Cherry takes the reins

HairyHandofDartmoor

I like take off and landing but I find the bit inbetween very dull .

I hope you had a quiet shift at work. It's a shame DH missed the lunch.

Cherryfudge

I'm back on the computer! So pleased that the replacement cable has done the trick.

Work went well thanks, HH. Another shift later today.

Cherryfudge

nothing spent today.

Spending (21st):
Book £5.79 (paid by voucher)
Housekeeping £5.43
MS:
Wombled 2p.
Free dinner at work due to too much defrosted.

Very little to report today apart from shortage of staff so we had to run everything as smoothly as possible which is quite nice even if it doesn't give people many extras. The highlight of the evening was as we were finishing up that end and the humidity had given way to rain. A colleague was closing the outside door and gave a scream as something unexpectedly moved. It turned out to be a toad that had got indoors and I love toads so I caught it and put it back in the rain.

Today I'm thankful for being able to get out and about and the continued mild weather - and the toad, bless him.

Cherryfudge

It's been a day off today, and the rain didn't arrive so I got the laundry out on the line. The diet has gone out of the window but not so much that I'm worried. Tomorrow is another day, and I did get some exercise in (only walking round the shops and light gardening, but it's something). I've also made some further progress on tracking down the ladies for the reunion and had a delightful chat with someone from years back. I can recommend organising reunions as an excuse for renewing friendships - as the one making the phone calls and sending the messages I have a bit of a get-out clause despite having been rubbish at keeping up with people.

Tomorrow is another day off but I've said I'll do a few hours at work in the morning - I don't particularly like being home on my own when the weather is dull so, as I'm not too tired, I might as well be working and the extra pair of hands will be useful to them. I'm hoping I will get back to find the new study book has come but it's probably early yet.

I phoned the roofer again. His ladders have been in our garden for two weeks, and I think he was first going to come in about July. Thursday, he says. Thursday? Ha!

I just don't believe him for some reason. I'd cancel and look for another but he comes recommended and he did next door: it would be good for the two houses to match.

I've just booked my train ticket to work on Mum's house later in the week. I think I missed the cut off time for Advance tickets but I've saved a fiver through split ticketing. I used my CC as I'll get loyalty points but I'm no longer on zero interest so I need to pay it off and reclaim from Mum's estate tonight or tomorrow morning. I just checked the bank account and there's a message to say they are aware of the closure of Thomas Cook. It brought it home to me that it's a crisis for many people.

Spending:
Train ticket £55.77 (to reclaim from the estate)
Housekeeping £10.60
Gift £4.00 (I bought J and L an Advent calendar in September! September! I am ashamed of myself, though it was just right for them).
MS:
Wombled 45p.
Bought soda crystals again for the washing machine - a lot cheaper than hard water treatment.
Had an inspiration about a favoured long-sleeved top that had a bleach stain on the wrist. It's now got 3/4 length sleeves!
10th coin savings 45p.
Decluttering:
Tidied a planter and a few feet of border in the garden. Five pieces of paper and one ginormous spider gone; I suspect it's the one I threw out a week ago but it's found its way back. Probably went the long way round but it's too big to hide so it got caught again.

I'm thankful for a good drying day, a walk out and a few extra hours tomorrow at work.

Cherryfudge

I had three hours at work this morning which is a little extra for the coffers. Got back before the rain started, then was stuck in for hours - what a downpour! So nothing spent. DH has the car and kindly picked up tea for us so I didn't have to face the wet. This evening though, the deluge had slowed to a slight wetness so I was able to walk over to see my friends. (An inch of water in a bucket I'd left in the garden!)

There hasn't been much in the way of money saving, either, though with Greta Thunberg so much in the news I have been thinking of our carbon footprint and switching things off, talking of which I had an email the other day asking me to take meter readings at Mum's house as the company I was getting power from has gone to the wall and someone else is now in charge of it. I think I've been overpaying as well as I hadn't changed companies for a while. When I'm over there I need to do what I can in the way of meter readings but at least it's not cold enough to bump the gas bill up.
Not a lot of decluttering has happened - one piece of paper! I hope to put that right in the next copule of days while sorting Mum's old house.

Today I'm thankful for the work I got done and that I'm nearly packed for tomorrow instead of putting it off. Both those are good signs as I will normally put things off especially if something like going away is looming over me.

in_need_of_direction

You’ve inspired me with your paper decluttering. I’m now doing it one page at a time

