Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

Suffolk_lass

Oh good, there you are! I did wonder if all was well. Normally this is the "dead zone" financially here, as all but two direct debits have gone and everything has been shuffled. I wondered if it might be similar for you and that was why you were quiet.

About five years ago I had a private dental procedure that my dentist (NHS) recommended to save an upper molar with a persistent and recurring problem (over a 30+ year period). I was dreading it. I have not posted about why I fear dentists, except to allude to the antipodean scam that caused so many future problems with my teeth - google Australian trench if you want to know. Suffice to say, I was dreading this other procedure. Dentists were so much about confidence for me. I did not know him, I did not have the background trust. That said, my dentist had previously sent me for a sedated wisdom tooth extraction that went as well as a broken tooth extraction can, and I trusted his recommendation. It went really well. It was undertaken in a clinical, surgically clean environment and I have had no recurrence since, so I believe (now) that it has resolved the issue, once and for all. I hope there is a grain of reassurance for you, and I hope it goes well @foxgloves

Have a good day x

Onebrokelady

ladyholly said:

There is no excuse for not picking up dog poo and although I agree there is a problem round here dog walkers themselves could solve a lot of it by picking it up even if its not from their dog. On the green near us there are 2 bins so you dont even have to carry it far.

Having said all that yes it is something the councillors should be looking at but we have children in the area but no play equipment anywhere close except a couple of goal posts. The dog warden spends most of teir time on other things and when they are available their time is on the beaches not in the parks. We have trees that are under preservation order but never receive anyt care so they are gradually having to be felled because they are dangerous. We lost about 6 last year. This is a low wage economy and the only things we seem to get from the council is pointless bit of sculpture, shops being turned into flats for students etc.There is no ambition in the town or shown by our councillors. 

Why on earth should other dog owners pick up other dogs poo. I pick up after my dog I'm not picking up poo someone else was too lazy to pick up 

foxgloves

@Suffolk_lass - Thanks, yes I'm still here. I've been out & about, quite busy & also received some bad family news a few days ago, which I've been mulling over.& wishing things were different for the family member involved.
Thanks for dentist positivity.....I'm.not so bad I need sedation, but an experience in early childhood made me wary of dental treatment for a long time & it resurfaces when I need treatment with which I'm unfamiliar. I am having some implant work done & am very conscious that now the lah-di-dah fancy pants scan is done & dusted, the bit involving the screwing of metal.posts into my jaw is hoving into view. I'm.not looking forward to this at all, but I'm also a pragmatic kind of person & know that it's the waiting & imaginings that are actually the most stressful part of the process....therefore getting it over & done with would in that sense be a bonus. I will have my big girl pants on, on the day, promise.
F

foxgloves

Hello diary readers,
Busy morning with a few pence-wrangling wins:
*Free fitness session enthusiastically wielding the broom in my greenhouse, plus plenty of bodily contortions to remove weeds & assorted crud from.under the potting bench.
*Another stack of recycled plastic trays pressed into use for sowing the rest of my March greenhouse seeds. I will wait till the warmer temperatures next week before sowing March's outdoor container seeds (radish, rocket, carrots, spring onions, etc).
*Did my mid-month budget check-in. Two anomalies found - one was a payment I believed was being collected on 5th April, but I checked back & this was a misunderstanding on my part so I corrected that. The other concerned my new monthly DD to the Cephalopods. I increased this to their recommended amount of £173-73, but because of the final govt subsidy payment of £67, I was expecting them to collect £103. However, they took the full £173-73, which isn't a problem as the £67 subsidy will still go into my account, but there was clearly a bit of ambiguity in that message somewhere. Everything else ok, especially all the shifting of funds around from various savings to facilitate paying those voluntary NI contributions.
*Did a couple of surveys. PA earnings for March now at £19+.
*Did meal plans for next week which I'm about to transfer to the planner in my diary which I use for food.
*Did a 15 minute mending job on Mr F's hiking socks.
*Virtually no effort required for tonight's nosebag. Have defrosted 2 portions of the turkey bhuna I batch cooked after Christmas, which we'll eat with plain basmati, followed by fresh fruit for dessert.
So not even remotely an exciting day, but I'm keeping the money saving faith.
Love F x

P.S Yesterday was Weigh-Day - another 0.5kg off, making a total of 3.3kg in 3 weeks. That's a good amount for me so can only assume that the TRE element is kicking it up a gear. Am planning a 'Shopping from home' clothes boutique. More of that as I progress it.

