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Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend
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Hello Frugalistas,
Thought I'd been a clever trousers this morning, when I watched the weather forecast first thing & decided to work around the rainy spell by targeting my planned garden tasks when it was dry. Forecast clearly wrong, however, as the rain began before 8am & has not yet stopped. I had to pop out to post a letter & was soaked when I got back, despite taking an umbrella. The garden, particularly the veggie plot is where my efforts need to be atm, so it felt like a wasted day, though I shall doubtless be the first to moan over the summer when everywhere is hot & parched. Ash has been a dirty stop-out again & as he rocked up with clumps of fur hanging off this morning, we can only assume he had been in a fight too. Hope it wasn't the mean white cat from the next street, but there's a high chance that it will have been,
*Made dough for bread rolls & pizza base - both proving. Have rounded up an assortment of use-it-ups for the pizza topping, which I will use with some anchovies.
*Moved young bean plants & cavolo seedlings to greenhouse from cold frame as they are less vulnerable to scoffy molluscs in there. There will be a lot of slithery chomping tonight with everywhere being so wet. Got to think of our food supplies!
*Did a small amount of financial admin,.
*Emailed an old school friend to confirm a lunch date here at Foxgloves Manor in a few weeks time. Plenty of time to decide what to bake, but I am a planner so always like things in my diary in good time so I can think what I will need to buy.
*Printed out download of the manual for my new Ga*min watch/tracker for study. It seems to do quite a lot more than my previous band & we may as well get our money's worth out of it.
*And still on the same subject......started one of the steps challenges - to walk the length of the West Highland Way. I don't know whether this will motivate me to do more walking or not, but thought it was worth the try. I have apparently walked 3% of the required distance since last night, which is better than 0%, is it not?!
*Mr F is picking up a not very big grocery shopping list on his way home from work. He says he has loyalty scheme vouchers for money off quite a few items on our list, so will look for the best savings & will doubtless also avail himself of the free coffee once he's there.
*I think sleeve no. 1 should be finished tonight as I only have about 4 cms to knit followed by the shaping at the top. I am aiming to put a speedier effort into the 2nd one as I really do feel this garment has been hanging around for ages & I need to progress some sock knitting for the presents bag.
*Sorted out some library returns.
*Did a few surveys - not that much around today....or rather there has been, but I haven't wanted to get involved in additional techy bits, recordings, microphones, app downloads, etc, as I feel that eats into my survey time, which is of course, money. My May PA earnings (paid & waiting) are currently at £41-88 & I have additional payments still to come, so I have already met my monthly target. I will keep at it & see how much I can make by the 31st, which will be my cash-out day.
Oh......& get this! Remember the rear windscreen saga from last Friday? Appointment re-arranged for tomorrow, car to be collected at 8am & delivered to us afterwards. Mr F received a call from them today to say that they wouldn't be able to do the work tomorrow because the glass fitter's 'clutch has gone on his van'. Mr F said, "You do realise that sounds as though you have just made it up, don't you?". Chap very apologetic. Mr F reminded him that this was the third time & it now just has to be sorted out. Chap suggested a day midweek instead of Friday (which told me everything I needed to know!) so Mr F will have to arrange to wfh again as he can't get to work on public transport (any London-based readers.......this is the reality of public transport for the rest of us!). If next week is also cancelled, I will raise a formal complaint with their head office. Shame really, as everything was initially very good from this company & they would have had a 5* review from us. They won't get it now because there is a limit to how much we are prepared to be p*ssed about & they have unfortunately reached it.
Right, off to see what that bread dough is doing.
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!7 -
I'm inclined to agree with you on the windscreen's fitters priorities. I'd be sending them an invoice this evening for lost labour hours and inconvenience, but then I'm prone to getting very uppity when messed around.
Good for Mr F calling them out to their face though 😂 I'd also say Fridays are the only day you can do but probably best to get the car sorted over the joy of pettinesshttps://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6466032/an-in-between-phase/p1
'self-blame can be as egotistical as self-praise... any work worth doing is greater than we are... we must not overrate our importance to it, either for good or ill' Margaret Kennedy Lucy Carmichael4 -
Hello Friday Frugalistas,
Not a no-spend day today, although it should have been, because silly Meowmy forgot to include cat meat on yesterday's shopping list, meaning we only had enough to serve breakfast without a swift sortie to persian-queen- selling supermarket.
