Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

PennysIntoPounds

Hear hear *waves particularly pointy umbrella*

KajiKita

Stands, legs akimbo, with very large golf umbrella, ready for deployment! 

KK

Baileys_Babe

I can't believe they water companies have been able to get away with paying out to share holders and now charge customers again for services they should of already been providing.

badmemory

Totally agree re water.  Mine has gone up by 27.664%.  The way things are going when they work out the state pension increase next September it is going to be over 10% again.

joedenise

I haven't had my water rates increase yet but have heard on the news a while back that it is likely to be up by about 50%!  That's one hell of an increase.  I don't usually get my water bill until May so probably a while before I find out but not looking forward to it.

Suffolk_lass

I also have yet to hear about water, but our council tax has gone up by £12 a month. Most of this is the County, not the district or parish, along with Police and Fire.

Re mice, they can flatten their heads, so that they can get through infeasibly small slots (like the gaps in floorboards that you mention). As a beekeeper, I know that mouse-guard round holes need to be round holes, no larger than 9mm to be safe from them. In a hive they eat the bees, wax and honey, and urinate as they go. Rats are less common but more devastating, as they wreck the hive by chewing through the wood or polystyrene. Me? I know all sorts of seemingly weird sh.. information as a result of my academic bee studies!

I hope it is not as cold as suggested for you today - come back spring, I say!

foxgloves

Hi & thanks for your comments. These water bill increases are shocking aren't they? Have joined a pressure group this morning. Decided I have to pay it, but I don't have to do so quietly.
@Suffolk_lass - I hadn't thought about naughty rodents getting into beehives. I don't know why this never occurred to me as I know from experience that mice will nibble wax candles. Mr F re-baited the trap & re-set it last night so hopefully this will at least alert us to any new incursion into the house as the little devils seem to head straight for the pantry. 

Well, I am feeling like rather a twit today - I somehow managed to sleep with my neck curled round like a cumberland sausage & unsurprisingly have an annoying crick today, which I am hoping a nice hot hair wash & possibly a hot water bottle will improve. I have also managed to throw some stewed rhubarb up a wall - an accident, not trialling a new sport. Budget-friendly stuff as follows:
*Wrote meal plans for next week, which I had started but then abandoned. 
*Wrote grocery shopping list. Will be placing an online grocery order tonight as Mr F suddenly received some useful Nectar offers - one was for an extra 600 points on an instore shop - he's made use of that first thing by calling in to stock up on cat food as he was already planning to visit for petrol. He was also sent a code for £10 off a £75 online shop, so we are making use of that for our weekly groceries. Nectar points, like Co-op points are saved up & used towards items on our Christmas food list.
*Baked a loaf of bread.
*Baked biscuits.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast.
*Today's home care hour - Not planned but while I was checking supplies for grocery list & bookmarking next week's recipes, I decided to have a good tidy & sort through the pantry, topping up jars, wiping shelves, getting a bit more reorganised so the hour sort of just happened & was enjoyable enough as I was listening to my audiobook at the same time.
*Remembered to soak chickpeas for making tomorrow's falafels.
*Finished sewing in ends on Presents Stash sock - no rodent interruptions this time, thank goodness! Cast on its pair, as this dropped off the list too.
*Added latest JL vouchers (from credit card loyalty points) to my little stash of these. Now have £85's worth  - they are being saved towards the next tech item we need to buy, so are actually Tech Replacement Savings Pot money. I checked about expiry dates with Customers Services last time I was in Waitbl00m but was assured that they don't expire so am just treating them as Savings Pot cash.
*Did 3 surveys. Cashed out of Ips*s for another tenner for the savings pots. Every little helps.
*Checked chilli nursery on bedroom windowsills. All looking fine so far after transplanting.
*Very speedy economical meal tonight - I am having some of the turkey soup from my post-Christmas batch-cook & Mr F is going to have a leftover portion of the slow cooker smoky beans & sausages thingy I made last night. The 4th portion has been frozen to provide a free packed work lunch at some point. Only need to do a buttered cob to have with them, or toast, nothing more onerous than that.
Whooo, big shower of hail just started up here! Glad I did my postbox trot this morning while the sun was shining.
Well, that is pretty much it for money saving activities today, apart from cutting open a conditioner bottle to get the last 
bit out. I will  be glad to get back to my refillable one - tbf, this was a free product which I was sent to test ages ago so it has lasted well. Think will also do a facial peel - another full-size freebie which I got from the shop where one might go for a new body. Mr F has just pinged me a not-very-clear photo saying 'Bringing these tonight!'. I can't be sure, but it looks like little chocolate bunnies. I hope it is. I feel like they could be of medicinal benefit for a cricked neck not to mention soothing balm for someone who has been cleaning rhubarb off wall tiles. If it actually turns out to be a picture of something entirely different, I may have to cope with disappointment. Time will tell......
Keep those £££s closely coffered, m'dears, 
F x

Makingabobor2

I won't even ask how you got rhubarb up the wall!.  Hopefully its all cleaned up now though and no lasting damage. 
Hope your treat is chocolate bunnies. Sounds like you deserve them today. 

Sun_Addict

I'm getting fed up of constant notifications of bills going up, it's seems to be more than usual this year. 

Fingers crossed you get your chocolate bunnies. 

PennysIntoPounds

*wills chocolate bunnies for foxgloves*