Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Cheery_Daff

Gosh, I've not seen the Wilkos scam 🙄

Good news on the vet payout! And on the Prolific earnings too, and the getting rid of the garden waste! Excellent work! I've not tried bottling anything. I do have a not-used-as-much-as-I'd-like dehydrator though - favourite thing so far is reduced mushrooms, which have kept for ages - I throw them into risottos etc and much prefer their slightly chewy texture to normally cooked mushrooms in a risotto. I won't have a garden glut of anything except damsons this year, but I might keep an eye out for some more reduced veg to dry!

Tescodealqueen

Yes Wilko aren’t doing online orders and lots of people have been caught out. Scammers jump onto everything don’t they.
Hope you like the new Kathy Reichs book I have just finished the  previous one and second on the waiting list at the library for new one although they haven’t acquired it yet! Though it looks like my Mark Billingham  request is on its way to my local library. A new protagonist thought I did love DI Thorne so will be interesting to compare. So pleased our Local Authority is maintaining its libraries as some aren’t . In fact they are demolishing ours and building a new one in this years planning!!!

Makingabobor2

You were lucky to get sunshine. I have just been out down to the village and had to wear my jacket, feeling quite chilly. Although TBH, just lately I seem to feel cold a lot unless I am sat directly with the sun shining on me.....or by the oven when cooking....lol.  Must be my age, or that fact that I'm just too skinny, so have no fat to keep me warm.  

Enjoy your new book. 

EssexHebridean

Tescodealqueen said:

Yes Wilko aren’t doing online orders and lots of people have been caught out. Scammers jump onto everything don’t they.
Hope you like the new Kathy Reichs book I have just finished the  previous one and second on the waiting list at the library for new one although they haven’t acquired it yet! Though it looks like my Mark Billingham  request is on its way to my local library. A new protagonist thought I did love DI Thorne so will be interesting to compare. So pleased our Local Authority is maintaining its libraries as some aren’t . In fact they are demolishing ours and building a new one in this years planning!!!

I LOVE a Mark Billingham book - I was most delighted when we were in Kentish Town for a meeting earlier in the year to realise I was walking past the Bengal Lancer! 

Tescodealqueen

Essex Hebridean how cool is that!!!!!

PennysIntoPounds

What a relief the insurance is being decent. Especially as you can't even send Ash up a chimney to earn his keep what with his asthma! 
Your autumn flowers sound lovely, I'm most envious. A cactus I inherited when clearing out my Dad's place when he died isn't looking too happy. It lives outside Mr PIP's place and I'm sure my Dad had it outside in all weathers for years, but maybe the amount of rain and lack of sun this summer has finally been too much for it's desert soul. It's inside for now to see if it perks up, my cactus knowledge is non existent so not sure how to even start helping

@EssexHebridean I know that place as it's not too far from me, I feel all glam and celeb now! (She says sitting in her trackie bottoms with a big bar of chocolate)

foxgloves

@Cheery_Daff - I think I will put a bit of time into researching the potential pros & cons of having a dehydrator. Maybe that's a project for the new year. You are lucky to have damsons. I love them as they make such lovely jam.....as well as damson gin, of course, which is defo one of your 5-a-day, no questions asked!
@Tescodealqueen - I'm enjoying it so far. I haven't read any books by Mark Billingham. I would probably like them if they are crime. I tend to prefer the grittier end of crime writing/TV, rather than the cosier stuff. Am looking forward to the next Robert Galbraith novel about Cormoran Strike & Robyn and their detective agency. I always keep an eye on book reviews in the press & add anything enticing to my library wish-list.
@Makingabobor2 - I have plenty of padding to keep me warm, but it was definitely a chillier start to the morning yesterday. I soon warmed up wrestling with the buddleja.
@PennysIntoPounds - Yes, it was good news about the pet insurance paying out for Ash. It was the X-rays/sedation which pushed up the bill, especially as he took great exception to being sedated & apparently made it as difficult as possible. When I looked at the bill in more detail regarding the 2nd visit, the check-up consultation was about £33 & the drugs were around £3. Fortunately steroids seem to be inexpensive so if he needs further courses of them, which he almost certainly will, for future asthma flare-ups, at least we know it won't be scarily expensive & can be managed from our monthly budget & Meow Fund savings pot.
Re cacti - I've always assumed it would be to cold to grow them outdoors in the UK (thought maybe with climate change this will change), but have tried an agave next to our pond. I did wonder if that might be hardy but unfortunately it succumbed to a cold snap & I was left with a potful of barely identifiable brown mush!
F

