Tenner Week: Day 4: Fix it up day

Just think, by lunchtime today we’ll be halfway through this Tenner Week challenge. Today is a ‘roll up your sleeves’ kind of day so let’s get on with it…

Today’s activity is to fix something up that really needs doing in or around your home. It doesn’t have to be especially time consuming, just make sure it’s something that will make your everyday life easier and/or more pleasant.

It could be a quick declutter of a specific area, some minor DIY, a little upcycling or decorating, or some general mending. For example:

• Clear out the junk drawer in the kitchen
• Fix the latch on the bathroom door
• Sort out the contents of your letter rack
• Re-hang your curtains
• Software updates
• Polyfilla that crack in the hallway
• Sew some buttons back on your shirt/coat
• Put up some artwork
• Do some stain removal
• Replace the batteries in the TV remote
• Get rid of algae or moss on paths outside
• Put that dreaded flat-pack together
• Change a lightbulb
• Reorganise your book or music collection
• Re-stick wallpaper that’s coming away from the wall

If it’s some little thing that you’ve been meaning to sort out for ages, but never quite got around to doing, all the better. Spend from two minutes to an hour getting something fixed up today.

What are you going to do today? Bonus points for the best ideas.

What’s happening here

I made a strong start on the mending pile here over the weekend, and all I have left is two pairs of trousers to hem. My plan is to do this in front of the telly for an hour to use up the first bit of my TV ration. There’s all sorts to watch on catch-up so I’ll be reasonably selective, and it’ll be the first telly so far this week.

Ate really well yesterday, with onion soup for lunch, the last banana for a snack, and a big veggie and prawn noodle stir fry for dinner. Also made a dessert with spiced pineapple that was nice and simple. It’s funny how we always seem to eat better when we’re cutting the budget right back and using up leftovers, possibly because it can make you more vigilant about your general diet. Stir fry always sounds tasty but it’s also perfect for using up anything lurking at the bottom of the vegetable drawer, especially small portions of vegetables.

As predicted I needed to buy more milk, which set me back £1 for 4 pints. It costs almost the same to buy 4 pints around here as it does 2, so I decided to go large AND go home. Rock and roll. Ahem.

Back at Golightly Gardens I managed to do my Day 3 mindfulness exercise, and it was so great that I’ve decided I should do it more often. Maybe every day during the working week.

The Grit to Pearls exercise from Day 2 has been helpful too. The new spam filter is screening out about 90% of the dodgy deals and phishing scams and it’s making my morning routine so much more streamlined. My healthy eating and fresh air plan’s going well too, and if I have time later I’m going to do some exercise as well. Plus the Little Cat with insomnia has got wind of my plans and now seems to be jumping on Beau’s head in the middle of the night instead, mixed blessings there. There’s just less…annoyance around the place – result!

Later today I’ll be doing my usual pound shop run, as I urgently need to pot on some seedlings for my kitchen garden but have run out of pots. Can improvise a few pots here, but I’m still 10 short of what’s needed. Might well be picking up some small pots while I’m out, and let’s hope I don’t find too many other bargains while I’m there.

Total spent so far: £4.71

Total TV watched: 0 hours

How’s your budget so far? Any big wins or problems?