The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:


Well, we're kinda back to normal today


We enjoyed a little drive about yesterday. Didn't plan it tho, so ended up in a touristy 'honey pot' where parking is difficult (we wanted to wander in the park) and is chargeable (not sure about Boxing day, but couldn't see a space anyway, so it was immaterial). We ended up going to a different part of the town and getting out and about and moving our legs - so we got what we wanted out of it. we had taken a pack-up - hastily packed up! - but BG had started to get a bit fractious by the end, so we brought the picnic home and ate it on a blankie on the carpet :j BG was delighted


Tea last night was cardboard box fish, oven chips and mushy peas. Filled a gap and made a gap in the freezer once more :j


We made a start on our 'thank you' cards today, and perambulated over to the post office to pop them in the box. Both cards and stamps were already bought, so no expense. It was a lovely, calm and contented afternoon, snoozing (BG), moving money (me) and playing with a variety of toys - new and old (BG aided by me ). Tea this evening was HM lentil bolognese with pasta. BG had a big bowl full and still asked for more at the end, and ate up their yoghurt and blueberries too. Are growth spurts continous????? :rotfl: DH had to get a loaf from mrL tonight, so not a NSD.



DH and I were extremely blessed to get a little bit of money given to us by relatives for Christmas, so we have decided to put this towards joining the NT in 2019. We actually missed being members in 2018, and decided that having the 'hook' of a place to visit was just what we needed to make sure that we're enjoying time out and about with BG. There isn't enough to fully buy membership, so I'm considering doing 'dry january' and diverting the money we might have spent on a bottle of wine to go with our pizza tea on a Friday night, to top up the membership fee. I've done dry months before, and found it relatively simple - as we're not big drinkers anyway - I'd say I drink more than DH, but we rarely have more than a bottle of wine a week; beer sometimes if there is some rugger on, maybe. So we won't save oodles of money - but neither will it be a stretch to accomplish, so I'll probably go for it I'm also going to 'squeak' the grocery budget, as we've got 'overstocked' again on storecupboard ingredients, so I need to get creative - as much to practice stock rotation as to save dosh.


DH asked tonight what 'special' meal we might have on NYE - we have a bottle of prosecco (mrL I think??) and he wanted to know what might go with it. I've already decided to do my own version of the marksandspesives pizza meal-deal. I have garlic mushrooms and onion rings from her0n and i intend to make a pizza or two, and we have some oven chips in the freezer or a remaining garlic bread baguette. If anyone has space after that i have some organic 'cart & horse' ice-cream that I picked up in her0n at 2 for a pand, some months ago. The vanilla and the chocolate versions are l.u.s.h. Bring on 2019!!!! (y'all know I shall be asleep by 9.30pm anyway! :rotfl:).


Today i am grateful for these 3 things;


child's play

Store cupboard teas

future plans and options - so blessed to be able to exercise some choice



Ta for popping in. Appreciated.



Greying X

Smurphington

The NT membership sounds like a good plan. I don't have one myself as being a non driver does make it difficult to access a lot of them. However we have booked a caravan holiday to Filey with a couple of friends and their children in May. The small person loves a 'caraban' ha!

I'm also running down my stores. Nye will be a chilled one here and I'm sure I will also be asleep by 9.30. I want to get out and explore one of our more scenic local parks new yr day when it will be fairly empty (hopefully)

beanielou

Glad that you had such a lovely time.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Afternoon :hello:


Hope all well?


We've been keeping out of mischief



I am heartily fed up of a certain 'magic & sparkle' high street retailer and their rubbish sizing of children's clothes. Having received clothing that was too small as a present for BG, I exchanged the item, only to find, that the new items are..... too small! It's no good going a size up, as apparently BG has to be about a foot taller - according to the leg length I despair. I think I shall buy gin - take the flak for being a bad mummy - and put the equivalent amount of cash into BG's bank account! :rotfl: Do the management of this company not realise that in alienating me as a customer (their clothes don't fit me either - not even pants :eek:), they are decimating their future customer base, and if BG doesn't ever wear clothing from that store, what incentive will they find to be a customer in future years? 'Term of office' cyclical short-sightedness in politicians I can understand (even if I don't approve), but short-sightedness in business people..........


