Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

Hello Sunday Savers,

Guess what we've had today? FOUR rain showers!! Ok, they were small, quickly over & nowhere NEAR the amount of rain we need, but it felt like something.

Really enjoyed our curry last night. We only rarely have a takeaway these days & find we enjoy the experience much more than the weekly event they used to be back in the Spendy Years. Mr F made up a big box of leftovers for the freezer which he's already earmarked for his work evening meal next time he has to do one of his occasional very late shifts, so that extracted a bit more value.

Today was the 1st day of our planned week of vanquishing various jobs now that the bedroom damage is finally all repaired.

*I did 3 loads of laundry as it's so windy. I thought the whirlygig was going to take off at one point!

*Mr F watered all the veg, containers & assorted wilty plants.

*Today's garden pickings: French beans, spring onions, tomatoes, aubergine, chillies, courgettes, carrots & blackberries.

*Mr F assembled the new carpet cleaner & tested it in the repaired bedroom. Oh my goodness, I'd say that was our cleanest carpet but the COLOUR of that water, eeewwww! We bought a pet cleaning model & despite a thorough vacuuming of that carpet before washing it, it still sucked out a lot of cat fur, which certainly wasn't visible by eye. So much better than our previous one which required an engineering masters to put together. Pleased we bought it. Good use of money.

*Still on upstairs carpets.....I trimmed (again 🙄😬😱) the fibres pulled up by Soot's exceedingly unhelpful claws on our landing carpet, vacuumed & washed it. Big improvement as there were a couple of old pet stains which hadn't previously come out.

*Not money saving as such but I always count decluttering as a positive, so was pleased when the appearance of a bulging binbag turned out to be stuff Mr F is throwing away 🙂

*Found a double cotton bed sheet I thought I must have accidentally given to the charity shop.

*Mr F is roasting a chicken from which I've planned to get another 2 or 3 meals plus stock.

Tomorrow is my Big Budget Day so I shall be doing a few early tasks before some serious desk time. Mr F says he will be prioritising garden clearing tasks but that he will keep the Chief Budgeter supplied with coffee.

Reading & crossword time for me now. It's dropped cooler & is very pleasant outside.

Peaceful Sunday night wishes to you all,

F x

PennysIntoPounds

We had our much awaited rain in London, the minor drizzle started a minute and a half before we left the house and by the time we'd got down the stairs it had stopped 😂

Your carpet cleaner sounds fabulous, congratulations 🥂

Glad you had a nice takeaway treat and there are leftovers

Bulging binbag out the door always a win, well done Mr F

Sun_Addict

How can we be in the same county and not get a single drop of rain 😞

I can’t remember the last time we had a takeaway. Must be 20 plus years. Prefer to make my own so I know what’s going into it.

Blackcats

Once a month my dad treats us to curry at our favourite little restaurant (I've been going there for over 35 years and it's still run by members of the same family). We always end up with at least 1 foil container of leftovers which go into the freezer. It's such a nice bonus to add to a curry plate. By the way, the treat from dad is his way of thanking us for all the stuff we do for him which enable him to stay living in his own home at age 98 🥳

we are behind schedule with our new car pot so I'm glad you've given me a gentle prod to check my figures and knuckle down to some sensible savings.

amber03

We have a takeaway once a month, usually the Saturday after payday. It’s the only time I have a night off cooking. Mind you Im the one who goes and gets it.

Baileys_Babe

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82081932#Comment_82081932

@Blackcats that is such a lovely tradition ☺️

foxgloves

@PennysIntoPounds - I absolutely agree with you about the Big Win feeling of dispatching a bulging bin bag. We thought we might actually be on for a bit of a fight getting out to the bin, as Soot (who loves a New Thing) decided it was the best place to sit while he performed a lengthy pedicure!

@Sun_Addict - It's crazy that in the end, we actually had FIVE little rain showers yesterday while it remained dry where you are. We can only be about 20 miles north of you at the absolute most, I would think, quite possibly a little less, which just goes to show how random these forecasts can be. I did have 3 loads of laundry pegged out, so maybe that helped attract the rain.

@Blackcats - I do like your curry tradition - a nice treat from your Dad.

