What a lovely day, laska - and the option of swimming too! Still very mild here - 20 degrees yesterday. So, no heating, as yet (but the lights go on early - this can be a gloomy house, and we both hate stumbling around in the dark).
Trousers that I ordered with my birthday money finally arrived. Lovely trews, but alas, too small. I did measure carefully, and go up a size, but the sizing is really whack. Have compared them with trousers that do fit me well, and am ordering a replacement. I am determined to spend my birthday money on something I want (new trousers) rather than something we need (new towels)!
Happierwithouthim - I feel you on the 'where am I at' with budgeting. I mean, I do forward plan, and compared to how I was with money even 10 years ago, never mind much earlier in life, I am a very organised and fairly skilled manager of my resources. But the fact remains that I am trying to do a lot with a limited amount, my fixed costs are pretty high, and a setback takes a good while to recover. So, last autumn, I needed to find £5k unexpectedly and it's taken me the whole year to get back to square one, and be able to start to build again. It can be a bit dismaying, especially when the things that run out a budget that month - a haircut every 3 months, a pair of trousers to replace ones that are 10 years old and have really served you well, a new tube of tinted moisturiser after you've cut the old one open and eked it all out - seem so small. Saving a few quid on the groceries when Ddog suddenly requires £100 on eye drops seems a bit pointless really!
However...I think things should stabilise from here for the next 24 months, and then all my frugal habits and wisdom accumulated from this thread will stand me in good stead!
Anyway, time for a bit of DIY and a soothing podcast, methinks.