Friday is cleaning day here at Foxgloves Manor. We split it between us when it is Mr F's Friday off & I do it myself on alternate Fridays. This morning he suggested he do all the cleaning so I could catch up in the veg garden with me not having been able to do anything out there yesterday in the rain.Well, I jumped at that & have had a really productive time:
*Sorted out 6 tomato plants for my sister.
*Did some weed clearance, then put large bottomless pots in place in rows in veg plot & using a mix of homemade & bagged compost, planted up remaining 9 tomato plants. Staked them & tied in. Growing 3 varieties this year - a total of 21 plants, 6 of which are in the greenhouse.
*Tied in cukes again, excited to see fruits forming.
*Potted up basil seedlings which have been very slow this year. Also did a tray for my sister.
*Potted on courgettes/squashes from their start-off yoghurt pots so they can put on decent growth before I plant them out. Investigated the Lebanese variety - no germination at all - it was old seed, which I do like to try. No problem. We have 3 courgettes (Dark star - I think), 2 tromboncino, 2 Guatemalan blue squash & 2 pumpkins.
*Entered a competition & started another one.
*Sleeve STILL not finished, initially because Soot sat on the yarn, & after that, I conked out in front of an episode of 'Black Books' (an old favourite in our house). I just need to go & shower half a ton of soil off my feet, then it will be some relaxing knitting time on the courtyard bench.
Best money saving wishes,
From your grubby frugal friend 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!8 -
Yesterday was dire in our neck of the woods so glad today was better for you to get on with garden tasks.I get knocked down but I get up again (Chumbawamba, Tubthumping)5
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Afternoon Saturday Savers,
Quite a decent day here on the whole. Budget-helping stuff as follows:
*Cut our planned 3 hours town car parking to 2. Didn't have enough stuff to do to need 3, but knew we could easily overstay the 2 & the traffic wardens were out in force. Decided to pay for 2 & keep a closer than usual eye on the time.
*Tried a new coffee shop - very quirky, in a multi-storey medieval building. Lovely friendly staff, great coffee & breakfast fare, & at a fair price for the excellent quality. Personal Spends, so budget-neutral.
*Both items I needed in the footwear-sounding pharmacy were on offer.
*Local butcher had large legs of lamb on sale for £15 this morning, so we bought one for the freezer as that will provide several meals. Full price was £36, so we felt we'd got a bargain as it is always lovely quality & I shall enjoy deciding what to make with it.
*Another bargain.....was queuing in the C**p & spotted jars of M*r*dian peanut butter priced at £1.15. We thought that couldn't be right as would normally expect that to be around double, & there was no sticker or shelf marker indicating it was on special offer. Checked at the till & they were indeed £1.15, so I ran back for another jar.
*Weather dry today & a good breeze on, so took the opportunity of free drying & laundered bed linen.
*Veg growing: Mr F earthed up the potatoes & I side-shooted all the greenhouse tomatoes & tied them in.
*Took advantage of 7 good-sized free foxgloves from a soon-to-be-weeded bed we will need for kale later in the season. Have plonked them in pots for now, but I have the perfect place for them. They are big enough to flower this year, but it would be later than their usual flowering season, so it may be that the free show of loveliness isn't until next year.
*Experimenting with a kimchi-type ferment. Last time I attempted something similar, I created instead large bowl of mouldy cabbage which stank out the pantry, so let's just see how this one goes! Realised whe n I was already back from town that I hadn't bought any dill, but in fact, that would have been a waste of money as we have bronze fennel in the garden, so I just subbed in a small amount of that instead.
Apart from the above, I've had plenty of leisure time - doing the 'Guardian' word wheel (I take it really personally if I can't get to the 'Excellent' level, so will be returning to it later to find the 5 more words needed!), reading the news & as soon as I've fetched the laundry in from the whirlygig, I shall be knitting that 2nd sleeve - finally got the 1st one finished last night, so I am feeling that the end of this cardi project is finally hoving into sight.
Wishing everyone a nice evening,
F x2026'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!7 -
I love Black Books too, looking forward to having my DVDs (yes I'm an old person) around when we move. I'm not much of a one for lots of telly time but will be nice to watch some old faves and new recommendations when we feel inclined to. Currently avoiding any spoilers from the new series of Inside No.9!
