13 Moons ... ( *** Off, I'm Fabulous )

Karmacat

I like snooty too! For comparison's sake, open one tab on waitrose and the other on tatco - you can do it on mysupermarket, but it doesn't quite get it for own brands ....

You're so close now! I love the way you keep such tight tabs on your money, I know its a case of needs must, but you have an ingenious way of doing it - tho poor DD, being strangled by her collars

This is your day today, isn't it Lula? Hope its nice.

Shoe_Gal

Just popping in to say 'hi' and wish you a fab weekend :j

Lula-Hula

Thanks guys for all the support & encouragement :A,

I can feel you all willing me on & it actually makes me a bit tearful at times & I hope you all realise just how bloomin marvellous you all are & that I couldnt do this without you all.

You're all so F****** Fabulous & I appreciate each & every one of you - lurkers & occasional dipper inners too

Enough of the melodrama, we have business to discuss.

Yes Karma, it is indeed MY day today, & as the school are having an inset day, I kindly shared it with DD. A while back I mentioned that we should do something fun on this day ... well if you can call a trip to Tatco fun then I guess she had it :rotfl:. Hey, I'm not totally mean, I let her drive the trolley at times & also use my phone calculator to add up as we went round - very handy that was too & it was only about £ 7 out at the end & that's because an itme was reduced but we didnt know.

The total figure is horrific & I'm afraid my plans not to do a big stock up went awry as a lot of the stuff was either bogof or on offer. I declined our usual giant box of washing powder at £10.21 :eek: as we still have plenty at home ... but when we came across the whoopsie shelf there was a box, all taped up with brown tape & a bit squashed but at just £6 I muttered to DD that I was 'having i't & she merely looked ashamed as I sweetly [STRIKE]elbowed[/STRIKE] excused my way to the bottom shelf while everyone else was ramming their trolleys with the food

We found a couple of nice school shirts for her at £8 the pair & a fab pair of trendy school shorts that she fell in love with also at £8 , except it turns out they were reduced so only £2.25 . I also bought her a pretty new notebook for writing stories in as a thank you for helping.

You may have noticed I'm trying to avoid mentioning the actual total ... so brace yourselves because it was £120.48 :eek:. I know I felt quite ill & were it not for the danish cinnamon whirl that fought its way into the trolley & then leaped down my throat I would probably have fainted.

However, that includes the school clothes, notebook, new mascara for me & all the household items too, most of which will last until the next giant shop there in 3 months time, as I explained to her royal daughterliness as we left. " Ugh, so soon ?" was her reply :rotfl:

Total spend = £ 120.48 of which ...

DDs stuff = £13.50
Household & toiletries = approx £ 45
Groceries = approx £ 62.

With the cars rear axle in danger of buckling we lurched into the fuelling station & I filled its tank to the brim for £37.81p.

Well, I've already done £105 of the £120 - £130 budget I agreed with myself only yesterday. Oh dear, this could be a bit tricky .

Clearly, fuel is not going to be counted in the same budget, so will just have to find some other way of working that into the months budget :think:

Souk - I came to the same conclusion as you re the weekly shop for food but although we have a local co op within walking distance & it does have good bargains, the household & cleaning section is tiny & rarely has offers on.

You'll be very pleased to hear that I bought loads of stuff to make slow cooker meals with, including value tinned tomatoes :shhh: We have loads of stuff in stock now & the plan is to just do weekly top ups when necessary.

Hell, gotta run to collect DD back later with more plans ...

Lula-Hula

Good morning,

I never got around to a return visit yesterday as I got waylaid by dreadful things like Benders . For some reason DD has managed to convince me that we should watch it together at 10 when she comes home from guides. I then decide to watch the lovefilm dvd whic was The Lovely Bones. I read this a while ago & although it is very distressing in parts I did enjoy the book.

I was really impressed with the film and spent a long time this morning explaining it to DD. She was curious when it arrived & keen to watch it too but although it's a 12 rating & she is a grown up 11 I've decided against it for now, & told her she should wait another couple of years.

Plans for today involve getting washed & dressed, going to the allotment to meet other for a conference. 2 of the other allotmenteers have also had to quit so as this just leaves the 2 original members, who have decided to just keep their original plot & give the second one back to the community, meaning someone else on the 5 year waiting list can have a go . The fruit trees & bushes on the plot are to be tranplanted elsewhere & for a donation to their funds I'm keen to have one or two of them .

As much as I did enjoy going there occasionally when the weather was nice, I dont miss the commitment or having to pack the car up, drive there & unpack etc. It added an hour to the time spent & made me very cranky. It was never really a democratic allotment anyway as 'someone' was very bossy which riled me. A lot .

Being a rather selfish person who has already considered the loss of free manure supplies as a pitfall to leaving, I will be offering occasional help in return for some fabulous horse poop .

Still reeling from the Tatco shop,but I did manage to get the hoovering & 2 laundry loads done yesterday & cleaned out the fridge, freezer & empty cupboard which was very pleasing.


The Get It Done List :

3 more laundry loads to complete
Ironing
Wash down all surfaces
Wash all floors
Stake my claim on allotment fruit trees
Bake some cakes to use up eggs
Make a cheesy potato pie
Finish my book
Take DD to cinema
Email Aunt
Update expenses spreadsheets
Prepare ingredients for slowcooker supper on monday
Do a complete yoga dvd ( leg still very painful so no high energy leaping about type exercise)
Sort through shoe collection

Best get up then

boredofbeingathome

Your day sounds a lot like mine did- i just have upstairs to finish and two more loads of washing to do tonight. I want to get out walking tomorrow if i can.