ladyholly

Why on earth should other dog owners pick up other dogs poo. I pick up after my dog I'm not picking up poo someone else was too lazy to pick up 

I pick it up for several reasons.  First to stop the children who use the same green areas the dog walkers use getting it on them when playing,  secondly so I don't walk in it and thirdly if the dog walkers don't pick it up it will just lie on the grass and when the council cut the grass it gets spread everywhere.
It is pretty unpleasant as I hate cold poo but in the same vein I also pick up the cans,  bottles, food containers the teenagers leave. I prefer to have a reasonably clean and tidy area to walk our dog and other than cutting the grass and emptying the poo bins once a week there is no maintenance in the area from the council.

Sun_Addict

Well done on the weight loss, that’s a brilliant achievement. I love the idea of a home boutique shopping experience 🙂

foxgloves

Thanks, @Sun_Addict. I'm feeling motivated at the moment so am hoping that weigh-days will remain positive experiences for a few weeks yet.
F

2Scratters

@ladyholly thankyou for your concious efforts of keeping your local area clean and tidy. 
:

 2 Scratters xx

ladyholly

I am not the only one round herre and there is also a lovely volunteer lady with hi viz jacket etc who delves into the undergrowth to litterpick. One of the ladies who lives in a house next to the green area has even offered her bin to put stuff in as the only bins are for dog poo and they get very full.

I just wish the teenagers who are the main culprits for the cans etc would pick up after themselves. They manage to carry it frrom the supermarket but its too much trouble to clear the litter. This time of year isnt too bad but once the nicer weather starts they congregate at night as teens tend to do.

foxgloves

Hello m'dears,
Not much to tell you today, but I've been keeping the money saving faith. Small wins (if you can call stuff involving further bill increases a win) as follows:
*Made good use of my key fat-burning window (according to TRE lore) by having a good active hour of free fitness in the garden, followed by speed-vacuuming all of upstairs. 
*Started filling in gaps in my big flower borders for free by separating out & replanting big clumps of self-sown sweet rocket. I like this at the back of the borders as it's quite tall & the gentle colours (white & mauve) look good with the rest of my cottage garden-style planting.
*Updated Spreadsheet 1 (Household bills) as both the water rates & Council tax bills arrived this morning. Monthly increases of £5.45 & £8.00 per month respectively. I don't really resent the council tax charge as I understand that taxation is necessary to provide public services. I am definitely not a supporter of the MPs constantly baying for tax cuts & despite not being remotely wealthy, both Mr F & I would willingly pay a little more if it went into stronger public services like education, health & the provision of public parks & libraries. Nevertheless, I'm aware that the rise in our income this year will not cover the total rise in bills, including of course the significant rise in everyone's energy costs. Anyway, the figures are in, they have been added to the spreadsheet, I can at least plan now I have updated monthly amounts.
*Did a couple of surveys - am up to £22.47 so far this month on PA. This month's PA earnings will be added to my Personal Spends. 
*Wrote grocery shopping list, as Mr F says he will be coming past the supermarket at an earlier time tomorrow on his way back from a meeting, so will call in & pick up the shopping.
*Paid another £ coin into my (not very) secret tin.
*Thought some more about how to organise my idea of creating a little 'Shopping from Home Boutique' as my weight (hopefully) continues to drop. I am keen that it is motivational as well as money-saving, so I am mulling over various ideas. I'm currently thinking I might get my coloured pencils out (any excuse!) & make a label for each garment, but I'll probably wait a couple of weeks until I get my spring/summer clothes out & pack away my winter stuff, as that way, I can have a good trying-on session & see which clothes I have a reasonable hope of getting into & still like, at the same time as diverting any other stuff to the charity shop bag. No longer fitting into one's clothes is usually a negative thing, but I'm finding that thinking of these items (some of which I really like) as being in a free boutique from which I can gradually 'shop', feels like a much more positive take on the situation. I think it could work for me.
Well, that's all from me today. I shall sign out & decamp to the kitchen to listen to my audiobook ('The Appeal' by Janice Hallett) which I'm really enjoying. I loved 'The Twyford Code' so I was delighted to discover she had written others. I need to make tomorrow's packed lunch & do a few jobs in there, so that will be perfect for a bit of listening time.
Love to all,
F x