Tuesday 30 September 2014

An expensive month.

I've done the September accounting and it's very obvious that September was an expensive month. My walking boots, the septic tanks pumped out, paying for having the hay and straw baled, a NHS prescription pre-payment card,  a half lamb for the freezer and 2 gas cylinders all pushed up the outgoings. But luckily all were budgeted for, so no overdraft, no credit cards, no borrowing.
 I'll do a proper review of the month tomorrow.

I was all ready to make a double batch of Sweetcorn Relish this morning until LUCKILY, last night, I looked in the cupboard and found the bottle of distilled vinegar wasn't full, as I thought, but almost empty.
So it was off to do Octobers main local Tesco shop a day early. Bargains? yellow stickers? In our Tesco? You've got to be joking! the only good buy was a big -  5Kg - bag of gran. sugar and that was only because they had sent me  £1 off voucher, which made it 5kg for £2.85.
C heard on 5 Live News ( that's the only radio station he can pick up when he's in the big tractor moving the irrigation stuff) that Sainsburys have stopped comparing against Tesco when they do their money off voucher at the checkout because everything is now more expensive at Tesco so there's no point in comparing. I thought that sounded a bit unlikely so onto My Supermarket website where I did a small check with the things  brought home from Tesco today and I couldn't find anything cheaper at Sainsburys except for tins of plum tomatoes which they have on offer at 4 for £1.

There was one thing I had to buy this morning that I don't remember buying for years and that was a pack of Bic pens. Usually we get enough free pens in the post from the Red Cross or Damart and if we were searching for one in the past we could always go and rootle around in Cs work van, where he was bound to have acquired some from the office. However in the last month or so it's been  "where's the blinkin' pen?" when the phone rings and "where's the blinkin' pen?" every time we need to book in a camper. So I've given in and bought a pack of 10, at least they were on offer at £1.50 and they  have a label on for using one up and sending it in for a £10 voucher. I may have to get scribbling!

While I was gallivanting in Saxmundham, C was over the road working  at our neighbours. This afternoon he worked on our field clearing some more weeds from the pumpkin and squash area.
We have sold 50 pumpkins so far, that's an income of £75 and there are still some to sell. Not bad for a few pounds outlay on seeds and a bit of work, as mostly we just let them get on with growing - which is why there are so many weeds this year. He later brought round 33 butternut squash of varying sizes and put them in the shed ready to sell. When I've finished this post I shall have a look to see how much they are selling for in the supermarkets. There are more still on the field but less than we grew last year as the plants from the later sown seeds have plenty of green growth but no squash.

In town I noticed a poster for a new craft group starting at the refurbished wool and needlework shop. It's the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 10 am - 12 noon and is £4 a session which includes a cuppa and a cake. This sounds expensive to me ( although most things seem expensive to me!) but is it? I'm not getting any needlework stuff done at the moment so going there would make me pick up my cross stitch again. But £4? I'm  sounding like a real mean  tight-wad!

Hey hey! Guess what was in the post this morning.......... The new issue of Home Farm Magazine. Ruth and Paul, the editors, must have been happy with my review of last months issue that they have sent me another to review. How lucky am I?
I shall read it and report back as soon as possible. It's arrived at just the right time as the library books had all been finished until the mobile library comes on Friday. Hoping to bike to the van I thought I'd better have a trial bike ride having not cycled anywhere for 8 weeks due to that blasted pneumonia, so hopped on my bike and went up the road for 10 minutes and back again without any ill effects. Good.

Goodbye to someone on Bloglovin who has un-followed!
But for everyone else I shall be 
Back Tomorrow
Sue

MOVED

The blog here has now finished please add my new blog to your list instead                               You will find it here at    ...