The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Well, we didn't end up going out and about anywhere, but that's not too much of a problem.

DH did go and purchase the tool, so yeh, we spent money - but I saved us a Lady Godiva!!! :j When the quality is the same and the thing has no technology (as such) to it, to differentiate on price, why the heck would you pay more?

We have, between us, accomplished lots of itty bitty bits today. In some ways, it doesn't seem...... satisfying? ie if you paint or wallpaper a room, well then you feel you have made progress. But what I do know is that all the bitty bits moved us forward in some way - either in terms of inching slowly, oh so slowly toward the 'big goal' or in terms of just enjoying life more. This morning, in declaring the batteries dead in one of BG's favourite toys, DH made it clear that we would need a team of 16 folk to assist in removing the cover on the toy to access the batteries. 8 folk would need to stand on one leg whilst holding firmly on with their left hand, whilst the other 8 would need to be standing on their heads, holding on with toes...... We tried between us, it did indeed seem awkward and impossible for a team of just 2....

DH offered to assist BG with their afternoon snooze, and whilst they were away in the land of nod, I contemplated how I could rustle up 16 volunteers, with adequate circus training, to assist us in changing the battery. I was bemoaning my stance on not being social media savvy, when I thought I would just take another peek at the toy.....

Sure enough, one screw (a phillips if you're interested)loosened later, and the batteries were taken out......... :rotfl:

New batteries inserted. Toy works again. BG smiling :j:rotfl:

At least the laugh was free :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Tea has been scoffed. Fish, chips and mushy peas £1.50 per head for the ingredients. Lack of faff = priceless, eating tea with my husband for a change = priceless

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

A hubby, who, (joking aside) only ever wants the best for us, and to provide for his family

recognition that even teeny steps forward are still steps in the right direction

more toot is winging its way oot the hoose! :j:D

Ta for popping in and reading. I do continue to appreciate it. Greatly.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

How's the weather with you?

Not so good with us I'm afraid. Rather curtailed the desire to take a sandwich for a ride somewhere Still, we've kinda had a little lie-in this morning, compared to normal And whilst we've been moving from room to room, things have been picked up and put away or sorted and put for despatch out of the house, so slowly, slowly, progress, progress

Tea this evening will be broad bean risotto. I've some broad beans (bought, not HG) languishing in the bottom of the freezer, aborio rice and a slurp of white wine going begging, so it seems like a plan! Also, it will mean that I don't have to buy anything, which will help with our squeaky limp - budget wise - to the end of the month........

I'm going to sort out my receipt book NOW! (note to self ) and then find something else to do - there's tons of choice......... DH is currently looking after BG so all is well

Right, can't think of owt else MS to report, and those receipts ain't gonna list themselves, so I best quit procrastinating!

Ta for popping in and reading. Always appreciated. Always.

Greying X

Upsidedown_Bear

Good morning

It's dry here at the moment but has been raining and there's more promised for later
Was going out for a wander but we'll see

Is your receipt book sorted yet?
Have a good day all at GP Towers and friends

Greying_Pilgrim

Upsidedown_Bear wrote: »

Is your receipt book sorted yet?

YES!!!! And the money even tallies with what it says in the book!

There's a little bit of dosh left to stretch to the 31st. I have bought several bulk items, not out of May's budget, but I'm going to try to institute a 'buying from stores' policy, for those items. At the moment, I'm in the red to the tune of nearly £30 but if I'm dilligent, I will get to a point where it all works out, and I'll have a float for future bulk buying. That's the theory, anyway.......

Greying X

Verbatim

Sounds like a plan. Does that work by saying that your recent bulk purchases don't count as May's expenditure by labelling the £30 as a new budget heading? So call it "bulk buys" and then over the time you use up the commodities you recoup the "bb" category with money from the current month's food budget every time you use that foodstuff, or I suppose, more conveniently "buying" a pound or kilo from stores for the current month/s.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good morning :hello:

A reasonable night's sleep - yay! :j

Verbatim - I hadn't thought about making it a budget heading - I suppose I could. At present I have bought porrige and olive oil in bulk, I will just buy each month when i start - I can't be bothered to buy a kilo or 500ml, but a unit cost per month, is certainly more manageable than the total cost.

