End Of August Round Up

A very dry month again, virtually no rain and some very hot weather too. August has seemed like a long month, everyone has been away on holiday except me  - but I guess that's my fault! Some days have been a struggle - which I hate as I'm usually quite decisive and organised - but  'off' days are OK as long as they don't last and they didn't. 

I've been to car-boot sales, several churches, Grimes Graves, a ceramics festival and  a flower festival, looked after EGD a couple of days, and decided Not to buy a holiday caravan on a site near the coast! - With site fees between £4,000 and £7,000 a year it wasn't really feasible. 

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.

End of July Round-Up, Frugal and Otherwise.

 Lots of my blog posts through July seem to have been about books and also tennis until mid-month, hardly any car boot finds but I did get out on some church visits - and found them open which is always useful.

The usual income was the state pension and Suffolk County Council spouses pension and some interest on savings.

On the frugal front the month started well as on the 1st I sold my cycle for £10, it had been standing in the garage for over two years, ever since I somehow fell off while getting on. I gave it a wash down and stood it out the front chained to a tree with a price ticket. It sold in 3 days. Falling off and 'the knee' and the busy roads here had put me right off something I'd been doing and loving since I was little. Sad. When we bought the bike about 25 years ago I said I wanted a good one to see me out. I cycled miles with it when we were at the smallholding, because for many years we only had one vehicle which Colin used for work. I often came home loaded up with shopping in the back and front baskets. I'm annoyed at how I lost confidence so quickly - never thought that would happen. Perhaps an electric trike would get me out again!

Outgoings were the usual fixed ones of Council tax, phone and broadband and charity plus the variable monthly electric bill and the annual renewal of virus protection which all totalled  £337. I filled the car up with diesel twice this month but the second time was just on Tuesday so it will last me most of August unless I have more than the usual adventures.

Other spending was mainly just small things like a couple of new dish-wash brushes, dish washer tabs, screen wash for the car, Niger seed for the goldfinches and the window cleaner was round again.

My personal spending was some second-hand books, card making bits, exercise group, jigsaw puzzle, puzzler book. Underwear from Morrisons for £5.The Yaoh hemp based  lip balm that I use is now difficult to find and has really gone up in price - it's the only one I've found that doesn't irritate - and believe me I've tried all sorts. I ordered two and will keep one in the fridge until needed.

Food spending would have been low if  I'd not treated YD and EGD for a pub lunch, had coffee out once and breakfast at Greggs twice (their £2.95 bargain) plus pensioners discount Fish and Chips meal from the local chip shop!

I thought of a few frugal bits that have happened this month to make up for those spendy extravagances!

• Beetroot from Brother in Law's garden. I gave him the packet of seed and he sowed an extra row so I can share all summer.
• Lots of green beans all month, enough to put  a few in the freezer
• Courgettes all month
• And Cucumbers
• And mini plum tomatoes although they have tough skins which I'm not enjoying
• A few figs - rescued  before they are really ready, to avoid the wasps.

Slightly under-ripe but still very tasty and beating the wasps!

• Put away several jars of sweet and sour cucumber and celery pickle for winter.
• And a couple of jars of cucumber Bread and Butter pickle
• Made 6 jars of marrow, apricot and ginger jam.
• Used my very poor examples of aubergines + one bought to make 10 portions of aubergine and tomato pasta sauce which worked out at less than 40p each.
• As usual dishwasher only used every other day or so.
• Washing machine usually just twice a week
• Washing dried outside all month
• Got first lot of diesel for car when visiting YD as it was 9p a litre cheaper than here.
• Eggs from farm gate stall still £1 for half a dozen
• Free Physio exercise course
• Nothing spent on garden, bathroom things, laundry, 'products', gifts or postage this month.

All in all a low spend month.

So what does August look like? Again there shouldn't be too many extra big expenses - the only one I know being the half year water and sewage bill.

Back Soon

End of June Financial Round Up

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

Much Less Spent This Month - And An Explanation for Ana and Others

 After the expenses of April with several annual bills falling due plus dentist and heating oil, May was much better. The only known extras above the normal monthly spending were ED and EGS birthdays and car breakdown insurance.

The normal outgoings are Council Tax, Phone and broadband, monthly electric bill, charity donation, diesel for the car (two lots this month as I've been out and about) totalled £375 and food of course. 

Then there is always something that needs buying in a house- this month I needed new AA batteries and some mastic to redo around the shower enclosure base. All was going well with not too much spent until the cold tap in the en-suite started drip, drip, dripping. BiL looked but said it's one of those new ones without a washer but with a 'cartridge' thing instead, and you have to have the right one. He didn't fancy the job - so I had to call in a proper plumber! Got a recommendation for someone local and it was soon sorted but cost £85! Yikes. - and that was someone reliable who didn't rip off old people!

Garden spending totalled £9.38 for parsley from aldi, courgette plants, bean plants, trailing thyme and a clay flowerpot  from car-boot sales.

A wide top small clay pot for the plant stand to replace one that was starting to be frost damaged

Food spending was up this month, after two lower spend months. Mainly due to replacing items that had been used up to restock the freezer and cupboards. Although prices of things like milk and other dairy products have gone up. I had a pensioners discount Fish and Chip meal for £5 as I'd not had one for a few months and coffee out three times. 

A few frugal notes for those who like to read the list.............

