Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Moorviews

Pixiehouse55 - how wonderful that life on a narrow boat has worked out so enjoyably for you!

As I cook on an old oil stove I always fill the kettle up to give me extra hot water for jobs. It does take heat out of the hot plate so I wouldn’t do it before making toast. Unlike its modern counterpart my stove then takes a while to get back up to temperature, however heating extra water doesn’t cost me extra in fuel. If I use an electric kettle I have to remind myself to only put in what I need. 

I am never sure about the light bulbs and wonder if with all the new fittings and LED’s the calculations might be different. I do have the light on the stairs switched on if it is gloomy or dark though. I am clumsy enough without adding not being able to see properly into the mix. My mother gave me a lovely lamp and as she sadly isn’t around anymore I do like to see that comforting glow in the room. Otherwise, I am very much one for turning lights off when they are not required. 

Suffolk_lass

Good to see you posting @PixieHouse55 - hopefully the marina is an elective choice for you and not a necessity, and all is going well. I remember thinking how adventurous you were, when you moved to it, and I do hope it has lived up to your hopes and dreams x

EssexHebridean

Ahh yes, overfilling the kettle. I always like a bit of spare water in order to avoid any "crunchy" bits of limescale - a necessary consideration when you live in a hard water area - but that needs to have a limit doesn't it! At the least I ought to put the water into a flask when there is overboil though. Yes also to refilling immediately - something I've done for a long while, it may not shave much off the boiling time by the point where it's needed, but it all helps! 

badmemory

Any extra water I boil goes in a jug which goes to fill DSs water bottle.  Which is saving me a small fortune in bought water.  When he was born we lived in an area where the water was less than pleasant so he now won't drink tap water & as a teenager my local water stank of chlorine (really the flouride they put in water) & I can still smell it in a glass of water.  Yes I know it is just my brain trying to tell me that & it doesn't really smell.

foxgloves

Hello Monday Money Savers,
How lovely to hear from you, @Pixiehouse55 . Welcome back x
Interesting to read about everyone's methods of tackling kettle overfilling/leftover hot water, so thanks for your comments. Although I have used leftover hot kettle water for other jobs & also in the past filled a flask, I have never thought to refill the kettle instantly to make use of the residual heat. I have an expensive-brand cast iron kettle which belonged to my Mum & Dad, so it goes on the hob & so I think it would hold residual heat pretty well. I will try to remember to test that out. Apart from a cup of ginger tea first thing, I am a coffee, rather than a tea drinker, so I don't use the kettle for hot drinks throughout the day, but it does get used for making tea for visitors & various other tasks, so it's worth a try.
Well, has there been anything of a budget-helping nature going on at Foxgloves Manor today? Not that much tbh. I baked the first of two Christmas cakes this morning - the larger one, which will be going down to London. Then, as it needed 4.5 hours in the oven, I got on with a few other bits & bobs. I did my regular Monday morning budget updates & pinged Mr F to enquire what his plans were for the £43 overspend in his Personal Spends. This will be more than covered, I think, by his PA cash-out on the 30th, but in the meantime, I shall need to balance the books on Wednesday when it's my Big Budget Day, so he has sanctioned transferring £50 from his Spends Reserve as a sort of bridging loan from himself, lol. Did a small Savings Pots transfer while I was signed into online banking.
Also ordered the last fish box of the year. I have ordered a couple of extra items for Christmas, but balanced this by cutting out a couple of items we usually have, so if I remember rightly, it's come in at around £20 less than last December's order. I was pleased to get the call from the sales team today because it means I can incorporate it into December's budget as a 'known figure' rather than a guesstimate.
Wrapped B-i-L's home made blackberry & pear whisky plus a couple of local beers for other B-i-L & cut half a dozen more jar toppers from another piece of the never-ending glazed paper tablecloth which I thought I'd used but found another piece lurking in my wrappings stash. Used one of the toppers straight away on a jar of blackberry ketchup for my friend's present bag & it did look nice & festive.
Did check for surveys but v little around today & so I have spent a couple of hours this afternoon sitting in the kitchen armchair frogging more of that shawl section while listening to my audiobook. Zero effort nosebag tonight as have defrosted a pot of the pesto I made during our basil glut so have only to cook some pasta & grate some cheese.
Ash very picky about his food atm. He is hungry & does ask for his bowl to be uncovered, but is doing a lot of jelly-licking & once confronted with the dry chunks (which are dry because he has denuded them of jelly), gives me a look which clearly says. "Wot, this gruel??!" I found a stainless steel bowl in the cupboard which is perfect for covering his spurned food. Soot came to investigate it, but he knew he was beaten this time.
Right, time to cosy up, starting with closing all the curtains, then I may manage to frog a couple more rows. My aim is to be re-knitting this section very soon.

Makingabobor2

I just have a mental picture of you sat in your kitchen chair knitting. I love sitting in our kitchen, its so much cosier than the lounge. But we don't really have room for an arm chair, so I tend to sit at the table a lot.  When the previous owners did the kitchen extension, they didn't do it how I would have done it. But you don't always see that when you first buy a house....has taken me 17 years to decide I want it different....lol

Suffolk_lass

Ooh, just seen your mortgage is due to end next month, @Makingabobor2 - I trust you will tell us on here about your celebrations, when it happens (and well done!!)

weenancyinAmerica

I've always boiled water with a little bit of vinegar in the kettle to clean out the limescale (I live in a very hard water area). Don' t get any residue if I remember to do this on somewhat regular basis (more like monthly). Someone else told me to pour it down the sink after it boiled to help clear out the sink drainer also. So I sprinkle a little baking soda in the sink and pour in the heated vinegar mixture to clear out the sink also.

Makingabobor2

Suffolk_lass said:

Ooh, just seen your mortgage is due to end next month, @Makingabobor2 - I trust you will tell us on here about your celebrations, when it happens (and well done!!)

Thanks. I will indeed. My own diary will be full of it as well...lol. 

Elisheba

Ah, your mention of a cast iron kettle has made me think about upgrading the basic stove top kettle I was thinking of buying for my woodstove, to a cast iron one, Foxgloves.  It would look so much nicer.  I'll have to think on it more, and maybe buy it for an Xmas present to myself.