Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

Hello Diary Readers,
Hope everyone is managing to have a reasonably decent day. Another grey rainy one here.
Thanks for all your comments, which I always enjoy reading. Re cat carriers, I don't use the big river company & our 'local' cat rescues are both a good drive away - the one from which we adopted Ash & Soot is on the other side of the county & the other one which occasionally attends rescue situations in our area is actually city-centre based - but I appreciated the suggestions. I think we have now found one which is an acceptable price, which we can buy locally.
A most unexciting day, but that's fine with me after last week. Scaffolding still here. Have pinged to find out when it is going to be collected. I would like to see the back of it now. 
Anyway, I've dealt with my email inbox, washed cat travel bedding, done the ironing & (as my yellow sticker shell-on nuts are being gradually scoffed) cracked sufficient nuts to be able to make Cranks nut roast. Now in the freezer with the leftover chestnuts. Must remember to put this on February's meal plans - it will feel like a free meal as use-ups so often do.
Have also made my annual marmalade from the sevilles I prepped & soaked yesterday.
Latest bill from the Cephalopods landed this morning so perused that & crunched the figures for my records. Used around £3 less than the same billing period last year. Credit balance obviously being used now, as we are in the colder months, but that is what it is there for & it is still higher than last year's at the same point in the year so I think we should be ok - though must remember that our monthly payments have been a bit lower too, which may have had a greater effect once we get to the end of March when our CH gets switched off.
We are aiming to have our Annual Money Summit Meeting over lunch this weekend, so tomorrow I am intending to get together all the figures plus a rough agenda of things I think we need to discuss. Right, that's it. I said it was a highly uneventful day, didn't I?
F x

EssexHebridean

Seville oranges - good reminder there Mrs F, thank you! 

rtandon27

Really interesting energy use analysis! I'm now wondering what our comparison would be.

I don't track from year to year, but do an annual consumption average vs cost every mid-month.  For the past 5 years we are down 2 to 3 pounds a month, and this is with mandatory usage during the day as OH is convalescing at home.  I'm happy with this as our gas powered CH with the occasional boost from eco-electric heater is still half the cost of when we lived on the farm/Estate.  There, our CH was oil powered and eyewateringly expensive! By comparison our electric was low as we had huge windows with natural light in every room!