A frugal lifestyle for uncertain times – and an update #fivefrugalthings

Finally some progress with my trapped nerve/ bulging disc situation. I will need an operation to put things straight again. I have an appointment coming up to see a spinal surgeon, but as ever with the NHS, I have no idea when. It is likely to be months still before I have the surgery.

This pain began in August last year. I can see it being almost a year from start to finish. Let’s hope it’s quicker. We are planning on going to the Green Gathering in August and then into Wales for a holiday (you can still get 10% off the festival if you click onto my link above). I hope we don’t have to cancel!

Uncertain times need a frugal lifestyle

Regular readers will know that I have opted to take redundancy in May. Setting up as part employed/self employed with an op looming could be tricky (I looked at some of my options in this post about quitting the 9-5). I will have to be creative and super thrifty to get through 2-5 days in hospital followed by 6 weeks recuperation (and no driving).

Despite all this, I still feel upbeat and optimistic about the future. By the end of the summer I will be well again and out of a job that has become super stressful and saps all my energy.

Having said that, I am going back to work part time next week. After more than ten years in this job, I want to get things in order before I leave, for the sake of my lovely colleagues.

So, have we worked towards a frugal lifestyle this week?

New look blog

If  you have been to Shoestring Cottage before, you can’t have failed to notice the new look! Now I am not the most technically minded of people, but I am pleased that I managed to install and personalise it  myself. I had worried I might have to pay someone to help me.

It is a work in progress. I need to work out how to add my photo and a nice background to the header. What I usually do in these situations is ask the blogger friends I have made in the UK Money Bloggers group and my techie friend, James. There is always someone super helpful around to give some advice.  Hopefully you will see some more improvements over the next few weeks.

Cheap night out

You may remember that last week I said we were going to the cinema to see the Joni Mitchell 75th birthday tribute concert. We went last night and it was awesome! I am sure it will pop up on Netflix or somewhere in the future, so watch it if you have a chance. Her songs are hard to sing as they are clever and complex and she had such an amazing vocal range in her hey day. The artists really did her justice.

What was frugal about our night out? We took a bottle of water and some cheap snacks from a newsagent rather than paying the over inflated prices in the cinema! I did have to take a diazepam to sit still for two hours, but hey ho.

Fisherman’s friends

We also took advantage of my work discount on cinema tickets whilst we could and last week saw a film called Fisherman’s Friends. It was a lovely, fun and uplifting movie, which I definitely recommend. Mr S loves Cornwall, where it is set, and we both enjoy a strident sea shanty!

Again, we took our own drinks and snacks to save money. Our packs of sweets cost £1 each. In the cinema they were  £3.50! That’s not part of a frugal lifestyle.

Sowing the seeds

I mentioned on my Instagram feed that we bought a great selection of seeds for our vegetable garden in Lidl a while back.  We are late getting going with some of them – blame my shoulder again… I can’t dig the veggie patch, so Mr S will do that, but I can plant some seeds into pots and stick them in the greenhouse. This morning I have been going through them with my trusty Vegetable Expert book by Dr Hessayon and devising a plan of action. Growing some of your own organic fruit and vegetables is fun and saves  money. A great addition to a frugal lifestyle.

Like Trump – we are building a wall!

I haven’t really mentioned on here, but we have the most awful neighbour. He was OK until last summer, when he verbally attacked Mr S, who totally stood his ground without antagonising him to physical violence. Nasty neighbour (known hereabouts as Mr Knuckles) was aggressive and illogical, and most likely on drugs or alcohol. His wife kicked him out just before Christmas and the whole neighbourhood cheered.  However, he is back! (Resounding boos…)

Mr S has followed Donald Trump’s example (no, we are not generally fans) and built a wall between us. Well, a six foot fence anyway. We may still hear him but at least we don’t have to see his ugly face whilst we are tending the veggie patch. Mr S saved us loads of money by doing all the work himself. He still has a couple of panels to fit, but most of it is done.

Nasty neighbour is on his best behaviour at the moment, so fingers crossed he can keep it up. Luckily he lives in a council house and I am sure the council have got him on a warning after all the complaints, police visits and disturbance.

So that’s me this week. Are you working towards a frugal lifestyle to help you achieve a particular goal? What have you achieved this week?

I am back to linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky in their ‘Five Frugal things I’ve done this week’ linky so check out their frugal achievements.

This post contains affiliate links.