I have lost my OS ways, help!

Caterina

Thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes! Had a nice day but am really sleepy now (Prosecco!) so will update tomorrow. Good night.

Caterina

Good morning from a faintly hungover me!

Yesterday was a mixed bag. Spent a lot of time planting plug plants in the allotment, then had a lovely soak in the bath with bath salts that the boys mother gave me as a birthday present.

All refreshed and ready for a night out (budget £60 as planning to have Prosecco for drink), I met up with DH and we went to the trendy but lovely garden cafe in East London, with the intention of eating there then go to the free concert in Canary Wharf.

So we had the couscous salad, the sourdough pizza, the chocolate beetroot cake and a bottle of Prosecco for a reasonable (for London and a trendy place) £43. So far so lovely.

We were nearly ready to go at 7:30 but I overheard someone saying that tonight music bands were great, a jazz act and a big Middle Eastern/Turkish band that was going to really get people dancing. So I told DH to pay our £4 each to stay and listen to the music. We got a couple of chairs down the garden where the bands were going to play and we waited. And waited, and waited some more. Just after 9 a 3 people band started "playing" and "singing". I have heard better from the screeching concert that foxes do under my windows. Utterly awful, boring, studenty CARP! monotone double bass playing the same note, same for trumpet, whingy untalented young singer. Maybe we are too old to appreciate? My impression was that the crowd was their uni friends and the older people their mums and dads. We gave it another go but after the second song started the whinge again we upped and went. We were so fed up, probably they were the warm up act and we would have missed the Turkish band, but in the meantime we also missed the BBC big band playing Duke Ellington and Count Basie! Which was free and much more age appropriate (the oldies take over the square en masse at these lovely events, and everybody gets up and dances!).

I only have myself to blame for having changed my mind having overheard that guy say that the bands were great. As DH said, he probably was the promoter!

The good thing was the food and DH's lovely company. And we went under budget, after the £43, £8 for the music ticket and £4.50 for a pint of (lovely) elderflower cider that we shared, the total cost of the evening came to £56.50, so £4.50 under budget.

Today OS:

Bootcamp, then picking up a steam mop that was £150 but reduced to £55 but with DH work website I could get a further discount so only paying £50. Then buying a galvanised watering can for the allotment (just can't stomach buying plastic ones, after a while they crack and go into landfills), then lunch, modelling for hair colour (£5), then tonight is the last night we can use the free beer vouchers so after dinner (felafel and salad) we will be off to the pub for a free drink.

Have a good day.

grandmasam

Caterina, belated Happy Birthday! :beer:

I've had a really good clear out of the cupboard of doom!, aka the kitchen corner cupboard.Have 4 carrier bags of tup ware to go to charity, 2 trays [had 5! for 1 person!] and 5 bags of containers to be recycled. Hoovered up spider web complete with resident, dead! Also cleared out 2 deep 'pan' drawers and put baking stuff in one and pans in the other. More rubbish from both in the bin

Decanted packets into appropriate 1/2 full containers in the pantry, which will be next on the list along with cleaning the cooker eeeurgh! Done the cleaning in the kitchen and lounge and I think I will mow the remnants of the ' lawn ' this afternoon, my hound has made a racetrack complete with some 'crocodile ' pits , so not a lot left to mow.

Mojo is coming back, :T
Caz

jlhmd666

grandmasam wrote: »

Caterina, belated Happy Birthday! :beer:

I've had a really good clear out of the cupboard of doom!, aka the kitchen corner cupboard.Have 4 carrier bags of tup ware to go to charity, 2 trays [had 5! for 1 person!] and 5 bags of containers to be recycled. Hoovered up spider web complete with resident, dead! Also cleared out 2 deep 'pan' drawers and put baking stuff in one and pans in the other. More rubbish from both in the bin

Decanted packets into appropriate 1/2 full containers in the pantry, which will be next on the list along with cleaning the cooker eeeurgh! Done the cleaning in the kitchen and lounge and I think I will mow the remnants of the ' lawn ' this afternoon, my hound has made a racetrack complete with some 'crocodile ' pits , so not a lot left to mow.

