Monday

. . . and for the first time in quite a while there's no frost.  A short respite, I gather, before the cold returns, but it is nice to sit and not want to pull on another layer.

Yesterday was an expensive day!

First of all, I went to B&Q to buy a load of long life bulbs.  I have those small, round, inset halogen lights downstairs and a while ago I promised myself that as they went I would replace them with the long life, eco friendly ones.  Several all died over the last few weeks so I bought enough and a few spare.  That was pretty ouch but they will pay for themselves over time, I am sure, given how short the lifespan of the ordinary ones tends to be.

Then I drove along to Staples for some printer ink.  I keep the old cartridges going until the quality is appalling and we had got to that point with the black!  That would have been ouch enough but I also got some extra strong filing cabinet inserts as mine are all giving up the ghost after many years.  I am being inspired by Beth's example to clear out and sort out my paperwork and this is the first step.  I can now replace the battered ones as I deal with each section.  I wonder how long one is expected to keep things like bank statements, pay slips, etc?  Must Google and find out.  I have them going back decades!

All of that was ouch enough but in the afternoon Beth and I did something that we have promised ourselves we would do for a while now and that is buy a sewing machine to share.
I was given my first sewing machine as my main 21st birthday present and it has done sterling service over the years.  I used to make all of my clothes and quite a lot of the childrens' clothes too, saving a fortune as I did so.  You could get fabric at good prices then.  I also made curtains, cushion covers, etc.  All jolly good fun!
But as life got busier and the machine got older, I stopped using it so much and after some faults and repairs I discarded it.  Well, I say 'discarded - I think it is in the cupboard under the stairs, in fact.  Maybe it will be an antique in fifty years' time!

Anyway - back to the present.  We ended up with a Viking Husqvarna (my machine was a Husquvarna so I had positive vibes for the make), not too cheap but certainly not shockingly expensive, with a few gizmos to make life easier.  It's due to arrive later this week which is most exciting.

Looks nice and sensible and pretty sturdy!

So, as you can see, it was an ouchingly expensive day!  Just as well I was paid on Friday and have started a frugal food phase, isn't it?

And on that subject, I got my act together and planned meals for the week.  I know it helps, I know it works and yet I don't always do it.  Beth said she will do Live Below the Line again this year and seemed a bit open to a longer time doing it, which is nice (she may change her mind on that one, but I don't think I will).  It might not be strictly according to the rulebook but I reckon it is the individual's equivalent of doing it in a big group and sharing out the food.  What's the difference between four people doing it for a week and one person doing it for four weeks?  Apart from the obvious, of course!

So these frugal weeks will help when I get super-frugal with bells on!