Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

Afternoon Campers,
Just popped onto my diary & read all your comments - thanks for contributing. Always something to say on here, I reckon! Well, I don't know where today has gone, not helped by the fact that I have had quite a few things which required my laptop & the internet - normally a very good speed here indeed, has been clunky & slow all day, despite provider's website of course saying no problems anywhere. Hmmm. I can see Mr F is going to be investigating this tonight & checking various connections. 
Anyway, I need to get a wriggle on, so here are today's vaguely small budget-helping positives:
*Wrote to my sister enclosing small cheer-up gift because she is poorly. Managed to cover the postage using stamps I already had in stock....it has worked out that I have paid about 5p over the odds but it would cost me more than that in fuel to get to the post office, so I am considering that a saving.
*Managed to get the rest of this week's laundry into a single load, extra spin to make for less time on heated airer. Dehumidifier accidentally saved some electricity by being full so switched itself off until I noticed & emptied it. We did buy a good one, but honestly, it is amazing how much water it sucks out of the air....doubtless it would otherwise all be sinking into our walls & fitments so a worthwhile purchase.
*Tweaked this week's meal plans again & this time is is entirely to do with freezer space. I need room for Christmas baking, so we changed a few meals/days around to make eating stuff from the freezer even more of a priority. So have taken out some soup for Mr F's work pack-up tomorrow & a bag of bread rolls. More coming out tomorrow. Did put an item in though....prepped a bag of chestnuts ready for making stuffing, but I did squidge them into a small bag.
*Prepped & roasted the last of our homegrown squash - will be tossing this in with some pasta tonight & a pot of defrosted home made pesto. Wasn't sure how much longer the squash would last so didn't want it to be wasted.
*Did a couple of surveys. December PA earnings up to £20-28 so must keep checking every day.
Not money saving....ordered the yarn to knit the waterfall cardigan pattern. The yarn colourway was fine....I'd got the name mixed up with another similar one & could see that it was that one which had some bright red in it. I don't suit red at all, but the colour I originally saw is fine so I ordered it, plus an extra ball to be on the safe side (no yarn ever wasted in this house!) & the pattern leaflet, as there wasn't any saving having it as a download. £41-31 total yarn cost. It's budget-neutral as this cardi is a 'want' rather than a 'need' so it will be paid for from my Personal Spends once it arrives. Obviously I paid using my 'just for points' credit card, as points on that are building nicely towards my next £10 voucher. Love a parcel of scrummy new yarn, so will be eagerly awaiting Postie's boots on the drive.
And apart from about 40 mins of piano practice, that was the day gone. I have a few winter cosying down jobs to do - closing curtains, kitchen fairy lights, etc, to do & I still need to straighten my hair, which has gone superbly witchy after washing it first thing! It's my cooking night, but pasta is so speedy, I shall soon be sitting down with my book & trying to get my brain in gear for besting Mr F in tonight's TV quizzes.
Hope everyone has got off to at least a reasonably decent start to the week,
F x

Makingabobor2

I sometimes hate days when I have lots to do online. Always makes me feel like I haven't actually achieved anything. Today was supposed to be my budget day as it is pension day. But I decided to put it off until tomorrow, as rain is forecast tomorrow but today was dry so managed to get some washing out on the line and walk to the village. Then did some cleaning, so tomorrow I won't feel guilty if I am sat at computer for too long

foxgloves

@Makingabobor2 - Yes, I prefer a mixed day of tasks preferably indoor & outdoor too, as well as both sitting down & moving around. You did well to get laundry pegged out. I was wondering whether to risk it, but then we had a shower so out came the heated airer.
Have a good productive budget day tomorrow.
I don't know what I'd do without my trusty Money Book!
F

Makingabobor2

foxgloves said:

@Makingabobor2 - Yes, I prefer a mixed day of tasks preferably indoor & outdoor too, as well as both sitting down & moving around. You did well to get laundry pegged out. I was wondering whether to risk it, but then we had a shower so out came the heated airer.
Have a good productive budget day tomorrow.
I don't know what I'd do without my trusty Money Book!
F

It was still slightly damp when it came in just before 3pm, but I stuck it on the airer in the kitchen with the window open and the radiator has clicked in, so will be dry in no time.
I will try and start updating my diary more regularly from tomorrow as well. Since breaking my wrist I seem to have all gone to pot. Still being good with money etc, but just not posting enough or updating signature enough. Need to get into it more before the new year, then I will be set for the year with new challenges.

angela110660

Look forward to seeing the cardigan. Was in queue at our local postoffice which sells yarn amongst other things and they had King Cole brand patterns and yarns like yours selling for £3.99 per ball and was tempted but not yet - need to finiish something else already three quarters doen!!

EssexHebridean

You've got me looking at crochet patterns again now! Darn* you Mrs F! *lol* 

* other forms of mending are available... 

foxgloves

@angela110660 - If it is £3.99 per ball for King Cole 'Riot' DK in your post office, that's a good price. 
@EssexHebridean - New yarn is just so tempting, isn't it? I got into knitting in the early 1980s when it was having a big revival. I used to knit a lot of colourful (& moody black of course!) garments in mohair - the start of the Spendy Era - & yes, the yarn department at a certain major department store featured regularly!

Hello m'dears,
Well, the rain has started pelting down here & I am glad already to have drawn the curtains & switched on the fairy lights. Pleasant day - a few budget-helping odds & ends as follows:
*Took Mr F out to the village farm shop cafe for an early birthday breakfast. All budgeted for, unlike all the eating out in the bad old days. Bought a sack of potatoes while we were there, as it does work out cheaper & it's a paper compostable sack.
*Sorted all the clean laundry & was delighted to find a money-saver right there in that only 3 items required ironing.
*Tweaked December meal plans AGAIN - more to do with freezer space than ££, but it will save money too . Finally, I think we now have a lot more coming out of the freezer than is going in.....at least until Turkey Dismantling Day, anyway.
*Strained & bottled the blackberry brandy. Added some sugar to the boozy fruit which will probably be eaten for New Year dessert with meringues/ice-cream. 
*Baked our Christmas sausage rolls which will be frozen as soon as they have cooled. Sausages were part of the freebies we got with our butcher loyalty card. Puff pastry free as was part of the shop we did with my £50 voucher earnings.
*Remembered to trot down to the postbox early. Post is collected from our village at 9am, so if I am posting anything 1st class, it seems pointless paying the extra then having my letter sitting in the box for a day because I didn't make the collection time. 
*Did a few surveys, including feedback for another product I've been testing. Cashed out another £10 from Ips*s, which is destined for the Leisure/Entertainment Pot. A small bonus payment from PA puts my Dec earnings @ £20-53 so far.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast.
*Use-it-up meal for me tonight (I'm on my lonesome) as there was a single portion of fish-pie filling in the freezer, too small to make a 2-person pie, so I am going to have that with some rice tonight. Mr F is on a very late shift so has taken his dinner in with him.
And that's my lot for today. I am Queen of the Remote Control tonight & have lined up my 'Love actually' DVD. I am also hoping to finish the last 50 or so pages of my book. Only one lap tonight, so Soot & Ash probably going to tussle over which of them is going to sit on it. The loser will doubtless strew themselves across the top of the bolster & lean on my shoulder.
Love to all,
F x

Sun_Addict

Enjoy being in charge of the remote 😀

foxgloves

Ooooh, the power, @Sun_Addict!
F 

PennysIntoPounds

Happy early birthday to Mr F, and great seasonal mse work on the sack of spuds. I find there's something strangely very pleasing about a paper bag of any type