Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

marionmgcars

Well it’s strange how plans and budgets change.  I was planning a few projects for this year.  After losing a filling and have to make appointment at dentist, for more dental work I was fed up but resolved for a bill.  Then builder checked roof after some water damage lately, and worst analysis would be relining and slating roof.  I could weep !  But now it’s back to hard budgeting and getting a few estimates.  

foxgloves

Teeth....houses. Both are money pits, @marionmgcars. At least when you have had some estimates, you will have an idea what sort of cost you might be looking at.Then, however unwelcome, you can get a plan in place.
What a start to January!
F

marionmgcars

Yes, we can be super thrifty , but some things we don’t have control of.  X

foxgloves

@marionmgcars - Yes, that is very true,

Afternoon Campers!
Just reporting back on a successful city centre trip. Today's budget-assisting positives:
*Decided to pay for only 3 hours car parking on the grounds that if we didn't yakk for ages over our coffee, we could easily get our shopping done in that time.
*Bought 1/2 price Christmas cards, gift wrap & cake ribbon (probably sufficient for 6 cakes). Also bought a Christmas present!!! It wasn't in the sale or anything, but I had an idea for a themed present box for my sister & decided to buy the key item now in case it becomes unavailable.
*Had coffee & toasted teacakes for breakfast - paid with our Personal Spends, so budget-neutral.
*Perused the shop where you would go to purchase a new body in search of sale price body butter. Bought 3 big tubs, all of them already at sale price, but also got another 10% off with my loyalty card AND used a £5 voucher, so it worked out at a good saving & will last several months. Did not succumb to anything else there, sale or otherwise.
*Treated myself to a new dress in the Marine Condiment shop sale. This will be covered by the Clothes Pot. Dress was originally priced at £69.95, but reduced to £56. I took 2 different sizes into the fitting rooms - as it happened, I could have bought either of them. I was just coming round to the bigger one because it will drape better if I want to wear it over my velvet leggings (which is what I was wearing when I tried it on), when I noticed that sale label actually said £47. Well, that decided me, but when it was scanned at the till, it came up as £37! As it will look good with black lycra tights & DMs (which is kind of my 'winter look' really), I was really pleased with my £32-95 saving.
*Still heavily prioritising meals using stuff already in the freezer. Tonight Mr F is making Pea & beef kerala using a surplus rump steak. It's a tasty recipe we both like & unbelievable as it sounds, it arrived unsolicted in the post many years ago in a promotional leaflet from the British Pea marketing board! I don't like junk mail & went on the mail preference register not long afterwards, but actually, this was useful as we have cooked it several times. It's one of those meals which work well as a 'fakeaway' when your heart is saying 'Phone out for a curry' & your head is saying, 'Cook what you already have in, you curly-tailed little squanderer of pennies!'
*FINALLY managed to get Mr F to buy the waterproof coat he tried on & liked in November. He refused to buy it back then. Things that were in its favour: He liked the style. It was black, which he also liked. It was waterproof - he currently owns nothing waterproof at all & very little in the way of coats as he 'doesn't get cold' (!!! 'eyeroll'), it fitted extremely well - the lovely Mr F being quite tall & built like the proverbial brick privy, it had lots of useful pockets, it wasn't a stupid coat which would 'make him look like a ....', it wasn't lined with furry fleece stuff which would be 'way way too hot' & we had a £5 voucher we could use. Well, if it was a coat for me, I'd have been on my way to the till at that point, but oh no. He left it sitting in the shop because outweighing all of that, including the fact that he kept getting soaked while out in his hoodie, was "I haven't come here to spend £100 on a coat". Since then, I have managed (assisted by another soaking while we were walking round town just before Christmas) to convince him that this is a reasonable price for the coat, the cost of which is easily covered from our Clothes Pot atm, & told him that as we get closer to Spring, they will doubtless sell out & then he won't get one. So today, he tried it on again & heaven forfend, he bought it!!!! It was the only one left in the shop in his size & I couldn't help pointing this out & showing him that the nearest similar style was priced at £139. He'd better damn well wear it next week, as we are expecting snow. He is an absolute b*gger for hanging up new clothes "to keep them nice" so I've told him it is only an expensive item if turns out to have been purchased largely for wardrobe decoration purposes. Then had to smile, as I popped upstairs to put all the various receipts on my desk in Foxgloves HQ & he was just trying it on again & testing all the pockets & hood. I can tell he's actually really pleased with it! I thought he'll be doing a twirl in a minute, lol!
Anyway.....oh, I forgot I was supposed to be trying not to yakk so much. Off downstairs to start the new book I had for Christmas & it's probably time I measured my knitting for progress too.
If not frozen tomorrow, hoping for a first gardening session of 2024.
Cheers all,
F x

foxgloves

Oh, P.S ......NOT money saving. Haven't heard from supermarket about our shoddy grocery order yet, so had to call in to a (different) shop to buy 4 of the missing or damaged items. I'm sure we will get it refunded, but can't adjust the grocery budget accurately until we hear from them.
F

Sun_Addict

Well done on the dress and body butter bargains 👏 British Pea Marketing Board 🤣🤣 And well done to Mr F for finally getting that coat - give us a twirl 😆

milann

Hope you hear from the supermarket soon so that you can make adjustments.
Is it a man thing not feeling the cold. My Dh will happily go out with no coat or coat wide open….he has been known to wear no jumper but in the heat of summer will put a sweatshirt on 🤷🏻‍♀️ Pleased he’s pleased with his new coat.

foxgloves

Thanks, @Sun_Addict - Who doesn't love a bargain? I have no clue why I was targeted by the Pea Marketing Board for a copy of their recipe booklet all those years ago. It remains an unanswered mystery. I think of it every time we make Pea & Beef Kerala.  Hey, I have just noticed that they made PEAS the lead ingredient in the title, rather than the beef, lol. But it is very nice, so whichever helpful magic little pea-promoting pixie decided I was to be sent a copy, did provide us with something useful, at least.
F

foxgloves

@milann - It might be more of a man thing, idk. He does own a couple of very nice thick, warm outer layer-weight hoodies, but obviously they are not remotely waterproof, being fabric. When we were out & about in big rain, the fact that he gets so wet, was always the fault of the umbrella, or the type or direction of the rain, or me not walking as quickly as him, never the fact that he didn't own anything waterproof, so I think he is going to find out how much easier it is simply to put on an appropriate coat for the weather conditions.
F

ladyholly

Not feeling the cold is not a man thing in our house. My dh wears thermals most of the year and is permanently cold in the winter.