Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

Hello Monday Money Savers,
We have an online history talk booked early this evening, so I've been steadily getting tasks done so as to be ready in time. Today's money saving bits & bobs as follows:
*2 loads of laundry pegged out to make the best of the hot weather.
*Watered all the veg first thing. First 'Roma' tomatoes just setting fruit in the greenhouse.
*Got rhubarb under control as it was contemplating channelling its inner triffid again. Weeeded around it too as was already on my knees.
*Did a survey.
*Did my regular Monday morning budget updates followed by mid-month budget check-in. No nasty surprises. £3-11 out on my original June budget but I'm not launching into financial forensics for that.
*Garden pickings: Cucumber (no.6) & rhubarb.
*Bottled 3 jars of rhubarb & froze the remaining portion as insufficient to fill a 4th jar.
*L/o BBQ brisket this evening so I shall only need to heat it up, add half a tin of l/o cannellini beans & cook some rice. 
It's muggy this afternoon. Ash & the swifts are enjoying it, me not so much, & Soot not at all. He was a naughty boy this morning. He waited until I was at the furthest end of the garden & thus out of earshot, then trotted indoors & prised the upturned bowl off Ash's remaining breakfast (Ash likes to eat his in two sittings). Of course he gobbled it all & wasn't too impressed when I later reduced his portion of lunch biscuits to compensate for blatant food robbery.
Hope everyone's managed a reasonably decent start to the week.
F x

MrsCatz

Phew! 6000 for me so I am happy. Thanks @foxgloves

badmemory

Re the number of steps.  I try to do 10k although I used to do 12.5k.  The run up to the hip replacement saw to that.  What I do know is that if I do under 8k I feel rubbish.  So perhaps that should be more of a guide.  I know when I first started counting, well over ten years ago, I was only doing 2k a day some days when I was visiting my mother & so driving everywhere.  That was really not good.  So basically 10k works for me but I don't garden etc.  So just work out what is good for you & occasionally push it a bit.

MrsCatz

Thanks, @badmemory I will work out what the right amount is for me.

foxgloves

@badmemory - I think that is good advice. What I was finding surprising before setting my 5000 minimum daily steps is how I could have a really busy day at home, one where I barely sat down, except for eating my meals, but would sometimes still only result in a stepcount of only around 2.5k. I do sometimes go for a walk around the village, but not as much as I used to, as started to find it boring. We do have fields, a conservation area & riverside, but these can be a bit deserted for lone walking. I do rack up quite a lot more steps on outings.
F

2Scratters

@Makingabobor2 yes it does. I use a gallon bucket not quite filled, I tip with intent and contents go. I've never put it in the cistern or even thought about doing it that way.  I leave 1 bucket in the bathroom and there are 4 outside waiting. I don't expect anyone who visits us to live how we choose though. We also, in particular in the summertime used a trugg bucket in the bath and collect the shower water to also use for the loo and garden, the flowers, fruit trees or grass have never complained. Not forgetting the washing up water too that goes on the grass and if there happens to be small bits of food the bird visitors to our garden will enjoy the little finds in the grass. 
I intend to make it my aim of notifying the county council of the blocked drains around our area and being a proverbial pain in the derriere. We very quickly flood in some main areas - probably under maintained works. 

2 Scratters xx

Makingabobor2

2Scratters said:

@Makingabobor2 yes it does. I use a gallon bucket not quite filled, I tip with intent and contents go. I've never put it in the cistern or even thought about doing it that way.  I leave 1 bucket in the bathroom and there are 4 outside waiting. I don't expect anyone who visits us to live how we choose though. We also, in particular in the summertime used a trugg bucket in the bath and collect the shower water to also use for the loo and garden, the flowers, fruit trees or grass have never complained. Not forgetting the washing up water too that goes on the grass and if there happens to be small bits of food the bird visitors to our garden will enjoy the little finds in the grass. 
I intend to make it my aim of notifying the county council of the blocked drains around our area and being a proverbial pain in the derriere. We very quickly flood in some main areas - probably under maintained works. 

2 Scratters xx

That's some brilliant water saving there. I use the washing up water on the lawn, but I would love to save the shower water. We do adhere to " If its yellow let it mellow"....and flush a lot less often. 

DawnW

It sounds as though Soot has well and truly recovered from his recent health scare anyway! 

foxgloves

@DawnW - You're not wrong there, he's been an absolute monkey today.
F

foxgloves

Evening Frugalistas,
Well, I've been Queen of the Remote Control tonight, as Mr F is on one of his occasional v late shifts....which meant a later start too. We took advantage of that by popping to our village farm shop cafe for breakfast. Budget-neutral, as our Personal Spends took the hit.
A productive day on the whole. Budget-friendly activity as follows:
*A free coffee as we'd filled our loyalty card.
*Activated my new bank card & pin (because of my old card being compromised during the scam).
*Got my diary organised & booked dentist & hair appointments.
*Did a survey.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast.
*Freezer dive tonight as I was on my own. Had last portion of turkey chilli (from big Christmas turkey leftovers batch cook!) on a jacket sweet potato.
*Stewed some random rhubarb which was lurking in the pantry. Enough for today's & tomorrow's lunch.
*Watered kitchen garden.
*Side-shooted & tied in tomatoes.
*Today's garden pickings: Spring onions, courgettes & redcurrants.
*Entered a competition.
*Managed to get an on-offer item from Waitbl00m - last one on the shelf.
*Filled up with petrol while still £1.29 as oil prices have apparently risen.
*Started sewing my practice-dress together, which is proving to be a good use of an old duvet cover. I've sewn in the sleeves, made & pressed the bias binding & pinned it around the neckline. Shall continue with it tomorrow, all being well, then try on & assess whether I need to make any alterations before letting myself loose on actual dress fabric.
Well, I think I'll leave Mr F to administer bedtime cat biscuits when he gets in & head up to bed with my book. Night all, let's all wake up ready for a Wednesday of pence-wrangling.
F x