Living on next to nought - is that the key?

beanielou

Phone call sounds an excellent idea to me.
I got an Argos card the other week to buy a new laptop.
Interest free for six months.
Might be an idea?

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Beanielou - I hope you know how much your supportive and timely posts are appreciated. And I hope you get told it often by other 'diarists' on this forum. Thank you

Right phonecall made. "backlog, blah, blah, another 2 weeks possibly, blah, blah, only just processing paperwork dated the 15th, blah blah, don't you know how popular we are, blah, blah."

Dear archiemanofclothshop, the 'competition' takes a month to decide if they'll consider you for credit. Their rivals do it in '15 minutes'. By all means compete them out of the market place, drive them out of your temple, folk will still use them........

*sigh*.

I'd love to say that today was a NSD, but I managed to shoehorn in a haircut (nowt fancy - short back 'n sides stuff ), and I bought tinned potatoes (for an experiment), 2 bulbs of garlic and a box of eggs. I only have to get milk and bananas now to last us to the end of the month

For dinner we had soup and flatbreads, I'm sorry that I didn't take a photo, I wasn't feeling in the mood at that particular moment, but as it is something that I make regularly, I promise to photograph it and link to a version of the recipe, as a) it is nice b) it is filling and c) it is cheap :money:

Today has definitely been upsie and downsie, but definitely has erred toward upsie and I am smiling broadly < look, see I have so much to be thankful for, my life is blessed in so many ways - I won't bore you with a list, but please know, I am blessed.

Greying Towers has been in 'Lockdown' thinking mode for the past little while, we have come up with a plan b and a plan c to be investigated....... sod the corporate moneylend£rs, we'll find a river, a stone and some soapwort*..........:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Today, I am extremely grateful for these 3 things;

the unexpected - human beings are supposed to like certainty, but you know what, it is when the unexpected happens, that you truly find out what is what, who your friends are and how much inner resolve you can muster.

kindness - I hope you have experienced and benefited from kindness today. I have, and I am grateful beyond expression.....

that my troubles are minor - in the grand scheme of things, they are but gnat bites. There are folk contending with so much more than I am having to - which makes me grateful for the generous support that I receive from MSE'rs, may I never get complacent, nor take you all for granted. Thank you.

Well, sufficient wittering from me.

I'm away to Bedfordshire I think.

Thank you so much for popping by, reading, joining in and commenting. I do so appreciate it.

See y'all later.

Greying

* Pippi, how do we identify soapwort? :rotfl::rotfl:

7_week_wonder

Just popping in to give you a big hug and to reassure you that, as far as my little brain can tell, your logic and reasoning is completely sound. Which is more than can be said for the decision-making process of the credit card people - they definitely need a rocket somewhere useful.

Whilst I don;t know your parentals, from what I've read of them and from what I know about most parentals - I reckon they would be just the smallest bit miffed if they knew you were sitting at the lauderette (or contemplating rocks and soapwart;)) rather than asking them for a temporary fix to your washing problems. After all - isn't every mother's concern that no child of theirs should get run over wearing dirty underwear!!

Keep the diary coming - my recipe list has definitely expanded since I started reading.

Have a good Friday when it comes.

Upsidedown_Bear

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

I'd love to say that today was a NSD, but I managed to shoehorn in a haircut (nowt fancy - short back 'n sides stuff ), and I bought tinned potatoes (for an experiment), 2 bulbs of garlic and a box of eggs. I only have to get milk and bananas now to last us to the end of the month

Do tell us more

Pippilongstocking

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Good Evening :hello:


* Pippi, how do we identify soapwort? :rotfl::rotfl:

As you've asked so nicely I'll don my dusty seldom used ethnobotanical socks and tell you the biz on soap wort.

Its a bonnie we tenacious pink thing (Saponaria officinalis), out of season soon so you'd best be quick. As its in the carnation family - probably easier to find one lurking in a vase and test it out.

*other soapy flowers are also available*

Bracken
Horse chestnut
Soap lily (but that's over the pond, pardon the pun)
Ceanonthus - who'd have known.....:p
Yucca's which will also do as shampoo - how exciting.
Philadelphus - so many choices.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Quite a nice (and reputable) botanical link here

Maybe best to choose your species of choice and use it with a big rubbing rock down that river too.

:A

Thanks for asking, quite nice to find out something new, folks (including the newly returned sun tanned and freckled younglings) normally run if I get asked a botanical question on fear their ears bleed.

