Monday 31 October 2022

October in My Bit of Suffolk

The bedroom/shower room were sorted just in time for me to unseal the cupboard and find the Halloween bits to add to the October display shelf.



The cats come out
The bats come out
The pumpkins come out, too
The treats come out
The ghosts come out
It's Halloween.........BOO!
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New heating oil tank, new en-suite, new flooring for en-suite and bedroom...........That's a chunk of my down-sizing savings gone in one month.
There will be another bill later when they put the outside door into the old en-suite to turn it into a freezer/store room next month and when I buy 800 litres of heating oil. Although the extra government 'help with heating costs' payment will help towards that.

I ought to do No Spend November...................but I try it every year (it's even there in the Labels) - and never succeed. It isn't meant to be absolutely NO spend - food needs buying, bills need paying and direct debits happen - but spending on as few days as possible and no extras. Although my 'rules' say spending on Christmas is allowed so as not to leave all the Christmas present shopping worries until December. Maybe I won't even bother to try this year.

But away from big expenses it's been a lovely month with mild and mostly fine weather and I've done all sorts of things including 

  • Going to Eldest Granddaughter's 6th birthday party. Visited her again in half term and seen the nearest two grandchildren a couple of times. 
  • I started cutting the horrible Yew hedge out the front until the wire pulled out of the connection on the hedge cutter so it's now at Brother-in-Laws house awaiting a bit of re-wiring.  
  • Joined a new free course of exercise and wellbeing for over 60's. 
  • Helped in the kitchen with the Soup and Puds fundraiser at WI.(61 people booked in, they get a soft drink,  a choice of 3 home made soups with a bread roll, followed by a choice of 9 home made deserts followed by tea/coffee all for £8. Thank heavens Bacton village hall has a high speed hot steam dishwasher!)

  • Right ready for 61 visitors

  • Drove down the A12 to the Big charity book sale
  • Been to several car-boot sales
  • Re-organised some furniture and cleared out a bag of things for the charity shop
All was going well until the boiler refused to switch on at the weekend -  Heating engineer needed AGAIN.  Think this boiler is rubbish, and it's not even very old, because in the 18 months I've been here it's had problems 5 times.

November looks to be a good month, plenty to keep me occupied - Books to read, more NCIS to watch, Firework night, more of the exercise/wellbeing  group, 2 WI meetings, there's a couple of coffee mornings and craft sales to visit and then Christmas Fayres start at the end of the month.......................and I've found two events with free coffee and cake..........I'll be there!

Back Soon
Sue

17 comments:

  1. You've enjoyed a productive month. And I love your autumn display shelf.
    I haven't heard of any bonfires or firework displays happening around here yet. Hopefully it will be a quiet one. X

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  2. I do hope the boiler issues get properly sorted before the cold weather sets in. The hall looks beautifully decorated - I think I'd struggle with choice, three soups is OK, but NINE puds - how delicious. I hope people were allowed 'seconds'.

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  3. An expensive month for you. We decided to bite the bullet, knowing that the old boiler here had been a source of constant problems to the past owners. We went for a Worcester Bosch, which is what we had at Ynyswen, only there we had to go for the Hotel Size (truly - the house was 4 1/2 thousand square feet to heat!) Just had it serviced. It is very energy-efficient (which the old one wasn't ).

    Well done for offering to help behind the scenes at the Soup & Pud do. Glad to hear that they had a dish-washer. I've just had to buy a couple of new bowls, after a favourite one was discovered to have a large crack in it. With the numbers here at Christmas I will need several more but will look in the charity shops to try and make up numbers - the pretty ones I bought yesterday were £3.50 each.

    Love your Halloween display. How pretty that is. Very atmospheric too. I have a non-changing display on my mantlepiece, although one piece (a little bronze figure of a Dieppe fisherwoman) is from my Stock.

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  4. Looks like you’ll have to make a decision on replacing your boiler before the really cold weather arrives. Looking on the bright side it’s a good job you have the wood heater to take the chill off everything.

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  5. Lots of cost means everything will be perfect and just as you like it. I'd say, money well spent. The holidays are coming fast and I'm looking forward to all the celebrations and festive gatherings. It is the season to be merry! What's a few more expenses when we are having such a good time...

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  6. I enjoy being a part of a group working away in the kitchen. It is easier for me to talk when my hands are busy. I am less self conscious, my mind being preoccupied with the task at hand.

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  7. You reminded me that I have a virtual exercise class today! I almost forgot! Thanks, Sue!

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  8. I think you're being realistic about no spend November - perhaps carry the idea over to January or February?
    The soup and dessert event sounds fun - all those lovely puds!
    Alison in Wales x

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  9. Sometimes these no spend months are good for me to read about but Id never be able to commit hahah someone has to keep the economy afloat! Your upcoming events sound good - especially the ones involving cake!

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  10. Your renovations might have eaten a bit of a hole in your savings but I doubt you will ever regret it. Comfort at home is so much more important than a bank balance! Sounds like an exciting busy month ahead - enjoy :)

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  11. I just finished reading "The Dig" by John Preston which is about an ancient site in Suffolk County. Have you read it and if so what was your opinion of the book?

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  12. Sue, if all of the service calls have been to the same company--especially if it is the same company that installed the boiler--try another company. We were on our third service call before the house (and furnace) were 4 years old. We called the installing company because we assumed they knew the furnace and because it was on warranty. Somehow, those calls never were covered by the warranty and each one cost several hundred dollars. Then I called a heating guy who was a neighbor at our old house. He said the problem seemed to be the slope of a vent pipe and corrected it in less than one hour. We have not had other problems. He also told us the repairs we'd previously had done "hardly ever go out."

    I agree with At Home in New Zealand, above, that "comfort as home is so much more important than a bank balance." I was just sitting here over the weekend thinking how much I like this house and hope to spend the rest of my life here.

    As for NCIS, can't get enough of Mark Harmon, huh?

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  13. Sounds like a good month except for the horrible boiler. How annoying!

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  14. It sounds like a good month, even with the spending. After all it was all very necessary spending that is adding value to your home as well as making it much nicer for you to live in.

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  15. Five times? That's really not good. Getting someone else to take a look at it sounds a good idea. Fingers crossed. xx

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  16. The idea of a no-spend November never works out for me. First, my birthday falls this month, so all the online birthday coupons, are entirely too tempting. And then I also try to do some Christmas shopping before December, although I am rethinking that. We really buy so few gifts any more that we could wait -- and my sister swears by the fact that prices continue to drop in December.

    I do hope you get the boiler problem resolved, that would be both worrying and annoying.

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  17. You have a big month lined up. Yes, no-spend November doesn't work for me, either. Between holidays and other fun things, it's just too tough.

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