Sunday, 26 January 2020

Leaks and kettles


Last week I noticed that there was a stain on my recently painted dining room ceiling.  I was pretty convinced that it was a historic stain that had broken through the stain block I'd painted over it.  But just to be on the safe side we thought we'd have a look as it was directly under the shower area in the bathroom above.  Even small leaks need to be investigated!


Luckily I hadn't re carpeted the upstairs landing yet so it was easy enough to lift the carpet and have a look.  You can see a watermark in the corner.  After a thorough investigation (I'm cutting short the 2 day drama involving unscrewing floorboards, using a circular saw and dust everywhere!!)  we concluded that as there was nothing currently wet or damp under the floorboards it was indeed the historic stain and not a new one.  Basically I was right! 😉


But it's always good to have a wee look underneath and behind things just for peace of mind.  I am so grateful that I don't need to do any work on the shower cubicle .  It's very dated but knowing it's watertight means I can put up with it for another year while I direct my money to the downstairs bathroom.  Phew!!


Frugal living in January is now in it's final week although February will be just as frugal!  I've been using up storecupboard ingredients and freezer contents to create some new meals.  My favourite meal was a huge pot of lentil and chickpea curry which was absolutely delicious!  Loads of leftovers went into the freezer.  I still have £22.30 in cash left.  I have not used my credit card at all although I did have to buy a new kettle (Ebay using PayPal) as the other one simply stopped working halfway through boiling.  It was 13 months old so just out of guarantee.  Grrr!!!


It's a stove top whistling kettle, reminds me of my old Aga kettle.  I love it and hopefully it will last a lot longer than an electric one!!  (it's bigger than it looks in that photo!)

I get paid on Wednesday (yeay!) so I'm looking forward to seeing how much I've managed to save this month.  There are a few Australian purchases still to come through on my credit card but I'm hoping January's bill will be very low.  🎉
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

20 comments:

  1. A Life More Simple26 January 2020 at 14:01

    Good to hear it wasn't a new problem. The curry looks delicious I love chickpeas, looking forward to your frugal posts, we need to up the frugal game here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ali26 January 2020 at 14:48

      I've come to love chickpeas lately. I've not tried to cook them from dried yet even though I know it's cheaper to do that. I add them to soups and stews a lot to up the protein. I see on your blog you've made a cracking frugal start with your 6p lasagnas!!

      Delete
    2. A Life More Simple26 January 2020 at 15:45

      I do have a bag of dried ones, I was trying to work out the cost to see if it would be cheaper what with the boiling away using more electric? Not sure. I did make houmous once by boiling the dried ones and it was much nicer, the texture was better.

      Delete
    3. Ali26 January 2020 at 16:28

      I've read a few things about cooking them in a slow cooker and that it's definitely cheaper. So I'm going to try them that way

      Delete
    4. A Life More Simple27 January 2020 at 12:41

      Good idea I have a slow cooker, will try that, thankyou,

      Delete
  2. Sue 26 January 2020 at 14:42

    You've done REALLY well this month. Why do small electrical items die immediately after their guarantee runs out, it happens every time!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sooze26 January 2020 at 14:45

      Funny you should say that Sue, we had 3 dishwashers one after the other which all broke down within a few weeks of their guarantee expiry dates - and they were all different makes! Does make you wonder whether they're actually manufactured to only last a limited time....or is that just me being cynical?!

      Delete
    2. Ali26 January 2020 at 14:52

      Thanks Sue! Amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

      Sooze, you're not cynical. Built in obsolescence is very real!!

      Delete
  3. Sooze26 January 2020 at 14:43

    What a lovely kettle - and at least it won't break down! (unless your cooker breaks down lol). Your curry looks yum, what's the red stuff on the plate? (looks like some sort of tomato salsa).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ali26 January 2020 at 14:55

      Cooker better not break down!!!! The curry was really good (just onions, curry spices and a tin of tomatoes with pulses and coconut milk added near the end) The red stuff is mango chutney. Love the stuff!

      Delete
  4. AlisonB4326 January 2020 at 17:32

    Oh I do love a stove top kettle, we have one for the motorhome but in truth it is just a posh camping kettle! We are having our (work accommodation) kitchen refitted next month and they are now fitting gas hob, so if this job works out well I may treat us to as posh stove-top one. Regarding your electric one, a consumer rights advisor would say that if an electrical items is expected to last longer than the guarantee, you may be entitled to some compensation or replacement.
    Your curry looks lovely, I am planning on making some chickpea recipes, even though I know hubby will not eat them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ali26 January 2020 at 19:04

      We had a purple one in our campervan! I used to buy decent branded kettles but they never lasted any longer than the cheapie ones.

      Delete
  5. Marksgran26 January 2020 at 18:49

    Water is such a pest when it leaks. It can travel miles from the source so can be hard to find. I'm glad you knew where to look for yours and found no problem. We had water come in during that horrible storm a couple of weeks ago and we've never yet found out where it came from! It's not leaked since so hubby is assuming it was just the direction of the wind and ferocity of the rain being pushed up the slates! I'm not sure if thats just his version of 'thats my story and I'm sticking to it' or not!! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ali26 January 2020 at 19:09

      I think because it was in exactly the same place I had a hunch. And when we saw the old waterstain marks on the floorboards it confirmed it. But we checked everything underneath any way just for my peace of mind.

      If your leak hasn't happened again then maybe your hubby's assumption is right. But get him to check after every heavy rain fall, just in case ;-) Lol!

      Delete
  6. Joy26 January 2020 at 19:30

    Thank goodness it was an old stain, not a new problem.
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ali26 January 2020 at 20:33

      I was soooo relieved. All I have to do is repaint the stained area, thank godness!

      Delete
  7. Kathy F.26 January 2020 at 20:29

    I use a stove-top kettle....always works! I'm a lurker, and I don't know if I have ever left a comment, but I have been enjoying the makeover of your home, and your frugal tips!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ali26 January 2020 at 20:35

      Welcome Kathy and thanks! Lots more makeovers on a budget to come this year :-)

      Delete
  8. Chris26 January 2020 at 21:33

    I must say I'm impressed with your low spend month. I have money left over which will stretch to the end of the month but I have used my credit card frequently and have last month's bill to pay next week with all my Christmas expenses. Will try harder in February.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ali26 January 2020 at 22:09

      Thanks! December was a high spend month with Christmas and Australia so I know I still have to pay that bill off. But I'm hoping for a decent amount saved to transfer into my savings account on Friday :-)

      Delete

I love getting comments but I will delete any spam and rude personal comments without hesitation. Thanks

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)