Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Suffolk_lass

EssexHebridean said:

In our Sainbos store the Nect@r prices rather annoyingly get given as vouchers for next time you buy the product...not what suits my way of shopping at all, so I never use them! 

That too, and with really short dates. If only I lived close enough, I would get one, then go back with my voucher (applied to many, not like Morries) and get the rest to stock up. I forgot, Mr SL swears by the quality and generous sizing of their T-shirts so that is another time we do a shop there (the two stores closest don't do the auto zapping machine thingies

themadvix

You can use the Smart Shop app on your phone SL, if they don't have the scanners (at least, I assume you can do that if they don't have the scanners - it depends on if they have the tills for them?). I seem to be lucky - the money off comes through on the app and I have two within the town. I bought a pack of loo roll a few weeks ago to line it up and went back today to buy 5 more at the Nectar price price - saving 59p/pack.

foxgloves

@EssexHebridean - Well, that would have to be both a 'yes' & 'no'! Yes, I do know about regular de-scaling of irons. And no, I don't do it, ever. As we buy de-scaler for regular use on the coffee machine, I think this indicates the ratio of my interest in coffee compared to ironing, does it not? Anyway, I mentioned replacing the iron & Mr F is determined to try a descale to see if it helps. I actually think there is more than one issue, but if it delays having to spend out on my worst indoor household task (I inserted the word 'indoor' there, as am not a huge fan of drain clearing either), then it is worth a try.
@PennysIntoPounds - Thanks for your suggestion, although awkward cuss that I am, I generally make a conscious decision not to buy anything on Black Friday or the Other Thing Monday just because I'm like that.......
@ladyholly - Yes, isn't it lovely when credit cards start to work for us, instead of costing us? I love those zero letters too. 
@Suffolk_lass - Yes, Mr F is big on Nectar card use, esp. as he usually gets fuel from that establishment too. We would use this store more if we had one in our local town, but we have only a mini convenience one. He has the nectar app, I think, but also sometimes receives vouchers through the post, including all these these £4.50 off a relatively low spend ones.
F

foxgloves

Hello Wednesday Pence Wranglers,
Quite a useful, pleasant day on the whole. Dinner is simmering away in the slow cooker & Mr F is in Sainsbury's further up county making use of his vouchers on our weekly grocery shop. Went for a little walk this morning to see where exactly the water is, now that the river level is dropping & was relieved to see that it has receded back further than I could actually see without a long lone walk by myself. Last time, it was getting pretty close to the back gardens of the first row of houses. Anyway, today's budget-helping positives:
*Did a minor bit of foraging while I was out on my walk - just hips & haws - am starting off a batch of hedgerow jelly tomorrow.
*Washed summer duvet & it dried really quickly on the heated airer.
*Used another big chunk of our huge home grown Guatemalan blue squash in a new slow cooker recipe I'm trying - Indian butternut squash curry. I just need to add chickpeas & freshly chopped tomatoes at 6.30 for it to finish cooking, then stir in a bit of yoghurt & fresh coriander before serving, so very straightforward. Hope it's nice - a BBC Good Food recipe.
*Today's garden pickings - another decent windfall pear (there are still a few coming down from on high which we can't reach even with the stepladder & the picker-pole) & some coriander. 
*Did a few surveys - I aim for £40 a month of PA earnings, but I think it is looking as though I might make £50 this month. Will keep at it, as they are not very onerous & it is a useful addition to my Personal Spends.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast.
*Removed this summer's cosmos plants  which although there were still a few blooms, were well ready to come out, as had become enormous & the rain had knocked them over. As I have saved sufficient seeds for next year, I didn't want the additional seed heads going into our compost, so dumped the whole lot in the garden wheelie. It gets emptied tomorrow, so I felt I'd made good use of the service, with it being a paid-for one.
*.....& while on the subject of seeds, I also made sure to scoop out those from the aforementioned squash. They look nicely plump & in very good condition  - now spread out to begin drying out. Hopefully a few of those will produce more yummy meals next autumn. So far, our big squash has produced 8 portions of butternut mac & cheese (it is golden inside like butternut & tastes similar, maybe a bit sweeter) & 4 portions of curry imminent. There is still a sufficiently big chunk left to chunk up & roast with garlic & rosemary as a side-veg. And it's cost me nothing, as it's saved seed & they grow in the ground.
I've had to have words with Soot today - 4 transgressions, all of which, as usual, involved his tummy. I also need to get the vacuum out shortly to get rid of some wax strewn around the living room. This occurred last night when they both wanted to sit on the sofa (there is ample room for both, of course) & had a little scrap during which my tall iron candlestick was bounced off the wall, sending the candle flying onto our stripped floor, where of course loads of bits of wax shattered off. Naturally the pair of them just sauntered off as though nothing had happened, grrrr. Honestly, cats! Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!
Anyway, m'dears, that's my day such as it was. Hope all yours were more exciting,
F x

