A Singularly Lonely Christmas

LavenderBees

MummyBobble wrote: »

My (new) boiler stopped working (again) on New Years Eve. Switched the controls on and off several times, nothing. Fiddled with the thermostat, nothing. Decided to leave it for a while (not sure why I thought that would help..) Back to the controller in the airing cupboard and I spotted a white plastic square with a green button that I didn't remember being there before. Hmm, now a bit of a dilemma - to press the button or not to press? :eek: Having spent at least ten minutes with my finger hovering over it I decided to go for it :eek: It worked! We had hot water and heating again :j I'm guessing it must be some sort of reset button, wish they'd told me about it when they installed the new boiler.

From an MSE point of view I saved I saved a days worth of heating costs :rotfl:

I left home at 17 and moved into a bedsit without a clue about anything. After a week I realised I needed an iron so went shopping. Stood in front of a display of irons a helpful young sales assistant came over and asked if he could help. Me "I'm looking for an iron", him "Dry or steam?", me "One that you plug in..." Even without much confidence, and a distinct lack of knowledge regarding all things DIY and technical, I've managed to get by (sort of), there's hope for us all :beer:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Just back from lottie and trying to thaw out - beautiful sunny blue skies here but freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing. Harvested some leeks, so going to make leek and potato soup for lunch. :T

moneyistooshorttomention

MummyBobble wrote: »

My (new) boiler stopped working (again) on New Years Eve. Switched the controls on and off several times, nothing. Fiddled with the thermostat, nothing. Decided to leave it for a while (not sure why I thought that would help..) Back to the controller in the airing cupboard and I spotted a white plastic square with a green button that I didn't remember being there before. Hmm, now a bit of a dilemma - to press the button or not to press? :eek: Having spent at least ten minutes with my finger hovering over it I decided to go for it :eek: It worked! We had hot water and heating again :j I'm guessing it must be some sort of reset button, wish they'd told me about it when they installed the new boiler.

I can sympathise with that comment.

Having just had a new boiler and house thermostat/controls fitted, they clearly had no intention of telling me how to use those controls and I had to ask them several times and phrase questions very specifically to (just about) get told how to operate the system:mad:. Managed to get the information out of them in the end...but it did feel a lot like getting blood from a stone.

Wasn't very happy about one comment about "Just read the instructions". Oh yeah...when they were (badly) translated from another language and hadn't been put that clearly in the original language I thought.

...and as for getting them to tell me how to adjust the boiler pressure if it went wrong on me:eek:. Anyone would have thought I wanted them to change their will in my favour...judging by how difficult it was to get that information out of them....

I was determined I wasn't going to be at risk of having to call them out several times a year (judging by how often the boiler in my last house lost pressure) and persevered. Blow the fact they clearly wanted me to have to call them out...

Managed it in the end.....:)

BookWorm

LavenderBees wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Just back from lottie and trying to thaw out - beautiful sunny blue skies here but freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing. Harvested some leeks, so going to make leek and potato soup for lunch. :T

Hiya LB :wave:

Well done for getting out and about. I've yet to set foot outside. Trying to muster the motivation to go outside to put recycling into the bin so I can reclaim my kitchen worktop... but I'm def in procrastination mode today

BookWorm

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I can sympathise with that comment.

Having just had a new boiler and house thermostat/controls fitted, they clearly had no intention of telling me how to use those controls and I had to ask them several times and phrase questions very specifically to (just about) get told how to operate the system:mad:. Managed to get the information out of them in the end...but it did feel a lot like getting blood from a stone.

Wasn't very happy about one comment about "Just read the instructions". Oh yeah...when they were (badly) translated from another language and hadn't been put that clearly in the original language I thought.

...and as for getting them to tell me how to adjust the boiler pressure if it went wrong on me:eek:. Anyone would have thought I wanted them to change their will in my favour...judging by how difficult it was to get that information out of them....

I was determined I wasn't going to be at risk of having to call them out several times a year (judging by how often the boiler in my last house lost pressure) and persevered. Blow the fact they clearly wanted me to have to call them out...

Managed it in the end.....:)

That is so frustrating when workmen (work people?) do that. :mad:
But well done you for figuring it out :T

I know that when I bled my radiators last year for the first time and then topped up the pressure on the boiler, I was so pleased with myself lol :rotfl:

moneyistooshorttomention

Not so much "figuring it out". More like having to fire a series of questions at them. "How do I do this?", "How do I do that?" etc.

The one bit of figuring out was when they mistakenly told me the moon symbol meant "night time". It didn't. It meant "off session" (which might or might not actually be during night-time hours)

(:p in their direction......).

EDIT: In fact I think it would be useful for us all to work out exactly what how-to details we need to know on anything we have done in our homes because of the high likelihood (in my experience) of the relevant workman trying to leave the second they've finished installing the item without having instructed us how to operate it before they go. I suspected they would try not to spare the 10 minutes to tell me, so I'd got my list of specific questions worked out in advance for them (fair enough I felt...as I had noticed that they had spent rather more than 10 minutes doing something wrong/realising they had/putting it right).

