Jump Start Aug: Tenner Week: Day 4
Day Four of this Tenner Week is all about mending, altering, salvaging or repurposing something. Ideally, pick an activity that can be completed in an hour or less, excluding, say, drying time. If you want to do something that takes longer, that’s okay because it’s the weekend.
Hopefully you will have the materials to hand already, or it’ll be a simple job where you only need to purchase one or two cheap items (buttons, glue, tube of Polyfilla etc).
Ideally, choose something that will make everyday life better, or give an old favourite a new lease of life. For example, you could:
- Fix a button on your favourite jeans
- Glue or tack hallway carpet or laminate back down
- Use filler on a hole or crack in the wall
- Regrout some tiles or paving slabs
- Reseal around a sink or bath
- Take up or let down a hem
- Dye some bed linen, curtains or garments
- Mend a latch or bolt on a cupboard or door
- Replace blown lightbulbs
- Stick an ornament back together
- Hang a picture that’s been sitting around for ages
- Mend a chair or other furniture
This evening I’m going to alter a pair of trousers that have been sitting in the mending basket for far too long. They’re a bit too big so I’m going to take in the waist and maybe shorten the leg a little if there’s time.
Yesterday I managed to have a no-spend day, although we went out in the afternoon. We’ve been doing fine for breakfasts and lunches, and there were enough ingredients in the freezer and garden to make a baked version of fish and chips for dinner, plus a big side order of steamed veggies.
We didn’t go far from home again, mainly because we’ve been keeping an eye on our poorly pet(s). One cat is on the mend after her trip to the vet, and her wounds seem to be healing now. Her sister found the whole thing very stressful too and stopped eating for three days, which was another cause for concern, but she’s found her appetite again now and seems to be making up for lost time.
Total spent so far: £2.09
TV watched yesterday: 1 hour of drama
TV watched in total: 2 hours and 5 minutes
Are you finding it easy sticking to a tight budget?
Available now: The ‘How to Live on £10’ ebook
To make your Tenner Week go with a bigger bang, try ‘How to Live on £10 a Week: Take the Tenner Week Challenge’. It includes a real life example of a shopping basket and menu, and plenty of free and cheap ways to keep yourself entertained.
It costs less than a cup of fancy coffee, and will save you loads of cash. You don’t need to own a Kindle to read this book – there’s free, safe official software you can download to read it on your phone, tablet or computer.
