On the financial side August income was the usual State Pension and Suffolk County Council spouses pension plus the bit of interest from savings.
The usual outgoings of council tax, phone/broadband and charity direct debits and monthly electric bill came to just over £300. There were two lots of diesel for the car totalling £68 as I was over to YD's near the coast a few times.
Personal spending on several second-hand books - oops, exercise group, entry to the Pottery Festival, one jigsaw puzzle for £2 plus a larger spend for my usual January Chocolate Liqueur Treat while it was still reduced on Amazon - price goes up nearer Christmas.
Garden spending was for one dahlia in a pot for the front door step and the pottery bird feeder. Some of the other spending was small:- sunflower hearts for the birds, storage boxes for 50p from boot sale, laundry capsules and dishwasher tabs from Smol, antihistamine cream, toothpaste, drain cleaner, new jar lids for chutney and bits and bobs for grandchildren etc.etc.
But one big bill was for half year water/sewer charge. We were told to expect price increases per m³ this year and it certainly has increased.
August had a few outgoings that I hadn't thought of in July and I spent far too much on food/ coffees out and treating grandchildren - don't mind that a jot!
Any penny saving notes to make up for the bigger spending?
- Eating mini plum tomatoes from greenhouse
- Large plum tomatoes into freezer ready for chutney
- Cucumbers from greenhouse almost all month
- Beetroot from BiL's garden all month
- Sweetcorn cobs - only a few
- Green beans until mid month
- Figs, one or two most days 'til mid month
- Few Courgettes on and off through month
- Dishwasher used only every other day
- Washing machine used only two or three times a week
- Car boot find of 8 hot chocolate drinks for 50p
- Bread from bread machine all month 50/50 wholemeal/white
- Tumble dryer not used - obviously!
Looking ahead there will definitely be less spent this September compared to last year as that was when I finished the living/dining room refurbishment. No plans to do anything similar this year.
Something has gone very weird with the stats - I suddenly had 2000 page views everyday this week and a dozen people reading back on old posts! Very odd.
Have a good weekend, I'll be back on Monday.
Sorry to hear you struggled in August, like you, I found it a long month and very lonely and downbeat at times so will be glad to get back into routine in Sept. 2 teachers in family and g.children still in education so the academic year rules. We have had a little rain in Dorset at long last and maybe get down to the coast now tourists have departed, it get so crowded down here so I don’t visit in hols. Your garden produce is impressive, mine has gone wild and mostly dead now so will dig it up and think again for next year. Thank heavens for secondhand books, what a lifesaver, still working my way through the TBR pile. Sandra.
ReplyDeleteReading and writing the blog are my lifesavers and TV for company. I hope I will feel more settled in September.
DeleteHi Sue, thanks for another very interesting blog. Always a pleasure to read. Could you give me any recommendations for liqueur chocolates as I'd like to stock up on some too. I have tried the cherry filled liqueurs from Lidl - they were great - but not many around last year. As a widow of 13 years I would recommend a holiday now and then even just for a few days and I too would have been tempted by that caravan on the coast but not with the pitch fees!
ReplyDeletefrom anon in Wiltshire
Anthon Berg Liqueurs are the best - not cheap but they are my January treat. They don't have a sugary coating inside the chocolate like some cheaper ones.
DeleteI am not keen on caravans. If you have a static, you are at the mercy of the site owner, with ever increasing pitch fees, and random rules [even down to what sort of seating you can have outside your van] if a towing one, then you have the costs of towing it, and the need for a place to store it between holidays. Over a year, owning a caravan can easily cost you £100 a week, even if you don't use it. That said, I know many van owners who love them!
ReplyDeleteWe had many touring caravans over the years and lived in a static for a year when we did up the old house but a static on a big holiday site is a whole different thing. far too many extra expenses.
DeleteI have over 3000 pag3 views too far this morning and nearly 6000 yesterday. Very strange. If you want cheap holidays go abroad especially in winter to places like Spain, Portugal or Tenerife.
ReplyDeleteThe page view thing is so weird. I seem to remember it happened once before - many years ago - when everyone suddenly got hundreds of page views from (I think) Russia
DeleteYou had some interesting trips and activities to keep you going but if it's affordable I would also suggest a short break away, it can be very dispiriting when everyone else is away except you.
ReplyDeleteCould you go and stay in their house when members of your family go away and explore their area a bit more? Just a suggestion, wouldn't want to tell anyone else what to do but I know it helps me keep my pecker up as they say.
Penny
Maybe I can plan a holiday for next year
DeleteSue I am thinking of purchasing a bread maker, any tips? I have to eat gluten free, will I be able to make a decent loaf in one. I would appreciate any advice, thank you. June
ReplyDeleteI think most decent bread makers have GF settings - mine is a Panasonic and has several GF recipes in the leaflet. I wouldn't go too cheap or for one with a square and tall loaf tin. An oblong tin shape is better
DeleteThe huge rise in page views are across all of the blogs I read, some are saying it's AI related, or could be blogger going mad again, as it has a few times before. August with the grandchildren off school is ecpensive here as well, but memories are being made.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny about the stats, as long as that's the only Blogger blip it doesn't matter
DeleteEverything is going up, but water is outrageous, especially as it has been caused by large dividends and bonuses, mainly sent overseas.
ReplyDeleteWhere is your water being sent? Water should be free IMO. Along with air, heat, etc. This wolrd is ridiculous anymore.
DeleteWater companies here are often owned by companies from abroad - here we have Suffolk and Essex company owned by a French company. It's the profits and bonuses that go abroad not the water. Water will never be free- supplying and piping to homes costs money.
Deleteoh, I see. Duh, lol
DeleteI’ve enjoyed reading your end of August roundup. Your blog is Always interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteThank you I'm glad you enjoy reading
DeleteI'm interested in the liqueur chocs too 😀
ReplyDeleteStatic caravans, lovely in some ways but like you and others have said the sting in the tail are the rising site fees!
Alison in Devon x
After I'd decided against there was a TV programme all about the way owners can get ripped off by the big site owner companies! I was glad I couldn't afford it
DeleteI've seen several bloggers say it is bots and/or AI that are causing the views to go up. Not sure if it is true.
ReplyDeleteAI. or Bots or just weird blips on blogger - it has always been thus!
DeleteAugust has seemed a very long month mainly due to the hot weather which I don’t like. We have rain at the moment and the garden has perked up nicely. We have been towing caravan and now motorhome owners for 42 years and the twice we gave up, we went back after a year. I sometimes take a cup of coffee and a book and go out and sit in the motorhome. All our vans have been parked at the side of the house which makes using them very easy. I realise our time for using the van is probably coming to an end due to age but I’m trying not to think too deeply about that. Catriona
ReplyDeleteJuly and August were very hot months in MA too. Showers are predicted for this weekend, and we've already had a few overnight. Everything looks freshened and a bit livelier.
ReplyDeleteRegarding online views, I hear that online text is being used to build large language models for AI computing systems. Anything is possible.
Fees on property can be like carrying a mortgage.
Several friends bought second holiday homes, and they are overseen by an association which collects a monthly fee. One friend was not allowed to place a large pot of geraniums on her front doorstep. The rules are set in stone, and the fees rise every year.
My dream would be to buy a small piece of land and build a cottage. Ideally overlooking the sea.
August passed very quickly for me, though I don't know why.
ReplyDelete