I think MSE'rs who are contemplating budgets and (possible) belt-tightening for 2019 may be doing themselves a favour. I bought some oven chips from h3r0n f00ds today, to find that they had jumped 30p - 30 pence!!! - in price. Last week they were £1.09, this week £1.39! I will CERTAINLY have to rein in my use of them - I had initially started buying them for a 'cheat' tea when we had been out for the day (ie at a NT property). But I'm human, and I now have them in my freezer each week and use a bag a week. This must stop. They must return to being a 'treat' or emergency use item. Gosh, when prices are leaping up in the discounters (and I regard 30p as a 'leap') what hope do we, on tight budgets, have? Ain't it hard.........


We posted off some more thank-you cards to folks today. People have been so kind and generous to BG - I am so grateful. We have more to write and I have purchased some more stamps.



We had sausages and mash and 'trimmings' for tea last night. I made sure that I made extra, so that BG could have a try of more veg - which was put on a separate plate. They did, indeed, tuck into a roast potato - because it was 'whole', rather than a mangled mash, courtesy of their dad! and ate another too. They didn't however, partake of roast parsnip, nor any veg coloured......... green :rotfl: We did, though, finish off the mrM sprouts I bought before Christmas - lovely


Tea this evening will be 'freezer dive' or pasta. Depends on what is what and where is where........


I've started to take the decorations down. I will do the tree tomorrow. It has given us immense pleasure that it has given (for the second year running) BG so much pleasure, but it's time to take it down. Look fresh-faced and expectantly into the new year, leave the old year (which has, on the whole, been good to us) behind.


Today, I am already grateful for these 3 things;


DH taking his 'daddy' responsibilites very seriously :smileyhea

communication from chums :lovethoug

a 'wake-up' call ref: budgets..............




Ta for popping in. Appreciated.




Greying X

Smurphington

I too have noticed food prices creeping up and 30p is huge. I buy pumpkin and sunflower seeds fairly regularly but stores cotton on to their popularity and regularly hike them up. I'm currently buying them at h0m3 bar9a1ns for a lot less than other stores

WannabeFree

I think prices of quite a lot has jumped Although my smalls refuse frozen chips *Roll eyes needed* To be honest they turn their noses at most things you buy frozen yet see a frozen 'ready meal' I've made (leftovers ) A huge treat :rotfl:

x

in_need_of_direction

Greying do you have a co-op grocery store close by? they regularly do a frozen multibuy for £5 that may include your oven chips, etc

Greying_Pilgrim

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

Greying do you have a co-op grocery store close by? they regularly do a frozen multibuy for £5 that may include your oven chips, etc

Actually inod - despite knowing about that offer - posted regularly on the food & groceries board?? We don't actually have one in walking distance to go to - even if the offer were a 'good un'. The biggest branch I can think of is definitely a car ride away (and the other direction to most/all of the business we conduct on a daily basis), and........ I can think of one other store....... which would be a stretch of a walk (with BG - even in the pushchair) and I would question whether they would be big enough to hold big stocks?? We just need to go on an oven chip 'diet'. we only have them once a week, but clearly, that is getting beyond our means....................................



The worst thing that can happen to any 'ingredient' Smurphington is that it becomes 'trendy'. Whilst I've appreciated veg offers at Christmas, they aren't that 'diverse' and stores seem to pit potato offer against potato offer, carrot offer against carrot offer........ Normally, veg isn't on special offer, and we're beginning to struggle. From a weight and health point of view, I'm more than happy to limit the oven chips, but you've got to have something to replace it with, right?


Wannabe - I'm gonna drop BG off at yours - have your smalls educate mine as to how to enjoy leftovers :T


Greying X

beanielou

That is a huge percentage jump.
Scary stuff.

rtandon27

Just popping on to say Happy New Year to the GP Clan - hope all is well with you - Sending love and best wishes for a year filled with lots of memory making & happiness!