Dusty's Frugal Fortnights Return!

beanielou

You have been a busy bee!

dustydigger

 Hi folks. Feeling quite good this morning,only dull ache in the back,knee not too bad. Got one good chunk of sleep,from 12.30 to 5.50,much better than the night before..Mr D has gone to town looking for his mangoes,pawpaws and the like,and took £200 to my bank,taken from my cash savings binder,the household envelope,to top up my account. after getting a crockpot,an oven,and now a hedge trimmer! £600 left in envelope.

Meant to look for Ninja Savings Turtles August thread,but by mistake clicked on the thread from 2019,but I thought the opening sentiment was good;

New Month.
New Mindset.
New Focus.
New Intentions.
New Results.

Did eventually find this month's thread. I am always too intimidated to join in with the ninjas,they are so active,so busy,so everything frugal and able to cover so much each month,I am left so far behind in the dust I just cant even attempt it. But I do love the monthly preamble,so I like to post it here to occasionally peruse.

Lights!

-get yourself outside as much as possible this month (if you can’t get outside, sit near a window and keep looking outside)

-light up other peoples’ lives – be kind, be complimentary, be generous.

-light up your own life too – be kind, be complimentary and be generous to yourself. Do more of what makes you happy. Enjoy life. Nourish your soul.

-make your own life lighter: what (who?!?!) can you dispose of to reduce the strains and stresses?

-reduce your possessions: we usually have far too much stuff that clutters up our physical surrounding and our mental state. Look at this objectively: if you do not love the item and find joy in it, then let it go!

Camera!

-‘the camera never lies’ is itself a lie! What with photoshop and filters (and all sorts of technological wizardry that is beyond my ken), nothing online can be trusted to be what it purports to be. So don’t believe it. Don’t be comparing yourself to what others put out there. Be true to yourself.

-how much time do you spend looking at a screen? Aim to reduce this.

-take time to look at things and see them anew. Find the beauty.

-look ahead at where you want to be and set some goals, or look back at ones from earlier this year. It is now 5 months to the end of the year, so have a look at your goals and take some baby steps towards achieving them. Make each day count towards the goals that are important to you. Do something every day that takes you one step closer to one of them.

-start thinking about that day in December – can you cut back the spending and focus on a simpler day/period?

Action!

-get moving! Be it yoga, belly down burpees (my fave as you get a chance for a little rest at the bottom!), walking, stretching, gardening, snorkelling, roller skating, belly dancing…

-be proactive about your health.

-take action on your debts/savings. Check over your financial plan – does it need any tweaking? Can you bump it up a gear? Prices are rising – make sure you know where your money is now going.

-inaction is also a goal – take time to simply sit and be. Use all your senses.

-eat well to fuel the body you want. Can you batch cook? Can you cook once and eat twice just by cooking a little extra? Keep hydrated. Replace a less healthy food with a healthier one.

 

Some rules:

-this challenge runs for the whole month of August

-make a budget and stick to it. If you overspend in some areas, look at why that happened. Plan Plan Plan. Look at the month ahead and be prepared for what is coming your way. Do you need to get more cat/dog food…? Prep now so you don't have to use your credit card or panic. Preparation is the key to success. Plan your outings – remember: no cafes / restaurants / work canteens / no vending machines or corner cafes… (Unless specifically planned and budgeted for) Take food and drinks everywhere with you.

-aim for 15-18 NSDs (you keep an NSD for direct debits/standing orders, fuel, medical needs, travel, odds and sods payments that are irregular [but set the money aside at the start of the month], buying only ys/reduced items and nowt else)

-try to drop in every day and tell us 3+ gratitudes for the day. We love to share in victories whether large or small, cheer each other on, and support each other in tough times.  No turtle (and their loved ones) is ever left behind

....................................................................................

Wow! There is always so much to ponder on here.

