Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

@EssexHebridean - Yes, I have done similar when ringing insurance companies to say that I am cancelling. For quite a few consecutive years, I would ring them, having worked out the % premium rise in comparison with UK inflation rate at the time & ask why on earth I would pay this silly figure when as a brand new customer, I could buy the exact policy on line for considerably less. I used to ask 'What's to stop me cancelling my old policy right now then going straight onto you website to buy a new one?" The reply was always along the lines of 'Um....nothing' so that is what I did for quite a few consecutive years. It was more faff than letting it renew automatically, but it became the principle of the thing. 

Re energy company wranglings - No, that wasn't me. I have never had any reps get in touch with me on here. My wrangles were a long time ago, but will always be remembered because they were trying such a blatant rip-off with overcharging. Even when I finally got it in writing (in an email) that the customer services advisor agreed that my maths & THEIR OWN maths did indeed demonstrate that they were proposing to overcharge us by nearly £60 a month, they still refused to come down any further than 'meeting me halfway'. Needless to say, being the vocal sort, I shared our experiences with just about everyone we knew & they were swiftly kicked to the kerb as our supplier. Shocking what some companies think they can get away with.
F

foxgloves

@Moorviews - Thanks. My Mum was very arty-crafty & made lovely cards. I originally kept them in my 'treasure box' but as soon as she was no longer with us, I felt I should be getting them out at Christmas & Easter to put on display. Lots of time went into them, after all, & Mum's art & crafting was a big part of our lives.
I'm sure I would be able to find a permanent twiggy 'tree' to purchase for our Easter decs, but I actually like wandering around the garden with my secateurs looking for something suitable. I used cornus this time, as it needs pruning anyway, so I've got a little bit of a head start.
F

foxgloves

Hello Tuesday Penny Savers,
Today's TV weather forecast looked pretty bad, with a big blue swirl of wet yuck crossing over our region & talking its time about it. In fact, we haven't had even a drop of rain yet, it seems to be coming later, so I was able to get out in the garden. Anyway, today's small budget positives:
*No Spend Day - Had intended to order some pond plants as nowhere local to us stocks them, but the ones I wanted were either out of stock or vague with delivery window..... "some time during April" is not specific enough for me. So nothing spent by me & I know Mr F is confined on a training course all day so isn't likely to be parting with much more than the price of a decent coffee.
*A lovely parcel of Easter chocs & a card arrived from my sis. Mr F was bemoaning the fact he hadn't got yet any Easter chocolate last night & I reminded him that this is because it isn't actually Easter yet. We won't be buying very much at all, having received this nice nommy gift. 
*Did a couple of transfers of funds - primarily to pay Mr F's new phone off my CC. This necessitated cleaning out the Tech Replacement Pot to an annoyingly big fat NIL, as well as taking another £29 from the Appliances Replacement Pot, but on the bright side, we haven't gone into our general savings, emergency fund, or used credit, so much as I hate spending from our Pots, at least that is genuinely what they are there for.
*Free resources - 1 large paddibag added to my recycled wrappings stash, another plastic bottle cut down to make a cloche, a few more plant labels cut from empty spread tubs & 3 more big yoghurt pot bases cut off to make little plant saucers for the 9cm pots I always use for potting up veg seedlings.
*Made tomorrow's packed breakfast & defrosted a container of leftovers from the freezer for packed lunch - it looks like roast veg topped with grated cheese, but I didn't have my specs on, so could be wrong.
*Sorted out veggie seedlings. Moved the biggest chillies from warm upstairs windowsill to conservatory to start the hardening-off process. Potted up the smaller chillies & inspected the pepper babies, which will be next. Moved 3 young tomato plants (one of each variety) down to the greenhouse, where they will shortly be bottle-cloched & covered in bubblewrap for overnight. They are kind of 'canary down the mine' plants, so that I can see how they fare, or whether they still need another week or two indoors. Logically, I know that the greenhouse gets more sun so is actually quite a lot warmer than the conservatory from about mid-morning, but it is night time that is the grim-wilter (& sometimes reaper!) of fussy plant babies. 
*Jacket potato night tonight. Mr F has defrosted a container of Epic Man Stew to have on his, & I am fancying grated cheese with tomato & sliced avocado on mine. 
*Did a few surveys - am up to £41-62 for March's PA earnings & have managed to put a little onto I-say, but I think not sufficient to cash out on that one until the end of next month, I'll see. Am jumping on invitations from YouGov like the proverbial rat up a pipe, as I only need 80p to be able to cash out my £50. I shall enjoy choosing a Savings Pot for that.
Oh & managed a few rows of cardi-knitting.....in fact, I spent 20 mins knitting outside on the reading bench! First time this year, as it was such a nice morning. I sorted all the laundry & ironed too, but there was quite a lot of it today, so no pence saved there & very boring job indeed. The novelty of that new iron wore off a while ago & I am back to ironing-moaning now.
Right, must nip down to the greenhouse to cover those tomatoes & my other seedlings. Nice to chat to you as always,
F x

