Hello everyone, please help AuntieMabel on her mortgage free mission!

AuntieMabel

Today I have spent quite a lot but have got a lot for it.

MASSIVE trolley full at Aldi (I even had to carry some of it as the trolley was so full) for £82. When I used to shop at Mr M's it would have been around the £120 mark :eek:.

Bought DS1 a pair of Clarks shoes from an ebay shop for September (had his feet measured, then have gone up half a size from that). Shoes cost £25 plus £2.75 postage. They actually had an 'E' fitting in stock! Should really get a C or a D fitting but I don't think shoes that narrow exist in reality. Bit better than the trauma of shoe shopping for a child with very narrow feet, as I usually end up having to buy a pair that don't really fit and end up buying the insoles as well at a cost of £45+.

Still have other 2 DSs to get shoes for for September though . Nothing to fit them at a good enough price today. Will keep checking back. There's a chain of shoe shops called Blunts which have ebay shops and there are some great Clarks bargains to be had

Used my clubcard vouchers to order tickets for the 5 of us to Drayton Manor Park for when we're down in the Midlands in a few weeks time. My boys LOVE rides, but I HATE the price of theme parks . Will take a packed lunch, so effectively a free day out.

Was given one of those coin counting jars and I started putting 5 pences into it about a month ago. Already at £6! Amazing how quickly the little blighters add up

newgirly

Hi AuntieMabel, just caught up on some of your diary and wanted to say I'm sorry to hear the sad news about your cat.

AuntieMabel

Thanks newgirly,

I miss him and have lots of happy memories as he was such a good natured companion, and we'd had him for 16 years so it's difficult to remember him not being around. Interestingly, our other cat (a rather highly strung girl of about 6) is a lot more outgoing and vocal now she's on her own. Not that they ever fought, they just ignored each other but I wonder if she was always aware that he was 'top cat' and now she's acting like queen of her own territory?

Hmmm. Cat psychology - what makes the little beggars tick?? Someone could write a PhD thesis on that :rotfl:

AuntieMabel

Hi guys,

Have been so busy last few days with night shifts, allotment, housework, washing, feeding everyone etc etc

Allotment is coming on great. We've had a couple of setbacks like pigeons eating our cabbage leaves and rain flattening our courgettes, but things are growing!.Considering that we've only had it a few weeks and we thought this year would just be about preparation, we are delighted . Don't know how self sufficient we'll be next year in veg but it'll make some difference as some of it's bound to be a success!

Took a shirt back to TKMaxx this am that I bought for DS2 a few weeks ago. I had only washed it once and it had shrunk badly. He's a tall 10 year old and the shirt looked like it would've fitted a 5 year old! A few years ago I wouldn't have been bothered to take it back, but now I'm a MS freak and it was worth £12.99! The woman on customer services was a right old battleaxe - one of these older women who've been given a bit of power and act like Pol Pot. She started looking at the date I bought it (which was longer than 28 days) and I thought I was going to have to argue with her that as it was faulty it didn't matter that it was longer than 28 days, but she grudgingly gave me a refund

Also, another Boden top that I had bought for my holiday in Menorca had come apart and needed stitching back together. I don't buy Boden very often at all cos it's so expensive but what I have had from there has been great and I expect it to last. So I emailed their customer services and they've refunded £22.50 and sent a free postage label for me to send it back!! Again, a few years ago I wouldn't have bothered.

This means that I think the only clothing I've only bought for myself this year are a Boden summer dress and a Fat Face fleece (both were reduced with offers) as I sent another top back to Boden as it shrunk. This is a little wager I have made with myself for the last couple of years - not to buy loads and loads of cheap clothes that I don't need, but buy 2 or 3 things that will last, and wear what I have got as I have got plenty of clothes. It's amazing what new combinations of my own clothes I've discovered :D

Electrician FINALLY coming tomorrow to put the sockets and switches on the new kitchen, then I will post a final tally and some pics.

