Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

@EssexHebridean - Re heating - Yes, I can see your point in terms of flat viewings. You want to keep the place aired & don't want prospective buyers going off saying the place was freezing cold. I'm chilly today & have deliberately left a winter shawl & my big poncho out of my winter clothes storage bag. I'm not going to change my mind on the CH though. It's April & I don't personally believe that energy prices will ever fall back to anywhere near where they were before the various inflationary measures kicked in. So we both decided to call time on it & to wear extra socks & a warm layer until the outside temperatures warm up a little. We do have a nice gas stove in the lounge, so if we were particularly cold on an evening, we have the option of using that, but it would only be for an hour or so. We are both very much committed to building as much credit as possible now, to improve our position going into winter. I must say, that chilly though it is (a bitter wind today, even though we are well away from the weather warning areas of the country), it was very nice to go into the utility this morning & see such a low number on the smart monitor for daily gas use. I shall keep looking at that for encouragement until things warm up!

To everyone who has enquired how I am - I'm uncomfortable, fed-up & functional, & have a telephone appointment booked with the Dr, following his receipt of the hospital letter when I was seen by Emergency Care. 
F

foxgloves

Hello Frugalistas,
Well, I decided that as I needed to sort clean laundry & iron anyway, it was a good time to have that big clothes sort out. It was interesting unpacking my Spring & Summer clothes, trying stuff on & assessing which fit fine now & which would fit given that the ongoing weight-loss......well, remains ongoing & doesn't wilt by the wayside. I also discovered a few things where I didn't care sufficiently whether I fitted into them or not, which seemed like a different decision needed to be made, so in addition to 10 garments in the temporary 'Shopping from Home Boutique' area of my wardrobe, I also identified 4 for the charity shop & 3 for listing on the bay. I have used an African wax-print maxi-skirt which my sister made for me as the wardrobe divider, as it is so vibrant it's unmissable, & have hung all the clothes into which I currently fit comfortably on the right side & the 10 Shopping from Home Boutique items on the other side. As you can see, I also quickly wrote out some tags, one for each of those 10 garments, with a motivational comment. I have arranged these garments starting with the one into which I shall be able to fit the soonest, up to 3 which, realistically, will require more time, but I'd be delighted to be able to wear them this Autumn. It has felt quite an encouraging exercise overall - more of a positive spin, I think, than trying stuff on & then beating myself up because there is too much Foxgloves & not enough dress, etc, which would, tbh, be my usual approach. I also found a dress & a skirt which very much demonstrated to me that the old sale-rail habit of the Spendy Years, plus expensive over-confident decisions made in the fitting rooms, are still not quite yet habits of the past......will expand on that in another post. 
Well, m'dears, the wind is rattling the chimney liner, I've already retrieved the lid of the water butt & wormery, as I went out early to put the greenhouse to bed today due to the cold. I've pizza & bread rolls proving downstairs on the hob, so I must go & get on with baking those & enjoy the warmth of the oven while I'm at it. It was going to be a spicy hot veggie pizza, then I suddenly decided I fancied anchovies, sweetcorn & green peppers instead, so that's what we're having!
Stay as cosy as possible.....isn't it just typical that this chilly spell appears exactly as people are wanting to turn off their heating & to get saving?!
Cheers,
F x

Four_Seasons

Those labels are brilliant such a good idea. I have a new set of drawers coming tomorrow (fb marketplace) so hopefully I can organise/slim down my clothes. We have been so short on storage so have been searching fb. Hope you feel much better soon and the Dr can provide a suitable solution. Take care xx

Makingabobor2

We did have the heating off over the weekend, but I've got it on today as it really feels cold with the wind. Our house is a semi, on the side of an alley and also only 2 houses up from the corner of the street. The wind seems to whip round when its bad and as our lounge is on that side, it just seems so cold in there all the time. Not helped at the moment, but the house we are joined to having been empty since October, so no heat coming through from that side either. Think the DG window in the lounge needs replacing TBH, as does the front door. 

Makingabobor2

Love the labels idea. You are clever

Sun_Addict

The labels are a fabulous idea and a brilliant motivator 😀 I’m being ruthless with my clothes this year as I get the summer clothes out - if I don’t plan to wear it yet another year or I don’t love it it’s going. 

KajiKita

Love the labels and making them colourful - so cheering 😊

Sorry you are uncomfortable but glad that you’re ‘functional’ - at least the latter means you can do things and hopefully tire yourself enough that you can sleep well. Do you take painkillers before going to bed?

KK

ladyholly

I love the labels. I really must get in the losing weight frame of mind as it might help my breathing and even if it doesnt it wont hurt it and I will look better.

Blackcats

The labels are fabulous. 

I think a few of us are going to be culling some clothes this spring.  I've already dealt with the office work type clothes that I won't need again (hooray).  Most of them went to the charity shop and I sold a couple of dresses on vinted.  I've got clothes that I haven't worn for at least a couple of years but I'm struggling to get rid of them ... just in case?  Just in case of what I don't know 🤷‍♀️

foxgloves

Thanks all - Yes, factoring in projected continued weight-loss definitely added another dimension to the big clothes sort-out. I wanted to add the colourful labels to create a 'shop vibe', but writing the motivational comments soon sorted out the stuff I actually cared about fitting into again, & those garments which it was time to move on. It's pretty pointless writing a motivational label for a garment when you're actually thinking, "Did I ever look good in that?" 
F x