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Moving on
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Please make sure that you doMortgage at 01.01.14 £119,481.83:eek: today £0 Emergency fund £5.5/5.5k & £200/200 cash.:jWeight 24/02/19 14st 7lb now 11st 12lb determined to stop defining myself by my mistakes. Progress not perfection.:T100%through my 1% mortgage challenge. 100% through my pb challenge.1
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Finances day so I had best do some work on them. The YBS regular saver matures: I think I will leave that getting more interest but allow the amount gained as a contribution towards Christmas, but out of a lower interest account.
A quick trip to L1dl will happen, as a small spend will make me eligible for the free fruit. We need an all-purpose cooking oil, so it's not shopping for the sake of it.
Once again there's wall-to-wall sunshine, but not much laundry needing to be done. I could sort out more plant pots I suppose. There's still a tomato plant with green tomatoes: I could bring it in as it's not too big, but I'm not sure where it would go.
I also need to find the toy stuffing, which I've not used for a couple of years. This rabbit has a completed body but lots of bits need to be made up and stuffed as I go or I'll lose an ear or something. There's still a page of the pattern to knit but in the meantime all those loose elements are threatening to dissipate.
I will be accountable or I risk not doing the bits and pieces above.I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)
Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet set 7.5= 12.5/68
2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, tee shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/224 -
As usual, I've found something else to do instead of the list. I have a backlog of toiletries and realistically I'm not going to use them all so a couple of smellies have gone in the donations bag, a couple more are going to the makeup recycling as is the remnants of a face mask that I've just emptied out and a nail varnish that stains my nails (and I hardly ever wear varnish anyway). There were also a couple of old hair serum bottles which have a pump and are handbag size. In the past I've reused these for travel but the stuff in them had gone stale so I've emptied and cleaned those for another trip or handbag use. Very good for hand cream and moisturiser.
There's a slight guilt trip as there are two tins of coconut oil from B0dy Sh0p which were much more expensive than the grocery section at the supermarket but one of them has definitely gone off so it will be emptied and recycled.
I'll stop there though there will be more to be found. Best consolidate the decisions I've made and the next lot will be easier.
Left over for future use: various hand creams, lip balms, shower gels, perfumes. Most of these will take ages to use but are part used so I'm not donating them. Perhaps now I'm rid of a few others, it will be easier to use what's left. Perhaps not!
I put some laundry on, too - just enough reds to make a wash.I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)
Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet set 7.5= 12.5/68
2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, tee shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/223 -
Wall to wal sunshine!! I would be grateful for a few inches of it today. I keep thinking I need to close the curtains soon but I have been thinking that since 10am.
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badmemory said:Wall to wal sunshine!! I would be grateful for a few inches of it today. I keep thinking I need to close the curtains soon but I have been thinking that since 10am.I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)
Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet set 7.5= 12.5/68
2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, tee shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/220 -
The makeup recycling won't take glass so three items have had to go in domestic recycling and hope they cope with them. I remembered to take dud batteries and pens to Ryman's for recycling too. I stopped and had a conversation with a complete stranger about a beautiful skein of white geese flying over, against the very blue sky. Lovely.
Wandering round town, I bought three plain drinking glasses in a charity shop to supplement the motley assortment we present when the family comes round. I also got the cooking oil, bananas, onions, chocolate oranges and other bits, thus qualifying for the free fruit. Dh is getting salmon for dinner.
The chocolate is towards Christmas stockings, which I always do but I've held off this year as I'm not earning much and it's my indulgence to do these so it feels a bit wrong. However, I've come up with the very beginnings of a plan: adults get chocolate oranges or alternative and a small hand cream each... that's a start! I'm sure more will come to mind. The children will get something sweet, a small book, something to wear in their hair, then the little things like a bubble blower that are perennial and won't clutter the place up for too long.
I'm making stock with the remains of the chicken: not something I usually do but I didn't get all the meat off as it didn't seem 100% cooked near the bone. It thought this way it will be thoroughly cooked and I could make a risotto. We'll see. At least there's freezer space if needed.
I checked the YBS account and it's as well I did as no withdrawals are allowed till the anniversary of when I opened it (worth remembering if I open another for next year). It's made £39.39 to date - I won't get too excited! The replacement account is 4.5% instead of 6%, but that was never going to last anyway. As someone has said in a quotation from Frugalwoods, the best way not to get through too much money is not to spend it (my paraphrase).
I'm off to process the stock - chicken not financial.I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)
Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet set 7.5= 12.5/68
2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, tee shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/223 -
It certainly does when you have solar too as it has barely covered a tenth of my usage . Definitely not one of my better days.
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Three hours' work this evening (strictly speaking, yesterday) which is now on the timesheet and the timesheet is submitted. Afterwards I went through the spending for October. It was quite odd seeing DH's lump sum arrive then most of it headed off to savings! Then at the month's end, that first pension payment... as DH says, we are going to have to keep on working till state pension age, but for a while we will be better off. I hope I can persuade DH to put a chunk of the pension into some decent savings while he's still earning, because if it just sits in the current account it, it might be frittered and it certainly won't earn interest.
DH has taken delivery of a small part for the classic car, and baby F's presents have arrived.
The kettle stopped working but it's still under guarantee so I hope we will get the money back. That model isn't for sale any more but do we really want one that didn't even last 12 months? Even if did go rather nicely with the kitchen tiles.
No progress on the knitting today. I have a week to finish this project!
I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)
Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet set 7.5= 12.5/68
2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, tee shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/222 -
Happy November! And a lovely sunny start to it. DH has the day off and has gone on the bike ride that got interrupted the other day. I'm hoping he's right and it was the dash into work to retrieve his cycle helmet that set off the tachycardia. He's been on the bike nearly every day and had no symptoms since.
I'm due to do a stint of cleaning down at the church soon so am about to get moving. Other than that I could put some numbers into the spreadsheet (which reminds me to check if the cc spends have hit the account yet, and if so, pay it off). I also have work this evening, and the bag of toy stuffing is not finding itself.
Last month's library fine (£4), I've decided needs to come out of 'entertainment', and not happen again. I've had an introductory chat with DH and he's agreed it would be a good idea to siphon some of the pension into a regular savings account while he's earning and doesn't really need it. The next battle is for me to do the research so he can just sign on the dotted line. He really hates anything financial so it will just stress him to tackle the leg work himself.I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)
Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet set 7.5= 12.5/68
2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, tee shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/223 -
CC paid up to date (need to nudge DH to pay his) and money transferred between accounts as per budgets going out of the right place.
This month marks 8 years since Mum died - and as her executor there are still some little bits to sort out. There's the endlessly daunting task of finding out whether I claimed all my train fares and sundries incurred in dealing with her estate. The majority I know were done. Then there's the gift to her former cleaner that my sister and I agreed, which is sitting doing nothing and just needs a nice note to accompany it. Really, really need to get that done. So my aim for this month is to get those done, pay my sister and myself the residue of the estate (not a huge sum but a few hundred each) and close the exec account. Then every time I find a receipt, I can recycle it!
And it was only when I checked just now that I found it was eight years, not seven! Passage of time is not my strong point.So in fact anything outstanding from her estate, like old bank statements, doesn't need to be kept any more, if I've understood it rightly.
I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)
Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet set 7.5= 12.5/68
2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, tee shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/223
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