• Gift of bundle of  Rhubarb from my sister. Mine is not doing well.
• Big bundle of asparagus for £1.50 from boot sale, made me two meals with poached egg and wholemeal bread.
• Eggs from roadside stall are still just £2 a dozen
• Found a really good quality t-shirt for £3.49 from charity shop. Lovely jade green and looks hardly worn.
• 4 x 25L bags of free compost from District Council giveaways
• BiL had a small bag of tile cement in his garage which I borrowed so I could re-attach some of the quarry tiles on the front step.
• Reading library books for free
• Home made bread from the bread-maker - 50/50 wholemeal/white this month
• Dishwasher used only every 2 or 3 days
• Washing machine used twice a week only
• Tumble dryer not used all month
• Lights not needed until 8.30 in the evenings for reading.
• Two big bags dishwasher salt for £2 from boot sale
• New kitchen sieve from boot sale 50p
• No flowers bought - I've been bringing in a few roses from the garden.
• Given up feeding the birds for the summer as the huge starling family are clearing out the mealworms and fat balls in 10 minutes. Just leaves the starling proof sunflower heart feeder.
• Free referral to physio appointment for next month to look at my knee problem.
• Made 4 x Two cheese, onion, spinach puff pastry bakes  - instead of buying more 'vegetarian taste test' products.
• Cooked up a big batch of Quorn and vegetable korma curry - 10 meals total
• I put the refill filters for my water jug on my Amazon wish list and keep an eye on the prices because they go up and down. This month they went down by £3 to £9.99 for the pack of three so I ordered, I've still got one filter left in the cupboard so OK now for a year of good filtered water for the coffee maker and to drink with no limescale.
• I use Sensodyne small head toothbrushes and found packs with buy two get one free, so got two packs, 6 toothbrushes should last me a while. Sensodyne toothpaste is cheaper at Aldi than anywhere else.
• First few strawberries from my few plants and  handful of  Very early raspberries - they were a surprise find.

 Personal spending included the first  book find of the year from a boot-sale for £1 and then another for another £1, the old scrap book, mentioned earlier in the month. A much needed hair cut, exercise group, jigsaw puzzle and a new Puzzler Magazine. I also printed out a couple of grandchildren photos for my frames. The £10 spent at Sibton church for 5 books, a birthday card, coffee and sausage roll was added to the charity part of the accounts (clever accounting!)

Finally a special treat..........a   subscription to Discovery+ TV so I can watch the French Open Tennis. Just have to remember how to cancel after a month. Discovery+ has amalgamated with TNT Sports, and cost a lot more than last year , but I decided I'd rather have this than an outing to the Mid Suffolk Railway for their 1940s day, which I'd pencilled in the diary - especially as it was wet and chilly and I don't bother with the big Suffolk Agricultural Show now, so that's a saving of nearly £30 anyway. After the first 3 days of tennis there were still 6 Brits going into the second round of matches and Cam Norrie and Jack Draper both played well to get through. By Thursday evening all the women were out and just  three British men left, apparently that's the first time since 1968 that there have been three British men in the third round. There will be at least one of them in the 4th round as Cam Norrie and Jacob Fearnley play each other today. Still several Brits in various double matches which never get as much publicity.

Looking forward - June is usually a good low-spend month, the only extras above the normal are the annual payment for the Garden Waste Bin. But whenever I say it's going to be a low spend month something usually happens to upset that plan so I didn't ought to mention it - ooops too late! 

Have a good weekend and I'll be back soon. 

And here is my explanation of why I use the mobile library-

The mobile libraries (3 in Suffolk) travel around all the villages so that people can go on and choose books or collect books they have reserved on line, especially useful in villages that are many miles from a physical library building and especially useful for elderly who can't drive. We can reserve books on line and ask for them to be sent to any Suffolk library or to the mobile library. I have read so many books in my 70 years that most of what I read are new books by favourite authors and I rarely find books I want actually on the shelves.
If the books go to a library building they have to be collected within one week of arriving there whereas the mobile saves them up to bring all at once. Also I can keep books for up to two visits (that is 8 weeks) where as people borrowing from town libraries have them stamped for just 3 weeks.
Yes I could drive to a library but it seems silly to do that when I can stroll up the road once every four weeks to collect my books. If I was to use a town library I would need to drive to town (10 miles or 20 minutes) every week to collect my books.
The mobile library service is always under threat of stopping as it is gradually used less and less. When I worked on one we had 5 mobile libraries covering the whole County (several 100 villages) and visiting every two weeks. Now there are just 3 visiting every 4 weeks.
The mobile libraries have depots in 3 different parts of the County where they park and where all books waiting to go on the various routes are stored so my books are not actually somewhere where I can go and collect them at the moment. Hence hoping that the delivery van (a small van that takes reserved books and new books around to all 40 libraries in the County) will bring my books to my nearest library before the next mobile visit at the end of June.
For the last 20 years I have been using the mobile libraries as it's a case of use them or lose them.
.

Ups and Downs of a High Spend Month

 April marks the start of a new financial year and the state pension has gone up a little - of course it's paid in arrears so no one actually sees the extra until May, a month after all other expenses have gone up. Mine will be £848 every 4 weeks. I'm waiting to see what HMRC will take from my County Council Spouses pension in this new tax year. 

Council Tax is up by several £s this year. I have a 25% discount for single person and pay over 10 months - and it's increased by just over £7 a month

 TV Licence was £174.50 for this coming year it was  £169.50 last year - up £5 

Water/sewer charges will be up a lot when I pay next time - August.

Electricity I pay monthly, giving the reading and paying over the phone - not sure how much that's gone up per kWh, the bill was much the same as last month, despite the longer hours of daylight and warmer weather.

Dentist check up - a big spend as I need a filling and they always take the money in advance - back in May for half hour appointment.

Postage stamps went up early in the month by 2p each for second class - more for 1st class but I don't use them.

Broadband and phone monthly payment jumped up by £5, I've rung and negotiated it back to where it was.

It's no wonder pensioners and others  on a fixed income are continually looking for ways to save pennies. 

Two things were down - one was  the house insurance - £7 less than last year, I looked around but most were much the same. So I renewed when the quote came through.

Secondly and better was heating oil - down by a few pence a litre since my last order. I paid for 500 litres this time = £277 - down by over £20 to the last delivery in December .

I must make sure that May is a much less expensive month - it should be, as only car breakdown insurance and one birthday are extras over the normal stuff.

The other day 'an unknown anon' commented that they would like me to do my 'Frugal Month Notes' round-up again. I stopped because it became very repetitive but here are a few I can think of from April.

