We will get this debt down & the savings up

LittleMissDetermined

Ooh, can I ask about the home made weedkiller? Is it pet friendly?  It's definitely something I need in my life! 
LMD x

EssexHebridean

Your veggies are coming along so well - I'm quite envious!  I've got our toms in the mini greenhouse now - they'll be coming out during the day once they have got a bit bigger but they're not as large as yours (and didn't get so long indoors!) so they're not really big enough yet, although they have all now been potted on in to their larger pots.

we've decided we're going to give cucumbers a go - just got ordinary ones for this year although I keep seeing ads for the little "cucamelon" bite size ones and really fancy trying those now! 

KajiKita

@EssexHebridean, I tried the cucamelon things last year. They were okay but a bit stringy - I suspect they need richer soil and a lot more water than I had time to give them. 

KK

Makingabobor2

LittleMissDetermined said:

Ooh, can I ask about the home made weedkiller? Is it pet friendly?  It's definitely something I need in my life! 
LMD x

The weedkiller is brilliant, been using it for years.  
Its 5L white vinegar
937grms salt
300ml washing up liquid 
If you don't want that much, it works out at 1L vinegar/187grms salt/60ml washing up liquid.
I buy the white vinegar in bulk from the Bay of E, or the Big river site. 
Its fine for pets and apparently dogs/cats etc don't actually like the smell so won't go near it. 
 
Literally just mix it all up and either pour or spray it on, depending where/how many weeds you have. Needs a good shake or stir to dissolve the salt properly. I tend to put it in a bit at a time and stir it in an old jug before pouring it in. 
 I use one of those 2L pressure spray bottles that you can buy in BandM for £3.99. . It will kill them off quite quickly and you don't need too much, provided it doesn't rain straight away. Then I just either leave them to rot or pull them up, depending where/how many there are. It really is effective. 

LittleMissDetermined

Makingabobor2 said:

LittleMissDetermined said:

Ooh, can I ask about the home made weedkiller? Is it pet friendly?  It's definitely something I need in my life! 
LMD x

The weedkiller is brilliant, been using it for years.  
Its 5L white vinegar
937grms salt
300ml washing up liquid 
If you don't want that much, it works out at 1L vinegar/187grms salt/60ml washing up liquid.
I buy the white vinegar in bulk from the Bay of E, or the Big river site. 
Its fine for pets and apparently dogs/cats etc don't actually like the smell so won't go near it. 
 
Literally just mix it all up and either pour or spray it on, depending where/how many weeds you have. Needs a good shake or stir to dissolve the salt properly. I tend to put it in a bit at a time and stir it in an old jug before pouring it in. 
 I use one of those 2L pressure spray bottles that you can buy in BandM for £3.99. . It will kill them off quite quickly and you don't need too much, provided it doesn't rain straight away. Then I just either leave them to rot or pull them up, depending where/how many there are. It really is effective. 

That's brilliant, thank you so much! I will give it a go. We don't have many but they drive me bonkers

Makingabobor2

Hello, what's been happening in diary land? Not a lot really. Still plodding on, which is a good way to go I suppose. Had a few unexpected expenses, so not made quite as many OPs as I had hoped, or added as much to savings as I was doing, but think we've turned a corner now and we're back on track. 

MSE things...
My £25 cash out from 1P*ll arrived in PP today, so that has boosted this months money making. 
Nipped into L!d! when I was out earlier and got the free bakery item and also used a voucher for 15% off our favourite loaf....the malted bloomer. 
Then had to nip to Mr S for coffee....tried L!d! one and not keen, we only drink decaff. So turns out that was on an offer for Nectar card, so that was good. Also I needed to get some antibacterial handwipes for when we go away, and they had some that said "no plastic" in them....excellent, as that's why I hate buying them and only usually have them for going away and carrying in my handbag.  Anyway, they said £1.25 on the shelf, but went through the till at £1, so pleased with that. 
Today's spends were budget neutral as DH gave me £20 from a camera sale he made recently. He has suddenly started selling a few old bits, which is great. But I said I thought it was fair that he gave me some of his profits every now and then, as I am currently saving in the optician pot, for the deposit for his new specs that he needs. 

Just about to do a bank/savings pots check as DH's payrise is now in and we know how much it will be, he is still paid weekly, so I can amend some of the transfers/savings etc. Today was payday, but I have been out all morning, so only just getting round to it. 

Noticed the price of petrol was up another 2p a litre in local As*a, and then read on news that it is set to rise to over £1.50 a Litre. Typical as we go away first week in June, it always seems to be more expensive that week....think I'll try and fill up the car soon and then not hardly use it till we go....lol.  We'll need just over a tankful for the trip. Maybe I need to increase my petrol budget as well.  

So onwards and upwards everyone. Dinner tonight is diced pork, I fancy it stir fried with sweet & sour, but DH wants potatoes etc and gravy....I'll see how I feel in a bit when I have to start doing it.

EssexHebridean

Yes - I can see our diesel being over £1.60 a litre by the time we head to the Hebrides in a few weeks! 