Need2bthrifty

I also had an issue with my boiler losing pressure; luckily it was due for a service but have to say I was somewhat surprised when the engineer emerged from his van with a length of tubing, a foot pump and asked for a bucket of water :huh:

It’s also a lovely sunny cloudless day here, got a bit of a shock when I went out to the recycling dump and temp registering 3 degrees…..brrrr.

I’m beginning to think that I treat supermarket shopping more of a social activity/cheer myself up with a treat kinda thing, rather than a necessity – I’ve been joining in the Fiscal Fast thread and really surprised myself at how disciplined and creative I’ve been with what I’ve got in stock; managed 9 days in a row so far and only spent £2 odd from my monthly budget :A . Determined to get to mid-week before I spend again, although I envisage some rather unusual combinations creeping into the menu over the next few days - but then there's only me to please .

A positive - rather than shopping I’ve been out walking more :j.
A negative – on yukky days boredom drives me to playing stupid games on Face(ache) – putting a stop to that this week though, time to get back into the diy = spare room needs freshening up and I have some paint leftover from projects completed last year, only need to de-clutter first, off to start that now.

Byatt

N2bT, I definitely use shopping/eating as a social activity/treat to cheer myself up. but like you so far I have spent very little this year, am eating what I have, in all its glorious incarnations, sometimes it looks dog rough, but always (usually) tasty. My budget is going to be £30 pm :eek: not including cat food. I've just worked out my annual income/outgoings and on paper I should be able to save something. If I go to the SM, I pick up bits and pieces I don't need, and £20 is gone before I know it. I still have some vouchers from surveys so should be able to get through Feb ok...

I find the evenings are the worst for finding something to occupy me. So I tend to eat. Trying to distract myself with games of solitaire. :cool:

LavenderBees

BookWorm wrote: »

Hiya LB :wave:

Well done for getting out and about. I've yet to set foot outside. Trying to muster the motivation to go outside to put recycling into the bin so I can reclaim my kitchen worktop... but I'm def in procrastination mode today

I seem to have ground to a halt now...the sun is dropping and so is the temperature so have just lit the fire. Been warm enough making soups (Broccoli and blue cheese seems nice, my leek and potato was world class, even if I do say so myself :rotfl:) and have finished the ironing. But sitting with a cuppa is chilly.

I'm debating a soaky bubblebath or housework... housework or soaky bath....mmmmmm....do I deserve a rest and a pamper....?

Absobloominlootely :rotfl:

LavenderBees

Byatt wrote: »

N2bT, I definitely use shopping/eating as a social activity/treat to cheer myself up. but like you so far I have spent very little this year, am eating what I have, in all its glorious incarnations, sometimes it looks dog rough, but always (usually) tasty. My budget is going to be £30 pm :eek: not including cat food. I've just worked out my annual income/outgoings and on paper I should be able to save something. If I go to the SM, I pick up bits and pieces I don't need, and £20 is gone before I know it. I still have some vouchers from surveys so should be able to get through Feb ok...

I find the evenings are the worst for finding something to occupy me. So I tend to eat. Trying to distract myself with games of solitaire. :cool:

That's a tough budget, methinks. Some months will be ok, especially if you eke out with lots of home grown salads/loads of nutritious soups. But some months that will be incredibly tough. What do you intend to do to achieve this? Or is £30 your ballpark, and coming in close will be ok??

I know that this month, just by cutting out buying alcohol and treats, and really sticking to what I need rather than want, I've cut my grocery bill right back to about a tenner a week, but this is really unusual, and would be difficult to sustain over a longer period and I have a fully stocked freezer to work through, too, which always helps.

I love food shopping in a way that clothes shopping will never come close to. I just love food! What I loved last year, was shopping at my allotment. That was fab! But my idea of bliss is wandering round a well stocked shop full of good food.

calicocat

I had a quick look at the eat for £12 a week....but the foods on it are just not for me.


I have decided that cutting back on everything will end up with an epic fail, so my main area to concentrate will be clothes first and housey stuff that I don't need but just fancy, as this can be my biggest spend area. Next is the alcohol pot and trying not to drink in the house and only so when out for a meal (this will be a struggle as love drinking wine whilst i'm having big cook days).

Still haven't decided what to call the alcohol pot, but I need a lawn mower, so may have it as the 'garden' pot, although I don't think I will have saved enough by then for a mower and it may have to be for plants/seeds/pots etc.

The real biggie I want to try to kill is the mortgage, so I need to make an appointment with the bank and discuss exactly the amount I can over pay from June and i'm going to put it on my monthly payment so what I have left to spend is what I have.....plus save extra on top where possible. If I can later I shall pay a lump off and may just take the overpayment hit as this will give me more peace of mind due to all jobs being insecure at the moment.

I only got this mortgage last July and can't wait to get rid of it....lol. I don't really like debt, and certainly not having it as a singley.


Ooooo....getting back to the garden thing........i think I may have the starting of 6 spinach plants..!!!!!. Rebecca-rocket is still being shy...possibly to the point of death....but I may get some spinach at least. No sign of any Dill either as yet.

This is a good sign, as had decided these seeds were symbolic of the seeds of change of this year.........

However if they had all failed would have ditched the whole symbolic thing and found something else to mean it.......lol.....you gotta run with what you got haven't you, or blag it.

Right, off to that vile thing called work soon so best be off.