Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - part 2

Edinburghlass_2

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Hosp appt tomorrow for MRI which I'm dreading, will need to be away from the house by 7 (I always seem to get early appts - good in that I get the rest of the day but it's a long way & I'm not great in the mornings so will need to be up about 5am:eek::eek::eek:).

Has anyone tried to make catnip from cat mint? I've some in the garden & my cats go nuts for the dry stuff - do I just pick the leaves, dry & crush?:question:

I meant to update you re my MRI brain scan at the Western. Having had the letter to tell me I was reassuringly normal I had a follow up appointment with the Neuro Consultant the other week and this young lad aged about 16 called me through for my appointment, turned out he was the Consultant with many letters behind his name :eek:

I thought it was just policemen that looked young :rotfl:

ceridwen

redglass wrote: »

My ISP has gone all weird so just testing to see if I can post.

I can see ya' :rotfl::D

tumptyteapot

seriouslyfrugal wrote: »

Thats great news tumpty did you know that if you are able to claim tax credits you can get the disability element but you do need to work for 16 hrs a week or more so this may give you somthing to look into ?

I do, I get working Tax credits and the lone parent weighting, I'm self employed, luckily as he was off school so much I could still work in the evenings, if I had a 'proper job' I would have been stuffed!
I can probably get carers allowance too but I think it is a bit of a nightmare to claim if your income is all over the place like mine is. We can manage on this now without the desparate struggle, we are not exactly flush, holidays won't be abroad for many years yet but at least we can afford to keep the car going and go camping :-)
There are all the knock on benefits with DLA too - the cinema card which means I only pay for one of us, and often free entry for me as his carer to museums etc. It lessens the blow when he just cant handle something and we have to leave after 10 minutes.

Aril

Hello fellow frugallers:j
All trotting along here nicely at Gnat Bottomed Towers- am off to do the final shop of the month but is looking hopeful that I might hit my GC target:D
No major news except we have a small mystery to solve- we bought 2 courgette plants from the nursery or so we thought. One is definitely a courgette but no idea what the other one is- the fruit seem to be round and yellow. It's quite a triffid already- hours of frugal fun:D
Great news about the DLA
Aril

rising_from_the_ashes

Edinburghlass wrote: »

I meant to update you re my MRI brain scan at the Western. Having had the letter to tell me I was reassuringly normal I had a follow up appointment with the Neuro Consultant the other week and this young lad aged about 16 called me through for my appointment, turned out he was the Consultant with many letters behind his name :eek:

I thought it was just policemen that looked young :rotfl:

:rotfl:I know that feeling well!:rotfl:

Finally got my MRI results - shows degeneration in my sacroiliac region - they're going to "monitor" just now & I've to keep "popping the painkillers".

Other bad news I had last Friday is that I'm definitely going to need surgery on my foot - dreading it as had it before and it was agony - much worse this time as I know what to expect.

Consultant said he'd add me to the waiting list and I casually asked how long (waited 10 months the last time & was expecting something similar) only to be told 9 weeks:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Having mini panic attacks everytime I think about it:( - got home today to the "official" on the waiting list letter - it says I go to the hospital with the shortest list not the one nearest me and that it could be in Glasgow.:eek:

Going to have to phone them tomorrow - I'd really struggle to get to ERI for 8am (admission) let alone try to get to Glasgow by then!

Ohhhhhh mmmyyyyyyyy :eek::eek::eek::eek:

redglass_2

Aril wrote: »

No major news except we have a small mystery to solve- we bought 2 courgette plants from the nursery or so we thought. One is definitely a courgette but no idea what the other one is- the fruit seem to be round and yellow.

Hi Aril
there are such things as round yellow courgettes, unless you've maybe got a squash plant instead? If so, I'm jealous: 2 of my 3 butternut squash plants were eaten by slugs because the weather was so wet and the third one is very far from attaining Triffidhood.

Poor Rising from the Ashes, you deserve a dodgy hug. :grouphug: Perhaps they will send an ambulance for you?

Edinburghlass_2

The health authority have their own taxi service you could enquire about. The sent me urgently from the Eye Pavilion to the Western and organised a driver for me at no charge as I had taken the bus into town so I would definitely check about that.

Hope you don't need to wait long wherever you go.

tumptyteapot

does anyone remember the website that has ideas for recipes that cost under x amount a week? All I remember about it was that there were lots of lentil and pulse recipes, sorry to be vague!

cw18

tumptyteapot wrote: »

does anyone remember the website that has ideas for recipes that cost under x amount a week? All I remember about it was that there were lots of lentil and pulse recipes, sorry to be vague!

guessing you mean this one?

rising_from_the_ashes

Edinburghlass wrote: »

The health authority have their own taxi service you could enquire about. The sent me urgently from the Eye Pavilion to the Western and organised a driver for me at no charge as I had taken the bus into town so I would definitely check about that.

Hope you don't need to wait long wherever you go.

Brilliant! Thanks, will definitely look into that.