Monday monitorings and more gardening

The lamp has not been on so much for the chicks, so we were able to reduce our electricity usage this week, thank goodness.  It has usually run quite smoothly and only varied within a pound or so, so I am relieved that it was what I thought that was taking it up!  Chicks obviously don't come free....

The savings for the month have been achieved at just below the target - £730 - which is a good attempt, I think.  The end of the month is almost upon us, and no more is going to be added to that pot now.  This is about average for the five months of this year that I have been doing this, and so I am pleased with our achievement.  Unfortunately, the family are getting a little peeved at the perception that we have no money!  Because I am saving first and then spending what is left, there can often be the feeling that there is no money left, which isn't true - there IS money, but it is allocated to savings instead of frittering away.  Money is being more carefully allocated nowadays; within the last few years, I would happily walk into a bookshop and let the girls choose a couple of books, get one or two myself perhaps, and spend over £40 in a blink.  I would only do that maybe twice a year, but I haven't done it at all this year.  They are noticing the difference and perhaps we all need to sit down and share the vision more clearly, and come to a clearer conclusion about the targets as a family so that we are all on board - and perhaps the target needs to be revised.

The menu plan for the week has been done together, which I hoped would give the girls more of an insight into the plans and how the plans and the budget have to work together.....one of them said, "So why do we have to eat meat out of the freezer?" which enabled me to explain that a) I don't want to have to buy any this week, b) I want to empty the freezer out so that c) in a week or two, I can bulk-buy some meat from a good butcher who does deals on bigger amounts.  They both understood that, and were happy to sort meals out from what we had in stock.

We have had a "Prison Break" marathon tonight, whilst I have been knitting and then doing some ironing.  After another day in the garden, I think I will have to get some housework done tomorrow!  I have potted up tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers in the greenhouse, and then prepared another area of ground and sown some more runner beans.  I then weeded some of the rows of peas.  I washed our bedroom curtains and ironed them tonight, but I will be getting ready for bed in the dark because I can't make myself put them back up at this time of night......