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Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend
Comments
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Cat envy though I do have the most glorious woof. Remind me, when do pets qualify for state pension? Wonderful to read about your stately progress on the pots @foxgloves. Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx
5 -
I wish they qualified for state pension - they seem to get a lot more expensive as they get older! 😢 Ash is a beauty though. 😻
Mortgage free 16/06/2023! £132,500 cleared in 11 years, 3 months and 7 days
'Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.' Ernest Hemingway6 -
Ash is 'Andsome! 💖
I am completely with you on the acceptable temperature band! 😉
KK
As at 18.08.26:
- When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £211,813
- 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 63 books of target 52 in 2026 as @ 2nd September.
Produce tracker: £245 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 -
Ha, I was laughing when you said about cleaning out the car for part exchange. We just bought a new car, and have been driving it for a few days. I got in the scruffy old one today - good lord it's a mess 🙈 We'll be passing it to the local farmer for his daughter to practice driving round the fields in, and I still feel the need to give it a good scrub first 😱😂
6 -
We are also shortly going to be joining the band of "better give it a clean then" folk for a car that will be being got rid of!
🎉 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/her6 -
Hello Frugal Diary Friends,
Ash thanks you for admiring his stripes. Soot says he is quite a looker too so I've promised him I'll post up a photo of him as well.
Pleasantly productive day. Cleaning our car for part-ex was well-received at the car dealership where it was pronounced in excellent condition. I'll start with that.....
*Mr F drove into the city to collect our new car. You know, even though we had the full invoice & had already transferred the money, we still felt slightly jittery about the £8750 being honoured for the original part-ex value of our car. The valuation was done by the previous dealership back in February when we placed the order, paid the deposit & were told delivery would be delayed until May. I think Mr F was a little bit embarrassed that I insisted they add in writing on the order form/invoice that the part-ex value would be adhered to because the delay was not of our making. Very slight wibble, then they agreed, but with our order then being transferred to another dealership to fulfil, plus the delay pushed to Aug or Sept, I wasn't sure they'd honour it. Happy to say that they did, without a single quibble, esp as our car has done a lot of mileage in those intervening 5 months. I even withdrew a little extra money just in case but thankfully not needed so will now be transferred straight back to the Car Fund.
*Ironed. Reduced the pile by one garment by deciding to wear it!
*Made blackberry chutney - not a recipe I've made before - & I used up all sorts of odds & sods of vinegars to make up the volume. It will mature for a couple of months & I shall defo put a couple of jars aside for festive gifts.
*Cooler in conservatory today so sat at the table finishing the construction of my door curtain, mainly getting it lined. It's ready to sew now.
*Did 3 small surveys.
*Decided priority tasks for tomorrow will be seed sowing, garden maintenance & veg picking a.m & finishing curtain p.m. Anything else will be a bonus.
Soot on his beach towel. You can see I have a matching bookmark too!
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!15 -
Soot is a very handsome boy too. I love the little white patch on his leg. We had a black cat with just a tiny patch of white years ago, he reminds me of her 😻
I get knocked down but I get up again (Chumbawamba, Tubthumping) -.literally have been run over by a bike, mobility scooter and a car - still here 💪3 -
what beautiful cats they are!
Glad the transaction for the new car went without a hitch. Have fun getting used to all the gadgets and gizmos!
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Gorgeous Boy! 🤩❤️
Love the fact that he has his own seat towel - is that to baggsie the spot before Ash tries to lie there?! 😉😂😂
KK
As at 18.08.26:
- When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £211,813
- 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 63 books of target 52 in 2026 as @ 2nd September.
Produce tracker: £245 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 -
They are both so beautiful. Glad the garage honoured your price for the old car
“the princess jumped from the tower & she learned that she could fly all along. she never needed those wings.”
Amanda Lovelace, The Princess Saves Herself in this One4
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