Things Wear Out

Did I really think that I would be able to go through a month without actually spending any money ? 

Well, no, not really.  This is not how life works.  There is always something necessary to the smooth running of our daily lives that requires handing over sums of cash, or a piece of plastic (debit card or a credit card you pay in full each month, of course !).   Still, the amount of money we already managed to part with this week does leave me quite breathless.

Last week, for instance, the total spend was £47.50. That is the sort of amount I could live with in a no-spend month;  in fact, if I didn't get sucked into the Morrison's shopping deal, that would have been lower.

But hey, not that much lower - and it will all be worth it in the end, I promise.

But this week.... Well, this week just keeps on coming and sticking its grubby paws deep into our Scroogey pockets.  There was no spending on Monday, even though - or perhaps because - I was very poorly.  But then I lost the plot on Tuesday - total damage £19.26.  Wednesday made it look briefly like things were back on track, with the second (and thus far, final) no-spend day of the week.  Thursday OH had a dentist's appointment - which, admittedly, I did know was coming - but didn't expect the damage to be quite that high.  £53 and ouch.

Still, I suppose it's quite something to have a bloke of his vintage who can still boast all his own teeth.  I can't boast that, thinking about it - and I am 13 years younger.  I must get us an NHS dentist though, there's prudent and then there's just plain silly.

OH also kindly picked up a replacement light tube for under-the-cupboard lighting in the kitchen, as I can't get that locally.  I wouldn't have got it, not this month, if it was down to me.... But hey, it was a kind thing to do, and as such, I really do appreciate it, darling, okay ?  ;o)

That wasn't Thursday's spending over though.  Oh no, if something's worth doing, it's worth doing properly... Although I am really not sure that maxim quite applies in this case.  Either way, the books for DD's change of course have been ordered - cheapest second hand copies going, £10 survey Amazon voucher put towards the purchase, and still the damage was £26.88.  I am hoping to recoup that by selling on the books for the old course which she now no longer needs, so that  will work out okay, in the end. 

And then there was filling up the car with petrol, in preparation of going to collect his mum from London and bringing her to ours for the weekend - £35.09, to be repeated at least once in the course of the weekend.  And then we went shopping, and I threw caution to the wind, and paid for it - £58.40 and double ouch. 

And that's before the weekend's even started.

Still, my goal for this month was to save up enough to refill my emergency fund, and what with the money that's already there, and with what's left in the account, and with payday being only a week away..... I might just make it :o)  And even if I don't, there's the NOT-vember to consider for making up the shortfall. 

Could have been worse.  I could have gone clothes shopping instead of struggling to dry the laundry in the finally properly autumnal weather

 

I could have bought chestnut cupcakes and sweetcorn muffins (or the nearest approximation that Morrisons might stock) instead of pulling them out of the freezer

 

I could have bought numerous bargain-basement bulbs and winter bedding plants instead of deleting the emails unread

                                              I could have replaced  worn out teatowels

 

slippers

 

and bought some socks for myself to keep company to those I bought for DD on Tuesday

 

But I didn't.

 

 

I do wish things wouldn't wear out though.  I try and mend them for as long as they will hold (the teatowels  and the socks have been mended already - they are just wearing out around the mends now - and the slippers have been glued in a different spot), but sooner or later, they do have to be replaced.  Which is a shame. Sort of.

 

Other things though, seem to go on forever.  Held together with superglue and spit, admittedly.... But still holding on.  Like OH's watch.

 

Oh, another thing we didn't spend any money on - getting rid of an old bed base. Too decrepit to give away - too big to take to the dump in the car.  We took it out into the back garden instead and had a proper go at it until it became kindling.