Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

EssexHebridean

I found the same thing with the heating yesterday Mrs F - ours popped on for a while first thing, and that was it for the remainder of the day - and the slight chilliness in the back of the house last night was easily avoided by sitting in the front room instead. 

Good  news on both the scan location and the HMRC confirmation too. 

foxgloves

@EH - Yes, that' the good thing about thermostat control, which was very poor to non-existent on our old heating system which was ancient storage heaters. As they ran on Economy 7, we were very surprised once we had them replaced by a new gas combi-boiler central heating system in Autumn 2020, that they had actually been a lot more expensive to run. 
I have throws & chunky cardis at the ready, but haven't required either yet on an evening. Fortunately, we both hate to be too hot in bed, so having the heating pretty much switched off overnight (unless it really did drop cold, as set at about 13 degrees until 6am) suits us just fine. We'd both rather have an extra blanket on the bed, a warm duvet, but to be breathing cooler air. 
F

foxgloves

Hello Diary Readers,
Another day which has gone by in the twinkling of an eye. Nevertheless, it has been a productive one & I started a new audiobook to entertain me during my kitchen tasks.
Today's small budget-helping positives:
*Baked bread rolls & a batch of jam buns. Froze some of the latter for next week in case Mr F was up for temptation, fond of a home made jammy bun as he is).
*Sowed saved sweet pea seeds using recycled tall yoghurt pots. As they were also labelled using labels cut from recycled spread tubs, it did feel like a thrift project).
*Today's garden pickings: Another lush bunch of sage for tying & drying & a few more blackberries (a domestic variety so still looking good  - no sign of the devil spitting on them just yet, anyway. I love folklore. A charity worker knocked at our door the other week & asked me what our house name meant. It ended up with a discussion about old pagan folklore.....(& me not signing up for a monthly DD).
*Voucher received in post for a free gift from the shop where you'd go for a new body. I do need a couple of moisturisers so will meet the minimum spend on that. Also received a voucher for 20% off an outdoor shop which I don't usually frequent, but as Mr F could do with a waterproof, I have popped it in my voucher wallet in case it comes in useful.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast. Made a porridge pot - much cheaper & bigger than the bought ones & no plastic either - & a sandwich which fitted in a small box. What's the betting Mr F swaps this into a larger box so as also to accommodate a JAMMY BUN? 
*Sterilised jars from my recycled jar stash & bottled my home made mincemeat which has been sitting macerating in sherry for 2 days. Despite halving the quantity, it still made a bit more than I expected, so I shall gift a jar to my sister.
*Did a survey to keep October's total ticking up.
*Finished birthday present socks #2. Just one Christmas present pair to cast on now & plenty of time to knit them. Very appropriate as the colourway is called 'Winter icicle'.
And now I am going to sign off, put on another chapter of audiobook & start prepping ingredients for making tonight's kedgeree. 
Take care, m'dears.
F x

Blackcats

We are succumbing to putting the heating on.  MrBC has just asked "any idea where the thermostat is?"  It is a mobile thermostat so it's clearly mobilised itself during the last few months.  

Jammy bun sounds lovely - would be perfect with a cup of tea whilst watching bake off tonight.  I shall have to make do with maltezers.  

Moorviews

We have lit the wood stove but just with a small fire as we don’t need it to run around the radiators yet via the back boiler. It’s nice and cheerful too which is often why my husband lights it. He doesn’t like the dark short days of autumn into winter. I like the bedroom to be cool, or actually cold, and struggle to sleep in hotels because they are always so stuffy. I could just tuck into a jammy bun right now! They sound delicious 😋 

rtandon27

'We' gave in yesterday and turned the boiler from water only to water & heating. 'We' is actually the OH who's wool sweater is still on the back of the chair! - I wore one fewer layer today & didn't heat the wheat bag once...
...I did have a grumble or two about the cost of central heating, but given that I work from home a couple of times a week, I might have to just give in & admit it's cosy weather

AnotherNewDay

2Scratters said:

What on earth has the Nationwide Building Society  done with its logo 

 It looks like a dodgy bank sign. Are things about to change with them? I noticed it yesterday when I couldn't see it to log into my app its not easy to see with my background settings.  Great colours for the colour blind too!!! 
Ooh not a happy customer here.

I am being a warrior at the moment with making money go a bit further - we are down to using our last loo roll   

Saved an empty spray bottle to be reused with a small concentrate product but am not filling it up yet.
Been up and down out of my seat to see the geese flying - we have inbound and outbound flocks. I like to greet them and bid them farewell on their migration too. 

2 Scratters xx

@2Scratters agree with you about the Nationwide logo, it is awful, and could easily be confused with N'West, plus the colours are really jarring

Suffolk_lass

Interested in jammy buns (aren't we all!?) - can you share your recipe or whose it is please? I have just frozen the last two courgette and lemon loaves and although there are 6 or so dotted about, a bit of variety is good with a cup of tea. I must dash but I also wanted to add "Pots & kettles!" Mrs! You are always so busy, you put me to shame 

themadvix

Ooh, SL, I'm glad you asked about the jammy buns - it saved me having to! You're both insanely busy with homesteading - but always so good to read about and very inspiring

foxgloves

Lol, I can assure you that they are absolutely nothing special & any bakers of a similar vintage to myself probably made them in school cookery lessons, where they went under their usual name of 'raspberry buns'. They are just a rubbed in mixture similar to a rock cake in texture. I use the Cranks recipe but only for quantities as I generally use white flour (as am more likely to have it, except for bread flour), caster sugar & leave out the currants. The result is an unsophisticated rock cake-type bun into which a central hole is made with the handle of a wooden spoon. This is filled with a tsp of jam before baking. Mary Berry includes a smaller version in her baking bible book. They were a fairly ubiquitous feature of children learning to bake in the 1970s. That's all they are, but Mr F happens to be particularly fond of them for some reason. 
F