Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Suffolk_lass

I do the equivalent to my washing machine door. It goes through little phases where it doesn't automatically release at the end of the cycle, so a sharp tap with my fist on the lock just releases it to beep. I actually bought the part (about 8 years ago) to fix it but resolved to keep tapping until this hack stopped working. My free solution still works

foxgloves

Hello Diary Readers,
Many thanks for all your comments & contributions, which I've enjoyed reading. Yes, we are both really looking forward to Mr F starting his new work schedule, although it won't be for a month or two yet, partly because he wanted to get BH staffing issues out of the way & also because it will be easier for his team if they have a decent lead in to the new hours.
Re sorting out malfunctioning tech, it does sound as though several of us have found that simple solutions (aka a good bash) often have the required effect.
I haven't posted for a few days - not for any reason other than choosing to spend a bit less time online. I've mostly kept the money saving faith. Very pleasant city centre trip on Saturday - limited our car parking to 3 hours to cut the cost & fairly zipped around with our list, then had 40 mins of solo shopping to finish off with. I decided I'd like some upmarket skin care for my birthday next month & struck lucky in the 'Sounds like footwear' shop, as we were looking at a lovely brand I like on display & member of staff floated by & said, "Come & see me at my counter as there's a fantastic offer on that atm". And there was! Over £100's worth for £60-something, plus we spent enough for me to enter a prize draw to win a hamper of further goodies. Not expecting to win, of course, but it's nice to hope. Needless to say it has all been squirrelled away until my birthday. Managed to pick up a supplement I take on offer too - buy 1, get 1 half price, which was a decent reduction. Sunday was a gardening day - Mr F made good progress with emptying & dismantling the very large raised bed which we are replacing in our planned re-do of our veg plot. I carried on potting up seedlings - all the tomatoes, aubergines, peppers & 2 chilli varieties are now potted up. All the cukes have germinated & the final chilli variety too. Monday - Mr F off as owed time for that very late shift last week. He said he'd like to go to the DIY store to sort out the new drill, power screw driver, saw & cable gizmos he's been needing to buy for ages, the power tools having been lost to the shed flood when we had all that trouble with the roof a few years ago. Decided I'd go too & we'd make the most of his day off by calling into the village garden centre for elevenses. He had a good look at the power tools, identified all the cable stuff he needs was in stock, picked up a few saws for weight, etc. When I asked him if he'd chosen which power tools he wanted, he said, "Oh, I'm not buying any today, I've only come to look". It was the same with the saw....yes, they had what he wanted but he had no intention of "buying one yet" & guess what....he didn't buy the cabling bits & bobs either! Apparently this visit was all about "research", agggghhhh! On the way out, he said that it's a long time since the shed flooded so he wants to check whether his old tools "might have dried out by now" & might just need a bit of a service. Hmmm, I suppose it saved some money.
I succumbed to buying the tiered container I wanted for new strawberry runners (ordered today, the variety I wanted was reduced, yay!). I asked if there was another one in stock as it looked a bit cobwebby & grubby. There wasn't, but I was offered 10% off so I was happy with that, as the wood is structurally sound.
The rest of the weekend was pretty much spent on leisure, so a pleasant few days.
Today's budget-friendly stuff (then I shall have caught up):
*Have defrosted the roast veg, l/o bottled tomatoes & butter beans ready to make a veggie crumble tonight. 
*Picked the last of the cavolo nero to serve with the crumble. It really has been the crop which kept on giving. Already have seedlings coming up for this year's supplies.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast.
*Put a colour on my yukky roots - used the remaining half of a box. It does save a few quid to alternate a full box with a half box.
*Did belated Monday morning budget updates, paid the wheelie bin cleaner & generally all the financials as straight as possible ready for my Big Budget Day on Thursday.
*Did a couple of surveys.
*Updated my energy bill log with figures from the latest bill. Of course, we have had a few warmer days (though quite mixed as it feels quite chilly today), but I think it is primarily the reduction of of our thermostat by 1/2 a degree to 18 degrees which has made a difference to what we have spent compared to last month. Electricity showing a lower spend too, which I can only assume is not needing the lights on as much & pegging out laundry whenever possible instead of heated airer-use. Still intending to switch the CH off on 31st. If we have chilly evenings, we can light the stove. I'm more interested in building up credit for next winter & will happily wear a warm top layer for a bit longer if it's cold.
*Booked piano tuner - he's very booked up but I was happy to book a couple of months in advance as it pushes the fee away from a time which already has quite a lot of commitments.
*Changed bed linen - weather looking promising tomorrow so I intend to wash it this evening ready to peg out first thing tomorrow. MUST prioritise free drying now. Also sorted clean laundry & ironed the tiny amount which required it.
Right, that's my day......I have planned a gardening day tomorrow so hopefully I will be popping back to report a productive spend-free day. 
Bye for now,
F x

