End of September Round Up

Unlike many parts of the Country we had lots of good weather through September in Suffolk. There were some chilly days early and late month but mostly we've had sunshine and the patio doors were open a lot, especially when I was painting. It means the heating oil tank is still over half full since the fill up in February.

The seasonal display on top of the bookshelves looked like this last week after I came home via a backroad and found bunches of Alstromeria out for sale near some allotments for £2  - in lovely autumn colours. All the other bits have been out before but some not for a few years

Not a frugal month due to paying the second half of the money for the living room floor and buying the new rug. Both of which I absolutely love. The room without the grey walls and the brownish carpet looks completely different.

Other spending was all the normal things, Council Tax, electric bill, phones and broadband, charity and bits and bobs for bathroom and kitchen, although I had to fill up the car twice this month. I took youngest daughter and eldest granddaughter out for a meal which was a lovely. Garden spending was a couple of bags of multi purpose compost for repotting things now and ready to start off next year plus a small tray of pansies from a car-boot for £2 ready for when the geraniums finish in my big pot out by the front door. Clothes spending was a couple of new hoodies from Asda to replace much older ones that had got very thin. I may be too old but I like a hoodie, very handy for keeping ears warm when it's not yet cold enough for a woolly hat. Finally I sorted Birthday present for DiL (For today!) which will be a part of her Christmas present too. 

After sending the huge 8-12 seater table off to Son and DiL's I've been looking for a nice second hand much smaller table with no luck, I'm probably too fussy but with the room looking so good and very modern I don't want to spoil it with a dark wood or ugly table. It's odd and frustrating not having a table anywhere so I need to do something about it soon.

My frugal notes are just - 

• Cheap and free cooking apples
• One pensioners discount Fish and Chips meal £5 instead of £8
• Painting the living room myself 
• A Few raspberries from the garden through the month
• Courgettes, leeks and sweetcorn from the garden
• Used one marrow for making Marrow and Apricot jam
• Falstaff eating apples from the garden
• Beetroot from BiL's garden
• Aldi had huge cauliflowers for 99p - one lasted me several days
• Home made bread in the bread machine
• Reading library books and from my shelves for free
• Dishwasher only used every other day
• Washing machine only used two or three times a week
• Tumble drier not used all month again
• Finding greetings cards from car-boot sales for 50p and less.
• Wild bird food off market stall, cheaper than anywhere else (The man being served before me was buying £80s worth of various bird feed!)

Out of the house this month to a charity shop went a few things from the cabinet including an odd covered serving dish, a large cake stand and some smaller bits. Also out into the bin went two very old pyrex quiche dishes - too big and very stained. 

To the bookshelves at the village hall went half a dozen non-fiction books that I've had for years and never read.

Extra to normal spending coming up in October are 3 Birthdays - Son plus two grandchildren, then there is a dentist appointment and I'll probably have to top up the heating oil tank right at the end of the month, so it would be useful to keep other spending small.

Apologies to people whose comments went into spam this month. I forgot to check for about 5 days and there were more than a dozen. Still don't understand it - I've given up trying.

Back Soon

Sue