Struggling along as best I can

kayannie

I think the awful weather we've had for what seems like forever doesn't help. The lighter nights will be here soon and hopefully some dry, warm & sunny weather which will cheer us all up. Take care x
KA

Makingabobor2

Hope you feel more positive soon. X

Cherryfudge

Well done for the garden work. Ours has been too soggy to do anything, but the grass is growing so it's untidy too.

I'm glad you got the tooth fixed (and by a handsome dentist who doesn't charge too much)! Does he do cars too? Well, one can dream. It's concerning when cars start costing more, so I hope you can nurse it along till the money is in place for the repairs.

I hope your 'headspace time' helps. Sometimes you just need to step back and regroup while your soul catches up with your body.  

Four_Seasons

Sending you lots of good wishes and a gentle hug xx

cbsexec

Hope you are ok.   Take care 

nannygladys

Hello everyone.
 Thanks for all the positive comments from you all, I haven't been on the forums before today, but feel ready to step up to starting over!
Since I was last on the handyman has fixed a new tap leak, and replaced my outside lights, that means both now work so, as well as the back garden being lit up, the now new working one on the driveway now works as well, it makes such a difference and didn't take too long to complete, so he is coming on Tuesday to  power wash the paving stones in the back garden and down the driveway as they are going really green and are really slippy when it's wet - which is nearly all the time these days lol, and also put a new bathroom cabinet up and a roller blind in the kitchen for me.
I have been to the lottie since I was last on with my eldest dd and I cleared and prepared the polytunnel whilst dd was digging the potato bed over and then moving onto a couple of smaller beds as well, we both worked hard for a few hours and I slept really well that night! I have started putting seeds in the garden as per plan and everything is go go go!!! It makes me happy and raises my soul when I'm in the garden/lottie.
On the money front I seem to be over spending on everything, prices just seem to be on the up in all shops, but I'm still managing just, so I really need to get my act together and buckle down gathering all and every penny I can. The next thing the handyman is going to do is paint the front room for me, and then after that I'll have to see. I need to save for new downstairs doors, carpet for the front room and stairs, a couple of shelves and settee and chair, I think it will take me a little longer than I think, when I was looking at the price of carpet it really shocked me and don't start me on the price of a decent settee, I keep thinking I'll look out for a second hand one, but for once in my life I would like a new one as I've always had other peoples cast off settees!!
So I've had to move money about from different pots to balance the books and as I get paid next week I'm going to review all the bill payments etc to see if there's a chance I can get anything a bit cheaper and organise a week of eating out of stores to cut the food budget down, tightening the belt etc. When my head is in the right place I enjoy the challenge but when it isn't I can quite happily spend spend spend!!!!!!! Well my head is in the right place presently so let me at it!
Thanks again everyone 
Nannyg

WinterWarrior

Glad to see you back nanny. The spending has been good spending as you have made your home safer and nicer to live in. My sofas are 20 years old and I’m hoping they keep going for a while longer! The same quality replacements would cost thousands and I’m not ready for that! 

CRANKY40

I'm so happy to see you back Nannyg, you had me worried. I'm glad that you've been working on making your house more comfortable. 

I bought my sofa new when we moved here with money that I had from selling our big house (as in too big for me to clean by myself). I had an idea that it would last us for years.....until the cat started using it as a scratching post. I rarely get my bum on it anyway. The little sod pest is also the reason for the bald spot on the bottom step of our stair carpet which I will also not be replacing while the little terrorist still lives here. 

I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. I can be out in the garden all day and not think about buying anything. I'm also waiting for brighter days so that I can paint the hall, stairs and landing here. I've almost fallen down the stairs twice so there is now a coffee splash on one side and a tea splash on the other. Luckily the times that I have actually fallen over weren't on the stairs and  I wasn't carrying anything.

Take care of you 😊

Cherryfudge

Lovely to hear from you Nanny, and the work you've had done is impressive. I don't know how big your house is (ours isn't ) but we've done well for carpets by searching for ends of rolls. There's a place near us that does these and offer advice on how a certain piece might be made to fit - and the discounts for it being (otherwise unsaleable) ends of rolls are very good.

We did spend out on our sofa, by our standards. We'd done our research and found one we liked, though we'd seen the same model aged a couple of years and it was getting a bit bobbly. However, we found nothing else we liked so we went to the place to order it, and while DH was talking to the assistant, I had a wander round. Long story short, we never bought the one we went for, as I discovered an ex-display model that we both fell for and which has a guarantee of something like 25 years! It was half price but that was around what we were planning to pay for the other one. Apparently some sofas are bought for new houses and the sale falls through, or similar sad stories. It's worth seeing if anywhere near you has a sale room (this was hidden away at the top of the building) where they put the failed sales and ex-display. You might find something as right for you as ours is for us.

CRANKY40 said:

I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living.

@CRANKY40, that might yet end up in my signature - it sums me up so well! Nicely put!

Please mind yourself on those stairs.

kayannie

Pleased to see you're back, I've missed you! I think this winter seemed longer than ever with the constant wet & windy weather (here in west Wales anyway!). I've noticed that the wild flowers are starting to appear in the woods & hedgerows so spring must really be on the way which will cheer us all up. The improvements to your home must be money well spent & will make life more enjoyable. Just a thought -  if you have been spending more than usual & your savings have decreased, you may be entitled to extra pension credit. It's worth contacting DWP. It works both ways, as they decrease the amount they pay us when our savings increase.
KA