We did end up popping out with a sandwich and a smile yesterday The weather in Greying Town was... Grey. As we got nearer our destination, the rain got heavier, but luckily for us, as we turned slightly south again, towards our final destination, the rain stopped. It remained grey, but was dry. We had a wonderful time. There was plenty to see, plenty of places to rest a weary b.u.m. and a thermos flask I am so glad that we did it We called in at a mrT in a small market town on the way back. I was hoping for some yellow stickered goodies, but left empty handed That which wasn't rotten, green (potatoes) or bashed (a bag of chillies), was still outrageously priced. New potatoes - too big to be JR I would have said - still £1.99 a kilo? YS'd? Who is going to pay over £4 for a YS'd item?

Tea last night was Broad Bean risotto. No pic I'm afraid, we didn't eat it until late. BG was a bundle of energy and wouldn't go to sleep for DH, and then when i finally went to see if all was well, DH had fallen asleep too.......................

I don't know what is for tea tonight as such, although the meals for the next two days will originate from the freezer - it's just a case of in which order So it will either be a burger or a bake

TV guide today and I've mucho banking to do, both for us and for BG So I shall be kept out of mischief

I'm getting some shape to my challenge - although sharing will be difficult I think, as it's just a list of chores...... But there are 3 key areas to it - 4 if we're including remembering 'family' time I guess.

Right, best shift a tail-feather and look towards the day.

Ta for popping by, reading and joining in. Appreciated. As always.

Greying X

in_need_of_direction

Yay! Tail feathers are back to being a shifted

Cheery_Daff

Admiring your pootling on with your mission Greying :j :j Small bits do add up, as I know from my own experience :j :j

Glad you got out and about yesterday. Weather was gloomy and soggy here too but we did have a bit of a potter - does make a difference to one's mood (especially when your house is as much of a depressing tip as ours is right now! :eek: )

Have a good one today

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Well, what's that old saying? The road to good intention is criss-crossed with hazards to the extent that 'elf & safety have declared it a 'no through fare'?

It t'weren't that bad, but I didn't get an awful lot done today. Jus' sayin'

There have been high points to the day though. I got all of the physical banking done - as in paying in cash over counters to folk. I've one more movement to make, but there is all tomorrow untouched as yet, so we'll pop it on t'list. The cashier in the building society was lovely and friendly and would be the sort of person that when BG is older, would be a good encourager of young people saving They were lovely, and they thought to ask did I need more money bags, as BG had used quite a few to bag up their 'pocket' money

I bumped into someone that I hadn't seen (to speak to) for quite, quite a while - to the extent that they didn't know I'd been pregnant/had a baby! They were delighted for me, and said some really nice things, so that was a good moment in the day.

I got some YS'd coriander in mrW - only reduced by 1/3rd, so not a massive saving. I was kicking myself in m&$ when I saw that they too had reduced coriander, for several pence cheaper than mrW..... until I saw the state of the herb in the packet. Who actually buys yellowed coriander? *ahem*

My energy slumped this arvo - hence why I've achieved nowt, other than fed and looked after BG - which is good, but a bit cr*p that I've not even been able to sort paperwork, or fold clothes or something

Tea this evening was leftover crustless quiche out of the freezer - I think there were black olives in it, served with a potato salad made with (mrL) tinned potatoes, oil, vinegar, jarred red peppers, jarred cornichons; green beans (freezer) and carrots (fridge). Tasted nice, wasn't overly heavy on prep and used up what I had. Nothing new was bought for tea Picture (sorry to inflict it on you) here;



Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

Life and health - got reminders of the fragility of both today. May I never take either for granted, for me, nor mine......

Kindness directed at BG - they've had oodles today

for learning how to access a service through the post office - means I don't have to wander all the way to the community hub :j

Ta for popping in, reading and encouraging me. Sorry I've no tales of rooms been cleared, scaffolding put up, and front steps put to the donkey stone... Ah well, there is always tomorrow.......

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Looks to be shaping up for a fine day here. Best get out and about early on if I'm gonna I reckon.

So last day of May (already!!!), and I think that we will limp in with something of the food budget left. I'm hoping that it'll be enough for a 6 pack of UHT milk, as a contribution to the FB. Not much, I know, but it's what I'm aiming for. I owe DH 45p for bread.

Tea tonight will be falafel burger and 'summat' - that summat will probably be on the sweet potato vibe, and as i've just remembered that I've got to make some 'picky' bits to take somewhere tomorrow, it may well be wedges, as I'll need the oven on.

I need to buy some citrus today, oranges and lemons. So i'll need to try to source best value.

Other than that, I shall try to achieve some bits and pieces. Food/meal planning and shaping my challenge amongst them.

Gotta dash.

Greying X