For now I will leave it,I'm off to the kitchen ( I am defrosting the salmon. Have put away all the dishes off the drainer,havent done that in days, I am going to clear away all the stuff on the benches,its annoying me and making me anxious,a tidy kitchen really helps to calm me. The last couple of months has been not so good in the tidyness stakes to say the least And  I mustcollect and sort about two weeks washing that have just piled up in the diner.At least 3 washing loads. Shame on me. Then put on the potatoes to parboil before roasting. Note to self,increase oven heating time,reduce the browning time.Will take a little time to get to know the oven.

dustydigger

Ouch,Back is playing up a bit had to stop. Did achieve a few things though.Put away lots of things cluttering the bench. They belonged in a box on the bottom shelf of a cupboard,no way could I bend and drag it out last week 

Cleaned the top half of my white tile splashback area,scraped off grease and its now sparkling.and had to continually change arms,pains soon started Only did top rows of tiles,since the pans were in the way for doing the rest. Wiped down the benches down one side of kitchen,the other side is the cooking side. Do that tomorrow.

Never got round to the washing in the diner. If I dont nod off I'll try to sort them things this afternoon.

Got other posts I want to do on here today,but its probably going to be later. Spuds are now in oven,fish stew is simmering away.have to think of something for me......

dustydigger

Oh dear,was following the advice of the Turtles to look out of the window,and since Mr D cut the grass a few days ago the grass was looking nice. Then there was a bang. Went out and found a dead crow beside the bins. Quite a young one,barely adult. Must have flown at the glass. It has happened several times over the years. Sad.

To cheer myself up I have had my faux whiskey. Apple cider vinegar looks exactly like a glass of whiskey   A teaspoon of artificial sweetener to reduce the bitterness,quite enjoyable. Had to have one after struggling not to buy a bottle of Famous Grouse from asd@ !

Now just sipping away for a few minutes before doing the dinner,relaxing after the shock of that bird.

dustydigger

Relieved to get my metformin this afternoon,two months supply,and from my normal chemist so thats all sorted.

Does anyone remember the Krypton Factor years ago,where people were given baffling pieces of some machine and had to put it together? It felt a bit like that this afternoon putting together the new cordless hedge clippers. Mr D was all at sea so I had to put it together. Why does the diagram never look remotely like the real life item?Took some care and attention working out which way up pieces went etc,but got there in the end. No cord for Mr D to cut. Dont know how many times down the years that has happened.Its also a bit shorter and lighter for Mr D to use.so thats good.

dustydigger

Of course I dozed off this afternoon,then we had the delivery of the clippers and all the Krypton factor issues,then made Mr Dusty some tea,and sat down to watch the diving. Then remembered I still hadnt sorted out the washing! Oh boy. I have frittatas to make for supper,and am so not in the mood to sort out clothing now,so it will be tomorrow. Ah well,its been there a fortnight,it can sit another day.

I had all sorts of things to talk about,but no time now.

I'll see you all tomorrow

beanielou

I could not even open the weedkiller earlier.Sigh.

dustydigger

beanielou said:

I could not even open the weedkiller earlier.Sigh.

I am hopeless at opening domestos etc,where you have to push in on two sides while pressing on the top as well! My hands are just too weak and clumsy.

dreaming

dustydigger said:

beanielou said:

I could not even open the weedkiller earlier.Sigh.

I am hopeless at opening domestos etc,where you have to push in on two sides while pressing on the top as well! My hands are just too weak and clumsy.

Me too! The medication for myasthenia (which affects the muscles) has to be stored in an airtight container and the "normal" bottle is beyond me. The pharmacist has put this month's supply in a bottle where you have to push down and turn which I can manage. I was frustrated earlier in the week as I wanted to recharge my drill battery so I could make some holes in a garden pot and that is a "squeeze both sides and pull", but I jammed the drill into a partially opened drawer, leant against it to hold it, and managed to get the battery out using both hands. I don't like to be defeated!

dreaming

Forgot to say - for smaller bottle tops I use a pair of molegrips which usually works.