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Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend
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Well done @foxgloves - you've dealt with a hard situation with grace (and a bit of 🤬) - it must have been quite a rough week. Glad you have come out the other end intact xx Rest well this week.4 YEARS 10 MONTHS DEBT FREE!!! (24 OCT 2016)(With heartfelt thanks to those who have gone before us & their indubitable generosity.)...and now I have a mortgage! (23 AUG 2021)Original End Date - Sept 2041 New projection - Dec 2039 (reduced by 21 months)5
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Phew! and aren't you fortunate that you picked a positive team to undertake the work. We have just had some bad news (house related) and I hope I can deal with it and move forward as positively as youSave £12k in 2026 #2 I have banked £2870.61 so far, against a £10k target The 2026 Save £12k in 2026 thread is here
OS Grocery Challenge in 2026 I am sticking with a £3000 annual budget for 2026 - currently £568.34 and most of my March purchasing made
I also Reverse Meal Plan on that thread and grow much of our own premium price fruit and veg, joining in on the grow your own in 2026 discussion thread
My keep within our budget diary is here9 -
Yes you’re very inspirational with your can-do positivity4
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Hello M'dears,
A bit of sunshine here....would have been nice to do a little bit in the garden but I didn't want to risk not hearing the door if the scaffolders knock....though theoretically they can climb the thing & give me a shout.
@liselle & @Suffolk_lass - I can assure you that I do go off on a strop first, turning the air several shades of blue, but then I calm down & think/plan my way through whatever it is.
@EssexHebridean - Yes, I completely agree re the electrics. The safety switch shut that circuit off for a reason. As you say, it did its job.
@Humdinger1 - Yes, we defo wanted to avoid that scenario. Imagine finding a property in the right location & price range, then we can't sell our own place to raise the necessary funds because of Devil-foam. I shudder at the thought, as we are already going to be navigating higher average property prices than in our current region.
Several folk have mentioned we were lucky to have a chief roofer with a positive attitude. He did get onto problems swiftly & he actually said at one point that things can go wrong & it's how we deal with them that matters. Young too - early 30s I would say.
Well, onto today, which hasn't been at all exciting as I am using this week to get back to normality/catch up, etc.
I've baked a batch of bread rolls, made tomorrow's packed lunch, done next week's meal plans, written the grocery shopping list, done a quick triage of veg & dealt with anything looking like it wouldn't last & prepped & soaked a batch of Seville oranges for this year's marmalade. Van man came to collect my recent W*b trade box of books. Also been researching cat carriers as Ash needs one - the door on his (which he arrived in from the Rescue) is a really unsatisfactory design & getting demonstrably more difficult to fasten when we are getting him into it. Can't believe the price of some of them - many on the small size for chonky adult cats. Am in town on Fri so will have a look. Cost will come from an underspend on the money I had put aside for their cattery fees during roofing week.
Use-it-up nosebag tonight, as I intend to make spicy veggie couscous & serve it with smoked mackerel fillets, so I have time for a few more tasks, as well as compiling a new library wish-list & piano practice. It doesn't look like the scaffolding is going anywhere today. I was going to ping them, but I know the extra time required for our roof replacement put them behind on their job for this week, so I am being lenient for another day or two.
First early snowdrop sightings in the garden :-)
F x
2026's challenges: 1) To rebuild our Emergency Fund to at least £5k.
2) To read 50 books (12/50) 3) The Re-Shrinking of Foxgloves 8.1kg/30kg
Remember....if you have to put it on a credit card, extend your overdraft or take out a loan to buy whatever it is, you probably can't afford it, as that's not your money, it's somebody else's!9 -
I've actually got a pin on my jacket that says "somewhat sweary, remarkably articulate" that Mr Sl bought me for my birthday, and is worn with prideSave £12k in 2026 #2 I have banked £2870.61 so far, against a £10k target The 2026 Save £12k in 2026 thread is here
OS Grocery Challenge in 2026 I am sticking with a £3000 annual budget for 2026 - currently £568.34 and most of my March purchasing made
I also Reverse Meal Plan on that thread and grow much of our own premium price fruit and veg, joining in on the grow your own in 2026 discussion thread
My keep within our budget diary is here9 -
Well, I am with you on that, @Suffolk_lass!2026's challenges: 1) To rebuild our Emergency Fund to at least £5k.
2) To read 50 books (12/50) 3) The Re-Shrinking of Foxgloves 8.1kg/30kg
Remember....if you have to put it on a credit card, extend your overdraft or take out a loan to buy whatever it is, you probably can't afford it, as that's not your money, it's somebody else's!5 -
check with your local rescue, i know ours has piles of carriers, having been handed in either with or without a cat and ready for rehoming but people often bring their own so gradually the pile gets bigger. Our rescue happy to sell them for a fiver and for a while they had some in local vets' waiting rooms for donations
22: 3🏅 4⭐ 23: 5🏅 6 ⭐ 24 1🏅 2⭐ 25 🏅 🥈2⭐ 26 🥈 Never save something for a special occasion. Every day is a special occasion. The diff between what you were yesterday and what you'll be tomorrow is what you do today Well organised clutter is still clutter - Joshua Becker If youre not already using a thing you won't start using it more by shoving it in a cupboard- AJMoney The barrier standing between you & what youre truly capable of isnt lack of info, ideas or techniques. The secret is 'do it'8 -
Ha - couscous with salmon with us this evening Foxgloves - it must be a couscous and fish kinda day!🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 Balance as at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 Balance as at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00. Balance as at 31/12/25 = £ 91,100.00
SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her5 -
I should think that a bit of colourless routine is just the job @foxgloves after the series of hair bleaching emergencies, no?! Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx4
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If you shop on the big river site then we found a fabulous top and front loading carrier that was escape proof for our regular Houdini. It was their basics hard sided 2 door carrier, currently around £23. We were so impressed we ended up replacing all of ours to these for a move…good size and come apart to be stacked for storage.4
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