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Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend
Comments
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I relented and got the last quarter of the Christmas cake and two packs of cheese out to defrost. Fruitcake and cheese. Perfect supper after a lunchtime roast with DS&P! Enjoy your day. Here it is a home (garden) day - avoiding the crowds
Save £12k in 2026 #2 I have banked £9004.48 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 £1111.79 and most of my May 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 here6 -
I've just started listening to this. Chap in England who has around 5 acres (including land his buildings are on) and challenged himself to grow everything he would eat in a year apart from salt. From 2024 so a recent programme. 5 episodes
D xx
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 -
Hello Easter Monday People,
Thanks for all your comments & contributions. @daisy_1571 - Thanks for the link. I shall defo have a listen to that.
@Suffolk_lass - Yes, a home & garden day here too. Both enjoyable & much needed.
I have just eaten a podgy portion of coffee Easter cake & am now on the sunny bench in our veggie garden chatting to you & waiting for pinger to tell me the bread is ready. MSE progress today:
*A no-spend day, thank goodness.
*Baked a loaf (well, almost as it's in the oven)
*Divvied up yesterday's roast lamb for 4 portions of bhuna (will make tonight), 2 portions spicy lamb & cannellini bean pittas, 2 lamb slices in gravy for another Sunday lunch at some point), 2 portions lamb & apricot pilau, 2 portions Epic Man Stew & the bones are currently in the Crockpot for stock.
Also froze 4 leftover portions of apricot & coriander stuffing.
*Cut a nice big slice of Easter cake for Mr F's work pack-up tomorrow
*Checked all the greenhouse vegelets. Shall water everything in there thoroughly when the sun's gone down a little.
*Made a good start on my garden plant treasure hunt to pot up self-sown freebies for filling in gaps as I cut back & tidy borders. Still plenty of hunting to be done - I got sidetracked by removing lots of wood avens, which is a quite a nice wild flower in small doses, but a damn nuisance in.bigger amounts. Will enjoy more plant freebie hunting later this week.
*Mr F mended a fence, mowed the lawn & planted out first earlies. I've shown him the size of the broccoli plantlets so that he knows the bed where they're going will need clearing very soon. I will.be hardening them off as soon as the sweetpeas are out of the cold frame (imminent).
Tomorrow will have to involve some serious time at my desk - budget updates, admin, etc, before it starts to pull away from.my control.
But for now? I'm off to take that crusty loaf out of the oven, then I shall be back to my sunny seat with my book.
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 -
Urrrrghh, migraine. So much for the productive day I had planned.
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!7 -
Oh dear sending gentle hugs xx
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Ugh …. nothing worse. 😕
Take things gently, take the pills with lots of water and take the opportunity for Catty Cwtches if offered.Hope you feel better soon x
KK
As at 16.07.26:
- When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £213,042
- OPs to mortgage = £19,809 Estd. interest saved = £10,180 to date
c. 16 months reduction in term
Fixed rate 3.85% ends October 2030
Read 57 books of target 52 in 2026 as @ 8th August.
Produce tracker: £200 of £400 in 2026
Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
Watch your words, they become your actions.Watch your actions, they become your reality.5 -
So sorry that a migraine spoiled your plans. I hope that you have been able to sleep it off overnight. They are miserable things 💐
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I hope the migraine passes swiftly. Wretched things. Sleep and a dark room is the only thing that helps with mine.
PBs £2050 (including £1k EF)
17/26 books for 2026Take the time to find the joy in each day
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Thanks all. I so rarely get a migraine these days as they were a perimenopause thing with me & like a lot of other unwanted symptoms, pretty much disappeared as soon as my periods stopped. Don't know why I got one yesterday unless too much sugar over Easter & insufficient hydration with being out of my normal routines. The day was a wash-out as even codeine failed to shift it. It was one of those headaches which simply goes when it's ready. I am going to make up for it today. Mr F has just gone off to do the grocery shopping - I'm saving myself for town on Saturday as I have so much I want to do today....esp financial stuff as I can feel the budget starting to slip from my usually strong control. Just spin-drying a handwash dress while I chat to you, then greenhouse watering before sitting down to some serious numberwang & admin.
Hope to be back later with some budget-helping achievements.
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 am so lucky. I only get ocular migraines which normally only last about 20 minutes. Yesterdays managed to last of 2 hours. I put it down to trying to read when the sun kept catching the corner of my eyes no matter where I sat. I tried closing the curtains but by then the damage was done. So glad I don't get real migraines as both my mother & sister did. My mother was 2 days in a darkened room but my sister used to talk total gobbledegook which was a little scary
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