Debsnewbudget

I am enjoying the Mike Craven Washington Poe series, not sure if you have heard of, or read them. 

He used to work with a friend of mine and she recommended them. I use audio books so listened to the first one more out of duty, then quickly listened to books 2 and 3.
Have now downloaded books 4 and 5 for my hols next week.

foxgloves

Morning Campers!
A FB memory popped up this morning in which I was packing for a camping trip a few years ago & was deliberating whether to go for ageing hippyfied glamour (that's me scrubbed up, lol) or the "26-layeres look", which I was hoping I wouldn't also need to be wearing in bed at night! I do miss camping, but I think that post highlights the morphing of seasons this time of year, doesn't it? I stepped outside onto the back courtyard first thing this morning to go & open the greenhouse, stood there for a moment listening to the birds, & in the stillness, could really feel the circle turning, that rolling away of summer's end & the heralding of autumn - my absolutely favourite time of year. 
Today's money saving efforts:
*Cleaned the whole house using the usual minimum products & microfibre cloths.
*Triage of the fridge revealed some long-lingering new potatoes which I have cooked & will use as a base for a salad for my lunch, followed by home grown grapes. I think our market greengrocer will think we've left the country as we are needing to buy so little fresh produce atm.
*Loaded the washer with towels, household linens, etc, but haven't switched it on as I'd rather wait & see if there's a better day for free line-drying over the weekend. Heated airer time is going to roll around all too soon, & I am still watching energy use, despite the monthly DD having been reduced.
*Today's garden pickings will involve a LOT of tomatoes, blackberries & basil. I can see triage of the tomatoes is going to become a necessity over the weekend & I'm not ruling out more bottling at the beginning of next week. 
*Did a £4.50 survey which feels like a good start to September's earnings.
*Baked a batch of bread rolls. 
I am not intending to do too many more jobs today, but if it stays dry, I may well have a potter around the garden just doing a few little things. If I have coriander seed left, I think I will do a final sowing....I don't usually sow it so late, but it might provide some final pickings if I keep it in the greenhouse.
Wishing everyone a decent Friday,
Love F x

Tescodealqueen

@Tescodealqueen - I'm enjoying it so far. I haven't read any books by Mark Billingham. I would probably like them if they are crime. I tend to prefer the grittier end of crime writing/TV, rather than the cosier stuff. Am looking forward to the next Robert Galbraith novel about Cormoran Strike & Robyn and their detective agency. I always keep an eye on book reviews in the press & add anything enticing to my library wish-list.

I tend to follow authors with a detective or forensic aspect and some of them are fairly gritty.
so I like Michael Connelly who does the Harry Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer series, Jo Nesbo for Harry Hole (some of his stand alone are weird even for me), Kathy Reichs as you know, Steig Larson  for the Millenium Trilogy, Mark Billingham for DI Thorne, Val McDermid for Dr Tony Hill. I also like Lee Child for Jack Reacher, Peter Robinson for DCI Banks, Peter May for the Lewis Trilogy and Anne Cleeves for Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn. I am sure there must be more including Harlan Coben who is an acquired taste I think very American but a lot of these authors works also been made into tv series too. I have only seen the Robert Galbraith Strike tv series so might have to read the books.

must have got all this from my mum who encouraged me to read Agatha Christie not long after I finished with Mallory Towers, Nancy Drew and The Famous Five…