make do and mend for tougher times

prepareathome

Possession as others have said take your time, you are more important than an untidy house.

Does anyone take Echinacea to help with viruses and as a boost. I have used it for family and dogs for years at first sign of anything and for us anyway it helps by either stopping whatever developing or helps it go quickly.

Also from now we take zinc 15mg one week on, one week off to boost immune system unless we are ill then take it for a few weeks. Vit C also.

Hugs and Love to all xxxx

emalou88

I made it home without getting wet yay!
Got rid of the car as the insurance, petrol etc is a joke. Husband does have a car as he has to have one to get to work. I do fine without one just sometimes get a bit wet Hoping to get a bike when we move - saved £2 coins up and now I have enough for a decent one, just need a shed or garage to put it in

I've done alright without a microwave upto now and I've lived here 5 years now without one. I just thought for defrosting, warming up milk and poridge and yes heatbags too it might good. Not to mention jacket potatoes - I hate putting the oven on for the sake of one potato, as I can't always fill the oven up cooking other stuff all the time!

SpikyHedgehog

valk_scot wrote: »

Finished 95% of the chores, sorted out the dinner and am now waiting for DD to come home from school so I can shove a snack in her mouth as she changes and then get her to hockey practice. She loves hockey and the local area cluster team gets a grant from the council so it's practically free but it's a horribly tight turnaround on Mondays. And it's only an hour, hardly worth coming home while she's there. Sometimes I go to the post office if I have parcels, or the dump which is also nearby but just as often I sit in the car by the pitch and have a snooze for an hour. Or do some knitting or read a book. Little pleasures....

ETA: Just realised how terribly snobby hockey sounds and as if I'm one of these terribly posh parents sitting cheering on young Jemima from the hood of the Landrover, lol. Perish the thought...council team run on a shoestring budget and me and my six year old Mondeo estate. Once we went to a tournament and they nearly didn't let DD play because she wasn't in regulation shorts, I ended up taking a somewhat outgrown pair of black joggers out the CS bag in the back of the car and cutting them down to shorts with the scissors in my knitting bag, lol. Jemima would have died of embarrassment....

Lol, now if you'd said lacrosse we'd know you were snobby Joking! But I don't know anyone who plays lacrosse, I've only read about it in girls school stories. My baby sister (in her early 30s) have played netball since primary school and still plays now. DS1 loved hockey at high school, but the local teams do seem rather richer than I am...

MrsCD wrote: »

Fuddle - pleased your day went well :T We all knew you were the right one for the job!

Valk - some people will never be content however much they have. The best things in life really are free! Have a look and see if you agree...

http://www.marcandangel.com/2008/03/23/the-30-most-satisfying-simple-pleasures-life-has-to-offer/

What a great link, thank you, MrsCD.

emalou88 wrote: »

Thank you

It's quite cold and dreary here today - that big black cloud isn't looking good either, should make the walk home from work interesting I'll be able to warm up at home with cups of tea and blankets.

What is everyones thought on microwaves? We currently don't have one due to lack of space in a tiny flat, but we are hoping to move in the next couple of weeks into a rented house - with a seperate kitchen and a lot more work space to put one.

Possession take care of yourself, it's never nice to feel under the weather. I've been very lucky and can't remember the last time we got a bug or a cough/cold etc.

Welcome, emalou. You've had a rough year ((emalou)).

I've got a microwave... I'd quite like to get rid of it, but DS1 (16 years old) does love it for quick cooking. I'd look out on freecycle or watch out for sales, I wouldn't buy 1 full price.

jem132

Hello iv had a bit of a productive day today dh gave a lift to a friend and picked up 2 of his mates they all gave him £5 each I said how nice that's our Halloween sorted so we went charity shopping for something suitable I found a dress 3x too big for £2 was so chuffed I am gona adapt it to a witch's dress got a hat dh gona make me broom got a hat for 80p and I am done kids are both goast just white sheets dh an old man all sorted bathed the dog teas in slow cooker I am going to clean from top to bottom tomoz and make Xmas cakes dh is off work on holiday all week but he's got man flu x

Possession

prepareathome wrote: »

Possession as others have said take your time, you are more important than an untidy house.

Does anyone take Echinacea to help with viruses and as a boost. I have used it for family and dogs for years at first sign of anything and for us anyway it helps by either stopping whatever developing or helps it go quickly.

Also from now we take zinc 15mg one week on, one week off to boost immune system unless we are ill then take it for a few weeks. Vit C also.