Cherryfudge

I'm back from a very productive couple of days working on Mum's old place: weary now as I carried the entire cooking apple harvest back with me! That tree could be a hundred years old: it was aged when my parents moved there at the end of the fifties.
I also came back to find I was shift lead, but that wasn't too onerous for once.
DH was supposed to have an Important Meeting (not necessarily a good thing) at work but it's been put off till Monday as he had to be elsewhere...
25/9/19
Spending:
Housekeeping £1.25
MS:
Took coffee and lunch so didn't need to buy any.
Got chatting to a lady on the train who gave me her paper so I had free sudukos to do later.
26/9/19
Spending:
None
MS:
Because of the wet weather I hadn't brought a birthday present for the lady who looks after the house and I'd texted ahead to apologize for this. Long story short, it turned out there were some ornaments in the house that she loved and I didn't want so they are now her birthday present!
I also had a bit of difficulty rehanging some curtains as the rings into which the hooks go were breaking off (yet another reason not to use plastic: the older, metal one don't do that). I had an inspiration and jury-rigged the gliders with paperclips which actually make effective loops to hold the curtain hooks and cost next to nothing so saving me a few pounds on replacement gliders. I also secured the ends of the tracks with elastic bands as the plastic stops for the ends were also breaking. Win-win, and cost probably less than a penny to set the whole thing right.
Today:
Spending:
None
MS:
Took coffee and lunch again, thus resisting spending en route.
Brought cooking apples from the house to save waste and feed DH!
Found a book at the house for DH on one of his hobbies.
Decluttering:
Loads, though mostly bits of paper. No list tonight as it's packed away somewhere. I've also cleaned the porch and the window corner of the bedroom so both are fresher, and packed seven boxes of books ready for sale/give away. This meant going through every single book for bookmarks: some had none, some had several. Some bookmarks were shreds of paper or adverts, others were letters and postcards which were interesting. Some were even bookmarked with bits of other books!
The recent warm, wet weather has made the weeds flourish - there are a number of outbreaks of Japanese knotweed so I need to email the company that comes to spray it as it can't be dug up. Thankfully they were all in one area. There were also loads of assorted weeds between the front steps but I've cleared those now.

Tonight I'm thankful for being home and the weekend about to start, and also that DH's meeting is postponed.

Honeysucklelou2

What a brilliant idea to use paper clips!

Cherryfudge

Honeysucklelou2 wrote: »

What a brilliant idea to use paper clips!

I got the idea from my Mum who had lengthened the drop on gliders by adding paperclips! And in a house where I'm still finding paperclips (almost anywhere), at least some are getting used.

A couple of financial things sorted this morning. The train fare is reclaimed from the estate and £100 is paid off the mortgage. I've left £92ish in the account just in case it's needed before pay comes in on Monday, but it's destined for savings.

After last month, when cash flow took a bash due to helping DS2 with car costs, this month is looking a lot healthier. However with DH's job uncertainties, I'm carefully watching where it goes.

Food spending is down again! Not just because DH has just spent ages peeling the two large containers of cooking apples I brought home, but somehow our costs are well down. DH got a free lunch through work yesterday and some useful contacts to boot, which is good. I have overnight oats a lot, which is healthy as well as cheap, and I got soup out of the freezer for yesterday's dinner. Mind you I was hungry later and had a big bowl of cereal... This week I have £30 unspent, largely because I've been living off supplies at Mum's place, and DH thinks he has £25 unspent. I want to buy Christmas cake ingredients soon, and we have this weekend's meals to sort out, but there is quite a lot in the freezer and cupboards to work through.

DS1 has invited us for Christmas dinner so, while I expect we'll take a contribution, that's a cost we won't be shouldering. He's been cooking ours for some years, at our house and with us buying most of the food, but it will be good to go to theirs. I think DD will bring a pudding - Dh and I are the only ones who like Christmas pud and she started a tradition of waffleberry pudding which is perfect.

Anyway, it's far too early to be talking about Christmas so I shall go out and enjoy the sunshine.

Cherryfudge

A little bit of spending today and it turns out most of the family can't make it to Sunday dinner and DS2 wants to make his own. DH and I will put our feet up and eat chicken chasseur in front of the telly. (Apparently our oldest was shocked when he found we do this, as we brought them up not to! )

We went for a run this morning - 3k. I definitely fared better than last time so maybe lugging my case full of apples has made me fitter. A super day to run, as well: enough of a breeze to be cooling but not cold. Who would have thought the weather would still be so mild right at the end of September? Apparently last year it was frosty by now.

Spending:
Housekeeping £4.25
Mortgage £100.00
MS:
Homegrown stewed apple & blackberries for lunch - they were delicious.
An estimated 4p saved in mortgage repayments due to today's overpayment. It would be a lot more it the mortgage were younger, of course.
10th coin savings £1.50
Decluttering:
6 bits of paper.

The decluttering list from the time spent at Mum's is extensive, bearing in mind that I went through a lot of books pulling out the papers that had been used as book marks:
134 paper decisions, birthday card from store to birthday person, 21 booklets/catalogues/magazines, 2 cardboard boxes, 3 books, 4 out of date wound dressings, pen, lolly stick, 2 handfuls litter from the garden, 5 pieces worn out cutlery, 3 sheets obsolete stickers, 6 lines of weeds from between paving stones, 3 ornaments that went to someone who likes them more than I do.

Today I'm grateful for watching Bake Off with DH, a productive shift at work and apple and blackberries at lunch.