Preparing for winter II

Confuzzled

Rainy-Days wrote: »

I miss my mum too, all the ways she cut her cloth to the household budget but made everything seem like a treat. I only realise now that she is gone how much she really did achieve and the legacy she left behind for me. I said only the other day that I am turning so much into her and maybe it being an off the cuff remark, was actually a compliment. I have in many ways taken over the mantle where she left off.

Confuzzled - my own mum had a very dysfunctional relationship with her mother.

sounds like you had an excellent relationship with your mother! one of the best things my daughter has ever said to me was during a discussion about how dirt poor we were when we moved back from the netherlands to the uk, just us this time as her dad and i had finally seperated completely.

we were pretty much living off fumes but she said she had no idea we were poor. i wept with joy that she didn't know. i've always been dead honest and told her if we just can't afford something but i've done my best to never make her worry about money. as a child it was always made very clear to me, in a negative fashion, just how poor we were so eventually i just stopped asking for anything at all by the age of about 8. the fact that she never realised just how bad it was even though she was old enough to figure it out if i'd let on about it at all makes me feel like i did a good job.

nowadays when things are going to be tight i give her a heads up, i also let her know if i think i can spoil us both a little and ask her what she'd like as a treat, this has worked very well for us both. since i work from home somedays i have to work really long hours so once again i'll warn her 'this is going to be a long day where i won't have a lot of attention to spare but i WILL be free on 'X' day so what would you like to do then' and again this has worked very well in eliminating any sense of being ignored. she is very accepting as long as i'm open with her.

as far as my mother goes, well she taught me how NOT to be a mother and whilst i wouldn't wish it on anyone it HAS taught me hard lessons that i won't have to repeat with my own child. i mean everyone knows the things we're supposed to do, the ones we shouldn't are usually learned the hard way.

she most certainly didn't teach me to be frugal, that came out of a desperate need to NOT live like i did as a child. regardless of how i came by it i'm handing down what i've learned to my daughter and she's taking to it well (to my great delight and relief!). just a few minutes ago she went to look out her slipper boots and a blanket. when i mentioned it's nippy in here she smiled and said 'yes it is but these will keep me toasty, no need for the heaters just yet, let's save the penguins a little longer'

we have had a story about penguins crying when people waste energy (in relation to global warming) when she was younger, at the time she understood that, now it's a wee joke between us

hope everyone is keeping cozy, accuweather has us at 13C but a real feel of 10C which i can believe i have both slippers and a blanket over my lap today!

Confuzzled

redlady_1 wrote: »

Oh and I now have a mega woodpile!

you sound like you're a very busy and determined woman, kudos to you!

and i'm jealous of your mega woodpile, and i don't even have a fireplace or wood stove anymore :rotfl:

seafarers_wife

got a few more bits from my list whilst i was out, and hopefully will batter through the rest of it this week.

curtains for bathroom windows? - not sure, will discuss with mum when she is up
sort out car kit (phone, charger, blanket, shovel)
tomato soup (i go through buckets of the stuff) still got plenty left so will see how i go and maybe buy more november time
5 x packs turkey mince - buy one extra each time i go to supermarket

Confuzzled

CH27 wrote: »

The neighbours already think i'm nuts:rotfl::rotfl:

doesn't stop me with mine :rotfl:

actually one thing i'm known to do is, if i do a load of wash and then it suddenly looks like rain is imminent i go race and put it out on the line anyway

reason being i KNOW that if its not the time of year i have the heat on it's not gonna get dry in the house before it starts to stink. if i put it out on the line whilst it's not raining then i'm not 'mad' and they will eventually get dry if i just leave them there, and they won't stink like they would if i left them for days to dry in the house

sanity is really overated anyway

tugrin

Kittie thats terrifying - I am fairly low in E Anglia but well away from the coast, however there is a river close by and we often have 'fords' across the roads to get out of the village. That timing is around the Equinox and its always blustery and wild then.
On a lighter note - hoo-flippin'-ray for Mr Aldi - thermal trews are absolutely amazing for 9.99 and yes I so wish I had bought 2 pairs!
DS came with me and gave me a very enlightening seminar upon the financial and eco-sense of buying grated cheese. His point is that it is the same price as the blocks per Kg and you have less mess therefore less waste (I always drop some and some sticks to grater) plus you dont haveto wash anything up (less energy) and you can freeze what you dont use thus meaning no nasty little green and grey blocks in the back of the fridge in 4 weeks time (he knows me wellmy son!) so thats what we did - 2 bags of mature and a bigger bag of mild which I am going to mix together and portion up for weekly use -well done the younger generation!!

rising_from_the_ashes

I've just had to raid a tin of soup out of my stock:(.

I don't particularly like tinned soup (which is why I've not got any in the "normal" cupboards) but I'm absolutely frozen.

Lounge is down to 14 Deg:eek: and I'm sitting with my foot elevated so can't move around to warm up (housework is usually great for this).

Can't get the *$)!*£%$£ thing wet either so going for a bath to warm up (my other usual trick) is also out:(.

(Have you ever tried to get into a bath and then stand on one foot with the other that you can't get wet sticking out and shower yourself & wash your hair? It's impossible.......)

Fruball

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

I've just had to raid a tin of soup out of my stock:(.

I don't particularly like tinned soup (which is why I've not got any in the "normal" cupboards) but I'm absolutely frozen.

Lounge is down to 14 Deg:eek: and I'm sitting with my foot elevated so can't move around to warm up (housework is usually great for this).

Can't get the *$)!*£%$£ thing wet either so going for a bath to warm up (my other usual trick) is also out:(.

(Have you ever tried to get into a bath and then stand on one foot with the other that you can't get wet sticking out and shower yourself & wash your hair? It's impossible.......)

My DD has a cast on her arm atm and the hospital gave us a leaflet for a company that does waterproof coverings for casts and dressings enabling you to bath or shower... After a hunt, I have found the info for you http://www.limboproducts.co.uk/

Hope that helps

[Deleted User]

tugrin pm sent

rising_from_the_ashes

Frugal - that's fantastic, thanks so much (they're a good price too which is great).

Having a bad day today, really fed up and could so do with a bath to warm up.

Off to order one now.....:)

mardatha

Ashes it is really cold today here as well. And we have no heating , new stove and boiler coming 17th Oct. Wish we had an indian summer !! Last of the swallows have gone, that always makes me depressed.