22 Foxhole East

crazy_cat_lady

I went to Mr M yesterday (emergency - I had run out of cat food and my delivery hadn't arrived) and it was like a free for all in there. Both dd and I had a trolley - just to keep people away from us while we were in there, and we were in and out in less than 15 minutes. I find it very scary how people think that the rules don't apply to them, or that they can do what they want anyway. This was when we were still in tier 3 although I don't imagine much difference now that we're in tier 4.
I have no clue what is happening next week, but my ds is in the same situation as your ds3 f0xh0les. Mine has become even more lazy and arrogant than I ever could have thought possible. Home learning is a fight - especially when I'm delivering online learning for none of my own students to turn up to.

f0xh0les

I have just returned from the volunteering, it is opposite  a Herr Al Dee.  I went in for one loaf,  8 milk, a cuke and  some tomatoes, and that will see me through until Monday I hope.  OM flippin' G  the only veg in the front of the place was sprouts, the super 6 bit was totally empty. No potatoes, the fruit was all gone, the bread aisle was stripped nearly bare,  I met a lady who had just been in with me volunteering and said it looks like the hoarding has started again,  and one of the boys trying to restock said it had been utter bedlam all day, people have gone insane and def. bulk buying and hoarding.   So luckily I got my 4 things  and legged it - had to get cherry tomatoes, there were no others, but y'know,  first world problems.  Have not set foot in a shop since Christmas Eve, have not missed it, glad I found a tenner in my purse, so have not had anything but dd's moving from my bank account for days and days.  Strangely relaxing, only transferring money I have made from p/academic into my account.  I could get used to this.

Baileys_Babe

I popped into Lidl today to get milk, fruit and orange juice. I hadn't been in a shop since the 23rd and plan to avoid them for at least a week, running out of milk is likely to be what sends me back.

f0xh0les

Well Pinch punch 1st of the month and no returns!

mark55man

Happy new year for 2021

f0xh0les

Happy New Year!

Can't update figures as it is a stupid bank holiday and the stupid banks cannot do anything as the stupid computers have the day off, or something.  So I am in limbo, possibly until Monday 4th as they are not great at the weekend either.  Answers on a postcard please.

I have ended the year with a new washing machine, a new cooker, 4 golden thrones, 4 pairs of glasses, a separation of DS1s financial affairs from mine (gave him his £2k savings as he is 18 now and needs to 'adult' his money) and a 2 stone weight loss.  All of which are the good things, and the reason I am £3,500 down on where I thought I would be. At least I know where the money went. Which is sometimes half the struggle.

I also still have a hole in the roof, but a bucket under it, so that is a problem, but not a disaster,  a list of jobs to be done in the house that need builders and plumbers and the like.

On Monday I am going to pay down the mortgage to £88k, and by December 2021 (at the latest) I will be at £80k. Non-negotiable.  I will own half my house this year. Even if I have to get a job as a builder's labourer, or a lollipop lady.   I am aiming for Mortgage Free before I am 55 and a half years old.   9 years is long enough to do it in this house. The fixed rate has another 4 years to run.

In the last 4 weeks DH has applied for 2 jobs, one in Warwickshire which would not involve moving house, and one in St Andrews, which would be a heck of a commute for anyone, so would involve a house move (possible free university degrees though!).   I do wonder why I only seem to sort out our house when I might be selling it.  

It looks like the GCSE and A Levels this year for my boys are going to be a total shower of sh1te, and I am resigned to a FE college in at least one of their future's.  It puts off a possible university course starting in September for DS1 - he will not be going anywhere with his predicted grades,  so I might as well sort the house this year, get it all done, or as much as I can with my currently saved £16.5k + whatever dh is willing to part with, tart the place up as much as I can, and then I will be able to throw money at anyone going to University the year after.  

DH is seeing in his students that did not do exams in Summer, that they have little idea of how to structure essays, and have a lack of knowledge his previous students had, because the foundations are not there, and the techniques how to answer an essay question seems to have been missed entirely.  They have started with one hand tied behind their backs, but no concept that anything is amiss.

I am going to hit the budget hard for the first few months of the year, it is going to be extreme frugality. I cannot help the heating bill, as DH is home and he needs to be kept warm while he is sitting for most of the day.   Lunchboxes for one start on 5th for primary kid, for 2 more on 11th (still not had confirmation from school yet) and for one more on 18th (although that is currently 'at the earliest'). So a frugal January and February is on the cards.  The pantry is packed with dry goods I have rescued, or got ys.  That is as far as I have got in my planning.  If you have not tried 0li0 lately, have a look, it has got much busier recently.