Makingabobor2

wow, you have been busy.  Like the idea of spending less time online. That is something I am trying to do, but seem to go in fits and starts. Must try and be be better at it, as I know that being online is what stops me from getting so much done.....and there is a lot to get done. 

Sun_Addict

How do you keep half a box of hair colour? I often only use half the amount I’ve mixed just for a freshen up and it says not to keep unused mixed colour so I end up having to throw it which I feel is a waste. Do you mix it up in a separate container? 

foxgloves

@Sun_Addict- Yes! It's a method I started back when we were still debt-busting & trying to throw any saving, however small, at repayments. So I colour my hair as normal (whole box) & keep the applicator bottle & gloves. Next time, I use that bottle to mix up half of the next box, saving the rest of it (unmixed). That's sufficient for my roots. The time after that I use a whole box again, then the half box I saved. Basically, I find I can alternate between a whole box & a half box. I've been doing this for a few years now, so it must have saved a few quid, as well as probably being less wasteful.
F

foxgloves

@Makingabobor2 - Yes, the internet is certainly a thief of time. 
F

Sun_Addict

foxgloves said:

@Sun_Addict- Yes! It's a method I started back when we were still debt-busting & trying to throw any saving, however small, at repayments. So I colour my hair as normal (whole box) & keep the applicator bottle & gloves. Next time, I use that bottle to mix up half of the next box, saving the rest of it (unmixed). That's sufficient for my roots. The time after that I use a whole box again, then the half box I saved. Basically, I find I can alternate between a whole box & a half box. I've been doing this for a few years now, so it must have saved a few quid, as well as probably being less wasteful.
F

Fabulous, thank you. Will try that next time 🙂

foxgloves

Afternoon Sunbeams! I'm not a lover of hot weather, but doesn't this bright Spring sunshine just lift the spirits? Productive day on the whole & no money spent unless Mr F filled up the car with fuel....& as he has to get to work, we can't avoid that. Anyway, today's productivity:
*Baked wholemeal rolls.
*Dinner in slow cooker - shall only need to butter a couple of bread rolls to go with it. There'll be 2 portions to freeze too.
*Pegged out the bed linen & towels I washed last night & it all dried beautifully for free.
*Made up a porridge pot for tomorrow's packed breakfast, packed lunch will be something from the freezer.
*Dug over the space where some of the sweetpeas will be going & moved an unused obelisk there ready to plant them out next month.
*Hoed the big most troublesome bed again. The trick with hoeing is that it needs doing regularly when weed seedlings appear & the hoe needs to be sharp. I'm intending to be on it this year as last year's weeds went crazy from all the rain & made lush hiding places for the slug army.
*Filled another big trug with baddies for the garden waste bin collection tomorrow.
*Dug up a big clump of mini-daffs, divided & replanted. Good time to do it as can see which areas need some free Spring colour. Then went around the garden recovering all the random ones distributed by pesky squirrel!
*Tipped out my pot of iris reticulata, divided into 3 clumps & replanted them in Spring bed for next year. 
I'm sitting out on our courtyard bench listening to fab blackbird song....which makes a change from endless power tools a few gardens away.....& earlier a noisy clash between Ash & an interloper he clearly decided shouldn't be in a neighbour's garden! 
Time for another look at the crossword & a couple more chapters of my book. Tomorrow is my Big Budget Day so I will doubtless be deskbound for a good part of it.
Till then,
F x

PennysIntoPounds

I so hope we end up in a position of being able to dry washing outside, so mse and it just smells and feels so much fresher 😍
Very good of Ash to be looking out for the neighbours garden too 😁

ladyholly

Have you thought of hiring Ash out to protect the neighbours from other marauders. It could be a contribution to project surbiton.