .......... 🤣

Well. today has been pretty spiffy.  99.9% down to wonderful people 😁  And as you'd expect - MSE is well represented in that compliment........ 😉

I took the decision to go food shopping this arvo.  With the exception of MrAl - which was busy, (a fact that took the staff by surprise), all the other shops were actually very quiet, which made social distancing easy and simplified our trip no end.  We felt as safe as we could be.  The weather for the weekend is forecast to be not too good, so if needs be, we can stay put at home, and not venture out food shopping again.  I got milk and some bits of fruit (thank heavens for MrAl's 'wonky' stuff!) - which has eaten up my remaining pennies of January's budget, and I've got the basics for the start of February, so that we haven't got to worry about dwindling supplies in the immediate future.  I did have to sweet-talk LG and 'borrow' some cash from their piggy bank.  They were very helpful and agreed - they will get the money back soonest, so won't lose out.  I will ensure that all the budgets balance at the end of all this - but it was helpful to be able to do the shop today, so I'm grateful for LG's willingness to help out.  I'm also very grateful that they are currently too young to understand high interest rates for short-term loans.........🤣

Tea this evening is pizza slices from the freezer - mushroom and black olive are the choices.  I have got some tatties out, so I am doing wedges for adults, LG will have pasta.  

A couple of properties added to the listings today.  One discounted straight away on area.  The other was a bungalow (of interest), in the 'outlying' area again (so access/traffic jams a potential issue).  It had the benefit of being at the lower end of our budget, but would require some modernisation.  It's orientation (on the plot), was a bit odd, and the kitchen part of the kitchen diner was a bit small.  The garden was of a reasonable (looking) size and was all on one level.  All in all, probably not enough boxes ticked to pursue, but again, cheering that there are properties coming to market - within our price range.

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

1) 'chats' with chums across the seas.....
2) Kindness (yes, I AM referencing YOU, you know who you are.....)
3)  keeping to budget in January!  I didn't think we could manage, and we have YAY!

Ta for popping in - you lovely folk are so supportive.  Thank you.

Greying X

beanielou

Keeping in budget is always good

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning!

Well, the weather is not very nice already this morn, so we'll probs be staying put.  

DH went to the cashpoint on the way home last night, so LG has been refunded their 'loan', and the February budget is now all ship-shape and I know what I've got left money-wise, but correspondingly, know what I've got now in the cupboards & freezer too.  So we're all good 😁

I forgot to say that the driving licence arrived yesterday.  It was applied for through the PO last Saturday.  That is pretty spiffy service under any circumstances, but I read in the press that the DVLA has been badly affected by cvid.  I know it was a renewal of an existing licence, rather than a new application etc.  But still, credit to the system - that was good service all round.

Tea this evening will be 'freezer' curry with dhal (soz ed!) and rice.  I'm hopeful that LG will continue with their expanding food stuff 'likes' and munch some dhal and rice again for me this evening.  We have at least 2 different curries in the freezer, so exactly what the main curry will be, as yet, is a mystery.

Right, my coffee cup is drained, and I can hear movement upstairs.  TIme to get the porridge pot a-bubbling.  

Ta for popping by.  Appreciated.

Greying X