Frugal Living Challenge 2011 - Part 3.

SandraScarlett

I feel I've climbed Mount Everest with rocks on my back! On Monday, the head of "the team" phoned DSIL at work, berated him for not answering his home phone, when she had twice left messages that morning (he was at work), and said she felt it would be best if DD was discharged before Christmas.

Two weeks ago, the consultant had told me that he fully agreed with my plan of a couple of hours at home last Sunday, same this Sunday, bit longer on Christmas Day etc, with a view to discharge towards the end of January. And she'd completely ignored him!

Had a 2 hour meeting today at the hospital with DD and the doctors, consultant, care co-ordinator, ward manager, Home Team, and Uncle Tom Cobley.

I decided to let each of them make their statements, and then countered all that with the reality of it all. I used several multi-syllabic words, and flung "outside agencies", "holistic", "cohesive" and "extrapolate" into the conversation, and glory be, they agreed with my plan!! :j In fact, I was even asked if I'd worked as a nurse, as I was so knowledgeable!

DSIL thinks I should offer my services to sort out Europe! But you know what infuriates me? I'm listened to because I know what they want to hear, and can discuss everything calmly and rationally, no matter how much I'm seetheing inside. But what about the poor sods who don't have someone to champion their cause?

I know mental illness still has a dreadful stigma attached to it, and they are the poor relations of the NHS, but I'm fighting for DD to have a proper care plan when she is finally discharged. Strangely enough, though I'm knackered (off to another hospital with DH tomorrow), I was ridiculously thrilled today when not only was I offered a £15-off-first-shop from Waitrose, but they can deliver next Thursday. :T:T

So I don't have to battle through the crowds to get my fruit, veg and perishables - and delivery's free!!!! It doesn't get much better than that! So I'm still being frugal. I had £22.50 off my once-in-a-blue-moon shop at Ocado last week, and they're the delivery unit for Waitrose!

School finishes lunch time tomorrow, and then I have DGD from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm daily, so probably won't get much free time. DSIL usually works on a Saturday and was asked if he could work on Christmas Eve, and I told him that was fine by me.

So a Merry Christmas to one and all, may it be both frugal and jolly, and a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year, to everyone, and all your families.

xx

seriouslyfrugal

sandra : you take care & have a good xmas or at least a peaceful one well as peaceful as kids can allow :rotfl: it sounds to me like you know your stuff when it comes to dealing with the mental health team which is half the battle

rubytuesday

Well done Sandra!

I had a lovely afternoon visiting my eighty eighty year old first foster mother in Hemel Hempstead and sharing a bottle of wine!

You may remember her son traced me after forty odd years on Facebook earlier this year.

slowlyfading

Sandra - how lovely to hear from you I hope you have a restful christmas and enjoy the time with your family

ModestyB

Sandra, I hope you and your family have the Happy Christmas that you all deserve.

:xmassign:

slowlyfading

Hope everyone is having a good day today I've been to the post office this morning to post some christmas presents to family and friends - cost me nearly £8 to do so :eek: I also went into f@t f@ace and treated myself to a gorgeous jacket/cardi with some vouchers I got for my birthday, it's so snuggly warm and lovely going to enjoy wearing that over the holidays.

Trying to stay positive with regards to the job/money situation, and keeping tabs on everything. We don't have many more presents to buy and not much else needed, so for now, it'll be okay. We will need to get some food shopping this weekend but that's it!

I'm making curry using sainsbugs with their 17p curry sauce tonight as an experiment. I hope it tastes okay, as it'll definitely be a cheaper option in the future if it is. OH is very dubious about it though, so I guess we'll see.

Aril

Hello fellow frugallers:j
Good to see you again SS- do hope that your daughter gets the right care delivered as she needs for her sake and her family's. Mental health a has wide reaching impact not only upon the sufferer but also upon the support circle of family and friends. Without going into any details it is something I have extensive experience of.