Ayeshalush

[QUOTE=AuntieMabel;45209760

Allotment is coming on great. We've had a couple of setbacks like pigeons eating our cabbage leaves and rain flattening our courgettes, but things are growing!.Considering that we've only had it a few weeks and we thought this year would just be about preparation, we are delighted . Don't know how self sufficient we'll be next year in veg but it'll make some difference as some of it's bound to be a success!

I've been picking raspberries (getting loads this year:D) and lettuce leavestoday. That's all I've managed to grow in my wee gardenthis year, but it is just so nice to get, what feels like, free food and have the satisfaction of knowing that you grew it yourself (not that raspberries take much looking after, thankfully:o - I'm not much of a gardener).

Electrician FINALLY coming tomorrow to put the sockets and switches on the new kitchen, then I will post a final tally and some pics.[/QUOTE]

Can't wait to see your pics, I just love new kitchens! Has it inspired you to cook more and spend mopre time in there than usual?


A
xx

AuntieMabel

Just updating signature - that's the bit that makes it all worthwhile isn't it?

Kitchen is definitely inspiring me to cook more, love being in there pottering about. Noticing the effects of all my cooking round the waistline though

Money seems to be haemorrhaging from our account this month - nothing exciting, just bits and bobs that we need as well as all the usual stuff. I bought some new holdalls for going down to stay with friends in Suffolk next week which we desperately needed; a collapsible roof box for the car as we have a much smaller, more fuel efficient car (to help us to be MF) than last time we went away so now can't get so much stuff in the boot; new school shoes and trousers for DS1 for September; plus various school trips, cubs and scouts subs.

Will manage an OP this month but will be much smaller than the last few months have been. Better than nothing though

Lois_E

You OK AuntieMabel? You've not been around for a while. Hope everything's all right.

AuntieMabel

Hi guys,

I am back

Had a lovely 8 day, 3 location holiday last week. Ended up driving 950 miles but had a great time. Started by driving down to Suffolk to stay with friends for 4 days, then 2 nights Travelodge (£15 room sale rooms!) in the midlands - we went to Drayton Manor theme park with Mr T clubcard vouchers, then 2 nights in Coalport youth hostel near Ironbridge where we visited a lot of the Ironbridge museums again courtesy of Mr T. We had packed lunches or supermarket sandwiches/meal deals everyday and took our own breakfast stuff for the travelodge and youth hostel, so all in all quite MS too. . We ate out everynight after we left out friends' house and had lots of ice creams but we were on holiday! We were very lucky with the weather too, not a drop of rain and very warm. Living in the north east by the coast I forget how much warmer the rest of the country is!
We bought a fold up roof box for the car and it was a real success. Big enough to hold 2 big holdalls and assorted oddments easily, and it's now folded up back in its bag stored in the cupboard under the stairs. We downsized from a MPV to a saloon earlier this year to save money on petrol but obviously sacrificed the luggage room, we don't have a garage to store a rigid roof box so this is the ideal compromise.

Since we've been back it's been a bit hectic. Catching up on food shopping, washing etc and my sister in law visited with her 2 girls yeaterday. Luckily it was sunny so we went to the beach, glad she didn't come today as it has persistently rained all day
But the single most exciting thing since we've been back is that we've chosen our 2 new kittens . They are now 7 weeks old and are absolutely adorable. I could quite easily have taken all 6! We have chosen a black male with lovely long white whiskers, and a grey and black stripey one currently of indeterminate sex - and me a nurse too:o. Am sure all will become clear in time. We should be bringing them home in the next 2-3 weeks, the boys are so excited. I have reminded them that they'll have to give our other cat lots of fuss too so she doesn't feel too left out.

I have read all of your diaries to catch up but haven't commented as I haven't had time, but I'm back up to speed with what everyone's been up too

CathT

Good to have you back and I'm glad you had a good holiday and the weather was kind to you! You did a fair bit of travelling didn't you!

The cats sound adorable.

cha97michelle

Welcome back. Sounds like you have had a lovely break. The kittens sound lovely.