• No newspapers or magazines bought
• Batch making meals for freezer
• Reading library books and from my shelves for free - no books bought
• Dishwasher only used every 2nd or 3rd day
• Washing machine only used two or three times a week
• Tumble dryer not used all month
• Making medium sized loaf rather than large in bread maker saving 100g each time and saving  calories!
• Special price Easter vegetables and Lidl cheap box
• Only use small light for reading during evenings
• Extra income of £32 from car boot sale
• Finding cheap parchment paper, sponge scourers, baking dish, bargain pizza bases at car- boot sale
• Big bargain of gorgeous greetings cards from car- boot sale. 11 for £2
• Pack of Bic pens for 50p and large envelopes for 50p also boot sale finds.
• Personal spending low, mainly exercise group and over 60's group and my Birthday treat of a Card Making Morning. Coffee out only twice.
• Making biscuits from basic biscuit recipe (8oz flour, tsp baking powder,  4oz butter, 4oz castor sugar, pinch salt and 1 egg and using half of  the peanuts sorted out  from the packs of 'Aldi Essentials' nut/raisons mix which are 59p) This makes more than 40 small biscuits - lasting me ages.
• Free car wash when I took the car to the Ford Dealership for it's recall which was some sort of update of something(?) - that was free too of course. 
• Huge cauliflower £1 from car-boot sale.

Back Soon

Sue

Money Talk or Talking Money

My spouses pension from Suffolk County Council has suddenly gone down by a big chunk - the reason being that the taxman has caught up with me!

Due to downsizing 4 years ago and interest rates on savings going up a year or so ago I had an extra monthly income from interest from my savings of more than the allowed. It takes ages for the information  to get from banks and building societies to HMRC and now a letter tells me I've got to be taxed to pay back what I owe- seemingly all at once - before the new tax year.

Then I got yet another letter from them with details of my new tax code starting April 2025- another different code, estimating what interest income I'll be getting next tax year. Now interest rates on savings are going down anyway so I won't be earning so much on savings. I'm glad I don't have to work it all out myself! 

At the same time, in April, State Pensions  will be going up, mine to to £848 every 4 weeks which is £11,024 a year. The personal tax free allowance is £12,570. Any income over this, which will be most of my Suffolk County Council Spouses pension (12 payments a year) and the estimated interest is taxed at 20%.

It will be interesting to see, after April, what I will actually end up with each month.

From my accounts I can see exactly where I spend money every month (interesting that all frugal Vloggers say to save money "keep a record of spending" - that something that's been obvious to me for about 40 years!)

The big money spent in 2024 was for the wood flooring, rug, smaller dining table and paint for my living room and  the holiday with family, all of them were definitely Not  money wasted! The room looks completely different and more up to date and easier to keep clean.

I seem to spend a lot more money than I did just a few years ago on food - and it's not because of all those coffee and cheese scones treats! (and not being able to grow as much as I used to). I don't count the coffees out as a waste - we spent all our married life Not being able to afford to do it so now there's no one here to make me a cuppa it's a real pleasure.

2025 brings an increase in Council tax, electric, water and sewer costs and no doubt food costs too, so it will be important to carry on being careful. I don't want to actually use my savings for day to day living as I'm still thinking I might move again.

I'm not doing frugal month notes now because they were getting repetitive with the same ways of saving pennies every month, but I do still do what I can to save on the boring so I can spend on more interesting things. 

Back Soon

Sue

Weekly Round-up and Low Spend November Final Report

I'm quite pleased with how Low Spend November went- especially in the Personal Expenses column, I was very restrained!

This is what I wrote at the beginning of November....my version of the depressing Thomas Hood November poem.

No books

No clothes

No pensioners Fish and Chips

No Ingredients for Christmas Cake or Puddings

No Advent calendar

No coffee and cake out

No random spending on hobbies

No food except fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and cheese and anything I don't want to run out of

No suddenly buying things I don't usually buy (make up, jewellery, magazines etc)

No Newspapers or TV schedule magazines

No flowers

No more Christmas food things for me

I managed to avoid everything listed except for £5.50p on a second hand books and £2.50 on a jigsaw puzzle - and they were all from charity sales so it counts as a donation to charity! 

Changed my mind about the food spending and just shopped as normal otherwise it was only putting off buying replacements for things used until December which seemed pointless. So all in all I count it as a small success.

This is the final weeks spending. I spent on a couple of things that would have waited until December but I wanted to get them done while I thought of them including some Christmas things such as locally produced chipolatas(vital for pigs in blankets of course) which made food spending more than other weeks. So.........

 Diesel for the car, tube of sealant to re-do the en-suite washbasin/splash back tile join; charity raffle tickets; Christmas postage stamps; Exercise group; One grandchild Christmas present sorted; Food; Monthly Electric Bill , Smol dishwasher tabs; Over 60's group; Wild Bird Food.

Total for the week so far £223 .31

Brought forward £391.05 + £223.31 = £614.36 + today*

IF  I'd not bought anything other than what HAD to be spent (ie not left the house for visiting charity Christmas Fayres, Exercise and Over 60's groups therefore NOT needing diesel for the car) and then not bought ANY Christmas stamps, Christmas presents and Christmas food or wild bird food and NOT sent a present for the new Great Niece or NOT bought new jar lids and made Red Relish  or NOT had a window cleaner it would have been over £100 less!! But it would have been a dull and mean month! It could be done but I'm glad it wasn't necessary. 

(Glad I went to Over 60s group, we had mince pies and I discovered I don't really like them anymore, so won't even bother to buy any - another small saving!)

*There is one hitch with that total above because today I'm going to a Christmas Fayre in Son and DiL's village church.

We've been going together ever since Colin died and the two Grandchildren will want to have a go on the tombola stall and the other children's things and eat cake and Nanna will be treating them for sure!

There are 3 other Christmas events on not far from home tomorrow and two on Sunday, I'm not planning on visiting all of them!

These are this months tiny savings................looking after the pennies.............

• Lots of Christmas Fayres visited for fun rather than spending
• Eating  batch made meals from freezer
• Huge stalk of Brussels sprouts for £1.50
• Using up card making bits to make Christmas cards
• Beetroot from BiL's garden
• Leeks from my garden
• Making sure to close curtains as soon as it's dark
• Home made bread with the bread-maker
• Bargain butter find - all in freezer
• No coffee and scone out all month
• Dishwasher only used every other day
• Quickly using up one of my stored butternut squash as it was starting to go mouldy
• Reading library books for free
• Found out via youtube how to fix my TV remote when putting in new batteries wasn't the answer. 