Here at GBT all is going well- still finding excuses for not wrapping presents and not getting on with making decorations but have now made the cards and everything that needs to be posted has gone.

Actually I find Christmas helps me not to spend- I cannot abide the busy shops and the madness of it at this time of year so I deliberately avoid them like the plague. However, I will have to go next week for the final fresh food items. Boo hiss:rotfl::rotfl:

I find the basic curry sauce ok SF- I simply add apple to it and a few more sultanas. I use it for the base of the lentil curry I make in the slow cooker rather than using curry powder. I've worked out this week how to frugalise creme fraiche- I bought some cream cheese [Tesco value] seasoned it and added some mustard to half and a dash of lemon juice and lots of black pepper to the remainder [stretched it over two meals] and used it for mixing with roasted veg which I served with jacket pots and the leftover for mushroom stroganoff. Also have found that the net bags from satsumas are good for storing onions in the garage so can now buy the bigger value bags.

You must forgive me my little ideas- I don't get out much:D:D

Arilx

purpleorchid

evening all

hope you have all had a good day. well i have spent a bit in last 2 days, twice on soft drinks and choc, and then just when i though i was being good my friend called last with a few cans, not seen him for months so thought what the hell its xmas. so had 2 cans with him then he went, ended up going down shop and spending £3 on 3 cans and the £15.20 on cantonese that i put on my mastercard. gggrrr. but on the good side there was enough for me for dinner today as well, which was nice.
suppose i shouldnt knock myself though as i never go out and like i said it is xmas lol. new start completley in the new year. was late starting this year, but i have learnt so much now i am feeling much more confident that before i joined this form.

THANKS GUYS XXX
LUV PXX

dizzy_lizzie

purpleorchid wrote: »

suppose i shouldnt knock myself though as i never go out and like i said it is xmas lol. new start completley in the new year. was late starting this year, but i have learnt so much now i am feeling much more confident that before i joined this form.

We all need our little treats now and again and it sounds like it was a lovely evening. And because it doesn't happen often that's when we get to appreciate it the most. So you enjoy them purple

rubytuesday wrote: »

I had a lovely afternoon visiting my eighty eighty year old first foster mother in Hemel Hempstead and sharing a bottle of wine!

That sounds like one lovely afternoon Ruby :beer:

SandraScarlett wrote: »

So a Merry Christmas to one and all, may it be both frugal and jolly, and a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year, to everyone, and all your families.
xx[/QUOTE

Good on you Sandra for fighting for what you believe is right.
I hope 2012 is the year that finally becomes the turning point for you and your family.
You deserve to have a wonderful Christmas Sandra and a fabulous New year too.

Aril I love reading your posts. They're always full of little gems

lola good to see the relationship still going strong

I've got so much to do yet but can't get motivated. I think I spend more time hoizontal than vertical when I'm not at work! Went to the docs yesterday and I've got swollen glands :-(
On a frugal note I made some more handmade Christmas cards last night.Very simple felt ones but they look sweet.
Watched the Christmas superscrimper programme today. I'd love to try the raspberry liquer, that looked really nice, just a wee glass of course Wasn't that Lady Lesley that posted on here a few times?
So...I need to write a list and get ticking some things off, pronto.
Take care everyone
Warm hugs
x

JayneC

Hello all, like enjoygfinancialchallenges (I remember you ) I've not been around for most of the year, just read the last page I'm afraid so not sure what everybody is up to. SS you sound like a star, I too have erm... 'issues' shall we say with mental health services you go girl!! Hope all is well with you and yours over the hols.

Well been looking over my budget for the year - I have been completing my spreadsheet - and think I'm just about on budget overall although some categories need adjusting. Next years will be even tighter as I'm now only working part time so income now halved! I think I can cover the very basics ok but all non essentials will need to be covered by income other than wages, so need to be generating some extra income, from somewhere.

Will be back to catch up some more soon.

Take care all

Jayne x