End of April Round-Up of Ins, Outs and Frugal Bits

After the huge expenses of  March, April was slightly better.....thank goodness.

One year after moving in I've finished garden expenses by buying an automatic window opener for the greenhouse and some special fixings that attach inside the greenhouse to keep the tomato etc canes upright. Finding another water-butt for £12 from the boot sale last Sunday was the very last thing needed. 

On Monday Brother-in-Law came to fit two water butts, the filter kit on the house down pipe and the greenhouse automatic window opener BUT the window opener just wouldn't fit properly - despite being from the greenhouse company. The instructions were impossible and although it's on - it isn't working so will have to come off again. Then he found he'd got a fixing thing missing from his drill so couldn't make the hole in the water butt off the down-pipe. I've got to make a level place out the front for the remaining water butt then he'll come back and do both. 

 

Other expenses................As usual there were the normal direct debits of Council Tax, phones/broadband and charity and the 4 weekly electric bill (paid right at the start of the month before prices went up, so I'll get a shock in a few days time when I send the next meter reading). I paid the house insurance, taking off the emergency call out bit that I'd paid last year when I moved in. The cost hadn't gone up - which must be a rare thing nowadays.

 

The TV licence was due and food spending was more than usual because I took my family out for a pub carvery lunch on Easter Sunday. I can't do all the things to help them that we would have done if Colin had still been alive but I can treat us all to a meal out all together.

 

I filled up the car twice - the second time was after there had been no diesel/petrol anywhere for a week. I rang the garage up the road each day until they had a delivery and I was able to nip up there to fill up. It was the same problem for Youngest Daughter over by the Suffolk coast where their one garage put a limit on how much people could get. Yet Eldest Daughter in Surrey had no problem getting fuel before driving up here at Easter. I also bought a tyre pressure gauge after having the tyre pressure warning light come on again - which I thought rather odd considering they were 4 new tyres and they all looked OK anyway. Turned out to be a loose valve - yes I had to run the car round to my mates at the repair place Again. Tom, the bosses' comment when I turn up is usually " she's broken it again!"

 

My personal spending was more than usual because of  the subs for my village WI. For some reason and I didn't inquire why, this year the committee decided to subsidized the amount so we've paid £34 instead of £44. Some of this goes to the National WI Office and some to regional Federation - we are Suffolk East - and the remainder stays with our own WI. Being a dual member at Bacton WI, the amount I pay there (half) all stays with Bacton. Then the big spend of the decorative plates and a couple of second-hand books and a haircut (They've put their prices up again too)

There was some nice bits of extra income thanks to my Daughter in law, she took photos and advertised on the local Facebook page, 4 things from the garage that had come with me here but I'd found I didn't need. People picked up from me and all paid up properly. A box of books went off to Ziffit too. Otherwise it was just the two pensions.

Frugal things?

• A bag of 'wonky' peppers, all red and orange, were £1.49 for 7. I sliced them up and froze them. Should last several weeks.
• Two bags of 'wonky apples' were just 59p for 5 which is half the price of the other apples I wish they had this discounted fruit and veg all the time.....but they don't.
  
• Craft things from car-boot sales for grandchildren.
• Brand new cushion pad £1.50 from charity shop
• Roll of children's birthday wrapping paper for 50p ditto
• Christmas crackers for £1 from boot sale
• Birthday cards for 20p each ditto
• Didn't use the tumble dryer all month
• No lights needed mornings and hardly any in the evenings now.
• Heating on less often because of the mild days mid month
• Pulled 3 stalks of rhubarb from the garden as they were growing over the young gooseberry bush and used for rhubarb fool (haven't pulled more as I want the plant to get well established this year)
• Always mixing whole milk half and half with water
  
• Reading library books for free
• Remembered to cancel Ancestry subscription after the two weeks free so I didn't pay anything.
• Home made bread

Looking forward to May one thing is a definite .....2022 May spending will be a LOT less than 2021, the month I moved in here - that was a very expensive month.

There will be all the usual things but other than those I think the only other expense due is car breakdown cover.

There are a few events that I'd like to go to in May but I already have my ticket to the Suffolk Show at the end of the month and that's the most expensive outing.

 

Have a good weekend - another Bank Holiday Monday - too soon after Easter it seems this year.

Back Monday

Sue