Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

2Scratters

Well the compost bin DH built from pallets we had is off to a good start. Saying that I am surprised at the amount of food/plants and other bits I am putting in it at the moment   I have put some paper and cardboard in and wet it down. The critters at the back of our fence have enjoyed routing in it. 
He has also decided to create a gate to get easier access to "over the fence" and is in the throws of creating a gate from left over wood. Our back of the workshop store area is starting to tidy quite nicely. Just need a couple more 6-8 foot pallets to dismantle.
We were sat outside having a coffee the other day and heard a droaning sound - we took it to be an aircraft that was being tested. It wasn't, it was a swarm of bees passing over  that sure was a sight to see. At the moment in our area there seems to be quite a few tales of bees on the move and landing in quite public places. Fortunately bee keepers and are all too happy to help move them on and give them a new des res.

Have a lovely bank holiday all

2 Scratters x

 

foxgloves

@2Scratters - Some good projects there. Yes, it's surprising how much stuff can go in compost bins. I'm trying to add more brown waste to ours atm, to balance out the lawn mowings. Loo rolls middles are useful as they are absorbent & break down quite quickly. I know they can go in our council recycling wheelie, but it's quite satisfying to be taking something out of our waste stream altogether & re-using it for something positive like good free nutritious garden compost.
F x

foxgloves

Hello Sunday Savers,
Not such a warm sunny day here today, but perfectly decent for garden jobs. Small money saving wins:
*Mr F (who gets the red mist at the thought of a BBQ conceded last night that he had bought too much, so divided up various uncooked meats into 2 person meal sized amounts & froze them. 
*As for the yummy cooked BBQ leftovers, we had planned for him to cook sufficient for 2 days, so tonight we have plenty of cold chicken, cold new potatoes, salad & olives left for a cold collation & will just add a bit of coleslaw. We tend to do this each time now, figuring that we may as well use the BBQ which is already hot to cook the next day's food & save some gas costs while we're at it.
*Tidied my half of the shed as wanted to make space for the free seed trays my neighbour gave me.
*Potted up 7 sturdy penstemon cuttings which I rooted in a jam jar of water (a la junior school.nature table method circa 1974!)
*Sowed more rocket & coriander.
*Tied in cucumbers again.
*Fed some seaweed solution to the remaining veg plants which are waiting to go out - chard, french beans, courgettes & squash.
*2 baths from 1 fill of hot water.
*Mr F sliced open a tough bottle of body moisturiser for me & as usual revealed plenty left inside which would otherwise have been wasted.
*Read another 2 chapters of my current charity shop novel - "The Loving husband" by Christobel Kent. Also noted a couple of book titles from the weekend papers, which I will look to borrowing from the library.
That's it for tasks today. Reading, knitting & maybe a film will make up the rest of today.
Not a no-spend day, as Mr F did pop out for an 'Observer' & to the car wash, but hugely less than my pre-LBM Sundays which frequently involved a vintage/antique fair in the morning, a garden centre visit in the afternoon & a top-up food shop "because I didn't fancy anything I'd got in".......& I should add that all such top-ups included the purchase of at least one magazine. So looking back at the bad old me, a Sunday paper & a go through the car wash is pretty damn un-spendy!
Love to all,
F x

Sun_Addict

It’s my fault the weather isn’t as sunny in our neck of the woods today as I packed away my winter clothes and got the summer ones out, never fails 😆

foxgloves

That'll be it then, @Sun_Addict.....very similar to the long dry spell which invariably follows any occasion on which I purchase a new umbrella!
F

Sun_Addict

foxgloves said:

That'll be it then, @Sun_Addict.....very similar to the long dry spell which invariably follows any occasion on which I purchase a new umbrella!
F

I was going to say that too, happens every time I buy a new umbrella 🤣

Suffolk_lass

Ah but we get a heat wave after turning on the aga, and a blizzard the week after we turn it off; and then we lick the road clean (for anyone old enough to remember this)

Makingabobor2

I know what you mean about pre LBM Sundays or Bank Holidays. We used to visit garden centres & cafes etc just for something to do and always bought things we didn't need.....with money we didn't have. If I think of all the coffee and cakes we had over the years....it makes me cringe. Must have spent at least £500 a year in cafes....well, we certainly learnt the hard way. 

milann

Pleased to hear you’re taking care of your back. After my surgeries to my abdomen, of which there have been several major ones, I still find hoovering hard and sweeping nearly impossible…..it’s really affected my back and the whole of my trunk. I have to use the brush a totally different way to how I used to and have to use a very soft brush. Take care.
It’s good to hear the finances are all in order…and that your efforts are appreciated ..although I wouldn’t expect anything else. I too cringe at the amount I’ve spent in garden centres over the years. I was chatting with Dh the other week about garden centres. When did they become ‘a thing’. I always remember a nice garden at home but plants were swapped between friends, bare root roses bought from Woolies and my dad occasionally visited some garages that had a monthly gardening club. I think my first garden centre visit was to take the children to see Father Christmas to one which had a sit on train to the grotto.

2Scratters

Where/why did it all go wrong? the spendy spendy malarky? The having to pay it all back : We are here though, and have made it through. I think some may be inherent from actions of parents when not taught/made to save money. My actions over the last week are in evidence of what our parents did and I am looking to make that change permanently. No more fantasy me. 

I have used up a couple of food items which came from my parents which had been "saved" for what I have no idea, there are plenty of various packets which DH and I will be using up. Strawberry angel delight with a date of 2009. It mixed up beautifully and tasted delish also was a gravy of pork and sage again this date was 2011. I am currently halfway down a bottle of Fitzpatricks (a small northern company) Liqourice and blackcurrant cordial its date is 2019. The Dandelion and burdock got consumed first This was donated to me by my lovely neighbour who also has too much stuff not being used. There were six bottles in that donation this is my last one. I do have photographic evidence but I have misplaced the data lead to upload to the laptop,
I am grateful of having an opportunity of using up older items. This will make my budgets go further and allow savings to occur more naturally. 

2 Scratters xx