Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

badmemory

Basic ethics do seem to be a struggle for some in public life.  I hate the way they (I'm talking politicians basically now) criticise people for simply telling the truth.  As if being truthful is a betrayal.  I also hate the way both sides critcise the BBC and call them biased.  I mean they are either left or right.  Both sides criticising their so called bias means they are doing their job properly.  Which has to be better than the ones that just keep the party line. 

foxgloves

@Suffolk_lass - I completely agree with you. ......& with @badmemory re the lack of basic ethics. I thought nothing the current shower could do or say could possibly surprise me any longer, but my jaw did rather drop when I heard that the usual headbangers have come up with a conspiracy theory about the innocence of their lumpen lockdown party goer based on a civil servant that the LLPG himself hired to look into the matter.......& who was only chosen after the person they originally chose had to recuse himself because he was at the parties. I suspect they are worried about what SG 'knows', but there's a simply way around that, & that is to behave with a modicum of probity & stick to the ministerial code. Bad behaviour will always come out one way or another. 

Re shrinkage of aforementioned cat food pouches. I also think there has been shrinkflation over the last 2 or 3 years. And on plenty of other products too.
F

weenancyinAmerica

Someone once made a comment on here about "how can you tell if a politician is lying - is he breathing?" Seems to fit on both sides of the ocean. Our politician are just as bad. I think some are even worse.

Sun_Addict

The cat food you buy is £15.69 in Lid! for 40 sachets. My cats thankfully prefer Lid! own make to the brands. 

badmemory

I have to admit that until the latest bit about Hancock I thought he was the best of (a very bad) bunch.  At least he broke the rules to see someone he loved, not just to get drunk & generally party.

As for shrinkage did you see what they did to Toblerone a few years ago.  It has been going on for years but is so much worse currently.  Does anyone actually believe the 10% thing, so a lot of things must have not gone up or actually gone down.  It is obviously not rent as a friends has gone up by 17% & he felt lucky that was all.

As for SG I suspect her position has become untenable as she seems to be truthful (as in not prepared to lie), not an ability this lot seem to admire much.

foxgloves

Hello Friday Frugalistas,
A routine sort of day, busy & quite satisfying. Town this morning for the rest of our grocery shopping, which involved the local market, the eco-refill shop & Wilk*'s for cat meat. Having eaten breakfast later (TRE strikes again), we felt we didn't really need a cafe visit so just whizzed around ticking things off the shopping list. Anyway, small money saving wins as follows:
*Although I won't be adding it up until Monday, our weekly shop was within budget.
*Paid in the small tax refund cheque.
*Both of us did a big toiletries stash stock-up to make maximum use of (another!) mailshot of Advantage card vouchers Mr F received recently. Lots of decent offers around this morning meant that we saved £12 on offers/multi-buys & lots of extra advantage points for Mr F's card. Personal Spends used for toiletries so budget-neutral. 
*Bargain of the day went to Mr F who found the deodorant spray he likes on sale (at above store) for 58p each. 6 left, all of which he bought.
*My pension forecast letter arrived in the post - earlier than I expected, so I can crack on with that early next week. 
*Also in the post, a £10 JL voucher from my CC loyalty points, which will be stashed along with others received later in the year, & probably used for presents.
*Entered a competition.
*Did a couple of surveys.
*After lunch, Mr F suddenly announced that he was heading out again with the A*di pantry re-stock list. We'd planned to do that tomorrow morning, but he sensibly said that if he did it, then all the shopping would be done & we'd have a free day. Tomorrow's weather forecast looks dry atm, so his thinking was that we could progress a bit of work in the garden. That suited me fine, so I put my audio book on while I wiped down all the pantry shelves, topped up a few jars & made sure all the older items were pulled to the front to use first. It wasn't quite a 'zombie apocalypse list'......perhaps just a fairly modest handful of zombies advancing down the street......but I had no idea what it would cost, as we don't visit this store regularly & food inflation has just been ridiculous. I'd budgeted £100 max - I didn't think it would be that much - & it came to about £60. Some gaps - no wholemeal bread flour, porridge oats or basmati rice and very limited on the type of yoghurts I Iike, but everything else on the list was in stock & all now unpacked & put away. Each time I came out of the pantry, Soot went in there & got instantly to work on his current ambition of trying to spring open the fastening on the cat biscuit bag. He didn't succeed, I'm pleased to say, because I know that if he does manage to tip them out, he will just gobble them until he is discovered. That boy has no brake where biscuits are concerned......much like his Meowmy!
So very much a routine day, but we both feel it's been useful.
Looking forward to a cosy evening (as in crochet blanket, hot water bottle, & both of us plus 2 cats on sofa, not turning up the heating!)
F x

Blackcats

Soot's cat biscuit antics are very funny.  The tub I keep the dreamies in has several cat teeth marks in the lid from unsuccessful attempts at brute force entry.  

Glad you got your pension forecast.  A friend of mine has just bought a couple of years NI contribution from the years that will cease to be available in April.  My forecast currently looks ok - as a public sector worker I have chunks of contracted out years but I think overall I'm ok.

foxgloves

@Blackcats - That's my intention - to arrange making NI voluntary contributions to plug some of my missing years. I've been advised of the next stage of the procedure, so hopefully can make progress over the coming week.
F 

foxgloves

Morning Campers! 
Well, I feel I've gained an extra day with no longer needing to go out at all today, so I'm fortifying myself with a black coffee (TRE meaning that breakfast is not yet even on the horizon) & planning a good session in the garden. 
With another cold snap forecast next week, I will need to choose appropriate tasks, but there's still plenty of clearing & weeding to do, so I can crack on with that & get a free stretching/calorie burning session at the same time. I'll assess what other jobs I could usefully do while I'm out there.
Might also bring my regular Monday morning budget updates forward, as we could both do with knowing current Personal Spends balances after yesterday's expenditure.
I like the feeling of having gained a day, so am going to make the most of it.
Mr F did make me laugh packing all his bargainaceous 58p deodorant sprays away last night. I thought I detected a tidsy hint of smugness. He said, "Of course, what I should have done is bought a load of the 87p ones as well"....to which I answered, "Just how smelly are you intending to be?" I'm looking forward to trying the new moisturiser I bought yesterday. £12, on offer at £10. My favourite moisturiser has gone up in price to £28, so this will be a good saving if I like it. The £28 one will just have to be an occasional treat.
Right, off to get another layer on in anticipation of some serious garden fork wielding later this morning.
Wishing everyone a decent day. If you're out shopping, I hope you find a fab 'bargain of the day".
F x

Moorviews

@foxgloves - I am in exactly the same boat with regard to the NI contributions so will be joining you in the phone line queues. I’ll echo the thanks for your posts about the everyday organisation of household finances. They are always insightful and never boring. Demonstrating how to live well and solvently, as a way of life, is far more valuable than one off fancy techniques and grand schemes or gestures. Also totally with you about the LLPG!

@Suffolk_lass - You completely captured my thoughts about Sue Gray but far more eloquently expressed them than I could. The responses from the schemers and the feckless and habitual liars do just show how they simply cannot get their heads around any form of integrity. It is a worryingly alien and ungraspable concept to them. 

@badmemory - absolutely agree with you regarding truth and problems with basic ethics.