As I hoped for at the end of May, June was a low-ish spend month, with only one known extra which was the Council garden waste bin at £64 for the year - up £2 from last year. Other garden spending was £4 for squash and sweetcorn plants from car-boot sales after my fails and forgotten sowings.
The regular every month expenses are Council Tax, phone and broadband, charity donation and electric bill, they totalled just over £300 this month.
House expenses included £10 for the window cleaner again - I'm sure he appears more often than every 6 weeks when the weather's good! and dish washer cleaner (Asda's own brand is 98p compared to Finish at £2.98) I like to use this on the very hot wash cycle every six months or so.
I picked up the washing up bowl in the kitchen by it's rim, which snapped right off giving me a nasty - but thankfully small, cut on my finger. I had no idea a plastic washing-up bowl could be dangerous! It went out to the bin before it attacked me again and a new one for £6 from our local hardware shop was quickly bought.
There was the unexpected £20 for Car Tax renewal as mentioned earlier in the month and I topped up the car up with diesel just once this month = £36
I finally got to the Hospice shop in Stowmarket to leave a donation ( for the mug gift) and while in town bought a bag of sunflower hearts for the birds - only feeding these at the moment as they can go in a starling proof feeder.
Car-boot finds of 3 birthday and 6 Christmas cards totalled £1.40 - buying some cheap means I can do a little to support a couple of artists when I buy other cards at art exhibitions. The little plate for next spring was 30p plus this pretty tin of notelets for £1.50 which will make a gift or a raffle price at Over 60's group when it's my turn to take one.
Personal spending included exercise group, the trip to cinema was £10 including car parking, a jigsaw puzzle and one second hand book when an Angela Thirkell book popped up cheap on Amazon at last. There are still a couple I've not got or read but they are way over ten pounds.
I stocked up on a couple of bottles of shampoo and also got paracetamol and antiseptic cream for the 'medicine cupboard' from Superdrug and final spending was for a haircut.
Mid month I looked online to see if any Josef Siebel slip-ons that I wear indoors all the time were in any sales. There are lots of shoes I can't wear due to wide feet and needing arch supports in flatter shoes but these I can wear with no pain. I found some for £30 less than full price. So ordered them ready for when I need them.
We now suddenly have a Josef Siebel shoe shop in Stowmarket, which was a surprise, until I discovered Josef Siebel is the new name for Shoephoric, which is what is was before, so I will be looking out for their sales as well as online.
[Also have a large East Anglian Children's Hospice Charity Shop about to open in one of the old banks - very good news and an M&S Food Hall in the Autumn - Stowmarket getting posh at last!]
Whatever I do I can't seem to get food spending down to the frugalist of frugal bloggers/vloggers. Some don't seem to spend much on fruit - I do. This time of year I'm buying nectarines as well as my apple-a-day. Some people are able to go shopping frequently and find yellow sticker bargains, or Lidl cheap boxes or those too-good-to-go pick up bags from supermarkets. I can't do any of those things because it's too many miles and we just don't get the bargains that are available in bigger town stores.
A few penny pinching notes from June.
- Few strawberries from my plants each day early in the month.
- Then raspberries (until I discovered that the dry weather had made their seeds really hard and they were upsetting my stomach which is Most Annoying)
- As usual dishwasher only used every other day
- and washing machine mostly only twice a week.
- Another large cauliflower from boot sale for £1 - fed me for several days.
- Very Big bundle of beetroot from boot sale for £2
- Reading library books for free.
- Home made bread from the bread-machine (I worked out a 400g 50/50 white /wholemeal loaf costs just under 50p)
- Eggs still £2 a dozen from farm gate stall
- Tumble dryer not used all month
- No flowers, jewellery, make up etc bought
- Free physio appointment and then free exercise and arthritis management 6 week course
- First of the climbing French beans - they were delicious.
- First courgettes
- First cucumbers
- Two Vileda mop heads for £2
Looking ahead to July and again there is only one known extra - the virus protection for the laptop and it's the month when I get two State pension payments(because of it being paid every four weeks). So I should be able to move a good chunk into savings.