@amber03 - I don't think you should be the curry-fetcher when it's your only night off from cooking!

foxgloves

Hello Monday Money Savers,

A good start to the week here at Foxgloves Manor. Mr F is enjoying throwing himself into his 'Sort out the top of the garden once & for all' project & informed me that he could get LOADS done if only he didn't have to go to work. I said that if Agent Millions comes knocking next week, he can hand in his notice, but otherwise, we can't yet make it work. He'll have earned a beer tonight as seems to have moved a very large woodpile (for critters), sorted out the triffiding ivy & is now working out the exact area to be covered with membrane & gravel as well as how many metres of edging required. We are going to pop out & price all of that up tomorrow. Anyway, onto today's money saving efforts:

*It's my Big Budget Day so I have been busy at my desk. Usual approach - got everything up to date then reconciled July's budget before setting August's. Paid into our Emergency Fund but not the Car Fund this month. This was deliberate as we are changing our car this week so I have moved the money from the Car Fund to our current account ready to pay the bill. I shall re-calibrate the Car Fund payments starting from next month as the best time to start saving for a new car is immediately after taking delivery of the current one. I know we've discussed this already but I'm convinced it's the best way to avoid car finance or a loan so will be number-crunching 'best guess' scenario as to how much to save each month, given that we intend to keep the new car for 10 years. I also put our usual monthly amount into Premium Bonds & divided £377 between 6 of our Savings Pots. The biggest share went to the Meow Pot this month as I wanted to get it up to the maximum 'holding' we agreed on for this pot of £600. Both cats are insured but all pet owners reading this will know that the proportion we pay increases with age & I am conscious that Soot is now 13. Once each pot reaches the maximum we aim for, no more gets paid in until the level drops again. I also made the Clothes Pot up to its current maximum of £300 (am aware Mr F will need a few items in the Autumn), paid the usual amount into the Holiday Pot (always a fixed amount based on meeting the balances/cattery fee on what we have booked) plus smaller additions to House & Garden, Presents & Leisure/Entertainment. Remembered to budget for lunch out on dentist day at our favourite garden centre (makes it feel less of an ordeal) & also for the piano tuner who is due soon. I always feel a sense of feeling back in control after I have done all the numberwang for Big Budget Day - I bet you are all the same. Even when I'd only just started learning to budget when our finances were not nearly as stable, I still felt a lot more in control as even if things weren't as good as they could be or even distinctly iffy, it was just always better to know. Knowledge is Power, as in all things, I suppose.

*Baked a crusty loaf.

*Divvied up yesterday's leftover roast chicken - enough to have cold with home made jacket wedges & salad tonight, spicy chicken & cannellini bean pittas with garlicky stir-fried courgettes tomorrow & the rest put aside for Wednesday when there is apparently going to be Epic Man Stew construction (jacket potato night…..I shall have cheese & coleslaw or tuna & avocado on mine with salad as I feel defeated even just looking at the volume of Man Stew!!) Chicken carcass added to one that I had saved in the freezer & currently simmering in the slow cooker for stock. Ash usually appears the instant the chicken comes out of the fridge but he today was otherwise engaged getting off his head in the catnip.

*Received a £10 off offer for a natural toothpaste I like so I made use of that. It is more expensive than I would generally spend on toothpaste but I really dislike mint so treated myself to a lemon one just to try it & much preferred it. Didn't reorder due to price but had another look on receipt of the £10 off & discovered there was also an offer on a multi-buy of 4 tubes which when put together, reached a general ball park price I was prepared to pay on the grounds that it will last me a very long time. Sometime it's worth holding out for an offer, I think.

As I've been number crunching all day, I am going to go & see how Mr F is getting on & then enjoy some time out on the reading bench with my book. It feels like a strong start to the week & I hope lots of us have managed a good productive Monday.

Take care all,

F x

PennysIntoPounds

Marvellous work from you both, beers much deserved! Though not for Ash, don't mix your drugs kids 😁

Suffolk_lass

That decorator of yours is a keeper! - Our water charge has just gone back down to what it was before they put it up last March!

Oh yes, the gravel is cheapest round here from a fencing contractor - and we buy the 20mm not the 10mm size as it doesn't get stuck in the tread of our shoes and boots - generally we buy it loose but occasionally in an aggregate bag (which get reused until they fall apart, collecting garden clippings, weeding and what not - all of which get burned on the bonfire at the farm