Baileys_Babe

themadvix said:

You can use the Smart Shop app on your phone SL, if they don't have the scanners (at least, I assume you can do that if they don't have the scanners - it depends on if they have the tills for them?). I seem to be lucky - the money off comes through on the app and I have two within the town. I bought a pack of loo roll a few weeks ago to line it up and went back today to buy 5 more at the Nectar price price - saving 59p/pack.

Yes, you can. One store in our town has the scanners and one store doesn't. I use my phone in the latter. I haven't had a paper voucher from them in year's 🤔

milann

Typical cats……I wasn’t me….I didn’t do anything 😻😻😂😂😂😂
I mainly use my nectar vouchers when they have money off the clothes. I used to get a fair bit for the gks but I don’t seem to find as much for them as they’re getting older. Dh does like the socks and t shirts from there.

foxgloves

Morning Campers!
Well what a drizzly dull morning it is. Mr F has just set off for work & the cats are watching the bin lorry as though it were a full IMAX experience complete with popcorn.
I intend to start making hedgerow jelly today, which will involve prepping the fruit, cooking it & getting it into the jelly bag for 24 hrs. I also need to find some suitable jars from my stash. I might have leftover fruit for stewing so will do that for free dessert if so.
I'll need to get bread dough churning around mid-day for tonight's pizza & batch of rolls, also squidge down to greenhouse to pick a bowl of rocket.
I also intend to bring my Friday cleaning forward & do it today, as tomorrow is my Big Budget Day & I want to allow plenty of time for the October budget sign-off/reconciliation stage to see if I can resolve that discrepancy with the extra money - £55 initially, then an additional £60 a week later? That's odd, as £115 is quite a lot of money & would definitely be an issue if it had gone the other way & been a 'missing' amount, rather than surplus. So yes, I'd like to know where the error is. End of month budget sign-off always includes checking that all regular DDs/bills went out of our account correctly, ticking receipts off statements (each receipt is already annotated with what I did with it re pot transfers, paying it off credit card, etc) & also checking all payments across to credit cards made that month (& for what) against statements. I keep a monthly manual log of these so it's just a case of comparing. 
I really just want to find the discrepancy as I'm a careful budgeter these days & I don't like financial anomalies which I am unable to explain. Anyway.....Big Budget Day not until tomorrow, so must go & engage with fruit & jam jars!
Wishing everyone a peaceful productive day,
F x

Suffolk_lass

Hmm, mine is usually annual interest added to the bank instant saver account without me checking the transactions when there is a discrepancy in our favour. That or a win (DH plays lottery, we have some PBs). 

CRANKY40

Good luck with the budget checking. I was going to say the same as SL - check your ins as well as your outs. I'm sure that you do though 😊

I was also going to say that our local Strangebrees has their linked catalogue shop inside these days. They're usually fairly cheap for a basic iron if Mr F's fix fails. 

I'm with you on the kitchen things today - I'm going to make chutney with whatever tomatoes are still waiting to ripen. We're a few weeks behind you with ripening over here. I did manage to make a quick trip across the swamp garden yesterday to pick the last courgette which was slighty bigger than expected. I've promised the HT that I'll make mocha squares too. That will stop him complaining about the vinegar smell from the chutney 😁

badmemory

My error is usually to allow a once in several months expense twice.  Like my road tax (only £20) once under road tax  (incl in CC) & once under car exps as bank payment.  Kicking self does not actually seem to stop it happening again.