Back Soon
It seems that June and May went well financially.
ReplyDeleteI hope July will be even better (as you mention).
Have a nice week
I hope there are no sudden expenses in July - fingers crossed.
DeleteI would compost my garden waste rather than paying the council for a waste bin service.
ReplyDeleteDave you aren't a 70 year old with dodgy knees and back!
DeleteIn 50 years of house owning this is the first time I've not composted and there's too many big shrubs here that have to be cut back plus rats ate their way into the bins.
You have a more logical mind than mine when it comes to your accounting. Shall we say mine is more haphazard!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I love my fruit and always buy apples, 3 smallish bananas, and at the moment, strawberries regularly. I have to have cucumbers too. I have several plants in the greenhouse but they are only just starting to produce.
I suppose I save on no dishwasher, no tumble drier and no green waste removal. Oh, and no water rates as I have my own supply and private drainage. My big expense this month was topping up the oil - £500.
The dishwasher actually saves me money - which is something I never thought possible but it only uses a minimum of electric every other day rather than haver the boiler running for hot water which uses oil and electric more often - and this kitchen has no draining board!
Delete£2 for a dozen farm fresh eggs is a great price. I paid £1.90 for half a dozen at the Country market this week. They are quite large and we prefer to pay more rather than cheaper supermarket eggs. £1 for a big cauli also good! The notelets look pretty, I often buy 'as new' items too because there are so many requests for raffle prizes and we like to support local causes.
ReplyDeletePenny
So lucky to have a couple of places that still have eggs under £1.50 for half a dozen and they are good and fresh too.
DeleteI like to have something in the cupboard when a prize is needed
Thank you for the tip re Asda d/w cleaner. I am rarely near an Asda, but this would be worth picking up sometime. EACH charity shops are very well organised [ with Princess Katherine as their patron, they are getting much more public support, I understand]
ReplyDeleteI expect other supermarkets have own brand too - haven't looked to see
DeleteKeeping an eye out for sale items like shoes is helpful. Ill-fitting shoes are a literal pain!
ReplyDeleteI have to be careful what shoes I wear so tend to stick to what I know and like and are comfortable
DeleteI love to read all your money-related blog posts, Sue. They never fail to spurn me on to better my own spending habits. Thank you! Love, Andrea xoxo
ReplyDeleteI keep trying to cut costs and then something crops up to spoil it!
DeleteYou certainly do a detailed job of keeping track.
ReplyDeleteI've always been good at keeping an account - had to do that when we had 3 children and mortgage - it's just habit now
DeleteGroceries continue to be high in cost. Eggs are 5-6 dollars a dozen.
ReplyDeleteMy garden is also starting to produce, and the tomatoes are ripe daily.
I also topped up my oil tanks spending 890 dollars.
Your Summer slip-ons look great, and the cork sole will provide comfort.
I wear these shoes all the time indoors and they are easy to change to crocs for when I go outside
DeleteYour eggs are a bargain, I wonder if we would still be selling our eggs at that price if we were back in Wales with the chickens. We held our prices at £1 per half dozen all the years that we were there. Your new shoes are nice, and it's good to be able to get them ahead of time when you spy a bargain price isn't it. I tend to wear Hotter shoes pretty much all the time now as I need supportive shoes and slippers too, so I watch for the end of season sales.
ReplyDeleteI have Hotter Whisper boots for winter, some of their shoes rub my feet on the top near the toes which is a shame as I like their coloured summer shoes.
DeleteI can't remember if we were still selling at £1 for 6 at the end of smallholding or maybe I'd put them up to £1.20. It had to be an even amount otherwise people would be knocking on the door for change all the time
I love this time of year when we don't need to use the clothes dryer! Clothes dried outdoors are always so much nicer and less wrinkled.
ReplyDeleteI try and hang out washing all year round if I can pick the right days.
DeleteLast cauliflower I bought at local grocery store was $7. You got a steal of a deal!
ReplyDelete