Makingabobor2

EssexHebridean said:

Yes - I can see our diesel being over £1.60 a litre by the time we head to the Hebrides in a few weeks! 

It's mad isn't it? It always seems to happen just before we go on a long journey

Makingabobor2

Another quietish day. Only spends were haircut and a few foodie bits as I went past Mr M's, so all budgeted for. 

Awful weather again, wind and rain. Just got the towels out on the line and the rain came down, so left them out and at last it has stopped, so hoping they will dry now. 

Brilliant yellow sticker bargain in Mr M, a smoked gammon joint reduced from £9.59  to £2.79!  That is what I call a bargain. Got today's date on, but as it is still shrink wrapped, I think it will be ok until tomorrow and I will cook it then. We can have some with a jacket spud tomorrow and then I think there should be at least 2 more meals from it, so some in the fridge for Monday with veggies and spuds, and some in the freezer till I decide what to use it for.  We were having salmon tomorrow, but that can wait till Sunday now. 

DH announced that he wants to go to the garden centre tomorrow to look at the fish in the aquatic section. We have a pond and 1 of the fish died, and we were down to only 2 anyway, so he thinks he needs another one as it may be lonely....lol.   I said I have 1 free coffee left for this month, so if he is happy to pay for another one from his profit from the few things he's sold lately, then I will happily go with him.  

Quite a few surveys around today, but nothing to cash out today, but then I did have a good day yesterday, so can't complain. 

Still not got round to working out all the new transfers and savings from DH's pay rise and my increase in pension, but I will hopefully do it at weekend, or if not, on Tuesday. 

Next week is last week of 4 week budget period, so far so good, keeping fingers crossed that we'll end the period with a bit left over....that would be a change.....lol.   Also looking forward to next pension day, as it is the last payment for one of the creditors, that we have been paying off on a F&F deal,  so I will be able to update the total and we will have paid off a slightly bigger chunk. Then to decide which one to try and clear next.  Need to get back on track with all the little things like Christmas savings etc, which seem to have stalled slightly this month. 

Anyway, have a good weekend and hope the weather improves. 

Makingabobor2

So, last few days of the 4 week budget period and we seem to be ok.
Still got £10 left in the buffer pot which will get moved somewhere else if its still there on Monday
Petrol pot has £1 left in it and I don't think we'll be using what is currently in the car before Monday...just less than half a tank
Housekeeping pot has 53p left in it, but I shouldn't need anything else this week, if I do, then I will have to use the buffer pot or my personal spends, but fingers crossed we are ok. Meal plans are all done and stuff in cupboards and freezer.
Surveys have been quite good this month, so that is a bonus. 

Tomorrow I am sitting down and working out a lot of new ideas for transferring savings to pots and making OPs etc. I keep saying this, but seem to have had a bit of a weird couple of weeks and things not all gone to plan....had to get a new phone at weekend ( a refurbished one, not brand new), after mine broke, but luckily we had money in EF, although that is now very depleted and starting again almost, but at least with us both getting a rise this month (my pensions and DH's wages), we should be able to save a bit more each month.  Had a big row with DH at weekend, which didn't help, although we are fine now. 

Still desperately trying to find a pair of jeans, mine just look so horrible and baggy now. Today I went to our nearest city on the P&R bus, which is only £1 as I have the senior bus pass (not free like normal buses, as its privately run).  Tried on 13!!! pairs of jeans and still can't find any that fit nicely. Who makes jeans for skinny, mature women of 5' 9" tall?  Certainly not any of the shops I have tried....MandS, N*xt, M*t*l*n, JL, Mr S, Mr A, Mr T.   I just want slim or skinny. My legs seem to be too thin to wear straight ones and I only wear flat shoes/trainers/boots, so no good having boot cut ones.  Most of the 10s either fit round waist and then look stupidly baggy on legs, some of the 8s don't even do up round waist, but some 10s are too big....all depends on make.  Regular seems just a bit too short, but Long seems to be too long in some makes, I mean Next for example seem to add about 3 or 4" for a Long pair and I only really need an extra inch or so.  So if you have any ideas.....please let me know.  I have been round LOADS of CSs and can't find any there either. Shops like HandM, RI, NL etc all seem to be aimed at youngsters and then places like C**t*n Tr*d*rs, D*m**t, etc all seem to be for real oldies. I might be nearly 67, but I don't want to look like a 90 year old.....lol
Of course all this has stressed me out again and I have a headache. Think its a combination of the actual stress of shopping and the fact that I actually had to go to the city and go on a bus....first time on a bus since well before Covid. Wasn't quite as bad a I was fearing, but then it was quite empty, I couldn't have coped if it had been packed.  Don't think our city is the best there is either....but then are any of them really?  For those who know...it has a clock tower in the centre and people seem to use it as a meeting point.  Well, the clock tower now seems to be with waiting point for all the food delivery people on bikes. Honestly I was really surprised and quite shocked, it was like playing dodgems with young lads on bikes!  

Ok, I have waffled enough, time to get dinner on. 
Have a good evening everybody.