Mojo is coming back, :T
Caz

I haven't even dared go into our cupboard of doom yet :eek: I know it will be one of those big jobs :eek::eek::eek:

Pleased to report that the kitchen is clean and clutter free now. It's only taken a couple of weeks going bit by bit but I am happy with the results. I was able to make space to bring table cloths and napkins down from the airing cupboard into the dining area and remove items that had no place being in the kitchen / dining area

bellaquidsin

Can't think of anything OS about the MRI scan I've had on my leg today. I did resist a Costa Coffee at the hospital even though I was gagging so I suppose that counts.


Had to spend on frozen fish in Ald* as DGD is coming unexpectedly for dinner on Friday and I didn't have enough.


About the most OS thing I have done today is putting a turkey drumstick in the slow cooker for dinner tonight along with some mushrooms, bacon stock and white wine which were all lurkers in my freezer. It should do us for another time too so I will freeze away a 'ready meal'.


Bella.

tatabubbly

OH is running late from work so I just had a shower and spruced up, love getting a chance to use all my 'good' toiletries!!

Both of us managed to take our lunches to work with us.. Managed to scrape the €4 change for his toll!

My mum got her new windows in this week in her house and is really tight for cash now, going to lend her some to get through until she manages to get paid.. Hate to think she'd go without

mrsmortenharket

Good gracious.
I think I ought to officially give up during these school holidays.
Took kids to local fair ground today. Tickets cheap as bought them via the school so they were half price.
Long, hot day. Kids bought lunch cos their cousins were buying lunch. Got home. Ordered pizza.

I've spent so much lately.

I need to go on a money diet from sept 5th when the kids go back. No good to start now as dh has his 2 weeks off at the end of August.

I can't believe how much my budgeting has gone out the window. I'm quite ashamed.

craigywv

mrsmortenharket wrote: »

Good gracious.
I think I ought to officially give up during these school holidays.
Took kids to local fair ground today. Tickets cheap as bought them via the school so they were half price.
Long, hot day. Kids bought lunch cos their cousins were buying lunch. Got home. Ordered pizza.

I've spent so much lately.

I need to go on a money diet from sept 5th when the kids go back. No good to start now as dh has his 2 weeks off at the end of August.

I can't believe how much my budgeting has gone out the window. I'm quite ashamed.

the way I see it is they wont be young kids forever and cherish the time you have going to fairs and suchlike, don't feel bad it would be worse if you had no time/will/or want to do and spend the time with them they will remember happy memories. I do, I remember all the fairs etc with my mum and dad and am lucky to have had parents who spent time with me.some people are not as lucky . so enjoy it too it keeps you young xxx

ginnyknit

I am enjoying a very austere August, very little spending but will have to shop tomorrow for Hubbys 60th birthday party on Sunday. Present was bought months ago, wrapping paper in stock, card done. Ds is bringing a banner and bunting. Dd is bringing cake, chicken drumsticks and stuffed peppers - love having dd and her Oh as they are chefs

Happy to announce Dd is finally in receipt of her family tax credits after we both funded her Oh's new job training which left funds dangerously low for her and myself. I have been very nice to all our elecrical goods as I couldnt afford a breakdown.

Found some rather tssty bagels in the freezer (ys of course). If I get things like that now I split the packs and freeze some for a treat at a later date.

Went blackberrying again and remembered some apple mush in the freezer so can make jam soon. The berries are amazing this year so will go back every few days and pick a kilo or two. Also have some redcurrants which will stretch them even further. I was amazed to find some sloes, only a few this year but dont drink so will have a google to see what else I can make next year.

bellaquidsin

GK,s on holiday means that £10 notes fly out of my purse like autumn leaves. But, yes they're only young once and I feel honoured to share their lives.


Our activities this week. Well, yesterday DGS came to do some odd jobs in the garden to earn some cash. He's 15 and while I've always given him pocket money, I refused to keep putting it up, so now he occasionally works for extra.


Today, if I can manage to get enough sleep to make me feel nearly human, I'm taking DGD into town for a girly shopping trip. Who knows what that will cost, although we both have bus passes and I have enough M&S vouchers for a free lunch.


One thing is for sure, I couldn't do it at all if I didn't practice OS in many areas of my life.


Bella.