We will get this debt down & the savings up

Makingabobor2

Another damp and dismal day, but at least a bit milder.  
Today was WalkFit class and I nipped to L*d! afterwards as I needed a few small bits and had vouchers to spend. When I opened the app, I realised I also had the spend £30 and save £5 voucher, so decided to get the bits I had on next weeks list as well, and then I won't need to go next week and will make use of all the vouchers.  So added it up as I went round and managed to use the £5 voucher, also got the 7.5kg potatoes free with that voucher, and also a free cookie for DH. There was also 15% off my favourite dark chocolate, so got some of that, paying for it from my personal funds as its hardly an essential grocery item....LOL   I am getting much better at doing that now, as I often used to just put chocolate in the trolley and not think about which pot to pay for it with.  Same with smoked salmon, I love it and DH hates it, and lets be honest, it is an expensive luxury these days. So I told DH that when/if I buy some I will pay for it from my personal funds, as it really is a treat.  Think this is working really well so far. Housekeeping budget is really looking good so far this period, and we are now entering week 3 of the 4 week period.  Only thing I couldn't get in L*d! was an orange...only wanted 1 and they only do them pre packed, also some peppers, don't like buying them in plastic unless I can avoid it. So will see if the veg man who stands in the village every Tuesday, has any on his stall tomorrow.  

P/fc doing very well still this month, currently got just over £9 waiting to cash out later today and still over £11 waiting to approve. 

One bit of news, which may please @foxgloves.....I am thinking of saving up to buy a 2nd hand piano.  It will take a while I'm sure, as we have so much other things to do with our money, and it will have to come from my personal/studies/surveys/ gifted money etc.   When I was a child I had piano lessons and then gave it up as a rebellious teenager. Since I have retired I have been saying I would really like to take it up again. I know it will certainly have brain health benefits as I get older, as well as being relaxing.  DH kept saying we didn't have room for one, but I persuaded him, but showing him how we can rejig the dining room to fit one in. TBH we don't use the dining room that much to eat in, only when DGKs come round mainly, as we now have a nice kitchen table or eat on our laps on a Saturday.  The room is already used for my treadmill, the TD and to store any other bits and bobs as needed.  So as DH has guitars....which he has had for years, so not a recent purchase, I felt it was only fair that I should have a piano.  I am very excited about it, although I know it is likely to be a while before I can get one.  When I played as a kid, it was old fashioned pianos, where as they seem to be more electric ones these days, which take up less room.  So lots of research and investigation is needed.  I did contact a tutor in our next town, who teaches adults as I never really got that far with it, and would definitely need some tuition/refresher lessons to get me back into it and learn a bit more.  Its a pity I live so far from you FG, as I could have come to you for help. From what I always imagine from your posts, we are about an hour south of you.   

On the financial front, I am going to do some moving about with savings pots, as we have the money saved for the extra fence and gate that DH needs to finish as soon as the weather is better, so I am going to move that into its own pot, so it doesn't get swallowed up by anything else. Also a separate one for my greenhouse, which I have been saving for since late last year, and just about got enough for that, and seen the one I want.....just a small poly carbonate type one, as don't have room for anything bigger. Hope to get that soon, so its ready for the Spring. 

Had the renewal for car insurance, and its actually £10 cheaper than last year, but DH is still going to do a search in case we can find it cheaper with anyone else. Its so much easier since we started an Annual Bills pot and don't pay for it monthly anymore. All insurances, car/motorbike tax, breakdown cover, boiler service, are now paid annually. 

Think that's about it for now. Need to cash out my P/fc money and get dinner. Using up yesterday's left over veg, with a couple of sausages thrown in.  

foxgloves

How interesting about you wanting to take up piano again! We have a very small living room but still managed to re-jig things to fit in my piano, which I bought 2nd hand during Lockdown. My sister is a piano teacher & has students of all ages. I'm sure you will find somebody local when the time comes. The 'plug-in' pianos are clavinovas. 
F

Sun_Addict

Lid! are doing single loose red peppers for 45p each this week, no packaging. I bought two yesterday.

What a lovely idea to take up playing the piano again. I'm sure you'll find some space to accommodate it. I used to have a piano as a child, I didn't have lessons but played an electric organ so just dabbled with the piano. Believe it or not I used to have cello lessons at school, I think it was bigger than me 🤣 

Makingabobor2

Sun_Addict said:

Lid! are doing single loose red peppers for 45p each this week, no packaging. I bought two yesterday.

What a lovely idea to take up playing the piano again. I'm sure you'll find some space to accommodate it. I used to have a piano as a child, I didn't have lessons but played an electric organ so just dabbled with the piano. Believe it or not I used to have cello lessons at school, I think it was bigger than me 🤣 

I think the cello is a lovely instrument & always seems so hard to play.