Friday, 11th. September 2026

I feel tired this morning despite my usual 8-9 hours of sleep. Luckily, I have nothing planned for the day ahead and I am expecting no deliveries or visitors, so I can relax and choose what I want to do. At the moment I am feeling that I should break out of my inertia of the last couple of weeks and get on with some writing. However, for the moment I am distracted by my budget and reflecting once again on the sacrifices a retired private tenant must make in order to make ends meet.

Yesterday turned out to be the pleasant day I was expecting it to be, apart from the news of my friend’s illness, which was upsetting. He gave me a brochure of the upcoming Chagford Film Festival, which generated mixed feelings ranging from excitement – there is so much to see and learn that I would very much enjoy – and torment – I lack the transportation and financial means to attend, which saddens me immensely.

Talking about finances, I found myself updating my budget spreadsheet this morning, which proved rather upsetting. This month is one where I have less disposable income than usual, partly because of increases in bills like mobile phone and water, but also due to an annual additional payment of £65 on Council Tax for the garden waste collection. I will have to miss a grocery order next week and a visit to the pub, which should save about £70. However, on a brighter note, I now have credit of almost £300 on my energy account with Octopus, which should take care of my heating bill through winter. I will soon be able to reduce my monthly payments to £90 – a welcome saving of £5 a month.

At the end of the day I feel okay. I am good at budgeting and fairly good at sticking to my budget. Everything I stripped entirely from my budget after retirement – car, holidays, day trips, restaurants and cafés, home furnishings and so on – is well and truly in the past and I rarely think about them or worry about their loss. And, were you to visit me at my home you might assume I was comfortably well-off – the legacy of buying much of what I would need well before retirement. I try not to think about my 10-year old washing machine breaking down – and usually I succeed!