Coffee and chocolate

miggy

NSD so far, as I slept till gone 3!

I've just realised I have rota-ed days off for a week! It can work like that. Tomorrow I need to see Mum, the day after that I might go on the train to do some shopping (not for shopping's sake, I am trying to get a few bargains in the sales if there are any left when I get there). Saturday... not sure yet. On Sunday we are going to visit a relative then I will go straight from there to Mum's old house to see what needs to be done. There are some bits she wants brought to her, some DIY stuff and a start to be made on getting people in to do work.

Actually I seem to have a heap of things to do and I don't know where to start!

Hovel_lady

Hello miggy dropping in on your diary now
Write a list of what needs doing - might help.
Well done on a SFD - no going to the shops now!
What are you looking for in the sales? I enjoyed looking at the J*hn Lewis sale last weekend. They had a lovely green sofa for £1825. Shame I don't have £1825 & it was too big for my hovel :rotfl:

ani_26

For heavens sake, don't tell miggy to make a list, whatever you do. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

miggy

Hovel_lady wrote: »

Write a list of what needs doing - might help.

ani_26 wrote: »

For heavens sake, don't tell miggy to make a list, whatever you do. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:I am going to publish a book of my lists as therapy for insomniacs. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Sales wasn't actually any one particular thing though I am open to suggestions! The sofa sounds good - and very MS of it to be too big for the hovel. We once knocked down a wall to get a sofa in... those were the days!

No... the shopping trip is a bit of an annual ritual, a last fling of freedom before the school summer hols! More often than not it doesn't actually happen and nowadays the children are old enough so that I could go and leave them for a few hours anyway, but I would like to be able to do it without feeling I had abandoned them. I wanted to look in the sales for small presents for people but I could do that just as easily later in the year.

I will admit I can't go shopping without looking at clothes, but I have too many as it is so I ought to have a sort-out and get rid of the ones that don't get worn. I keep threatening them with ebay but never get round to it. We are quite short of space so I can't justify buying much nice stuff without getting rid of old stuff, even if I could afford it, which I can't. I now have two holey pairs of jeans, two very battered pairs of trainers, far too many tatty fleeces etc. I love them and they are comfy but I am facing the fact that I am hiding behind them and it's not helping my self-confidence, and if I want to look good I will have to do something about it.

So there.

miggy

Things to do for Mum:
buy hoover
buy paint
collect books and clothes
write to DCA and newsagents
send back dress she isn't keeping
order other dress/top/shoes for her

I don't know what else, that's enough for now.

Things to do here:
get rid of magazines
do some gardening
do some exterior paintwork
etc.

Hovel_lady

See - a list. No, 2 lists :rotfl:

miggy

Two lists... (sigh)... lucky me.

I have made a bit of progress today. I woke up early - sleep is a bit disturbed after coming off nights - so I got up and, taking advantage of off-peak electricity, started the washing machine, made a batch of marmalade which I said I'd do weeks ago and rather bewildered my eldest who never ever sees me around at 7.30 - by which time these jobs were well under way.

I was well into avoidance mode by late morning but I managed to get a few things sorted, paid Mum's paper bill and posted off the dress for her. I haven't got any further with the correspondence yet - in the land of frog eating that is a biggie. However, she has her library books now and a book she'd asked me to buy, and I remembered to take a notebook to keep track of what she asks me to do!

I did a bit of gardening and ironing at home so those two ongoing areas have at least not been neglected.

We have done well for frugal meals these last two days: yesterday I made a pasta bake using cheapy pasta and sauce, the remains of a tin of tomatoes, a fresh tomato, some odd sausages and smoked bacon from the fridge and some cheese on top. Everybody seemed keen though DH asked me not to tell him what I'd found in the fridge to put in it! Today's was corned beef hash which I haven't made in ever so long but I think it will make a come-back as it's cheap and popular.

DH has been telling me more about the prognosis for his job. It still looks as though it will stay much as it is into next year but cuts will then be made. I am trying to get my head round what a potential 20% less pay would mean, but if we get overdrawn on what we have now, I don't know where to start on that one. Mind you, some of the OD was due to emergency visits to parents over a period of about 15 months or so and we aren't having those expenses nearly as often now.

miggy

Another couple of small victories: I found DS2's missing trainer and in the process filled a carrier bag with odd shoes belonging to DD and removed 3 beautiful pairs of killer heels of hers to the safety of upstairs where they will not so easily be marmalised. I've also ordered slippers for Mum.

I don't know where the advert for the shoes she wanted has gone - there are just so many papers. Hope I can get a filing cabinet next time the auction's on.

miggy

It's morning and I feel more positive. Do I or don't I go on this shopping trip? I don't really need to, it's an indulgence in one way but planned shopping is better than last minute shopping. There are things to do here... I won't get the same chance for ages...

I have found the details for the shoes Mum wants and in doing so have sorted a heap of papers, many of which can go straight in the recycling. Result!

I will do the order then see how I feel.

miggy

Progress has been made and as you may gather I didn't go shopping! (Ahem! Not going anywhere fast till I find the belt for these jeans! I had three suitable ones only weeks ago - where are they?)

I have ordered Mum's shoes and what's more it came to 37p over the minimum to use an £8.81 voucher code found on here. :T:T:T I also found a pair I liked so have ordered for me - that's £19.99 which I guess I needed to spend to have something that will be suitable for work (I have to have sensible and supportive shoes and as I mentioned a few times, my trainers are coming to bits). If they don't suit they go back.

While in a shoes mood, I found three pairs of white canvas shoes belonging to assorted offspring and put them - shoes not offspring - through the washer with more powder than usual and a good dose of stain remover, but they are still very stained. DS said he had forgotten one pair that is his, and DD said 'Oh, those. Chuck them in the bin' but I am trying to save money and am going to try them with bleach followed, when dry, with shoe whitener.

I have also put the hot water on so I can clean up some of DD's sandals - I found about 15 assorted pairs of her footwear last night, not counting the odd ones, and they are mostly in need of a good clean. I tried so hard to get all my kids able to clean shoes when they were younger! We had an agreed scale of how much they got paid per type of shoe. DS sometimes cleans his work shoes but apart from that they would rather wear rags or buy new! As I'm not about to start paying them again, I'm going to set a good example and hope to inspire them by showing what you can do by actually looking after footwear.

I have just waved DD off on a weekend away so there is a bit of time in hand to impress her. :cool:

On a money-wasting front - I had to throw out a pint of milk that was turning. I only thought afterwards that it's supposed to be very good for making scones, if only I can track down how to treat it. I also left the hot water on far too long.

And a couple of potentially larger money-savers: for the last few years I've managed to adopt trainers that my kids outgrew. This is almost at an end now as they all have larger feet than I do, but I found some trainers that DS2 says are too small, and better still, he has let me have his old walking boots! I've never had proper walking boots - but to have these I have to get through the protective layer of mud! :rotfl:

There are two heaps of papers still spread on the hall floor which I am about to put away then I might meander into town to see if I can find shoe storage for DD's flatties. I haven't found a place to put it but even if it hangs over the back of a door, it's got to be better than an 18" deep layer of shoes all over the house...