Karmacat

You've been busy! Lula, can you catch me up on the allotment? You shared an allotment and now you've given up your section to concentrate on your own garden? Makes sense to me - you have to use your own garden to the full before you start to go for an allotment ... as you say, the travel can be horrendous, it might be different if it was over the fence.

Hope you've got *lots* done today as well. but fancy telling DD the plot of a film and then telling her that she can't watch it for another couple of years :rotfl::eek::rotfl:

Lula-Hula

Lula-Hula wrote: »

The Get It Done List :

[STRIKE]3[/STRIKE] 2 more laundry loads to complete
Ironing
Wash down all surfaces
Wash all floors
[STRIKE]Stake my claim on allotment fruit trees[/STRIKE] DONE
[STRIKE]Bake some cakes to use up eggs[/STRIKE] DONE
Make a cheesy potato pie
[STRIKE]Finish my book[/STRIKE] DONE
Take DD to cinema
[STRIKE]Email Aunt [/STRIKE] DONE
[STRIKE]Update expenses spreadsheets[/STRIKE] DONE
Prepare ingredients for slowcooker supper on monday
Do a complete yoga dvd ( leg still very painful so no high energy leaping about type exercise)
[STRIKE]Sort through shoe collection[/STRIKE] DONE

[STRIKE]Best get up then[/STRIKE] DONE

Ok then, I've achieved a few things today, but mostly the fun stuff :whistle:

It was bitter at the allotments, the wind gave me earache & they looked barren & a bit eerie as no one else was there. I've chosen to adopt & rehome a plum & a pear tree & will also take a few cuttings off the rosemary as mine seems to have died . I was expecting to feel a bit of a pang of regret about leaving, but instead it just confirmed that I'd made the right decision.

The route there is the most irksome ever & then Goblin arrived & started issuing orders; hurrying me along saying there was no point hanging around if we werent working there, & again I recognised that while she now manages being amicable at work, & we do share some green & eco views, we are very different creatures & to keep the work relationship pleasant, I need to not be bossed about by her at weekends.

On the way home we stopped off at the garden centre to look at seeds. It took ages to find them as it now resembles a department store rather than a garden centre. We had to walk past the oak furniture dept, the fine china & glassware dept, the overpriced kitchen wares dept ( cookie cutters at £2.49 each :eek:), the candles, the ceramic handmade clocks, the woodburner concession, the book store, the cafe, the cards, clothes, outdoor furniture & eventually in a dark corner behind the pet foods we found a small section of seeds.

Ridiculous place :mad: I used to go there as it was an independent garden centre, rather than one of the chains, but I'm not in a rush to go there again. If I want that sort of array of goods, I'll go to Debenhams.

I did spot some very nice salad planters that would sit on the surface should the garden soil prove to be too rooty for growing use. I need some warmer weather to have a good dig though & am getting quite keen to start. Have no idea when to start planting anything yet so need to spend some quality time with my books & make notes.

Still have lots on my G.I.D list - mostly nasty stuff so will be up early tomorrow & having finished my book have no excuses for lounging about.

Sorting through my shoes was not as scary as I thought. I still love each pair & the black gladiator sandals I didnt want have found a new home with DD . I nearly wept over the shimmery red patent wedges & am determined to learn to wear them without acknowledging the pain.

I dont need any more shoes, boots, sandals or flip flops. This does not meant that I will end the year with the same amount as when I started, but I will try hard. Really I will, honest

ETA - Karma - you posted while I was still typing. I told DD she couldnt watch it when the film arrived due to the content. She insisted on knowing what happened as she remembered me having the book & also what it was about - always reads the blurb on the back. We do tend to discuss our books with eachother ( I have to admit my mind just wandered off for a lie down when she was telling me all about Twilight though )

Karmacat

So, not cruel and unusual punishment then! didn't think it was

It *really* sounds like you've made the right decision in giving up the allotment - and well done on the sorting shoes too! Our lives are definitely getting more ordered....

Shoe_Gal

He, he - don't try too hard - what is a life without new shoes

Lula-Hula

Shoe_Gal wrote: »

He, he - don't try too hard - what is a life without new shoes

I quite agree

I do need to stop buying things without trying them on first though as that's just a waste of money when I have to return them :mad:.

Today it's bright & sunny here but it looks as though it's evilly (SP?) cold out.

I've done the final washload & all the ironing so we have wardrobes full of lovely fresh clean stuff. I of course, will only be wearing the same 10% as I've not lost enough size to wear the other 90%.

Weigh in tomorrow & I dont expect much loss, but now that January is nearly over & done & we have proper tasty food in the house rather than just cheap stodge, I expect to make more progress. Still need to fit that workout in today, not sure when but am overdue for some exercise.

I'm sat here with a very fetching sumo style top knot while the dye does it's magic on the 'neutral' bits .

Then need to wash all the surfaces & floors, get dressed, & head for cinema. Will complete the cooking & prep for slow cooker when we return.

Having a bit of trouble editing my list, cant seem to quote the quote for some reason ?

I also need to double check my figures for the Tatco shop as when I categorized them all into Groceries, Household, Toiletries, Cosmetics, Clothes etc, it didnt all add up properly :mad:.

Need to turn the bathroom into an abbatoir lookalike now, back later ...