Tenner Week: Day 6: Community day
It’s the penultimate day of this latest Tenner Week, and today is Community Day. All you have to do today is find one thing to do locally where you’re making a contribution of some sort to your community, either by giving something back, by joining in, or by paying something forward.
You don’t have to be a millionaire philanthropist to do something with or for your community: some time, some fundraising, some elbow grease, or even a friendly smile could be exactly what’s needed round your way.
Check your council’s website, public noticeboards, local volunteer bureau etc, or take the initiative and offer to help out with something. Just pick one thing, even if it’s something minor, and commit to it.
For example you could:
- Join a local conservation effort
- Help to plant up a communal area
- Do some DIY for an elderly neighbour, or simply check in on them during a spell of hot weather
- Contribute something to a food bank or similar project
- Sign up to be a mentor
- Attend a free local open air concert
- Pick up some litter or report some fly-tipping
- Use art, music, design or craft skills to make the area more creative
The idea is to spend a little more time being outward directed. If nothing else, it can take your mind off being skint…
What’s happening here
Yesterday was Freebie Friday and I managed to bag some free veggies, free cheese, free shortbread and a free shot of whisky. It was also scorching hot so I treated myself and a friend to an ice lolly cocktail each (they bought me lunch so it was only fair I bought them a drink and dessert).
Back home it was quite late and I was still too stuffed to have a big meal, but did manage a garden salad with a couple of slices of halloumi on top. The best thing about that cheese is that is keeps for months on end in the fridge, and I don’t even remember buying the stuff (I probably didn’t), and is very useful on those occasions where you need to throw a quick meal together.
We had fresh garden strawberries for dessert – getting a good crop of them this year, and the sunshine’s been making them extra sweet and tasty. I also watched an hour of trashy TV, because you can’t be highbrow all the time.
Today marks the start of my ‘Doing the house and garden up’ weekend, which is my main goal for the week. That should keep me out of trouble and out of the shops for the next couple of days, hopefully. I’m prepping the kitchen for painting today with sugar soap and polyfilla, and fixing up the garden, the decking and any other woodwork if there’s time after that. I’m also going to volunteer for a local community planting scheme, if I can find one.
Total TV watched: 3 hours
Total spent so far: £7.65
What have you been up to? Any cash left? Done any good upcycling, mending or repurposing?