Have a Excellent Weekend - Oh, I forgot, I'm blogging everyday until Christmas (Blogmass or Advent 2024).... so...................have an Excellent Saturday and I'll be back tomorrow! with news on the antidote to No/ Low Spend November .................. Decadent December!!

Sue

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

Halfway Through A Frugal Year? but Could Be Subtitled............

............................where I spent money in June!

Income was the usual two pensions, and interest from savings and outgoings were the normal too Council Tax, Electric, Phones and Broadband, 2 lots of diesel for the car, household needs and food.

image from google freepik

It would have  been a  frugal month if I didn't keep deciding to have work done! I've found it impossible to get out of the habit of always planning what improvements are needed to house and home.......it's what we did for 40 years. This time it's the living room/dining room flooring that's planned and half paid for. I really didn't like the carpet the previous owners had down, a horrible colour and and very impractical for a room that's used for dining and with the 'back door' to the garden - used many times a day in Summer. The hard wood veneer flooring I wanted was out of stock (typical!), and the floor layer man very busy so the work won't be done for a while.

Personal spending was a bit extravagant despite no second hand books or flowers....................... 

A proper haircut started my spending and a new Puzzler magazine as I was fed up with only doing Sudoku's  and then the price of my Cappuccino  coffee and cheese scone treat is creeping up - had the most expensive so far in the Moments Coffee Shop in Stowmarket one day when the Osier in the church was closed.  Moments is also a charity run coffee shop raising money for St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich so at least it's for a good cause but £5.90 for the two things is getting a bit silly. I shall be disappointed if I have to stop these treats - one of the saddest things about being widowed is there's no one to say " do you want a cuppa?" 

I called in at the nearest picture framing place and he cut me a mount for that little print on a card that I bought from the Art Exhibition. It was just £2.50 and then  a few days later I found the frame mentioned the other day from the car boot sale. I still had some sticky velcro fixer things in the drawer so the new little picture is up on the wall and I'm pleased to say there is still room for one or two more.

When friends were here they asked me where all the pictures have come from. There are seven from boot sales, 2 stitched by me, two prints from an art exhibition plus the new card also from art sale. The owl and hare prints are annoying me - they need to be level or more uneven.

Exercise group numbers have dropped alarmingly and we may have to pay £2 each rather than £1.50 just to cover hall hire. Luckily I managed to find one quiet-ish session for a swim - hadn't been for months, every time I've gone online to book it's looked to be much too busy to be enjoyable. I struggled with swimming after the long lay-off so really need to get back to it again. Hopefully it will be quieter when the pool in Diss re-opens after it's makeover. 

Then when I thought I'd spent enough on myself I had to send for some new insoles for my summer shoes as the ones that were in them kept getting creased and not laying flat.

Garden spending was supposed to be zero except for the District Council garden waste bin annual payment but I got carried away by an ad that popped up for some Kale plants from T & M. As the sweetcorn plants are doing so badly due to the weather I decided I'd put in a few Kale for winter beside the sweetcorn. They are due to arrive in July. The sad looking sweetcorn is surrounded by fences to keep Crumble cat out and covered by netting at the moment and is just not growing. Usually it romps away - doubt I'll get cobs this year. I got another bag of compost too as I was right out.

House expenses apart from half the flooring were new printer inks and window cleaner.

There were a few penny saving things to make up for the spending

• Lots of strawberries from BiL 
• and even more Raspberries from here...and there really are lots!
• Cucumbers ready to eat and also made into Sweet and Sour Pickles for winter
• First tomato - just one so far!
• Reading good library books for free
• No second-hand books or flowers bought
• Home made bread from the bread machine- I'm now doing 50/50 wholemeal and white flour - it's turning out very well. 
• Having cancelled the Radio Times subscription as the price had shot up, I'm now just picking up one of the cheap TV scheduling magazines - not as good as the RT - no Radio schedule - and too much soap stuff but a big saving.
• Running out of Ecover Clothes Washing liquid  so I sent for the £1 offer from Smol of samples to try. They seem to be fine so I'll be subscribing to a regular delivery as I have for their dishwasher tabs. Still using some washing soda crystals in the wash as it's good for killing any smells and keeping the machine clean.
• Only using dishwasher every other day
• Couple of things found at boot sales to use for Christmas gifts.

This week I have been grateful for - 

• Sunshine and warmth for a week.
• Tennis on TV - I've loved watching all the up and coming at the Wimbledon Qualifiers last week
• Having savings for when I get home improvement ideas!
• The bread machine, which I'm now using for all sorts of bread. 

I'm really looking forward to Wimbledon for the next fortnight. Then it's just another two weeks after that and the Olympics starts. Tour De France on TV as well........... Summer of Sport 2024 .........bring it on!

Have a good Weekend 

Back soon

Sue

Almost the End of May Frugal Notes

 How did May go for frugal and thrifty? 

The income was the usual 2 pensions (both have gone up a bit so I await notification from HMRC to tell me my tax code will have changed and not for the better!)) and interest on savings bond and ISA.

Outgoings were the usual too - Council Tax, electric, charity, phones and broadband, 2 x diesel for the car, food, household needs. The biggest extra outgoing this month was the car breakdown insurance but there were lots of smaller things.

 I thought there would be no more garden expenses but then the strimmer cord ran out - it's lasted years so has done well, the silly thing is that the cheapest way to buy was in packs of  12. I found somewhere to buy just  4 but I reckon  I'll be long gone before they've been used! From a car-boot sale I bought a pot of Chrysanths to fill a space out the front and when I saw someone else had small Fig trees (first I've seen for ages) I bought one - just in case I decide to move!

The window cleaner came early in the month and I bought postage stamps and birthday presents were sent to Eldest Grandson who is now 8 years old and of course more wild bird feed again - although I've now had to stop feeding for summer as the starlings have about a dozen babies and when they swoop in the feeders are empty in 10 minutes.