The new coffee place sounds fabulous, what a find. Hope your word wheel gets thoroughly spunhttps://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6466032/an-in-between-phase/p1
'self-blame can be as egotistical as self-praise... any work worth doing is greater than we are... we must not overrate our importance to it, either for good or ill' Margaret Kennedy Lucy Carmichael5 -
Whenever anyone mentions kimchi I have to smile as I listen to a podcast called The Secret World of Slimming Clubs which is a very irreverent and hilarious spoof on diets, the presenters are incidentally from our neck of the woods. Anyway one episode they were trying kimchi, the episode was entitled ‘F@rts of Satan’ so you can ascertain they weren’t keen 🤣I get knocked down but I get up again (Chumbawamba, Tubthumping)6
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Late to the party @foxgloves but I think I read that lily seeds (or possibly bulbs) from the pyramids germinated a thousand years or more later...6
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Fashionably late, I would say, @Humdinger1. Yes, I have heard that even truly ancient seeds can sometimes be viable. I like to give fusty old packets a final chance anyway, & it does often pay off.
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!6 -
Afternoon Sunbeams,
A lovely meet-up yesterday with my sister & youngest nephew (16) equidistant from both of our homes....well, quite a few more miles for us, but they have to get out of London, so we factor that in. Swapped magazines, plants, preserves & little gifts, enjoyed a nice brunch & catch-up.
Quite a productive day today, & the only reason, really, that I won't get everything done that I'd planned, is that it was an unrealistic amount of tasks. Tomorrow is another day, as Scarlett O'Hara told us, did she not? I have transferred some of the garden stuff until then, even if I need to time it around rain showers.
Anyway, today's little MSE bits & pieces:
*Did Monday morning budget updates. Not a lot left in the grocery budget for the final shop of the month, so have flagged that up with Mr F that we will be prioritising what we have in (we are well-stocked, but need to bear in mind that cat-food will be its usual around £16 a box).
*Postie brought my credit card statement, so I went through that, reconciling it with receipts & payments. Even after quite a lot of debt-free years now, how much do I still love to see that big fat NIL balance?!
*Dinner is in the slow cooker - curried mince & peas, think sort of keema. Really tasty, lots of ingredients in it, but of course once it's in there, it simmers away cooking itself. I shall just need to do some rice later. There will be sufficient for tomorrow too on jacket potatoes with some stir-fried veg.
*Baked a sourdough - a bit of an experiment as wanted to try a larger amount of dough baked in a normal loaf tin, instead of the smaller traditional sourdough cob formed in a banneton. It looks to have turned out ok, but shan't know until I try it. I like the traditional shaped ones, but they are not always as easy to use for making sandwiches.
*2 loads of laundry done - one just needed a short economy cycle - & pegged out for free drying.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch.
*Checked young plants for pests/problems, all looking ok, but am conscious that they are our future food, so it's worth keeping an eye on them.
*Topped up the wormery with a big bowlful of scraps as they have pretty much scoffed their way through everything.
Not money saving 1)........(although maybe it could be)....have ordered myself an expensive pair of secateurs, small ones which are supposed to be very sharp & easy to use for arthritic hands. They were on offer, so tbf, I did get £17 off. I only bought my current pair last year, but they are already knackered, & the pair before that fell to pieces. I really seem to hammer them as do a lot of gardening, so after much deliberation, decided to try an expensive pair. They have a lifetime guarantee & every part can be purchased separately for repair purposes. If they really do last as long as I have heard, then it will save money in the long run as I do get through a lot of cheap pairs.
Not money saving 2) Have ordered myself a pair of walking sandals. I have been looking at these for weeks because my only pair of sandals have lost their structural integrity (the squishy platform bit) so they don't support my feet sufficiently for walking more than pottering about. I sometimes have a dodgy achilles tendon, so really do need something I can walk in more comfortably. Would prefer a prettier pair, but really, the key priority HAS to be that I can walk around town or on an outing comfortably......& I shall, of course, still be painting my toenails an array of interesting colours. Funds for these purchases will be from House & Garden and Clothing Savings Pot, as the 'Just bung it on a credit card' approach has long passed for both of us. Credit cards are used very frequently as we like loyalty points which turn into vouchers, but they are always paid off in full every month, & it is only ever planned spending. I think I have said before that we must have paid oodles of interest back in the Spendy Era, so it is now time for us to get something back!
Well, I think that is everything for today. 2nd sleeve is now progressing apace.
Wishing you all a good week ahead,
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!7
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