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Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend
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It’s freezing cold here too but the wind is making it feel that bit more uncomfortable out there. I am drying washing indoors today although it would probably dry outside to some degree, however, I cannot bear the idea of standing out by the washing line!
I’m aiming for a minimal spend with the groceries this month too and quite pleased with how far the food is stretching. We are going to have to order oil this month so need to keep all other spending low as it is awfully expensive. We bought separate mattresses that can be joined together. I absolutely love the fact that I am no longer forced to cling to the side of the mattress in order to avoid rolling into the middle; my husband is much bigger than I am. We also have our own preference in firmness. I hope your new mattress will be perfect for you.I have been listening to the radio 4 programme at 9:45am regarding the Post Office in case that is of interest to others. It is all simply appalling.Your garlic flatbreads sound delicious. Do you freeze them raw, or baked?5 -
Hi Moorviews, They are cooked on the hob in a griddle pan, so I just make a batch, griddle & then freeze them ready to eat. They defrost pretty quickly & can be warmed up if preferred.
Re new mattress - Both of us hoping it will improve our dodgy lower back.muscles. Mr F also has great hopes of it curing his cricked neck, so he might very soon be springing around like a mountain goat!
F2026's challenges: 1) To rebuild our Emergency Fund to at least £5k.
2) To read 50 books (12/50) 3) The Re-Shrinking of Foxgloves 8.1kg/30kg
Remember....if you have to put it on a credit card, extend your overdraft or take out a loan to buy whatever it is, you probably can't afford it, as that's not your money, it's somebody else's!4 -
Thank you Foxgloves, they sound like a useful item to get ahead with.Certainly the new mattresses helped our backs. We had taken it as normal to have aches and pains in the morning but they literally disappeared. So 🤞for you and Mr Foxgloves!4
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I definitely need to make more garlic flatbreads at some stage - they are so nice and so versatile too.
Although further south I am with you on the bitterly cold thing - apart from one day this week the grass in front of the house has been crunchy when I've left i the morning, and crunchy when I returned home in the evening - Brrr! I dread to think what temperature faced MrEH when he got out to the office this morning, but both the electricity and gas use today are looking high already! It's another gorgeous sunny day here though, so that's something.🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 Balance as at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 Balance as at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00. Balance as at 31/12/25 = £ 91,100.00
SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her6 -
Good Morning Campers!
Useful morning. Decided to get my planned tasks done early so as to enjoy an afternoon of knitting, reading & spending time with Soot & Ash, who have spent so much of today so far up against the radiators, they are like furry hot water bottles. Anyway, today's small budget-friendly things:
*Veggie seed order arrived. All present & correct. Received a free pack of dill seeds.
*Sock yarn arrived, popped away in yarn stash ready to knit a couple of Christmas presents at some point in the year.
*Salvage from today's post: a strong plastic postage envelope, an organza bag & a padded envelope. All now added to wrappings stash.
*CC bill arrived & was a lovely big fat round zero! So unlike the Spendy Years. Reconciled it with receipts & my CC payment log sheet.
*Cleaned fridge using minimal products & washable cloths. Re-lined salad drawer with new newspaper as it does seem to keep things fresher for longer, presumably by absorbing moisture.
*Did a stock-take of pantry while wiping down shelves & re-filling a few jars.
*Wrote grocery shopping list which Mr F is picking up on his way past tonight, a re-stock list of store cupboard basics for A*di at some point this weekend & a list of fresh stuff to buy from the local market on Saturday. Have £1 off vouchers for 2 of the items on the main list, so that will knock a little off.
*Jacket potato night tonight - basically this is anything we fancy that we have in stock (not including anything required for another planned meal). I think it will be cheese & beans (Mr F) & cheese & coleslaw (me, as I only eat baked beans if they are on toast).
*Have done a few surveys - there are quite a lot of PA ones around this morning. I've just declined to take part in a £6 one (bah) but I need to put my laptop off & find some lunch.
*Started a bag of library returns.
*Shopped from home item. Was considering buying an extra cat bed, a bigger one for Soot, but then thought how they don't use the current £45 one AT ALL but prefer their little snuggly blankets I crocheted for them from yarn stash granny squares. I have a pile of granny squares in my yarn cabinet with no project in mind, so I think I will join them together to make a blanket for Soot - they both like to be up on the landing overnight, but only one blanket up there & this is causing envious looks because Ash has assumed it's for his own exclusive use. Using those ready-made squares for an additional upstairs blanket is defo the no-spend solution here.
*Knit some more of my cardi. I need to be putting more time in - these very long rows take a long time & I want to wear it!
Right, I am off to find some lunch, make a hot water bottle & watch another ep of 'After the Flood' over my lunch hour.
Fab sunshine but sooooo cold. Garden still frozen solid. Thermostat said 13 degrees when I got up first thing. I am finding that the additional 0.5 degree we have allowed ourselves this winter does make a noticeable difference though. I don't know how some people I know, who routinely heat their homes to 21 degrees manage to afford their bills, seeing our own 18.5 figures on the smart monitor each day. Ah well, their business, not mine.
F x
2026's challenges: 1) To rebuild our Emergency Fund to at least £5k.
2) To read 50 books (12/50) 3) The Re-Shrinking of Foxgloves 8.1kg/30kg
Remember....if you have to put it on a credit card, extend your overdraft or take out a loan to buy whatever it is, you probably can't afford it, as that's not your money, it's somebody else's!9 -
super busy day, and lots of great planning FG. Very inspiring for me. Busy getting quotes for roof repair 🥲 or tiles replaced, so trying to focus on that - can’t think of planning holiday or other expense when huge bill coming soon. Thankfully I have savings, but they sure go down quick. Anyone planning retirement- please give yourself a good pot of money to secure yr future.6
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Great idea to use the squares you have already for the new cat blanket - I hope Soot will be suitably impressed! I’m going to spend some time looking for a crochet fingerless gloves pattern I think - that might be a nice and useful next project, and I have sufficient yarn in my stash to do that too.I’m with you on the heating bills thing - we seem to be fairly fortunate with this house that it isn’t horrifically expensive to heat, but that’s with heating in the mid 18° level - and that only first thing in the morning and in the evenings most of the week, I top it up as needed on Fridays and weekends. Even then though, I reckon our bill this month will be in the region of £200 - £250, and I am very glad of our credit that has been sitting waiting for the cold weather.🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 Balance as at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 Balance as at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00. Balance as at 31/12/25 = £ 91,100.00
SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her8 -
Aaaaagggghhh! Plumbing problems (domestic, not my own personal pipework). Trying all that we can to sort it ourselves & avoid a bill.
Shame, as there have been a decent amount of small budget-helping positives elsewhere.
Bah to everything.....except the rolo cookie I have just consumed as a special anti-plumbing saga cheer-up.
Talk to you soon.
F2026's challenges: 1) To rebuild our Emergency Fund to at least £5k.
2) To read 50 books (12/50) 3) The Re-Shrinking of Foxgloves 8.1kg/30kg
Remember....if you have to put it on a credit card, extend your overdraft or take out a loan to buy whatever it is, you probably can't afford it, as that's not your money, it's somebody else's!13 -
Oh no, hope you can sort it 🤞I get knocked down but I get up again (Chumbawamba, Tubthumping) -.literally have been run over by a bike, mobility scooter and a car - still here 💪4
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Good luck with finding a fix and avoiding having to call someone in. Also hope the problem hasn’t caused any damage!4
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