On the personal part of the accounts, no flowers or  books were bought - a very good thing! I had a foot care lady round for the first time and went to the opticians where I paid the extra for eye pressure test (the basic eye test is free but they do an extra pressure test which is £20 ) but other expenses were smaller,  the exercise group, a cheap pair of sunglasses from a car-boot sale and I bought a new insulated cup to replace one that wasn't much good and a few other bits and finally on Monday decided to have a months subscription to Discovery+ TV (£6.99)so I could watch the French Open Tennis  - I just have to work out how to cancel the subscription to it before the month is over - it took me an age to find out how to get it in the first place - it's so frustrating to be so technically dense! 

Small things were needed in the kitchen, the regular delivery of Smol dishwasher tablets arrived and I looked several times for the cheap bags of dishwasher salt in Aldi and Asda - but the shelves were always empty and the local hardware place only had huge boxes of the expensive Finish and I was told there was a shortage -  like a year or so ago, so I sent for some and of course next time I was in Asda - there were the cheap bags, sitting there - full shelf! The filter needed changing in the water filter jug that I got for filtering water for the coffee machine so I  sent for a new stock up while I remembered.

 So, we are told that inflation is increasing more slowly and some foodstuffs are coming down in price .....really?? can't say I've noticed. My shopping just seems to be expensive each week . It doesn't help that I like to eat lots of fruit - 3 portions a day if I can - and fresh preferably . But at this time of year it's between seasons and I'm eating  an apple, slice of melon and canned pineapple. Nectarines are just appearing in the supermarkets and hopefully will be costing less than they are at the moment once the season gets going. And then BiL's strawberries and my raspberries will be ready- can't wait!  I always pick the biggest fruit or veg if they are priced up individually and the melon I found one week was so ginormous that it made the scales on the self service checkout bleep - the scales thought I had more than one! I had a big slice every day for 8 days.

Frugal things I can think of 

• Mending my ironing board cover with new elastic
• Mending leggings again - now all put away until autumn. I'm in shorts for the duration now
• Home made white bread, malt loaves and granary bread - another recipe from the bread machine recipe book that I'd not tried before.

• Reading library books and my own books
• Made big batch of vegetable korma curry = 8 portions - about 60p each
• Greetings cards from boot-sale for 50p each
• Pick the biggest of individually priced fruit veg (cauliflower, melon, cucumber etc)
• Made a batch of Thai Red Fish Curry = 7 portions, worked out at just under £1 each as I added green beans for a change. Curry in the freezer for several months now..
• Only use 2nd class stamps

Found in the new Mind charity shop,  a good t-shirt for home wearing. It's a man's one - they are always so much better quality than women's and have a looser fit for hot weather.

Out of the house went a bag of old towels to the RSPCA charity shop and some new (won in the raffle) items to the church in Stowmarket (where the café is)where they have a sale table and a help-yourself-if-you-need-it shelf of toiletries. 

I briefly considered hanging onto things to do a car boot sale myself but I've been to so many, and they've been packed out with folk selling with the same old stuff week after week so I don't think people are spending much and anyway I vowed, after last time, not do one again EVER!

Looking forward to next month..................and June is often a low spend month with the only extra expense (hopefully and touching wood)being the bill from the District Council for the garden waste bin. I have plenty of meals in the freezer now and there will be strawberries from BiL so food spending could be low.

Back Soon

Sue

The Ins and Outs and the Few Frugal Bits of April

Nothing to do with anything frugal but our MP has decided to opt out of the Conservative party and into Labour - I think it's wrong  that they are allowed to stay on as an MP when they change parties. Dr. Dan Poulter says he can't carry on as a Conservative MP with the state of the NHS being so bad that he can't face his patients and colleagues. I was always told the way to change something is from the inside. He is standing down at the next election anyway (as are many other Conservative MPs who are afraid they might be on the losing side!)but  this village will be in a different constituency for the next election and could have a Green MP - not that it will make an iota of difference to us common folk!.

image from google freepik

In my end of March financial round-up I said April's projected expenses were horrible and came to £870 without eating or spending on anything extra. So I was very happy to make my biggest saving by moving my Home and Contents Insurance from a local broker to a well known company but online only - a saving of nearly £200 compared to the local brokers quote. (I only started with the the local broker because they were a new business and giving away a £50 Amazon voucher, but that was about 6 years ago so it was time I checked and changed!)

The Dentist did  a check up and x-ray and I was only in the chair for about 15 minutes but still it cost me £74! There have been no NHS dentists taking patients in Suffolk for many years and the lack in Suffolk and Norfolk has made the national news several times. Years ago we would have struggled to pay for private care so I'm glad I'm able to now.

No way of saving on the TV licence  -£169.50 this year - except to go without a TV but that's not going to happen, especially as I've been enjoying the snooker world championship for the last couple of weeks. 

Then the bill arrived  for the boiler repair in March.- I'd nearly forgotten about it.

Other than those big chunks of cash going out there were all the usual monthly direct debits - Council Tax, Charity, Phones and Broadband. Plus the monthly electric bill, food and diesel for the car of course and wild bird feed and £5 on new underwear.

I spent a few pounds on the garden at car boot sales by buying 3 strawberry plants, 2 butternut squash plants(I only had two seeds left and they've not germinated) and a couple of bags of cheap multi-purpose compost from Aldi. 

Having already bought a new sandpit for the two nearest Grandchildren as a joint birthday present, I was able find to a few craft things in the cupboard - from boot sales- for YGD's 6th birthday. (As yet the weather hasn't been good enough since February for son to put the sand pit together and fill it up!) Finally I sent the ED her birthday present ready for next week.

I get an A* for personal spending this month! - as there's been virtually nothing found at boot sales  and  just a second-hand Donna Leon book from charity shop. Haven't been swimming either as they've altered all the session times again and it's so busy.  So only other spending was entrance to an antique fair (spent nothing there) and the £1.50 a week for exercise group - and we had enough in the kitty for a free week .

Income was the usual two pensions but the savings bond I had has stopped paying monthly interest into my bank - I was using it to top up the monthly pensions, so now will have to wait until year end to get the interest.