Humdinger1

How is Mr F getting on @foxgloves? No whiplash or similar I hope? Xx

foxgloves

Hi @Humdinger1 - No whiplash, thankfully. I did ask him, as he was complaining of a sore back in the supermarket on Saturday & was moving around very gingerly, but he is absolutely adamant that this is just his normal annoying little cluster of back muscles playing up. He gets this every now & again in his lower back & also his neck - we both think it's down to a mixture of poor posture or too much time spent in zoom meetings. He left home perfectly fine yesterday morning, was on a training course all day & came home with neck pain. I am sure it is from sitting for long periods with his neck in one position....in this case looking at the trainer. 
The garage DID receive the car yesterday morning after our insurance company chivvied the recovery people so we are awaiting their assessment as to its repairability & hopefully a bit of a timescale.
Thanks for asking.
F x

foxgloves

Hello Wednesday Pence-Wranglers,
Big Budget Day today, so that has taken up the biggest chunk of my time & can kick off today's money saving positives:
*Reconciled March's final figures against statements/receipts. No nasty surprises & the £200 I set aside towards forthcoming holiday expenses was still sitting there nicely intact.
*Set April's budget. Nothing unusual. Paid both CCs in full as usual. After all the regular outgoings had been accounted for, including Personal Spends & general savings, I was able to purchase more premium bonds as planned & also to divide up £433 between some of our Savings Pots. I prioritised the Car Maintenance Pot to get it up to its agreed maximum holding (£800), topped the Appliances Replacement Pot back up to its max holding (£600) as had to via some of that to the Tech Replacement Pot to cover the unexpected mobile phone purchase last weekend. Added a small amount to both Presents & Clothes. Noted that this is the final monthly payment of £50 to the Holiday Pot according to my holiday payment schedule. Payments to this pot resume in June & will drop to £45, so that spare £5 will probably be added to the Presents Pot.
*Finished off with a big filing session, especially all the new bills which are still coming in. Got to love an organised system!
*Have done a few surveys. One site was a waste of time for me today as I started a survey but there was an error in its set-up as I wasn't able to progress without an error message, regardless of what option I tried. Cut my losses & gave up! PA threw a few surveys my way & I was pleased to see that my March earnings have reached £49-99 with a few payments still outstanding. I shan't cash out until the 31st, so will keep checking. 
*Am now firmly into my Spring routine with all the veggie seedlings - uncovering them first thing in the morning & re-covering in the evening before the temperatures drop too low. Shall shortly be popping down to the greenhouse to see how the 3 test baby tomato plants have fared over the last 36 hours. If ok, will move all the others down there & reclaim the dining room table.
*Baked a wholemeal loaf as noticed we were getting very short of bread.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & porridge pot.
*Rounded up a bag of library returns so as to get them back before Easter.
*Ordered another 60 stamps before the prices increase next week. I do like writing letters (I was that child who LOVED writing thank-you letters & had quite a few penfriends in my teens) so will have enough stamps for months. I don't use our village PO due to an altercation with the PM ages ago - it was at a very difficult time in my life & much as I like to support local businesses, I just can't seem to bury the hatchet on this one, so I like to have a good supply of stamps in & trot off to the post box or wait until I am in town. 
*Rounded up some bits & bobs from the freezer first thing - 100g mince, half a jar of tomatoes, peppers, etc, to go into the tamale pie I am shortly going to be making. I wasn't going to bother with veg, as there's plenty in it, but have since spotted some carrots which could do with using, so I will serve those on the side & that's another thing used. Can't abide food waste!
Right, that is me done with chatting. Next stop the greenhouse via doling out cat treats which astonishingly, Soot has not come to ask for!
F x

