Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

teapot2

Last weekend I made a few jars of the courgette and onion pickle recipe that I think you posted a couple of years back @foxgloves.  Just got to wait a couple of weeks to try it

foxgloves

@teapot2 - Hope the pickled courgettes work for you. I haven't made any yet this year, but I probably will, as they do go well with BBQ.....not that we've had one recently with all the wet weather.
F

foxgloves

Hello Friday Frugalistas,
Well I have to admit posting on here is acting as a displacement activity atm. I am supposed to be doing my piano 🎹 practice but after about 153 goes at getting a high twiddly run right in the Chopin nocturne I am currently learning, I thought I'd talk to you rather than throw the score at the wall!
Decent day but not a lot of active money saving as had a headache earlier which has taken a while to lift. A v few small wins:
*Did a couple of small financial admin tasks.
*Garden pickings = spring onions
*Have made a salad from various fridge use-it-ups.
*Put a colour on my roots, which had recently morphed from yukky to hideous. I got a '2 for' on the colour so an absolute fraction of what I used to pay back in the day for my (then) bright copper tresses.
*Cleaned the rest of the house using minimal products. Have just put a wash on as so many towels in the WM, I couldn't fit in another thing. Airer, then the weather forecast looks as though it will be a 'conservatory doors open' dry rather than pegging out.
*Turned the heel & completed the foot shaping on a sock I'm making for the presents bag.
And that's it. Not my cooking night, so will read & have a wander up the garden.
F x

Four_Seasons

Have a lovely weekend xx

foxgloves

Thanks, @Four_Seasons, I'll do my best!
F

foxgloves

Afternoon Campers,
Actually, I love camping, but I am so glad I am not away in a tent atm. We have often had a day of relentless rain (or wind or both) when we have been in our tent, but anyone who chose to have an affordable week away under canvas this last week must have had a truly soggy time. 
As the forecast looked so wet, we had already decided to have a home-based weekend. Any small money saving wins today? Well, maybe one or two:
*Finished this week's grocery shopping with the items we needed from town. Haven't done the adding up yet, but I would think we are either on or in the general ball-park of our target weekly spend.
*Remembered bottles & containers for the local eco refill shop. We priced up a new bottle of the well-known eco washing-up liquid last week & even on offer at 2 for £6 (quite big bottles), they were more expensive than getting our own (same size) bottles re-filled. Also refilled loo cleaner, sea salt, mustard seeds & peanuts. Always expect prices at this shop to be more than they are & nice to see it busy, as our local town has lost a lot of shops over the last few years.
*Bought a music score & 2 paperback novels from our charity bookshop. I do have plenty to read from the library atm, but since I was a primary school-aged child, I have started getting very twitchy when my 'books to be read'  pile starts diminishing. Always a very good choice there, as they don't sell anything else, just books with a shelf of films & music.
*Zipped up my purple spotty raincoat & went out to do today's garden pickings: 750g french beans, 5 courgettes & 2 tomatoes. Plenty of tomatoes setting fruit & a good size, but they need some sunshine for ripening now. I'm surprised blight hasn't yet been a problem with the relentless rain coupled with muggy temperatures.
*Nothing spent off budget in town - we did visit our favourite indie cafe for cappucinos & scones, but that's an expense which comes from our Personal Spends so is budget-neutral.
*Mr F is making lovely WW lamb & marrow bake tonight which is a tasty use of those naughty courgettes which hide out in the undergrowth then appear shouting "Ha! I'm nearly a marrow!" He will make enough for tomorrow too, as much as we enjoy cooking, we are both fans of 'Cook once, eat twice'.
I think that is about it for small wins today. We are planning to watch a film tonight & I want to do some reading too. Postie brought me a hospital letter this morning telling me that my follow-up appointment with the Consultant (to discuss results of recent scan) is in the middle of September. I'm ok with the wait, actually. It will give me over a month to continue assessing how I actually feel in terms of a surgical option if there is a choice between whether to have it or 'watch & wait'. I intend to monitor symptoms over the next few weeks & also keep a note of anything which seems to make them worse or improve them. I have already found that drinking more water seems helpful, as does walking & moving more. Sitting bent over (say at my desk) for long periods is not helpful, neither are certain stretches. I think doing this will help me feel I have at least some agency. Honestly, bodies, who'd have 'em?! 
Well, I might go & distract Ash who has now been evicted 4 times from the Man Cave in the last few minutes for inventing a game which (from what I can hear) seems to involve alternately trying to chomp cables & pounce on Mr F's socks (while they are on his feet)! The weather has meant that Soot & Ash have spent way too much time on Wet Playtime this week. 
I gather the South West is getting the worst of the weather today? If that is you, stay warm & dry & let's hope for some sunnier days next week.
Love & virtual courgettes,
F x

Sun_Addict

I follow a food blogger on FB and she’s camping in Cornwall at the moment with 60mph wind and torrential rain. According to my weather app it’s looking good for next Wednesday and Thursday 😎

foxgloves

@Sun_Addict - Oooh, is it? I will ear-mark them for some gardening jobs then. The rain has brought on a hideous amount of weeds. I have made a start on cutting back & clearing but it's barely scratched the surface. 
It's chilly this evening in our neck of the woods, isn't it? I've changed into a warmer dress & put some hand-knitted socks on but I'm still cold & will have to go & find slippers (in August, for heaven's sake!!) & a shawl. I was warmer in town this morning but I suppose that's because I was busy in & out of shops. 
F

rtandon27

Sun_Addict said:

...60mph wind and torrential rain...

We are as West as you can be and still be considered Southeast - it's been absolutely torrential here, though the winds were much milder!  Definitely not a day for going out.

foxgloves said:

...I've changed into a warmer dress & put some hand-knitted socks on but I'm still cold & will have to go & find slippers (in August, for heaven's sake!!) & a shawl...

I'm with you there FG - put on a thermal vest and a long sleeve crew neck this morning and donned some fuzzy socks.  Am about to put on a jumper and find a lap blanket as well.

milann

We visited a town on a North West estuary today and although it rained most of the time we were there, it stopped long enough for us to have a walk along the riverside. It was nowhere near as windy as the weather forecast had predicted. Had we not already booked, we wouldn’t have bothered. 

I’m glad you have time to think about your options with the hospital.