Final Day in February....

I can't believe it's the last day of the month.  Where are the weeks flying to?  The good news is that tomorrow will be the first day of meteorological Spring ( I never know if I have spelled meteor-whatsit correctly! 😏) so we have some brighter, if not exactly warmer, days to look forward to.

This month has been a very steep learning curve as far as stretching the budget and adding to savings goes.  We have managed to eat well whilst re-stocking the stores a little, as well as saving over £20 on the usual food budget. I have learned that I mustn't take my eye off the ball when it comes to food planning.  A weekly plan has made me focus of what we have in, what needs using up and  how not to waste a thing. The totals below are exactly that...totals ....so that is it for February.  We still want to save a little from the March food budget as ongoing savings are essential during this, our Frugal Year.  I don't want to bore you all with a blow by blow account of weekly food shopping but I will keep a total going and I will talk about any special bargains along the way.  

Anyway, that's all for today. Thanks so much for popping in. 

Sending special thoughts and prayers for the people of Ukraine 🙏

Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x 

Sell & Save:

£215.31

February Shopping Challenge:

£196.02/ £220 ( £20 swept to savings account)

A Change of Tack & False Economy

 Yesterday, I thought I was done with shopping for this month yet this morning saw me in Sainsburys buying chocolate for G to take to work tomorrow in his lunchbox.  I couldn't really refuse to go as he was busy laying one more patio slab 😄  So there I was browsing and checking the Smartshop App for bargains.  Shopping so far has cost £178.04 instead of the usual £220.00 and I intended sweeping the excess into savings.  However..... during a restless night when I just couldn't drop off to sleep for thinking about energy prices, fuel and the poor people in Ukraine,  I wondered at the common sense of saving a few extra quid in the account when I could be (should be?) stocking up on food, so I decided to sacrifice up to £21.96 on buying the bargains and just sweep £20 into the account.

I saved a fair bit of money on things we buy any way:

Milk 95p  63p x 2

Tinned pears £1.10  77p x 2

Cotton pads £1.85  £1.30 x 2

Teabags £1.10    77p x 2

In addition, There were 2 half price quiches (for the freezer), some fish fingers on offer and a couple of rice pouches (just enough for 2 portions in each)

I realised that I had a £3 off voucher plus 5 x Nectar points voucher too 👍

It came to £20.23 and G paid me for the chocolate therefore the total is £17.98  I've added it to the total for the month below and am sweeping £20 into savings.

The false economy mentioned is in relation to dishwasher tablets. I bought this pack of 60 tablets costing £5. Unfortunately, they do not perform well at all.  Even at a 65 degree wash they leave streaks on everything especially cutlery so that I end up rinsing and polishing them by hand.  Not the best use of my time.  I was determined to use them up but was relieved to use the last one on Wednesday.

These also cost £5 but there are only 29 tabs in the pack so double the cost.  However, last night's load not only smelled clean and fresh but were sparkling clean.  Well worth the cost, I think....

Anyway, thanks so much for popping in.  Sending (((hugs))) to anyone who needs one.

Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x 

Sell & Save:

£215.31

February Shopping Challenge:

£196.02/ £220

Final Food Shop for February

 We received our final food delivery for February yesterday afternoon. Most things were in stock with just 3 substitutions. I'm OK with that but I have to confess I was shocked that 2 pints of milk have increased by 10p to 95p.  I wouldn't mind if the extra 10p went to the dairy farmer but somehow I doubt that. The total cost of the shopping was £42.92 and we now have enough food and other supplies to see out the month, especially if we use the fridge bottom bits to make soup for lunches. 

An easy tea last night.... 

Linda McCartney Country pies (two for £1.13) mash made from two baking potatoes which were sprouting (20p) and a small winter cabbage from the allotment (free) ,vegetarian gravy

While the oven was on for the pies I made a crumble using the last half a bag of summer fruit from the freezer and a packet crumble mix ( 55p).... 

20 minutes in the oven and served with a dollop of ice cream 👍😁 We were totally stuffed 😱

Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x 

Sell & Save:

£215.31

February Shopping Challenge:

£178.04/ £220

Thoughts of Puff Pastry.....

 Well I came up trumps after all yesterday.  We found a lovely pub in which we booked a table for Sunday lunch and G not only bought me a half pint of lager but a cheese and onion cob too 👍 😃  On the way home we passed Sainsburys and I offered to buy us a cake each for a treat.  This pack of apple turnovers (spurred on, no doubt, by the thought of Sue's apple rolls 😍) cost me £1.35 of my pocket money, leaving me £1.85 to last the month.......

