Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Cheery_Daff

We have an age gap too, and money-wise it's working ok for us. Mr C took his works pension early at 57 (he'd quit his job several years previously though so wasn't paying into it anyway) - in our case, that allowed me to drop to working 4 days a week. He'll get his state pension in another 4.5 years, and either I'll drop to 3 days myself (if I haven't already) or use it to throw at the mortgage. Obvious downsides to an age gap as big as ours (18 years) but money isn't one of them for us at this point. 

I've got a foot in both camps with old school and new fangled MSE 😂 I'll grow food and batch cook and sew and mend and do my own DIY, but also do a bit of matched betting and bank switching (no stoozing yet though). 

Glad Mr F has his new hours approved 😊 I'm following your Project Surbiton with interest 😁 always admire your drive and energy!

Makingabobor2

It's nice when you can change hours around like that. Think DH is just in the wrong type of job.  I do agree though that having the age gap helps towards finances more, as if we were both on pension now we would be stuffed....lol.  So at least we are still getting the debts down and the savings up.  If we hadn't had "spendy" years, we would have been ok, but as I was 40 when we got married, and we didn't have our LBM till I was 58!  Think I suddenly realised that I was getting older and wouldn't be working forever and if we didn't start sorting ourselves out now, we would be stuffed.  It took a long time to convince DH though.  

foxgloves

Thanks for all your comments. I think on all subjects - Old or new style MSE focus, working hours or age-gaps in relationships particularly around pension time......it just shows that the key approach is what works for us as individuals/couples within those parameters we are unable easily to change.

Pleasant enough day today in which I've kept the general money-saving faith:
*Town first thing to do a round-up of tasks including getting my hair cut - still £13 for a very nice job on the errant locks!
*Mr F is off today so we shared the home care hour between us. He opted for vacuuming & bathroom, me for kitchen, bins & a good tidy-up. 
*Noticed this week that a problematic kitchen unit interior had got worse, with the base having moved completely away from the pegs holding it to the side. Honestly, I don't know what my carpenter/boat builder Grandad would say if he'd have seen these fitted kitchen carcasses. He couldn't even cope with flat-pack furniture without proper dovetail joints, so kitchen units held together with pegs like a pound shop wine rack would have floored him! Asked Mr F if he could fix it. He did it in minutes just by pulling out the freezer & bashing the side of the unit with a hammer until the pegs moved back into place. Caveman job, apparently! Reminded me of a time at work when the printer stopped working & everyone was standing around it thinking of different combinations of techy stuff to try. To the horror of a couple of geekier team members, I arrived on the scene, gave it a hard sound slap & it sprang immediately into action, churning out a backlog of printing. Never underestimate the low-tech solution!
*Did a few surveys. I am over my monthly PA target of £40, but still awaiting a few payments before I cash out on 31st.
*Did a few minor budget updates.
*Wrote list for tomorrow's city centre trip. 
*Checked chilli plant babies which have been on upstairs windowsills. Decided they look sufficiently sturdy to move to our unheated conservatory, still to be cloched & covered at night. 
*Entered a competition.
Not my cooking night, so I'm looking forward to some reading time. I can't renew my current book next week when it's due back as someone else has reserved it so I really need to have it finished by Monday night. Mr F reminded me that my birthday is next month & I haven't yet given him any potential present ideas, so I must think about that too. 
Wishing everyone a lovely Friday evening.
F x

Sun_Addict

I have resolved many a printer problem at work by simply unplugging it and plugging it back in 🤣

Enjoy your cooking free evening. 

Blackcats

That's great news on MrF's change of working pattern.  Will the earlier start and later finish help with avoiding heavier rush hour traffic?
when I swopped to a 9 day fortnight we made a deliberate effort to keep the freed up day special in some way.  Sometimes it was as simple as packing up a pot of overnight oats and a flask of tea and going for an early morning walk at a local beauty spot so that we had the rest of the day to do stuff.  Other days we went out for the day but we always tried to make it a day that celebrated the hard earned freedom.

ladyholly

Glad to hear Mr F's working hour change has been approved especially as it will contribute to project surbiton.

Humdinger1

Wonderful news @foxgloves! Cramming extra enjoyment in is so satisfying on every level.  Know you'll make the most of it love Humdinger xx 

Suffolk_lass

I used to weed the veg garden, make bread and soup and get the laundry out of the way on my non-working day - it was great for just emptying my head and then thinking clearly about any issues. Some of my better solutions to issues at work would just pop in to my mind while I was on my knees, trying to reduce the vetch or bind weed.

I now have two trays of sweet peas on the go. Two strips, because my seeds never germinate, sitting in the washing up bowl of water outside the back door, and a tray of deep rooted trainers that I planted, most of which are growing, in the greenhouse. I need to move a cold frame and get them hardening off. My shallots are just sprouting after a fortnight thinking about it, and I think the potatoes can go in, in a week or two. I love the rotation of crops - especially the way potatoes leave the ground so lovely and friable and ready for roots, without sieving. Oh and my first batch of tomato seeds were most unhappy, despite heated propagators, so I will swap with the ones I have grown on the kitchen window sill. They need potting on and will go in double sized seed trays with cloches. Lots of flowers to get sown now too

RebeccaPAgain

great news on the change in working hours foxgloves!  Cant wait to hear about all your growing over these brighter months!

KajiKita

Great news on the compressed hours. That will make a huge difference to to your quality of life 😊

Years ago, when I hadn’t been driving long, my car wouldn’t start so I opened the bonnet and gave the alternator casing a hard tap with nothing more robust than a biro end. To my absolute surprise (and that of my then boyfriend) it worked and the engine started! I’m still surprised some 30 years later! 😂

KK