Since I have the luxury of time 🙄 I've spent some of it sorting out my seeds. These are all from last year either unused or gifted. It's interesting to see them all laid out and wonder why I've got 7 different varieties of lettuce and 9 different pumpkin/squashes 😲
I've made a list of all the types/varieties and when they should be sown. I think all I 'need' to buy are beetroot seeds, onion sets and seed potatoes. Next step is to work out where they'll be planted. Most of it will be on the allotment but I'm planning on using my back garden raised beds and containers for salad and herb crops. I'm going to dismantle my big chicken run (it takes up a lot of space) and give Tuppence a smaller area. She can free range the rest of the time without doing too much damage (I hope!!)
I've also got some flower seeds, saved and gifted so I'll be sorting these out today.
Yesterday I got my Box of Stories which is a subscription thingy to save brand new books being pulped or sent to landfill. I'd forgotten about that subscription when I did my annual spending review! As much as I love the idea I've found that I've only actually read one of the books in the last couple of boxes. So I've cancelled this subscription along with the Craft Gin Club (I've got loads of unopened bottles) and my wine club. The wine club one was good because I'd saved enough money/points to get a case of Prosecco for Christmas that I used for gifts.
The only subscription left now is Emma's monthly dog food that gets delivered. It's been interesting this month to keep a detailed account of every penny spent. I always had a rough idea of how much money I was spending but writing it down in black and white is very illuminating.
I bought loads of seeds last year at the end of the season when they were all reduced to at least half price. I'm not quite sure whether I'll get to plant them all this year though as we've now decided to visit our son in Australia in spring. I'm either going to plant them late and hope for a long summer or I might keep some till next year and buy some veg plants this year instead. I always feel that's somehow cheating!
ReplyDeleteI find subscriptions mess up my budgeting at times too as I forget they are quarterly. I have a list of everything we spend on the wall near my laptop, direct debit stuff so that I can keep an eye on things. I just renewed two magazine subscriptions and plan not to renew at least one of them when next due. I love getting them but I rarely seem to get time to read them properly these days! Who knew retirement was so busy! lol.
I hope you're feeling better, my daughter has just tested positive too. My only surprise is that she's not caught it before now as she works in a supermarket and a lot of covidiots shop there!
Aw your poor daughter! Hope she doesn't have any horrible symptoms xxx
DeleteI didn't use a lot of my seeds last year as sowing/planting time coincided with my fractured ankle. But I get the benefit this year!
Yep, all my subs were quarterly so they slipped through the net!!!
When Harvey retired we started to write down all that we spent a month and boy was it an eye opener. It did give us a good idea of budget constraints though.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It really is an eye opener seeing it written down. I think electronic banking has removed us from the reality of the cost of things.
DeleteI spent half an hour the other day cancelling direct debits for magazines; I treated myself to a few in case I got confined to the house. They were on special offer/free gifts, but I didn't want to forget about them then be landed with a full sub suddenly when the first year was up. Some of them were seasonal, so a bit samey if left until the second year. I could probably write my own at this stage lol They'll continue to come sporadically until the middle of the year when the last sub runs out. Impressed myself I managed to remember to do it lol
ReplyDeleteYep it's those automatic renewals that caught me out especially as the reminders often go into my junk emails. I guess that's their clever marketing ploy when they're on offer. They rely on us being inefficient with our finances. I'm impressed too that you remembered!! LOL!
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