foxgloves

More ☔☔ just for a change! Today's plans:
Usual seedling checks
Finalise meal plans for Easter & next week
Write grocery shopping list
Bake simnel cake & decorate
Put a colour on my yukky roots
Check for surveys
Write a list of jobs I can usefully do while in town tomorrow
Defrost 2 portions of bolognese for tonight
Progress cardi knitting
Just powering myself up with coffee first & wishing you all a peaceful productive day.
F x

Moorviews

foxgloves said:

@Moorviews - Thanks. My Mum was very arty-crafty & made lovely cards. I originally kept them in my 'treasure box' but as soon as she was no longer with us, I felt I should be getting them out at Christmas & Easter to put on display. Lots of time went into them, after all, & Mum's art & crafting was a big part of our lives.
I'm sure I would be able to find a permanent twiggy 'tree' to purchase for our Easter decs, but I actually like wandering around the garden with my secateurs looking for something suitable. I used cornus this time, as it needs pruning anyway, so I've got a little bit of a head start.
F

Similarly, I love to display my Mum’s artworks as they are very precious to me and remind me of her creativity and talent. They are a great gift to continue to enjoy. 

Until yesterday, when I read your post and subsequently went out Easter egg shopping, I had no idea that an Easter twig tree could be bought. For me, they partly miss the point, as the breaking buds, new leaves or blossoms of live twigs are far more in keeping with the season and Easter itself. I too select some twigs to enjoy indoors. I love the brightly coloured stems of the Cornus and will be cutting mine hard back soon to try and ensure that I get an uplifting winter display. I didn’t realise that they spread out so the clumps are large now. Fortunately, not where they will become a problem!

2Scratters

Morning all,
@foxgloves remember carrots can be stored in water to preserve - just needs changing every 2/3 days. They clearly drink the water as they fatten back up again. 
I had asked DS to contact the finance company he used for his van purchase as he (I) had been making extra payments and was after the settlement figure. It took him 3 times of calling to get this sorted as 2 staff members kept giving him the balance figure    59.06 was outstanding so that was paid off 6 months early. One less job for me to do now. 

Lovely ex neighbour dropped of 3 tomato plants for me yesterday. They are now sat on the window bottom. I managed to get some mint to take root that I had got in a TGTG bag. Just need to get them potted up and shared around. The basil that came with it did not make it. 
 I have borrowed a very large crochet hook from DS GF so I can make use of some wool that I found in the loft and make into 2 baby pram blankets. The wool is chunky and fluffy 3 large balls of pink white and blue. 

I spent some time yesterday very wisely whilst on hold to the GP practise I only wanted to renew 1 prescription item and was 16th in the queue. I was not selecting them ring me back as it doesn't happen. Did some paper filing and sorting. Emptied the scraps for the compost heap at the bottom of the garden and round the back. Filled up some buckets of water and fetched them up to the house. Put the last bits of ironing away. Tea towels, hankies (yes! the cotton ones) cleared the ironing board it was still standing so a flat surface was used. Checked the fridge items. Double checked my shopping list  for nipping into the next town for my errands.
I have 2 Enny leather shoulder bags and could really do with the straps extending a few inches. They are 2 different styles yet the straps are the same width just slight variations that would not likely be noticed. I am now on a mission to find cost effectively a donation bag with strap. Might need to nip to a car boot over the weekend. 

2 Scratters xx

EssexHebridean

It started out utterly glorious with us today but by the time I got to the office that had changed to torrential rain yet again. In fact, that change had happened long enough before my arrival at the office that I had to spend my first hour or so here feeling lightly soggy - ugh! A quick glance out confirms that it has now dried up a bit though so I shall whizz out for my lunchtime walk!