Simple living in the country - back to basics

Cheery_Daff

Excellent! I'll start thinking about what that might mean for us. I've always liked that 'back to school' feeling of September so it's a nice time of year for a reset for me 😊

I've been copying @LadyWithAPlan and reading over the Frugal 2022 thread and it's made me realise just how many things I used to do that I don't even think about any more. So many potential changes to make! 

One thing I need to do fairly soon is defrost the freezer - it's starting to ice up at the top, and is so packed that I can't see what's in it 🙄 There won't be anything exciting 😂😂 But there are some gooseberries and blackcurrants from the garden to turn into jam or something- no point using electricity to store those. A job for the weekend maybe. 

greent

Another one here who likes the reset of a new academic year to refocus - depending upon how strict you are I may join in with the frugal challenge! (I admit to being rather rubbish and there's no point in setting myself upto fail straight off! 😁)

Karmacat

After the way I got used to spending because of this holiday I just had, I rather think I need a frugal September too!  Not only money, but also a bit of making insulating window quilts, and salvaging what I can from the garden.  I don't think I can do much before September, but I'm game from then on, I hope.

Cheery_Daff

Ha, glad it's not just me! Will be lovely to have a few folk doing it too 😊 Not sure about rules - I suggest you create some to suit you as mine probably won't suit everyone (and may be quite vague!)

Steady rain most of today, and a nice downpour this evening - great for the land, but I did some washing this morning... Have hung it up inside, but been reminded that (a) the washing machine's issues haven't been sorted so it still doesn't spin properly, and (b) the clothes maiden has lost a leg, and putting anything heavier than a teatowel on it causes distress and collapse 🙄😂

Have done my best to drape things and set the dehumidifier going at full pelt, but clearly we need to sort both of these things before the winter sets in! 

Going to pull the washer out when I'm off on Friday, and investigate the drain and the belt - if it's not either of those and I can't fix it myself, we'll see. Don't know whether anyone will trek to the middle of nowhere to fix a 20 odd year old washing machine... we'll see.

Mr Cheery is in charge of sourcing a new airer, preferably this week. 

Downloaded Olio again today as I keep seeing people talk about it. This is the first time I've actually seen anything posted on it! 6 hot dog buns 10 miles away 😂 But someone's just posting up an Iceland collection with a load of fresh stuff - 40 mins drive each way so not worth it for us, but we do occasionally go for a trek of an evening that often involves spending money, so might keep an eye out as an option. Definitely worth it if it's in our most local town.

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, there's another supermarket collection about 15 miles away - LOADS of boxes of strawberries, raspberries, bananas etc, been on there for about 30 mins now. Half wish I said I'd go and get them, hope they won't go to waste. 

Looks like our nearest supermarket is releasing stuff in the next few days but there isn't a distributer yet - I won't be volunteering but will watch with interest to see if someone else does - it might be worth collecting from there. 

I assume people can request multiple things, and they can just decide to let you have some of it? 

cafelady

Yes you can request multiple items on Olio and the person distributing it (the Food Waste Hero) will let you know what you can have. 

Cheery_Daff

Thanks cafelady 😊 Pleased to see all the fruit seems to have gone at least! There's someone else with a few bits of radish, spring onions etc. Nothing within 10 miles though - not surprising, although I was surprised to see quite a few people registered in the local village so who knows. Might even be worth posting stuff if I ever have anything worth giving away!

cafelady

You could also request items that are in the area you work in, and pick them up on your way in or way home. You’d have to go into settings, top right, and change your location to see them. I’ve given away and received stuff through Olio and think it’s great. 

Cheery_Daff

cafelady said:

You could also request items that are in the area you work in, and pick them up on your way in or way home. You’d have to go into settings, top right, and change your location to see them. I’ve given away and received stuff through Olio and think it’s great. 

That is a brilliant idea, thank you! Didn't occur to me at all!

Cheery_Daff

Morning chums 😊

£23 on the Happy Wheel this morning, so at £186 for August now, quite respectable. Also standing at £8 on Prolific, with about £4 to cash out i think - will leave that in the pot til the end of the month now (trying to decide if it's more exciting to take it in dribs and drabs through the month or let it build up).

Back in the office yesterday and today. Annoyingly, I had a parking permit yesterday, but we ended up taking the other car, and then for various reasons paying for parking elsewhere 🙄 Very annoying. Mr Cheery went to the emergency dentist (but it only ended up being a £23 fee and a prescription - which are now free). I didn't spend anything except a couple of pints of milk for the tea kitty - would normally last me 2 days at the minute as there's barely anyone in, but someone had a leaving do and of course nobody else bothered to buy milk so I'll have to do it again today (should be quiet though). And no paying for parking today! 

Right, best get my act together else I'll never get there! Already going to get stuck in a load of traffic even if I leave now 🙄

Got a scary meeting this afternoon (which should last less than 20 minutes) so wish me luck 🙄