The small savings I can think of

• Only using dishwasher every other day
• Using more of my batch made meals from the freezer
• Using the two bags of last years fruit from the freezer for a crumble
• Home made bread and malt loaf
• Finding greetings cards at boot sale
• One present for next Christmas found at boot sale
• Presents for Granddaughter found at boot sales previously
• Found £1.01 pence in the Asda car park
• Reading library books for free and books from my shelves
• Small garden mister/sprayer ½ price from the discount hardware shop because it's closing- sadly.
• Bulk purchase of 1kg of Bicarb for cleaning sinks and basins - will last a year.
• Batch made Salmon, broccoli and pasta bake to freeze - made 8 meals for approx. £6
• Only ever use second-class postage stamps
• No make up etc bought

Out of the house this month went................ 4 bags of things to charity shops. Gone are a small book rack, some odds and ends from the garden shed, some toys and books including all 7 of the huge C.J.Sansom Mathew Shardlake historical series. The first written in 2003 and the 7th - Tombland in 2018. I've been hanging onto them just in case he writes another but decided they might as well go. (Coincidentally  the first book/s have been made into a TV series - it's on Disney+,  although I won't get to see it until it moves to somewhere free!)

Into the bin have gone some rusty garden tools (why did I still have the small completely rusted up pruning saw!  since I bought a new one last year) and old photo albums.

May has fewer big expenses thank goodness - the car breakdown insurance is the only definite extra .

Back in a few days with the May library book photo  after I've collected my reservations from the library van. (Now I've said that it - hope it's not off the road for some reason!)

Sue

 

End of March Financial Round Up

March Income was the usual two pensions and interest on savings. 

The main expenses in March were for the car windscreen excess payment, servicing and MOT and I'd forgotten that I'd not paid for the tyre valves when they were replaced a couple of months ago - so that was added on. All the normal expenses as usual = Electric, diesel for car, phones and broad band etc. 

Household spending was for a new little electric heater and window cleaner. 

Birthday gifts for my sister and SiL. For the garden I bought a small trailing ivy from a boot-sale to add a bit of interest to the plant stand and a new packet of all female cucumber seeds so I have some to sow  later in the season. 

Buying wild bird feed has become a more regular thing as they just Love the dried mealworms and the suet blocks. If I'm outside and the mealworm feeder is empty a Robin  appears to moan at me and make me feel guilty for not filling it up! 

I also bought a book of  8 x 2nd class postage stamps before the price rise  - should have bought more I guess as they are jumping up by 10p each. 

Food spending was more this month and not just because of that so called 'Suffolk Cheese'!

Personal spending included WI annual subs, which has been subsidised again thank goodness and I re-joined the village Over Sixties group, which is half the cost of WI and is much better value  as unlike WI no money has to go off for regional and national organisations. I avoided second-hand books all month so just exercise group and one swim to pay for. Had my usual coffee and cheese scone when out a couple of times.

I cleared out three bags full of bits and bobs this month including 10 books, 6 DVDs and various other bits that I can't remember. They all went  to a charity shop.

 Frugal Notes for March

• I've cancelled my Radio Times Subscription. It was a quarterly direct debit and suddenly they took £21 more than the previous quarter without notification making the price the same as it is to buy in a shop. I was very disgusted but there didn't seem to be a way to get a refund on the payment, but at least they won't take anymore in May. 
• Had to stop mixing whole milk half and half with water as my coffee cappuccino machine won't froth water! I'll be buying semi-skimmed instead. Increase spending on milk is offset by big decrease in spending on boxes of coffee sachets!
• Make sure to shut curtains as soon as it's dark
• Mended old leggings again.
• Only using dishwasher every other day
• Home made bread and malt loaf, cakes and biscuits
• Using lots of my own batch made meals from the freezer
• Finding things for Grandchildren from car-boot sales
• Found 20p on the ground in the car park!
• Reading Library books for free
• Won a tub of Celebrations chocolates at the Over 60's group meeting and as I don't eat chocolate it will be a perfect gift for giving to the family at Easter.
• Only used tumble dryer once despite having no radiators working for 12 days.

I had a quote for a new oil fired combi boiler £3,500 + VAT this was from a company that specialises in replacement boilers and can do them almost straight away. The next day Ian,  the usual heating engineer came  (the one with all the family disasters) and repaired the old boiler as we agreed we'd give it one more chance. I don't really want to spend out that big sum of money for a new boiler - it's quite a chunk after lending Son etc money for their car.  I might decide to move again and would need what I have for that!

And Looking Forward  with trepidation to April when expenses are always awful.........................

Add together Council Tax, Charity donation, Phones and Broadband, Diesel for the car, TV Licence, Dentist visit, Electric, Plus the  House Buildings and Content insurance and I reckon about £870 without even eating or doing anything! Frightening .............and it's the YGD's birthday mid month although she's had half a sandpit already.

And now there'll be a bill for the boiler repair to add on - an expensive month for sure with no way of spending less.

 State Pension increases in April but from my point of view it won't make a huge difference as I'll just get taxed more on the Suffolk County Council Spouses Pension!

Hope the rest of your Easter weekend goes to plan, clocks forward tomorrow - lovely lighter evenings but makes it harder to get up early for boot sales! 

I found out last week that when the ground is dry enough my nearest boot-sale is going to have a Thursday morning boot-sale as well as Sundays - I'm not sure that's a good thing at all!

I shall be back Monday

Sue

Frugal February?

February has seemed like a very long month this year - I think because of the weather, the floods stopping outings and the general dullness - and there is still a day left. Surely March will have sunshine?

Frugal February? No, not with a heating oil delivery. Anyway................

Income from two pensions and savings interest, no extra from anywhere this month but no Council Tax to pay. I checked some more  books on Ziffit - but they didn't want them so they'll go to charity shop.

The usual expenses are Direct Debits for broadband and phones and charity. The wet weather and flooding meant I didn't go out very much so only one fill up of diesel for the car. I was expecting the half year water bill which was OK and the half year sewer bill which is always more than the water bill. Both are less than they were when I moved in because of getting a water meter.

 

I ordered 750 litres of heating oil but they only fitted in 730L which came to £544 - £100 less than the same time last year, should last right through until winter.  The bill came for the last boiler repair and I spent £13 on wild bird feed. Not forgetting the one-off spend for the professional oven clean.

The two nearest grandchildren's sand pit had disintegrated so I bought them a new one for their birthdays (one February and one April) and I found charity shop games to add to the shelves here.

