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Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend
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There is a notable exception to this which I'll mention given that you sometimes head south to visit family - and that is a couple of unexpectedly sensibly priced filling stations on the A1 north - if seen in time or spotted via the Petrol Prices app they can be useful, although best used at quieter times on the road as otherwise navigating the slip roads back to the main road can be entertaining, let's say!
🎉 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 -
Hello Diary Readers,
I enjoyed reading your cat comments. No, they definitely DON'T miss a trick, do they? Soot was in the pantry this morning investigating a new bag of biscuits (bought for Ash) approx. 3 minutes after they were unpacked & put away.
@EssexHebridean - Re the A1 'a bit cheaper' fuel….yes, I have spotted this too on occasion. The absolute worst fuel prices we see are usually at a large motorway services station heading directly North…the one which begins with a sounds like collective word for rain, snow, hail, sunshine, etc.
Woke up this morning feeling chillier than usual & realised the heating hadn't come on. No….surely not another expense to get something put right. Thankfully my investigations swiftly led to the cause…..the batteries in the thermostat had run out. Cue Mr F doing nude battery search while being assailed by 2 cats who thought their breakfast was at least 12 times more important than stupid batteries! Window cleaners arrived smack on time & set about removing a ton of roofing gunk from our windows, sills, gutters & conservatory roof. It's lovely to be able to see out of the kitchen window properly again….& a mini-iris popped up in purple loveliness to celebrate the occasion. Budget-friendly stuff as follows:
*Bearing in mind how bad it was, how long it took them & what a good job they've done, I think £255 was a very reasonable amount to pay for the above work.
*This week's grocery shopping done. Updated grocery budget & we are still on track for next week, which will be the last shop of February's budget cycle. The 'Little Treats' free Valentine's item turned out not to be the tiny chocolate hearts, but a pack of heart-shaped crumpets, so that's lunch on the 14th sorted.
*Sorted out seeds for February & March sowing. Love this job!
*Prepped ingredients for a slow cooker 'dump box' tomorrow morning so I can use the time saved to go out.
*Ordered a new, much more spacious cat carrier for Ash on click & collect. I'd somehow got it into my head that this was priced at £40, so it was a nice surprise to see I'd misremembered & it's actually £30. It will be paid for from the Meow Pot anyway.
*The bargainaceous gammon is still doing its thing - sliced ham, poached eggs & home made jacket wedges on the menu for tonight. Not my cooking night, so I shall be enjoying a couple of chapters of my book instead. I am aiming to read a minimum of 50 books this year. Last year, I set my total at 100, but as I had never actually counted how many I DO read, I had no idea whether this would be a realistic figure or not. 2025's total was 54 books, including audiobooks. I love reading. I've always been an avid reader. In my 1st class of infant school as I know I've mentioned before, my teacher wouldn't believe I could actually read. I had to make a nuisance of myself in order to prove I was right…..something I am still more than happy to do when the occasion arises! I would have more time for reading if I didn't spend so much time pootling around online winding myself up, so am not ruling out a low-internet engagement week at some point this year to see if it impacts positively on my daily life. Being a news junkie doesn't help.
Well, that's my jobs done for the day so I think I might have another squint at Saturday's crossword, maybe practise my new piano pieces before settling down with my book.
Wishing everyone a peaceful evening,
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 -
The motorway service station took me a while to work out , but totally agree with you .
Life is an adventure, never stop exploring.4 -
That is a nicely ambitious target for books to be read this year! I’ve set myself 26 for 2026. Last year I read 24. I can’t seem to turn my brain off enough to engage fully with an audio book and love to read but take my time over each one. Once I’m hooked though, that’s it - I’m absorbed until it’s finished.
A couple of years back I started keeping a reading list on my phone, as like you I couldn’t have put a number on how many books I actually read a year. Each book is now recorded with a mark out of 10 for enjoyment. I love looking back on it when anyone asks for a recommendation.
I look forward to hearing what you made of Lord of the Flies.6 -
While driving yesterday I passed a motorway services and noted the price of petrol I came off at the next junction and passed a petrol station charging 32 p more per litre!! Even worse they are less than 2 miles apart.
Fashion on a ration 2025 0/66 coupons spent
79.5 coupons rolled over 4/75.5 coupons spent - using for secondhand purchases
One income, home educating family4 -
Wow, that really is bad!
Making the debt go down and savings go up
LBM 2015 - debt £57K / Now £26,764....its going down
Mortgage Free December 9th 2024! 18mths ahead of schedule.Challenges
EF £630/3000
.
Studies/surveys April.....£156.32
Decluttering items 1402/2025. 195/2026
Books read 23 in 2025. 2026- 11 (target is 52)
Jigsaws done 20 in 2025. 3 this year.
My debt free diary...https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6396218/we-will-get-this-debt-d£own-the-savings-up4 -
Agree, @Baileys_Babe ....an extra 32p per litre really is an utter p*sstake.
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 -
I was shocked even on our modest mileage it would be a huge difference in cost per year.
Fashion on a ration 2025 0/66 coupons spent
79.5 coupons rolled over 4/75.5 coupons spent - using for secondhand purchases
One income, home educating family5 -
Dear Readers,
Pleasant day which has involved going into town to catch up on a few bits then coming home to catch up on a few more. Surprising how far behind we feel since roofing week - still some electrical work to get done but the electrician who helped us with the electrical emergency during roofing week is coming back next week so it is now in hand. Anyway, today's budget-friendly efforts:
*Town car park fee kept at 2 hours max due to needing to get home to switch the slow cooker on.
*Used 1 of my coffee shop voucher survey earnings to knock £5 off our coffee & toasted teacakes.
*Treated myself to a book from my Personal Spends. We both love having our monthly Personal Spends allowance as it means guilt-free spending on whatever we like....but on the basis that when it's gone, it's gone. It isn't topped up again until next Big Budget Day & any credit balance (or in the case of Mr F an occasional small debit balance) is rolled forwards to the new month.
*Remembered to post nephew's birthday card while plenty of time for 2nd class postage.
*Tonight's nosebag in the slow cooker - a big pinto bean chilli which will be served topped with grated cheese along with a chunky slice of homemade bread. Will defo get 2 spare portions for the freezer, probably 3.
*So nice to pull the curtains this morning & not be greeted by assorted post-reroofing slarm that Mr F was inspired to clean all the interior glass this afternoon. Still using up a crate of cleaning stuff brought from my parents' house, which included plenty of spray window cleaner. My favoured method is washing up liquid in warm water with a dash of vinegar, then a polish with scrunched-up newspaper, but it seemed a waste to chuck out useable products so we have slowly been working through them.
*Did belated final laundry load of the week & a small, just about tolerable, quantity of ironing.
*Mr F set the seed potatoes to chit for a few first earlies, which reminded him he will need to dig in the green manure crop he sowed in October.
Soot has been trying to secure early dinner since 2.15pm so it's going to be a long afternoon.
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!6 -
@Dakota_Rose - Re LOTF...I enjoyed it. I found the 1st episode quite chilling actually, even though it is early stages of them being marooned & things have not yet broken down to the extent that they soon will. I am sometimes a bit unfair on child actors as they can over-act or 'act' without the understanding that being natural is more compelling, iyswim, though of course some can be outstanding. I thought these young actors were pretty good tbh so I'll see how it goes. It is true to the book in that there are no adults present, yet the series defo feels made for an adult audience which is good because it isn't a children's book. We did it in English when I was about 14 & I re-read it as a back-up, wider reading text for my 1st degree. Will be interested to see how the TV series progresses anyway.
F
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!8
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