Mortgage Free by 50???

hatch_five

A new day and things move on- still sad about the loss of my friend, but the sun is shining! My SiL is coming round tonight to collect all the left over hay, food etc. for her rabbits so at least they are not going to waste. We did the weekly shop yesterday and we managed to keep it under £50 which is good, plus I got some reduced crème eggs which I absolutely love. They were £1 each before Easter which is just ridiculous, these were down to 19p each so I treated myself to a few! Also found a book in the village charity shop I fancied for 20p so I spoiled myself without breaking the bank…

Got a couple of VE Day things planned for this weekend which I am looking forward to- a display in the next town on Sunday and I am going to get into my WW2 British kit and take what a soldier would have carried in 1945 and talk through it as part of the British Legion coffee morning in the village hall on Monday. One of my hobbies is living history, but due to financial and caring constraints it has scaled back a bit over the last few years. Although I have all the kit I need, transport to shows is expensive and I don’t want to stay overnight in a tent anymore so I need to go to things I can reach and return from on public transport in a day so the number of events I can do is more limited than it used to be. I do enjoy the ones I go to though and now the weather is picking up the calendar is filling up nicely at weekends with WW2 events, model railway shows and family days out. Most are very low cost, but it does lift the spirits a bit to get out and see people in the sunshine.

My other big task after work this week, whilst the weather is good, is to try and get a lot of wood cut for the stove for next winter now the log store is repaired and not collapsing. There is a huge pile of pallets and tree trunks in front of the living room window which is a bit of a mess, so I would like to get a load of them chopped up and in the store if I can to not only tidy the garden a bit, but also keep us warm next winter at minimal cost.

Cara_

I am sorry about your house rabbit.

It is positive news that your mum and dad are out of hospital and hopefully it shouldn't be too long before your mum is back home.

A treat without a huge cost attached is a good find - I'm guessing you will read your book while eating an egg so a double treat

Your weekend plans sound interesting; especially the coffee morning on Monday.

Muddy_Walker

Big hugs about your beautiful bunny xxx

dawnybabes

Sorry to hear about your bunny.  

Good news about mum and dad.

hatch_five

Thank you for the messages about my bunny friend, still miss him terribly but its getting easier. Mum came home yesterday and Dad has sorted out carers to help, she sounded much more cheerful and happy in herself when I rang last night so fingers crossed we have turned the corner. I had a wonderful surprise on Saturday- my father had sent me a cheque for £500. He is a great believer in standing on your own two feet, but as he said sometimes you need a little help, and we have really been battered this year. Going to pay off my overdraft, top up the emergency fund and pay off a bit of the PayPal credit card with it. We have decided to use £50 of it though to have a little family day out to see the new Lilo and Stitch movie when it comes out, that will cover the tickets, bus fare and lunch in Maccy D’s- think we have all earnt a little treat after the last month!

Smudgeismydog

What a lovely gesture from your Dad, and you absolutely deserve a little treat 

hatch_five

Last weekend was a pootling weekend- all those little jobs that seem to build up. I even defrosted the freezer (my least favourite chore in the world), tidied out the store shed, chopped a lot of wood and mowed the lawn. I am thoroughly enjoying the sunny weather; it just makes everything more cheerful. On the money saving front, a colleague gave me 3lb of rhubarb yesterday and a jar of her home-made orange marmalade- very generous of her and I will thoroughly enjoy the marmalade on my toast on Saturday morning. The rhubarb has been chopped and put in the newly spacious freezer for future crumbles…  I also picked up a load of half used pots of varnish and exterior wood stain from the village freebies site yesterday. I desperately need to refinish the garden furniture, so the exterior stain was something I needed anyway so that’s another little summer project for me!

Sarahwithlove

Sorry to hear about your bunny but what a lovely gesture from your dad 

hatch_five

OH got a message yesterday from a friend asking if we could take in a guinea pig belonging to a neighbour of hers- originally he was bought for a little boy who had grown bored of him (why you should always have a family pet, not a pet for children!) and was now being looked after by the grandma who was struggling. Of course we said yes, so we now have a lovely little 2 year old chocolate brown guinea pig. To be honest it is a joy to have a pet in the house again, after fifteen years of always having some sort of pet, the house just felt too quiet. His cage is in the living room and he is very friendly, happy to be handled and loves fuss and of course we all fell in love with him instantly, although after having a rabbit he seems very little to me! (apparently though he is actually a little tubby and needs to loose a few ounces!)

hatch_five

Off to the cinema as a family treat on Saturday to see Lilo and Stitch. We have put money aside in the budget for this one and we are taking drinks and snacks with us (not paying the ridiculous prices at the cinema!). It should be a fun day out and a good start to half term for the kids. My work gives us two days off for bank holidays so I get a four day weekend which I am looking forward to, then payday on Wednesday- the budget is done for next month and everything is allocated, but as well as the savings and paying off some more of the CCs, there are several days out that I have factored in so that is something to look forward to in June.

When the guinea pig arrived, he came with a set of wire panels to make up a run. We already had a much better one left over from the rabbit, so I put them in the shed for future reuse and recycling. Last night I took a look at the security shutter on the workshop which was made of (recycled) wood and covered the windows. This has become rather rotten and falling apart so I took it off as it was beyond repair- won’t go to waste as it will be chopped up for firewood. I have used some of the wire panels to make a security screen over the workshop windows that adds a bit of security, lets the light in (was a right pain opening the shutter every time you wanted to do a job) and cost exactly nothing! I love finding creative solutions to problems, especially if they are free, and it saves another item form going in the landfill. As my Dad says, we have been reusing and recycling since before it became fashionable- it’s called being broke!