We get used to amazon being the cheapest place to buy things but they aren't always, as I found when going to buy washing soda crystals for the washing machine. The cheapest on amazon when I looked were 3 bags x 1kg for £7.99 but I got a bag from the discount shop in Diss for £1.99. (I can remember when they were just £1 from Wilkinsons).

Personal spending was for the Keep Moving Group, flowers, photo corner stickers for my scrapbooks, a new letter writing pad, the Radio Times subscription, coffee and cheese scone out a few   or make that several times! 

Other spending was mainly small bits needed in bathroom, kitchen etc.

Frugal things

• Mended tiny holes in two pairs old leggings
• Mixing milk half and half with water 
• Trying to pick good weather to do the washing and finishing it on the radiators - tumble dryer not used at all
• Only using dishwasher every other day.
• Home made bread, biscuits and cake
• Eating lots of my own ready made meals from the freezer
• Finding games for grandchildren at charity shop
• Reading library books all month
• Closing curtains as soon as it's dark to keep heat in

The coffee machine is saving me money as I'm buying coffee grounds and no longer buying coffee sachets. The cappuccino button on the machine does use rather more milk so I had a search round the charity shops and came home with this for £4. Another way to use the ground coffee.

 I realise I'm about 100 years behind everyone else in moving away from instant coffee - dragged into the 21st century (or maybe even the 20th) of coffee making at last! Nice to have a variety of ways for making coffee.

After their unexpected drive into a flood, Son is still waiting to hear if their car is written off - it's a 2008 reg so probably will be but until they know, there is no courtesy car, so my car is staying the night with them so DiL can get the grandchildren and herself to preschool, school and work and back again. I can use it between 9 and 3 if I walk to the school to fetch it! Luckily Son has use of a work van at the moment - his work place is the opposite direction from the schools.

Two bags of 'stuff' have gone out of the house to charity shop this month. Including some roll neck long sleeved tops that were last worn under jumpers for working outside at the smallholding - so it's about time they went. I've also cleared out some books, some Christmas bits that won't be used again and a few other odds and ends. I'm filling another bag to go out next month.

Back Tomorrow for Leap Year Day

Sue

Thrifty Living in January

 Hibernating is very good for the bank balance, as is eating from the freezer, and spending was nice and low. 

Income was the usual State and County Council Spouses Pensions, some interest from savings plus just under £20 from Ziffit for a box of books.

The Council Tax and direct debits for charity, broadband and phones plus diesel for the car (twice, once at beginning of month and once right at the end when just under half full) and the monthly electric bill  came to about £360 and I also bought another 5L of screen wash for £2.99 - really needed after all the rain and muddy roads. 

Food spending including restocking things like bags of bread flour and trying different sorts of coffee grounds for my new machine (which I'm loving) although I did buy some items that made 10 more meals for the freezer for February and March which I posted about mid month.

Personal spending was low, (although it's surprising how the £1.50s Keep Moving Group and £3s for swimming add up through the month) until  I had a morning out to Bury St Edmunds last week. Before that there was just a couple of coffees and cheese scones, exercise group, swimming and a new pair of reading glasses because the pair I keep in my handbag for using when out, fell off  my head at the exercise group and snapped the frame - I got some snazzy jazzy coloured ones for under £20. One second-hand poetry book bought for £2.80 (and then some other second hand books for £6).

My morning out took me to Bury St Edmunds for a change of scene and a tour of charity shops where I found 2 tunic tops - one a Joules and the other from Next and spent £21. Very expensive compared to charity shop prices of the past but I rarely see any a good length and it will save me buying new next winter, plus I found a few books - that was the £6. I'll write about them later. I had the bargain breakfast in Greggs for £2.85. (Bacon roll - with plenty of bacon - and large coffee)

Then had a much needed hair cut right at the end of the month - but as usual just had the cheapest available.

There's a market stall in Diss every Friday that has wild bird feed much cheaper than anywhere else so I stocked up on a ginormous bag of dried meal worms - which still wasn't enough for the month due to the blinkin'  starlings -  and a couple more suet blocks. I shopped at Morrisons while I was there and regretted it - should have gone to Aldi first because Morrisons prices seemed to have gone up again and there were several gaps on the shelves.

The window cleaner turned up on a cold day, always good for a chat as he knows everyone and everything about this village and actually lives in my last village so knows all about there too. It might be called gossiping but I think of it as gathering information!

Some money was spent on the garden because I went out to get a couple of bags of Multi Purpose compost and one of seed compost so I'm right ready to start, my seeds arrived earlier in the month. I bough a new Niger seed feeder for the birds while I was there as I'd got some Niger seed left and nothing to put it in. Perhaps I'll now see Goldfinches.

Finally it's MG's 4th birthday next week so there was a birthday present to buy.

Frugal things done this month

• Nothing bought in January sales
• Choosing the right days to do the washing and hang it out (tumble dryer used just twice during January) and finishing on radiators.
• Mixing milk half and half with water
• Batch cooking pastry cases to go in freezer
• Reading library books and books from my shelves all month
• Using bread-maker for all bread.
• Checking through clothes to see what I need to look for in charity shops this year
• Avoiding buying things like alcohol, jewellery, makeup etc
• Managed to sort the boiler again when low water pressure stopped the heating from working
• No longer buying coffee sachets 
• Back to drinking tea once a day instead of  one of my coffees
• Able to get ½ dozen free range eggs  for £1.25 from a farm when I go swimming -instead of £2+ at the supermarket.
• Made sure money in Building Society had a bonus added for the next year when the old year finished.
• Moved some money into ISA
• Only using dishwasher every other day.
• Shutting curtains as soon as it's dark to keep heat in.
• Getting up late enough to not need lights in the morning!
• Not going far so using less diesel in the car.

In February I have to buy heating oil and pay the half year bills for water supply and sewerage and as the boiler has ceased up YET AGAIN (hot water OK but no heating -just like last time)there will be a repair bill for that. Still no car boot sales so I might have a morning out to a different town for the charity shops. I'll still be eating lots of my home made ready meals from the freezer and there's no Council Tax in February which helps - although I expect we will hear it's gone up when it starts again in April. 