I was quite surprised to get a message from Nectar just after we arrived home  to say ....

They are worth 25p so not to be sniffed at 😊 Yay!

I've also had 2 small eBay sales today netting a total after fees and postage of  £25.75 This has been added to the Sell & Save total below.  I probably won't get any more sales this month so that is probably the February sales in entirety now.  I'm happy with that.

The last food delivery of the month is due this afternoon and I hope to be well within the usual monthly budget of £220 so that we can save the difference.  I'll update the total in the next post.

Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x 

Sell & Save:

£215.31

February Shopping Challenge:

£135.12/ £220

Sam Squirrel's Puzzle & Holding On To My Coppers

 After another very stormy weekend the sun is, at last, shining and G is in the garden laying another slab.  He can only manage one at a time but we are slowly getting there.  The neighbourhood squirrel is currently giving us the runaround by stealing all the bird food so we have bought a baffle from the internet.  He is quite puzzled by it and keeps coming back for another attempted climb up the pole.  He has climbed the fence to see if he can jump the gap (not so far) and also comes to the french doors to look in at us.  I'm expecting him to blow a raspberry at us some day soon 😆

A few days ago the display on our energy monitor stopped working, there was no cost shown although the useage was still displayed....

It's working again this morning. Does that often happen I wonder ?

Thank you to everyone who commented on my new shacket, it was lovely to have so many lovely compliments! 

I didn't venture far at the weekend, just to the postbox on Saturday and a walk round the street in the rain on Sunday because I felt so sluggish so my remaining pocket money is still in my purse 👍 Unfortunately, there is still almost a week to go before the end of the month and I'm still not sure if I can make it.  G isn't working on Sunday next for a change and has promised to buy Sunday lunch somewhere so we are off this afternoon to find a nice local pub.  Who knows he might even buy me a coffee.  I certainly can't! 😂

Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x 

Sell & Save:

£189.56

February Shopping Challenge:

£135.12/ £220

Storm Eunice

Storm Dudley was a bit of a damp squib yesterday, just some wind and drizzle, although we had heavier rain overnight.  Today, Eunice is a different kettle of fish.  The winds are very strong and the rain is freezing.  I had to go out to post a package so we decided to visit the local plant nursery as well because G wanted some aconites for underneath the tree in the garden.  Whilst we were there he treated us to scones and a pot of tea 😀  An hour later, on the way home, we wondered why the traffic was so slow moving.  It soon became clear... a big tree branch had fallen across most of the road so that traffic was down to one lane (just!)  It's made a bit of a mess and will hold up the rush hour traffic.  I hope someone has reported it because I didn't know who to contact.  Would it be the council do you think?

I've been feeling the cold over the last week or so and, despite not wanting to spend money at the moment, found a shacket ( a cross between a shirt / jacket apparently 👀) reduced to half price on the internet.  I ordered it 2 days ago and it arrived this afternoon....

.....not only will it be great for Spring, but I can wear it indoors if I feel really cold.  I'm trying not to buy anything else until Summer when I might need some T shirts and shorts to replace the tatty ones I have worn over the last few years. The savings must come first.

The last few quid of my monthly allowance is dwindling; £1 spent on a food bank donation this week leaving me just over £2 to last another 10 days.  I don't know if I can do it.  A fail is looking likely 😕

Anyway, 72p spent on a TV guide from the food budget has been added to the total below.

I visited the Hospice CS yesterday to see if my latest batch of cards have sold.  Out of 54 donated so far there are just 9 left therefore £45 profit to the Hospice along with a request for 'more please!'  I hope to manage a bit of crafting this weekend once I get G to work and out of my hair.

 Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x 

Sell & Save:

£189.56

February Shopping Challenge:

£135.12/ £220

Still Pretty & Pear Champion

 For the very first time I have managed to keep my Christmas poinsettia alive and it actually looks reasonably happy. I took in the advice to water from the base with tepid water once a week and it's thrived.... 

There is new growth too but now I don't know what to do with it. I can't throw out a living thing but I know it won't set red bracts for me again. Should I feed it? G is a gardener but hates house plants so knows nothing about after care. Does anyone out there know what I should do please? 

On checking my Nectar account this morning, I find that I had a bargain yesterday. Not only was I was given a special price of 77p on our usual teabags but also 60 extra Nectar points worth 30p so, in effect, the teabags cost 44p 😁 Yay! Possibly worth getting wet for! 

There was also a special price on tinned pears so, you never know, this year I could achieve #1 buyer status! 

Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x 

Sell & Save:

£189.56

February Shopping Challenge:

£134.40/ £220