Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Blackcats

Earlier in my budgeting evolution I was guilty of forgetting cat care costs.  We have a super chap who visits Blackcat twice daily and who will also put bins out, water pots etc.  We pay him cash so visiting the cash machine and drawing out £'s certainly focuses the mind.

foxgloves

Yes, I've noticed from your diary that you can walk & read simultaneously, @PiP, so I tried it myself. It was partially successful but I don't think having varifical lenses assisted in the process. Can manage steps + newspaper but not steps + book. Clearly need to put more practice in! By the time I'd faffed around with a tray of tomatoes which kept rolling everywhere, tidied & closed all the upstairs curtains, I had achieved my minimum steps - now on my 149th day in a row of 'not being sedentary'. 
F x

PennysIntoPounds

There are definitely categories of print and ease of holding that can do lengths of the carpet, and those that are better suited to 'on the spot' steps!

Sun_Addict

I have been recently heard about Japanese walking which is bursts of fast walking mixed with slow walking. Not tried it yet as I always hit my minimum steps target but still interesting. Might be worth a try. 

badmemory

I usually do any reading whilst walking with my kindle on an increased font size as it helps compensate for the movement.  It is also easier on my hand than trying to hold a book.

joedenise

Sun_Addict said:

I have been recently heard about Japanese walking which is bursts of fast walking mixed with slow walking. Not tried it yet as I always hit my minimum steps target but still interesting. Might be worth a try. 

Something similar we used to do when I was growing up many moons ago but it was running and then walking andwe called it Scouts pace.  Have to admit the running was more like jogging!

foxgloves

@joedenise - I remember being taught about 'scout's pace' at a girl guides camp. Another disenchanted girl & myself decided we were only going to do 'Half scout's pace'.....i.e Only the walking!
F

joedenise

foxgloves said:

@joedenise - I remember being taught about 'scout's pace' at a girl guides camp. Another disenchanted girl & myself decided we were only going to do 'Half scout's pace'.....i.e Only the walking!
F

"only the walking" - that's so funny!  I actually quite enjoyed scouts pace as I'm certainly never been a runner.

rtandon27

The 'scout's pace'  comments do make me laugh - I remember as a young child doing just this but not becaause I knew what it was.  I dawdled, talked to flowers, petted cats, picked up leaves.  Then someone's grandparent or parent would remind me I was on my way home so to pick up my feet, and I'd run a little way before dawdling again!  This of course was back when we walked to & from school unaccompanied, but were looked out for by every neighbour!

foxgloves

Hello Sunday Savers,
Still busy with post-holiday catch-up stuff. Lovely to have the cats home. Soot obviously thought we might have forgotten he was home so decided to remind us by yowling outside our bedroom door from 3.40am. What a joy that was, I DON'T think!
Money-saving stuff....
*Garden pickings: French beans, carrots, courgettes, cavolo nero, pears.
*Labelled the chutney I made yesterday & managed to find a space in the pantry.
*Baked a sourdough.
*Mr F is roasting chicken for tonight which I'm already intending for at least 2 further meals. Enough crumble leftover from last night to do us today as well.
*Did a big budget updating session this morning as needed to integrate holiday stuff properly back into September's budget which is now in its final week, as Friday will be my Big Budget Day when I shall set October's. Could hardly believe that we came home with a £164 underspend on our holiday expenses allocation! Also reconciled my credit card statement which landed while we were away. Pleased to see that the balance (which is cleared in full every month) was smack-on to the penny what I was expecting. Had to flag with Mr F that his September Personal Spends had gone into the red so he has put a little bit in from his Spends Reserves so as to avoid starting our October budget cycle with a reduced amount. My Spends are low but I took some of my September allowance in cash, most of which is still in my purse, so I only 'look poor' on the spreadsheet, lol.
*Have had 2 ideas for potential shopping from home items, one of which I had initially thought to buy, so will continue thinking about the possibilities of those. 
Wishing everyone a peaceful evening,
F x