May Finances, the Ins, Outs and the Frugal Bits

The "In's" in May were the usual things. My spouses pension from Suffolk County Council, repayments of money loaned, small bits of interest.

+ Car Boot takings of £94.50p - Very Pleased with that.

There were all the normal "outs"......  Food for me (rather a lot this month - I've gone crazy for fresh fruit!) and the cat, direct debits for phones and charity.
Diesel for the car.....rather a lot this month as I've been in and out all month.
Other things that needed paying were car Breakdown Renewal and I made a new will with a donation to the local hospice instead of paying the solicitor. Plus a birthday gift for Eldest.

Having a holiday early in the month wasn't frugal but that didn't matter! Lot's of "outs" on holiday for visits and meals (some meals better than others!)
I also bought myself a new duvet, mine was looking rather ugh and had lost all its duvet-fluffyness. I had been struggling to change the King-Size on my own for more than a year so bought a double and new covers too, much easier to manage.
For the garden I bought the Olive trees and more compost, some more lettuce plants and spring onion plants and a small Bay tree.
Replaced the house phone which had become unreliable. It's not used much so I just got the cheapest possible from Argos.
I was so pleased with the Asda jeggings bought last month that I got another pair ready for autumn and winter and some leggings and a couple of new vest tops because I couldn't find any in charity shops.
My spend at the Suffolk show was kept to a minimum, just donations for coffees at the church tent and a cake with a free coffee at the East Anglian tent + one card from the art show.

Frugal bits

• Did a big store-cupboard + weekly shop at Morrisons to use a 4,000 Morrisons More points voucher
• Used a Morrisons 5p off a litre of fuel to fill up the car
• From the garden.........chives, rhubarb, and the Little Gem lettuce plants, bought from a car boot in early May have grown big enough to use- 10p each lettuce.
• More bargains for the grandchildren, dolls cot, doll for Willow, another doll for Florence, clothes, books
• Another flip top Kilner bottle ready for Christmas hampers - 20p from the only non-chain charity shop in Stowmarket which is closing down - sadly.
• And then another one from a car-boot for 50p
• And another bigger one also 50p
• 2 Big flower pots from car boots one for 50p and one for £2.
• Won two bottles of wine for £1 draw ticket
• First strawberries at the end of the month

From the plants that came with the T&M offer earlier this year

• Flowers from the garden and WI for the house
• A whole Bank holiday weekend "entertainment" for £11.60 
• Free coffees at The Suffolk Show with vouchers

Still clearing unwanted "stuff" out of the house. Apart from all the things sold at the car boot. I also got rid of........
an old plastic linen bin to Household waste centre,
roller blind left here by previous owner, ditto
2 old Pyrex roasting dishes ditto
old duvets, ditto
old pillowcases to textile recycling.
few items of now too big clothes to charity shop
jelly mould into next car boot sale box (I'll do another sale and include some workshop stuff later this summer)
mouli grater ditto
some children's books ditto
some storage jars ditto



Last month somebody asked me how I remember all these things - I don't! I just add them to the page in drafts whenever I think of something. It's more of a record for me to keep and probably totally boring for everyone else - but it fills a blog post!

Back Tomorrow
Sue