Thank you to everyone for comments about the Mistle Thrush photos. I was lucky to be in the right place to get a good photo.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

That's The Way The Money Goes!

 I like October - I also like the other 11 months of the year!  But October feels like the month to start preparing for winter so I got the heating oil tank filled, there was more oil left  than I thought so it was less than I'd originally paid giving me a refund and the total was £548 spent in a just few minutes to keep warm for several months (6 months + with luck) I hope.

The dentist visit started off the October spending  and there was also all the usual expenses of Council Tax, phones and charity direct debits, monthly electric bill, food, diesel for the car and the usual household necessities  and I used a £10 off voucher  to stock up on some kitchen things and Christmas stuff from Lakeland. 

Then there was all the threes..........

3 birthdays that needed presents all within 6 days  and I got tempted into a special offer of 

3 patio fruit trees from Thompson and Morgan and spotted a nest of 

3 pine tables from our local second-hand furniture place. The smallest one was just right to go in a space between the bookshelves for my lamp and radio, the biggest was exactly right for between the new sofa and the wood-burner, with room for the kindling basket underneath while the middle one's gone in the spare bedroom as a bedside table. 

Personal spending was more than some months but all good as I bought the two items that are my only Christmas food treats and a ticket for "an evening with" event at a theatre -it will involve a 45 minute drive in the dark both ways in November but I'm determined to go as it also involves a free book! I'll write about it next month. Compared to those expenses,  swimming and exercise group are both much cheaper.

Thank goodness I can think of a few frugal things that make up (in a very small way) for the spending

• Mended some tiny holes in two pairs of leggings.
• Turned the top over and threaded new elastic through one pair of  loose leggings.
• Bought a giant Savoy cabbage from a car boot sale for £1 and by wrapping it tight in clingfilm and cutting off wedges and re-wrapping it was used in 7 meals!
• Found some double sized tins of grapefruit segments at Morrisons reduced from over £2 a tin to £1.29. I stocked up on 6 tins and they last me a week each as one of my fruit portions.
• Made red onion 'marmalade' chutney, with two jars for the Christmas hamper presents and also bought jars of local honey and bottles of local apple juice so that the two hampers (actually they will be in a Christmas themed jute bag bought for 50p each from a boot sale this year) are finished.
• Reading library books for free
• Mixing milk and water
• Using courgettes and leeks from the garden and a few late Autumn raspberries .I even found a handful of late and still edible green beans when I cleared the leaves, vines and canes.
• Haven't had to use the tumble dryer all month by picking the right days to do the washing.
• Only using 2nd class stamps (did you know 1st Class are now £1.25! good grief)
• Sorting out what car boot finds I have for Grandchildren's Christmas presents - only a few more bits needed for 4 of them and something for youngest grandson.
• Deciding what food treats NOT to buy for Christmas!
• Cheap hair-cut.
• No magazines, newspapers (other than the Radio Times subscription) make up, alcohol, jewellery bought. There never is!
• Daughter in Law kindly put the pine book shelves that I no longer needed on the facebook selling page for me and they went for £40. Sadly so far no one wants a chest of drawers or the table I no longer have room for.

And also a help was the government letter telling me that as I'm old and alone I'll get £500 Winter Fuel Payment including Government Pensioner Cost of Living Payment in November or December which will certainly be handy - very kind of them!

A bag of no longer needed 'stuff' went out to the charity shop this month including a few books, old clothes, postcards and a few kitchen bits I've not used since moving here.

And that was October gone

Back Tomorrow

Sue

End of July Round Up

In June I thought about moving again. A bungalow came onto the market in another village which would have given me the opportunity to help more easily with two of the grandchildren. It was a bit bigger than my bungalow with a slightly bigger garden and not on an estate but at the same price as mine was valued at because it needed a lot of updating- all flooring, kitchen, bathrooms and probably the boiler too.  The housing market is a bit odd at the moment - over 200 new homes are being built in that village - plenty for sale but difficult to find a definite buyer. 

In July after a month with virtually no interest in my bungalow, the other one was sold and  I decided against trying to sell and bought some second-hand books from my wish list instead!

Income for July were the 2 pensions, small bits of interest on savings and I sent £14's worth of books off to Ziffit.

No big extra expenses in July so main outgoings were "just" Council Tax, Phones and Charity direct debits plus the monthly electric bill, food for me and diesel for the car and all the small bits needed around the house. I bought myself a new pruning saw so I can trim some of the branches off the magnolia, lilac and buddleias that are too big for the loppers. Also another pair of shorts and tee-shirt. A few other expenses were new jars for all my pickles, grandchildren's craft bits and Lego. Also got that sink from the auction  to make a pond and a small bit of pond liner to line it with as I reckoned cement wouldn't work to plug up the plug-hole.

Personal spending was Too Much! - I finally got around to having the Chinese takeaway that I promised myself after doing the value range experiment right back in March/April. I had coffee and cheese scone out a few times, food at Ickworth and  bought second hand books also had a proper haircut as I couldn't face doing it myself again. There was weekly exercise group  to pay for but not many swimming sessions as they change the programme for the summer with the only lane swimming for adults being early or late - and public swimming is full of children - not conducive for going up and down.

 The vegetable garden really got going through July. I had a lovely lot of raspberries for nearly three weeks and I'm now eating courgettes, aubergines, cucumbers, tomatoes and green beans plus a few beetroot. Despite all that my spending on food was up again. I'm sure prices are still rising. For instance I noticed that Allinsons bread flour which only a couple of years or so ago was £2 for 3Kg, went up to £3 a while ago but jumped up to £3.40 recently.

I'm still doing all the usual things I do to save pennies and still clearing things out and out of the house this month went 2 pairs of shorts  - one pair were too big and went to charity shop and the other into the clothing recycling bin. Also out to charity shop went 8 books and some small craft kits that I'll never do.

Just a very small car boot haul yesterday for 50p and 25p. I got a couple of bean cane fixer things similar to this online but they  are smaller, keeping the canes a bit too close together. This one should let a bit more air around. Plus a pad of nice cream writing paper

Back Tomorrow

Sue