Aims:

Roof / Bathroom / Extension / another bathroom / GCSEs / A Levels / own 50%  of the house / get down to 10 stone something,  - currently around one and a half (ish) stone away.  Keep everybody happy and joyous and healthy and safe. Come to think of it, if I do all of that, I will be pretty happy with myself come December 2021.

greent

Lots of aims there - look forward to seeing your progress in 2021 - love your posts

f0xh0les

Managed to get up and get 2 kids out of the house by 10am, we walked down to the Long-Legged-Wading-Bird shop in an effort to bring a little more exercise into our lives, we found a dead rat (flat), a live cat, a dog, and a squirrel on our little ramble, and on the way back, the fluffiest but most miserable looking ginger cat stalking something through a pile of leaves in the most halfhearted fashion  we all stood on the opposite side of the road and laughed at it.  I fear it may be depressed.

I did spend money, but it was some coins I took out before the kids finished school in December, but I did not need it, so it has sat in my coat pocket for a fortnight doing nothing and I forgot about it.   Bought ice cream, potato waffles (waffley versatile) cordial and tofu!  Love that shop, you never know what you are going to find in it!  Came home to a warm and toasty house, and DH had even got out of bed, but as it is the weekend, no movement on bank account or mortgage balances .... boo!

Had to go to bed early last night. I keep getting a sensation like sunburn, I think it might be anxiety related, I tend to get it whenever the education minister says something is going to happen, and then makes a U-turn 2 days later.  Anyway, last night I was writing in the shiny new diary which kid(s) would be at school next week, the week after, and the week after that, and my hands just started burning. I was slathering hand cream on them to try and stop it, and I just thought - you know what?  this is all in my head.  I am not happy with sending DS4 in to school on Tuesday, I am practically paranoid about forgetting to pick him up, and this is all related to my burning hands.  So I went to bed and listened to the radio for an hour or so, and eventually it all went away.   Weird huh?

So got up and did the exercise with the kids, we examined the frozen ice shards in puddles, came home, cleaned the kitchen while ds4 chopped salad veg and DH made hummus, and we just had crackers for lunch.  It does not have to be gourmet everyday, sometimes it is beans on toast or crackers.  Either way they are all fed, they are packed full of vitamins, and they are pretty stress free individuals.    Annoyingly, DH has commandeered my Butternut squash for some Ghanaian stew he wants to make (in...the... future), and so my BNS based roasted veg traybake idea has been scuppered until I can get another one.  When I do I will process it immediately before he gets any strange ideas about it.  Either that or I write a rude message on it.

The chocolate coated digestives I dipped just after 3pm had disappeared before 8pm last night - so I had to have a chocolate dipped gingernut instead. I do wish they would not eat everything in one go.   They hurt my brain sometimes.

greent

Hungry males of all ages just demolish food rapidly,  I find...it's quite amazing just how much they  an consume and how quickly 😁

f0xh0les

The coconut and passion fruit ice cream went down very well with them, as did the dark chocolate stracciatella with red berries, but at 79p a tub I find I care slightly less when they demolish it, than the things I have taken the time to make for them  and they just seem to inhale. 

DS3 has requested the same birthday cake as DS4 had for his birthday, so I think the coffee and walnut just hit the top of the favourite cake chart in this house.  Only 30 days until the next birthday too.   It never ends...... but at least there is none in January.

I have been gifted the most sodding enormous bags of prunes,  walnuts, pecans, mixed seeds and dried fruit -like a breakfast sprinkle type thing -  pine nuts and one other thing I cannot remember.  I know I can use the nuts in my baking and overnight oats, but apart from coating the prunes in chocolate, or bottling them in brandy, I do not have the first idea of what to do with them.   They are not hard chewy dried plums like the dehydrated kind, they have the most delicious squish to them, so if anyone has any ideas, please pass them my way.  Somebody must have a sexy prune recipe. They are the victim of their  own unglamorous name I fear. Time for a rebrand.  Concentrated Plum anybody?

I think I am going to bake away any Gavin- Williamson-Induced-Anxiety in January.   Everything that can easily be made in-house, will be made in-house.  - not bread though, as they can demolish a loaf in 10 minutes I would spend my entire time kneading or proving.  YS bread is my friend.  Pizza bases and wraps, are fair game.

Tomorrow I will inventorize the pantry properly, and knock up a meal plan.  No shopping, no spending, no stressing.

All the laundry has been done, all dried, and returned to owners,  the house is mostly tidy, so I am keeping on top of most things, but I feel distinctly on the edge of frazzledom. 

So, prunes anyone?