The bills I don't mind getting

Hello and good evening. Another nice day, aren't we lucky with the weather. My lunch today was spaghetti hoops and scrambled eggs on toast. As you can see from the picture I ate it at my work station. This is the dining table at the back of the room overlooking the back garden. I also have a work station at the front looking out onto the street, where I can be nosy and watch people coming and going. I made a small Christmas tree decoration today. 

Here are the pieces I cut out of green and red felt, with a white piece of stiffener to put in the middle. This is a trial to see how it works out. It was a bit fiddly to sew the tree onto the tubs, what I should have done was to give the tree a trunk to fit inside the tub. I will do that next time. The green felt is from a snooker table which was recovered. It's stronger and thicker than normal felt. 

And the end result is this. It's 3.5 inches tall, and has a loop on the top for hanging.

The white snakey bits are sparkly, they have crystals in them, don't know where I got it from. It's in a long length which can be cut into shorter pieces. I'm chuffed with this, I'll make some more.

My gas and electricity bills landed on the door mat today, I was expecting them. These are the bills I don't mind getting because I can choose how much I want to spend on them. I emailed the meter readings on the 25th and they said the bill would be coming early October. The period covered is from the 8th of July to the 25th of September. It's nice to get really low bills over the summer period. Electricity is for £38.41, which will go up over the winter when the lights go on a bit earlier. I just have to be more careful switching things off when not in use. Gas bill is for £5.84, no heating has been used since the spring, and won't be put on until it gets a lot colder. I pay a small amount for cooking with gas, and heating a tank of water when I have a bath. All other times I wash my body in cold water.

I have been writing a frugal diary for Down the Lane forum during September. Take a look if you are interested. It's like a shorter version of what I write here. Writing things down helps me to keep track of my money. I looked back at my bank statements from ten years ago. I was in dire straights in December 2005, but through my careful spending and penny pinching I am in a much better place. Being careful is second nature now, I don't even think about it. I automatically search out the best bargains, automatically separate the wants from the needs, and automatically walk past shops without giving them a second glance. It's a good place to be.

Thank you for popping in. Catch you soon. Toodle pip.