Was it a Frugal December? Will it be a Low Spend January?

I shall be having a low spend January but was it possible to have a frugal December including Christmas spending?...........Well it might have been if I hadn't had to pay out the remainder of the money for the new kitchen!  Everyone who's seen all the new kitchen units say they look lovely to which I reply "so they should for the amount of faffing about that was done to install them".

So herewith, as requested, kitchen photos...............

 and the sink bit that was done a couple of months earlier (which now has tiles at each end - luckily just enough in the garage to finish things off properly)

And of course my lovely range (Cylinder gas with electric ignition) which was the first bit of the kitchen done in April 2017

As you can see my kitchen is annoying with 4 doors but plenty of floor space but I've had worse and it works and there is no way to change it without blocking a door or massive rebuilding.

  So the only frugal things I can think of........

 Reading free library books all month.
Grandchildren's Christmas Pressies from Car Boot sales and charity shops   (it won't be many years until all they'll want is computer games or things that have to be bought new, so it's 2nd hand until then)
Still eating beetroot from the garden
Free dinner at the over 60's meal.

Then there was the Spending to Save..............I bought another 20 swim voucher, which takes the price of my weekly swim down to £1.78p each time.

and the Spending when there was no choice...................................Negotiated car insurance down to the same price as last year instead of the £40 more on the new quote. It was surprisingly easy - made me wonder how low they would go if I really pleaded?
 Paid Electric bill which was lower than the same quarter last year

And just Spending...........

• WI membership
• Had to buy a new microwave - bare metal in the old one, where the lining  had gone eventually made sparks fly. I was hoping it would hang on until the January Sales but didn't want it to blow up over Christmas! 
• The final payment of the new kitchen. 
• 500 litres of heating oil and the Watchman remote sensor actually worked for a while to tell me the tank is now full for winter.

There are no utility bills due in January. I'll need diesel for the car and some food and cat food and not a lot else.................she says falling about laughing!

BUT  there was more getting rid in December
OUT............. some unwanted Christmas Decorations to the charity shop
OUT..............a few books and CDs to Ziffit £14 worth
OUT............some old tatty Christmas tinsel to burn on the bonfire later
OUT........... A coat of Colin's to the charity shop
OUT..............another of Col's coats and a Christmas Jumper to his brother
OUT...........More books to the charity shop
OUT.......    some  tools from the workshop and a welder which belonged to him anyway to Col's brother.
Almost OUT .......few more things into the car-boot box under the stairs


And finally............. thank heavens my horrible cold has more or less gone so I can stop laying around watching too many Poirot and old war films and finish getting the house back to normal and start my jigsaw puzzle.

Thank you to everyone for comments yesterday.

Back Soon
Sue