Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Four_Seasons

Morning Foxgloves hope you had a lovely bankholiday.  Best of luck for this week.  It is so cold today hoping the sun will peep through later.  Have a lovely day x

foxgloves

@2Scratters - My parents weren't spendthrifts - we were a reasonably comfortably-off middle class family, but I never saw any actual practical budgeting process at home growing up. I don't think that would have changed anything though, tbf. I arrived in a big city as a new student aged 18 & just went absolutely giddy with all the lovely shops! I was in debt by the age of 19 & 1 month - a situation which carried on until the LBM in my early 40s (about 43).
I also find using stuff up satisfying. My best friend is currently decluttering ready to emigrate in a couple of years time & has been offering me all sorts, most recently 4 bags of unwanted cotton wool balls/pads. I wear make-up every day & hate wasting stuff, so of course I had those & they are really coming in useful. 

@Four_Seasons - Yes, it's a much chillier day here too, I think the cloud has come in over the coast up your way & has drifted inland to us where it has truly stuck! Thanks for your good wishes re hospital appointment, which was this morning. 

@milann - Yes, I can imagine. I've only had one major abdominal surgery (myomectomy) & remember that post-surgery, there were often things I could do really easily which I expected to hurt, then the simplest things would be a problem. Honestly, blimming bodies, who'd have 'em?!
F x

foxgloves

Hello Money Savers,
Busy morning as had to get across to the other side of the county for my hospital appointment. It went as well as could be expected, but I was very surprised that the problem does not appear to be my decades long wrestle with the damned fibroids, but something else. I have been having tests for ovarian cancer, which has been (& still is) very scary. The blood test for it came back nicely negative, but the ultrasound shows some issues of concern which the consultant (who was very nice, I hadn't encountered him before) said he will need a multi-disciplinary meeting about to look at risk & I will hear from him next week with a treatment plan. He did say that he personally put cancer possibility as a very low % risk, but that these anomalies can't be left without further consideration, & I would of course prefer to have further investigation also. I don't particularly want to discuss my 'womanly innards', but thought I'd just mention what's been going on because I know I have been feeling stressed lately & not my usual bright-eyed & bushy tailed self. You'll laugh at this bit though.......in fact, shall I use it as today's first small positive win?
*During my appointment, the consultant said he needed to have a look at my cervix. I don't know why I said this, I think I just heard the word 'cervix', but I mentioned that I had just received my reminder letter to go for a smear test. He said 'Oh I'll do that for you now, if you like, it'll save you having to arrange another medical appointment'. And Money-saving Foxgloves brain kicked in as the first thing I thought was 'Excellent, that is going to save me another car park fee!"
*Took water & coffee supplies (plus my emergency banana) to clinic as last time we were there, the vending machine ate Mr F's money.
*Did belated Monday morning budget updates. Mostly this was just the Personal Spends spreadsheet plus a couple of credit card payments to make to keep everything straight.
*Did an Ips*s survey.
*Cashed out May's PA earnings at £23-31. £2.30 still outstanding so that started me off for June & I also did a couple of further surveys which popped up while I was on the site. It would have been more, but I encountered a problem with a survey which when I clicked to begin, took me straight to the final page to enter my code & finish. I had to report it as a tech fault, but still couldn't leave the page, so have had to sign out & hopefully the survey will time out & I will be able to access things normally next time I sign in.
NOT money saving......deciding that after a worried week, doubly worried BH weekend & daunting morning, we will treat ourselves to a takeaway pizza tonight. It won't be one of the big chains.....we have a little indie pizza business in town which is way cheaper than the chains & we think they make great pizza too. Will be funded from surplus budget buffer zone so fairly budget neutral.
Well, the lovely Mr F has just brought me a coffee, so I think I will go & put some socks on.....honestly, I thought sandal weather had arrived...... & read a few chapters of my book. I think tomorrow morning, I will make a list of stuff I can concentrate on for the rest of the week to help me not dwell on medical stuff & also because there's a lot of stuff needs doing.
Peace,
F xx

Makingabobor2

Hope your further investigations go well, I'm sure they will and it will all be well. Love how you turned the negative of the smear test, into a positive money saving event. Luckily I don't have to have them any more as I had a full hysterectomy 20 years ago....can't believe it was that long. 
Enjoy your pizza. Weather has really turned chilly here in Midlands hasn't it? I've just been out wearing a jacket, thin scarf and gloves...that's how cold my hands were. Completely mad, isn't it? 

BTW, I also had that weird P/fc survey. Looking on the thread on here about it, and it appears it was a common thing today. I logged out and back in and all is now well. 

Baileys_Babe

What a sensible chap the consultant was offering to do the smear test to save you from having another medical appointment. My MSE brain kicked in and thought, that's handy you will save on fuel and parking as well as saving your time 

Hopefully next week they will come up with a successful treatment plan and you will know where you stand.

You're not alone, it appears lots of people are having difficulties with prolific today.

Yesterday and this morning were dull and cooler, now the sun is shining and everything seems a little better.

foxgloves

Thanks, @Makingabobor2 - I do feel more positive about it than I was, but I will reserve full judgement until I receive my letter next week, informing me of the findings of the meeting about the troublesome Foxgloves innards. I am surprised I have got this far without a hysterectomy tbh (was first threatened with one aged 29, almost had one aged 53, & am 59 now.  I fully expected that to be on the cards today & was all set to give it my full consent, but atm, it appears not.  Anyway enough of my womanly bits & pieces, really I just popped back to say that I did try signing out of PA because of that problematic survey that traps innocent participants in a loop, & it has cleared it. I intend to put more effort into my PA earnings during June, as together with the £23-something I cashed out today, that will be a useful addition to my Personal Spends.
F x

joedenise

Another who had problems with the PA study this morning - in fact I had problems with 2 of them.  Really frustrating, isn't it?

Well done of turning the smear test thing into a money saving thought!  Car parking in hospitals is never cheap is it?  Hope everything turns out OK for you with the additional tests.  The consultant seems very hopeful that it isn't cancer which is good.  This week is going to be a long one no doubt.

foxgloves

@Baileys_Babe - Thanks, yes. it's funny that was my first thought, but it seriously was! The hospital clinic staff were being very good today. I went in exactly on time, but a couple of ladies were late going in because their notes were still outstanding. Because they had to wait longer than expected, they were offered any excess car parking charges back so that they would only have to pay for the 1 hour max that their appointments should have taken. I thought that was very fair of them because there are sometimes things which come up which mean that we go into appointments late & it often isn't anybody's fault.
F

Baileys_Babe

That was very fair of them. I find pay and display parking at hospitals stressful because you have no idea how long you will be waiting in the clinic. Our main hospital is pay-on exit, which takes away my stress even if it costs more than I would like. The smaller hospital I went to this morning is pay and display and you have to input your car registration, thankfully I was able to park on a nearby street.

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Hi foxgloves
Thank you for updating us; as others say, I'm sure it'll feel like a long wait but hopefully the treatment plan will not be too instrusive and scary
Love Deni x