Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

elona

I remember reading his description of family holidays in B and Bs at the seaside. Other families would have evening meal there such as plaice and chips etc while they would have a slice of corned beef with tomato smuggled in their suitcase!

FairyPrincessk

Morning all,

I haven't read back very far yet, I may have to do so gradually.

We arrived home from our holiday very late last night. We checked out of our hotel and then stayed on the beach until a few hours before time to leave. Rinsed off the salt and sun cream, bought a drink in the bar and changed in the toilets just to squeeze as much beach time in as possible. It was a really lovely holiday and the first time I think I'd properly relaxed for more than a few hours in several years. Things were very tough for about five years there with money, illness and a few other stresses and I think it finally hit home that we made it through some of the worst of it and that it was ok to relax now. I know foreign beach holidays aren't for everyone, but I'm so glad we saved up and did this one--it really hit the spot.:D

A friend from my Uni days is visiting the UK and has managed to plan a stopover in Piccadilly station today so I'm going to meet her for lunch. I'm trying to think of somewhere to take her that won't be too far to walk but that isn't one of the bigger chains. I don't know how long she'll have before her train or how much luggage she'll have on her so I guess I'll have to wing it a bit. OH and I don't eat out in town often so half the time the places we know of have closed down or moved etc. I don't think we're very 'with it' now.:rotfl:

So, MMM plans for August--We're doing the budget/paying bills today. I've found we can get Maggie the cat's favorite food cheaper online so I'll order that in for her. OH wants to try his hand at some interesting salads while he is off this month and I want to eat down the freezer a bit to save some money. Both should be relatively economical and healthy with a bit of creativity thrown in to keep it interesting. I haven't been out into the garden yet, but it looks like I may have broccoli, lettuce and courgettes to cut soon and maybe some early carrots. It is back to work for me on Monday but I've promised myself a relaxed schedule in August before things pick up again in September. I'll try to spend half to 3/4 days on my work and then putter around in the afternoon on household tasks. Bedroom and lounge curtains still need their summer wash and iron and I'll do all of the wool jumpers etc. when we have a nice few days as well as the quilts.

The biggest challenge though? Convincing OH to go through some things and send them to the CS. He doesn't mind getting rid of things he just dreads the actual doing of it as he'd rather be doing other things. However, to save paying for a checked bag on our flight home I convinced him we'd only take the sun cream and toiletries we needed, old towels etc. and a bag that was on the very last of its legs and throw them when we were finished. The plan worked brilliantly--we saved £40 a lot of hassle and the drawer where the towels go now opens and closes a lot more easily as it isn't as over-stuffed as it was before. He was very smug about his streamlined bag on the way home so perhaps I can convince him to declutter a few things.

CRANKY40

mcculloch29 wrote: »

I'm trialling a new Bluetooth keyboard that I've been sent to review. First discovery was that the @ and " are transposed from the standard keyboard.
Which made typing the first sentence interesting.

It's set up in the wrong language. It's set for US rather than UK. Our Dell mini notebook came the same. You can change it.

vulpix

Hi,managed to lose 2 posts yesterday so just gave up in the end.

The spiral staircase was from the landing to the loft.It doesn't meet building regulations in many ways so we will turn it back to a loft with a hatch.Useful for us for storage of suitcases,mosses basket etc.

So lots and lots of sockets added,3 with usb points,new ceiling lights in our room and kitchen.Sitting room carpet laid.Took much longer than I expected to put everything back in the room but very pleased with it.Needs some taking off the bottom of the door and all is finished in there.

I did notice that I don't have many ornaments.It feels a little bare in there at the moment despite plants,picture,clock and mirror.Perhaps I will try a little persian rug for a pop of colour.I sanded and varnished a cheap pine unit I used to have in my bathroom years ago and was more recently in the garage.It is the only thing to hand which will fit the space I have for a lamp and the phone.I know its pine but the varnish is mid oak and it looks a rum colour to me.I will do another coat before giving up and painting it.

