Simple living in the country - back to basics

Cheery_Daff

That's the top of a staircase, and the window is pretty near the floor, so I don't think that'd work either sadly. Hey ho!

EssexHebridean

The interesting bit will come when your meter has to be replaced and the only meters they have to replace with are smart ones...you might need the popcorn for that one when it arises! 

Cheery_Daff

Ha, well we'll see - I expect it will miraculously become possible (or maybe we'll have no meter and all our electric will be free?!) 😂😂

Looks like the washing machine might be on the blink 🙄 We've had a few of Mr Cheery's shirts come out with what looked like small rust stains occasionally (my clothes are mostly dark or brightly coloured so you'd never notice). The normal cycle stopped spinning properly a couple of weeks ago, and today he did another shirts wash and there are awful stains on all of them 🙄 We've cleaned out the door seal, done an empty hot wash, cut the offending bits off one of the shirts, and stuck it back in as a test. Internet seems to suggest possibly rust inside the machine somewhere or an oil leak.

Can't complain really if it is bust. It was second hand when Mr Cheery bought it, about 20 years ago, so it's done good service 😂😂 Bit annoying though.

Nowt much else to report. Work away day today (not very far away, about a mile from the office) and it was LOVELY to see so many people, although not that many from my actual team 😂 Really nice to talk to people in person though, and we went to the pub for a bit afterwards too. Most jolly. I just spent £2 in the pub. 

Lost £7.70 ish on the Happy wheel this morning, so back under £200, although there are still a couple of things I can do today - but that could take me in either direction 😂 Might so those now then come back with the grand total...

Cheery_Daff

Yay! Delighted to report June's Happy Wheel total as £208! So far this year, that's

Jan: -£168 (because I paid for annual memberships to both Oddsmonkey and Team Casino)
Feb: £24
March: £37
April: £119
May: £215
June: £208

Grand total this year, after taking off memberships, is £435. Didn't really start doing it regularly until the middle of April, which shows... No guarantees of course, but I'll definitely be carrying on for the foreseeable future. 

Requested the dosh from the bank I use for HW, and I'll budget it tomorrow morning - Mr Cheery's pension will have arrived today too so that'll be a nice bit of shuffling to do

Shirt seems to have survived the washing machine unscathed this time... but then I've washed bedding fairly recently and that's seemed fine too. Most mysterious. I don't think any of the shirts have got metal buttons or anything... Hmm. I don't think Mr Cheery's going to trust it for a little while with anything precious anyway!

Cheery_Daff

Morning chums, and welcome to July!

Banks and YNAB sorted, no surplus from June's budget (unsurprisingly) but the credit card cashback has FINALLY arrived, hooray!! £108.62, which i am delighted about - purely good timing because I managed to buy the new kitchen appliances (fridge, hob, oven) and various other things for the new kitchen when the cashback was still 5% on the initial offer.

That, plus the Happy Wheel dosh, has now been allocated to the New Car Fund, which is now standing at £316.62. 

Exciting weekend away here, but it's a party organised by some friends, food put on tonight, and bring and share dinner tomorrow, so shouldn't be anything to spend - we've already brought some bits to take and won't be doing anything extravagant. 

Did just spend £9.60 in the cafe though... but that was breakfast for 2 of us, and we're not going to have a second cuppa. 

Right, best get on, need to fill the car with bedding etc!

Cheery_Daff

Oh, forgot to say - made £28 on the Happy wheel this morning, so that's started July off nicely.

And after all this talk of smart meters, I forgot to read the darn thing this month! I've been so good and sent a reading every month this year as well! They've estimated we've used £80 odd worth - I think we usually use about £70 so I'll check and submit an updated reading today. Won't change the bill, but we're still £80 odd in credit for now anyway.

We have had an email asking us to stay in the covid study which I am delighted about - that means an extra £40 of vouchers each month until next March. I must fill in the acceptance form today.

Right, really leaving the cafe now!

Cheery_Daff

OK- filled in acceptance forms for both of us - it said 'some people have said they don't want vouchers any more - do you still want yours?' Er, yes please...

Entered meter reading - unsurprisingly they've over estimated how much we've used. They've suggested upping DD to £83 a month - it's £72.11 at the minute and we're £80 in credit so it can stay where it is for now, although I realise we do use about £70 ish a month so it won't build up much more.

Entered today's happy wheel total into the tracker and was delighted to see this total profit number 😀😀😀



I mean, that's since 2019, and I've been spending or putting it in pots as I've gone along so it's not all just sitting in an account, but even so 😂 

Next on the cards was going to be making a new hot water bottle cover. I've raided my fabric stash and picked out some excellent bright green cotton stuff, and several layers of an old patterned brown 70s sheet for the lining, but now Mr Cheery has gone for a nap so the sewing machine will have to wait til he's back up. 

In other news - he's done a fab job of sorting out our clothes and filling the new wardrobe area in the new bedroom. Clothes have been in disarray since we moved - we had a built in wardrobe in old house, but not here, so we've managed with an assortment orlf clothes rails, baskets, and a chest of drawers. Chaos. 

Still don't have a wardrobe, but we have rails and shelves in the new bedroom, plus rails for coats/dresses in the new craft room/old bedroom (still current bedroom). Seeing it all laid out and hung properly makes me realise how many things I can get rid of... decades of charity shop finds, and evidence of having put on about 4 stone in the last 7 or 8 years... 🙄 That will be the next decluttering target!

South_coast

Cheery_Daff said:

That will be the next decluttering target!

Would that be the 4 stone, or the clothes 🤔🤣?

Karmacat

Cheery, those HW figures are wonderful!  I'm so looking forward to getting into it at that level in September, when new head space will appear for me and lots of clarity is appearing generally, like with the clothes.  Lovely!

themadvix

I reckon the survey people were trying their luck- surely no one turns down food vouchers, especially at the moment!

 Brilliant HW figures Cheery! Still only dipping my toe in but ought to get back to it properly.