Hugs and Love to all xxxx

Thanks PAH and hope you are OK. I did ought to be taking vitamins, but really until DH finds another job I didn't ought to be buying any. I still have vitamins for the children from Tesco clubcard glitches a couple of years ago, and I have prescription vitamin D I keep forgetting to take, although I notice it's nowhere near the strength I think Mar recommended.

I may be imagining it but I think the Tesco Value microwave gets good reviews and is cheap. I noticed there was one for sale on our local Facebook selling page too, so worth a look there and Freecycle/Freegle.

It must really be Autumn, my Japanese maple - the only thing in a pot I have managed not to kill - has gone bright red. Looks gorgeous.

ginnyknit

Possession, I agree with every one take baby steps, set yourself a do-able task then sit and look at what you have achieved

VJs mum, have a tray ready to catch any water thats hangin about when you take the rads off, theres always some lying in wait for you :rotfl:

Emmalou, welcome to the madhouse, Im sure you will find lots of useful stuff on here, but remember never have a mouthful of liquid when readin posts as you will howl laughing and end up with a messy keyboard ...go on ask me how I know...vimto kills keyboards..

getting ready for Oh's Op tomorrow, hoping really really hoping its as simple as it appears and we wont be sat around waiting for hours as he gets very stressed.

I got free knickers from M$s today had a gift card in my purse and thought there was about £1.50 on it - no £7.50 :j:j so got handcream for Mums Christmas hamper for 50p. Im so happy :j

tryingtobethrifty

prepareathome wrote: »

Does anyone take Echinacea to help with viruses and as a boost. I have used it for family and dogs for years at first sign of anything and for us anyway it helps by either stopping whatever developing or helps it go quickly.

Also from now we take zinc 15mg one week on, one week off to boost immune system unless we are ill then take it for a few weeks. Vit C also.

Hugs and Love to all xxxx

I don't but I'll look into it now, thanks. I'm actually on the laptop to look up Vitamin D (as always ended up on here for a nosey:o). Deficiency has been linked to lots of things (MS being in our family) and my neurologist said no-one above Birmingham will get enough in the winter months. As we're WELL above Birmingham we will need some and she was suggesting quite high doses. For those who can get Healthy Start you can get Vit D prescribed free if pregnant/breastfeeding/children under 5 etc.

http://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthy-start-vouchers/healthy-start-vitamins/
______________________
My microwave died and we never replaced it and never missed it, but friends think we're weird not having one:rotfl:

Welcome Emmalou x

valk_scot

I bought a Tesco Value microwave when our old one died and we were planning to get the kitchen remodelled. It was another three years before the kitchen work did get done and the cheapy microwave worked just fine all that time. It's currently at a niece's flat, she's had it for two years now. I think it was about £17 back then so it was a very worthwhile buy.

Free pleasures in life? One of the kids coming home with a big grin on their face to tell me about a sucessful day. Or when they step forwards and display good manners or generosity with no prompting from me or their dad. When the cats come into bed in the morning for a stroke and cuddle. When Mad Kitten stops being mad and falls asleep on my shoulder like the toddler he is. When the sun is shining and I go out into the garden and the first strawberry is ripe, or a rose has opened, or the bird feeders are alive with enthusiastic little garden birds. And when a friend at my crafts group presented me with a lovely crocheted throw she'd made for me, just out of the goodness of her heart.

Unexpected money is good too though. I found £40 in an old handbag I'd not used for a year. I was thrilled! And someone sent me a completely unexpected expenses cheque for an event I'd demo-ed at purely to get publicity for my own group.

Possession

Fingers crossed for OH tomorrow Ginny. I'll be thinking of you both. remember your cushion for the horrible seats!
My ebay curtains arrived today for the French doors - they are rather thin but better than the nothing which is there now. Plus they only cost £6. So I've decided tonight's task will be to clean around that area and tomorrow's will be to get them up (and get the stupid pressure rod thingy to actually stay up).

VJsmum

I bought Vit D today - I am 15 miles above Brum so definitely don't get enough I think it made a difference last year so decided to do it again. I can feel myself getting the winter blues already - the thought of 6 months till any glimpse of summer

Mar - is it 3000mu you take? Mine are 1000 each which seemed to be the max they do. Not cheap though.

Stew is on for tomorrow - chicken stock (bleurghh - chicken bits all over the worktop when the newspaper split as I put the remains of carcass and veggie bits in!! :eek: DD - a veggie - was nearly sick!!), onion, celery, carrot, leek some soup mix, the dregs of the ketchup bottle (nothing goes to waste here!), potato. Hmmm what else can i shove in?

About to make "cake of the week" for lunch boxes - Lemon and elderflower. Might make some Twinks too.

I love Monday!