End of June - Was it Thrifty?

I don't know what the weather was like yesterday where you live but here is was horrible, really cold and windy especially in the afternoon and evening, although it was good for drying a load of washing and I cut a bit more hedge - mainly vicious brambles sticking out into the garden and nettles at the bottom, but didn't stay outside for long after that.It looked like rain all day but not a spot fell so it was dreadful to see the big floods in Cumbria - what a difference in weather we have on our small island, no wonder we talk about it all the time.

This is a boring post, it's more for my records really.....sorry! Not even a photo to cheer it up

June should have been a low spend month with only the electric bill over and above the regular stuff and everything was going so well until the visit to the vet to get Polly's annual flu etc vaccination where they checked her mouth and decided she needed a tooth out. It was a shock to find out how much it costs to take out a cat's tooth. It would have been cheaper to get a new cat from Cat's Protection or even 3 new cats!! Cats in my life up to now have been "farm cats", loved, looked after, fed, taken to vets when very elderly if necessary but not treated like cat royalty. Polly is the first to have so much spent on her. Ho Hum!

Other spending was the normal direct debits for Council Tax, phones and broadband and charity. Then I bought a 5L refill of Ecover Non-bio laundry liquid.......it will last ages. The electric bill was much the same as this time last year, which is good considering I've been at home all the time.  Odds and ends like toothpaste and paracetamol .Also spent on having the massive settee throw cleaned.
And books - of course -  secondhand when possible - and many more than usual!
I don't need any more childrens toys or cross stitch kits from ebay but  found something else that is often very cheap as a 'job-lot'............. greeting cards. I  cross stitched a few at the beginning of lock down but then moved on to the owl scissor cases for gifts and plan to do sunglasses cases and more lavender sachets for more small gifts,  from ebay I bought a bundle of childrens birthday cards with the age badges, which will be handy as I think children like them better than a home-made card.
Nothing spent on the garden except £5 worth of petrol for the mower.
I've been buying the Saturday local paper during lockdown, partly for the weeks TV schedule and the puzzle pages but at £1.90 a time it soon adds up so I may drop that. My sister in law will save all the puzzle pages for me from every day's East Anglian if I have time to carry on doing them once things are back to normal.

The thrifty bits

Cut my hair myself again - a saving of £16
From the greenhouse and garden..........Rhubarb, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, courgettes, aubergines,rocket, tomatoes
Sold some books - £13 from Ziffit
£4 Co-op divi.
£5 Morrisons More voucher
Didn't go far so only £16 worth of diesel put in the car
One takeaway of pensioners Fish and chips for £3.50



Not thrifty
After the heat of the last week it seems strange to say that it was so cold in early June that the boiler was needed for a bit of heat mornings and evenings.
Having to use metered water for the garden before it rained.

Every time I say next month will be better because there's nothing due something always happens. So best say nothing about next month at all!

Back Tomorrow
Sue