It was our wedding anniversary yesterday.We went for a curry but on the way went to ome base as i had a voucher for 15% off.Bought some victorian rope top edge border and my favourite,sand and cement.My brother coming later to help me in the garden.

vulpix

What! done it again! just can't stop pressing the wrong buttons!

Have a nice day people.Vx

camelot1001

Happy Anniversary for yesterday vulpix.

I have a lovely big pine chest (ooh er Missus!) that was in the living room but it is a bit 'orange' for the new living room that is going to have an oak floor. I was thinking of staining it a more suitable colour but not sure it will come out ok.

In TKMacs yesterday and DD saw a tall lantern she liked in bronze and then found 2 angled lamps in bronze and black, they will go with the look she wants in the flat. The lamps seemed a bit wobbly so we asked for a screwdriver to see if they would tighten up. They wouldn't but the chap said he would take £5 off each so she got them for £20 each. I undid the screw, put some masking tape round the stem and put them back together - they are perfect!

misstara

Morning all

Just catching up properly on what seems like pages and pages.

Meritaten - very sorry to hear about your mum.

Vulpix - happy wedding anniversary for yesterday.

Not been up to much apart from work, work and more work recently. Very much looking forward to Friday as I've got a week off from both jobs

Just on my way to work the now, finished at 3 then I'm going to do the food shop on the way home. Menu plan and shopping list were written up yesterday. Tonight we've got a meal out with some of my family.

Hope everyone has a lovely Saturday.

FairyPrincessk

Morning!

Meritaten I'm sorry to hear of your loss.


I had mixed luck in town yesterday. It was lovely to catch up with my old friend although the pub I selected for lunch was a dud. The food was bordering on terrible. Never mind.

I did not manage to spend the gift card I got for my birthday, but I did find a pair of shoes completely without trying. I was on my way to use the toilet in a department store and noticed them. Initially I thought I wouldn't bother as I hadn't come out for shoes and then realized I was being penny wise and pound foolish as they'll do as replacements for a pair that I suspect won't make it through the winter. They're H0tter brogues so should be serviceable and at 70% off I've saved myself buying some full price mid winter if my current pair goes.

We'll do the shop in a bit and then I have a few little tasks today, one of which is to have a look at the blackberries. I'm trying to decide if I'll pick any this year and if so what I'll do. I think I might try some sort of coulis and perhaps a liqueur if I can find room for the vodka in the budget. Any other ideas?

monnagran

Hugs Meritan, and my thoughts are with you as you sort things out. Not a very nice task. Thank goodness that Kid's Holiday Club is over. We finished with a water fight which they enjoyed mightily. I am too old for this! My computer is having a mood today - not unusual but it takes ages to do anything and keeps freezing so if this stops abruptly I will have given up.I can't believe that it is August already and we have been here a year now. I am still looking at boxes waiting to be unpacked in my study. I'm determined to get some shelves up this month so that I can organise things. This is where I miss a handy husband, (about the only thing I miss). The Rev is pretty handy with a drill but trying to catch her when she has a gap in her diary is next to impossble.She is out today so I have a piece of chicken pie left fom yesterday that I will heat up with some LO mashed potato and some lovely runner beans donated by someone at Holiday Club. It's the first year I've not had them in my garden and I miss them. Next year I WILL have some, even if I have to grow them in a pot.The garden is my despair. It is very big, has been neglected for at least 14 years, and when I say neglected I mean that it hasn't been touched. The car park is at the back, up a steep hill and when we first came here we couldn't even see where the path was from car park to back door. We had to go down through next door's garden and come across. We got someone in to strip as much as possible out and remove the stunted trees and bushes. The one bright spot was the enormous amount of blackberries I managed to pick from the brambles.I don't have the strength and the Rev doesn't have the time to do much. We've tried various people to come once a fortnight to strim and cut the rough grass but they are either hideously expensive or they do it once and we never see them again - and I don't blame them. It's the first time in my life I've been without a garden and it doesn't sit well with me. Moan over.Have a good weekend everyone.x

monnagran

I apologise for everything appearing in one long paragraph in the previous post. Apparently the Gremlins won't allow me to have gaps!x