:T

Fortune_Smiles

Red Campion too. Just painted one and found out it can be used for soap when I did the research

Fortune x

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Morning, just wanted to stop by and thank you for a beautiful diary

Best wishes, Tilly x

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

oooh, so many visitors - Thank You for dropping in.

7 Week Wonder - I had so forgotten about the clean underwear/accident thing........ what a superb bargaining chip :rotfl::rotfl:(just kidding!) Thank you for your supportive comment - know that it is appreciated

Upsidedown Bear - ooh, I hope I've not made that sound more interesting than in fact it is. I think it was Jack Monroe that started the debate (actually, she was just doing her thing, other people started the debate), about canned versus fresh potatoes. Anyway, I read on either MSE, Jack's blog or maybe Frugal Queen, that someone said they used tinned pots for roasties. We're having pizza tonight, and normally we have HM wedges, but I've run out of 'fresh' potatoes, so I thought for 13p i'd give the tinned pots a go. So not really anymore exciting than that, I'm afraid. But I've only ever eaten tinned pots rewarmed out of the tin, so in their 'boiled' state IYSWIM. I'm happy to report back whether it works for me or not

Pippi - that's some list eh? Knew those stripey, ethonobotanical socks would provide the answer once donned I didn't know that all those other plants had soapy qualities. I love learning new stuff! Plus there is a super ceanothus growing just down the way...........:rotfl: Ooh, sun-tanned and freckled youngsters back in the homestead, :T

Fortune - I never knew that about red campion - I remember seeing waves of it on a walk earlier in the summer. I wonder whether the white campion is the same. Those are definitely flowers of my youth (Greying has a nostalgia moment.....)

Tilly - bless you and welcome. Thank you for leaving such nice post. Very kind I hope you drop in again.

Ah, well, snap boxes are packed up, and the day has started positively, and I have a smile on my face - what could possibly go wrong.........:rotfl:

Today should be a NSD. We are having Pizza for dinner - cheese and tomato most likely, although I've just looked at the size of the piece of cheese that is left and it'll be a slimmers pizza - cheese 'lite' :rotfl:I'm trying those tinned potatoes too. I'll also have to make sure I whip up a batch of buns for the snap boxes as the tin is bare

I was thinking about what Essex Hebridean and Piquant said about the 'sack cloth and ashes', way so not being any fun for the pursuer and those around them. I agree wholeheartedly, and this helps in trying to see what we can do to still make a holiday happen for ourselves - the incentive if you like. I'm glad that our caravan holiday is located in Britain, we are supporting a small family business (that does hire in local help), they heavily promote local businesses and attractions to their visitors. Whilst we take some of our own supplies, we have tracked down local farmers markets (the ones where the produce is straight from the field/hen coop and the prices are fair) and buy from them and we support local tea emporiums and visitor attractions where we can, through purchasing something or leaving a donation. So yes, we may not have much, but what we do have we try to share around for the benefit of the local community. But thank you EH and Piq for raising it, because it is too easy to think 'what can I cut out' before your think 'what can I do differently'. I don't want 'she was good at housework' as an epitaph - it'd be such an obvious lie that folks would come from miles around to point and stare :rotfl:

Thank you for joining in with me. Know that it, and you, are very much appreciated.

See y'all later folks.

Greying

Piquant_2

It's not necessarily about not spending money, it's not even about spending it wisely sometimes. It's altogether to do with getting balance. There is nothing wrong with having a latte, what is wrong is not enjoying it and mentally punishing yourself for having bought it.

So enjoy that holiday and don't beat yourself up if you can't prove that your metaphorical latte wasn't made in Britain by a self employed one legged gay badger!

Piq sneaks off somewhat embarrassed at having given a sermon when nobody asked for one:o

Fortune_Smiles

Piquant wrote: »

It's not necessarily about not spending money, it's not even about spending it wisely sometimes. It's altogether to do with getting balance. There is nothing wrong with having a latte, what is wrong is not enjoying it and mentally punishing yourself for having bought it.

So enjoy that holiday and don't beat yourself up if you can't prove that your metaphorical latte wasn't made in Britain by a self employed one legged gay badger!

Piq sneaks off somewhat embarrassed at having given a sermon when nobody asked for one:o

Hear hear. You know my philosophy - loaves and lillies Here's some Red Campion just for you Greying: