The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

fuddle

I went downhill last night floss. It's took hold before the different antib's got in my system. I'm still home. You're a goodun' I've been writing my idea down while worrying about the garlic I planted and whether the birds have nicked 'em!

babs_103

Wow what a nice welcome, Don't apologise fuddle, I'm sorry you are under the weather and hope you feel better soon. Once I get the hang of emojis I'll send you a hug if I may.


I will check out the other boards pollyanna26


Thanks for all your welcomes I hope to fit in here.


My plan is to try and clear the clutter first before sorting out the rest of my life, but find it hard to concentrate on one thing for long, I did think of clearing stuff from one part of a room (not touching DH's stuff yet) and trying to keep that clear for a while before moving onto something else, but I don't know how long for or if the rest of the flat will get worse. Does that make sense at all? sorry if I'm rambling.

pollyanna_26

fuds Everything including my eyes will be crossed for the stronger ABs to start doing their work asap . X

babs My life runs on lists although sometimes I forget where they are . As your husband is reluctant to part with things. I would make the food bills , meals and everyday things where you begin now .
If you have a note book or pad you can put in one place you can work out what you need to do each day , don't write down loads , as a carer you sound as though it's hands on care so your time will be limited .
Just one or two things to start with .
How far are you from less expensive shops ? Is it affordable to take a taxi both ways having compared prices with your present basket ?
If your money runs monthly you could stock up on heavier things .
I've no idea of the nature of your husbands needs but if it takes up a lot of the time have you considered some help . If he is on disability benefit he may be entitled to free care for a little time .
Unless you're retired are you his registered carer? If so have you contacted the carers association in your area ?
Apologies for all the questions , just trying to get a picture of what to advise .
polly (still with sticky keys!)

greenbee

babs - if your online shop is causing you issues because you need to make the £40 minimum, might it not be worth you paying the delivery charge one week and just getting what you need? Or seeing whether you can get enough fresh stuff one week to stretch into the second?

If it's milk & bread that need buying weekly, then look at either UHT or filtered milk that lasts longer, and see if you can find room to freeze bread. If it's veg, then plan to use fresh veg first and then frozen/tinned for a few days. TBH, I get a weekly veg box and occasionally get milk/yogurt (although I mostly make my own) with it, and the veg lasts well over a week if I plan carefully.

The other thing to consider is whether there is a milkman in your area. Many of them deliver more than just milk.

Also look for community support groups. We have a village 'cafe' set up by volunteers which is a great community resource, but there's also a group that will provide lifts to the next village for shopping/doctors appointments and help with hospital transport too. It also sounds as if you could do with a bit of time to yourself, so see what you can get in terms of help with DH so that you can have the occasional break and maybe look forward to that walk into town and a cup of coffee away from home.

fuddle

Babs I don't know if this is an option for you but I believe that asda's home delivery minimum is £25.

Thank you polly but honestly uncross thy eyes. I've aleady got that candle bill, I don't want an optician one too!

pollyanna_26

That's a good point about Asda . I don't shop online so have no idea of delivery charges .
The candles are lit with love and no charge . I've got this far without my eyes staying crossed when the wind changes I reckon I'm safe .

babs If you will feel better making a start on the clutter try to find one area in a specific room , perhaps the room where you sit in the evening and start there gradually filling a bag over the days . You need to think how you will dispose of things . Rubbish for the bin , any thing still usable for charity shops, some will collect by arrangement .
polly

carolbee

Babs, I've seen the tip somewhere of setting a timer for say 10/15 minutes, and just clearing, cleaning etc for that time. Would that help?

Sorry you are struggling, there will be loads of ideas come through from the lovely people on here

pollyanna_26

carolbee Elaine aka Memory Girl on the threads does the timer thing . It's amazing what you can do in five minutes . Part of my pacing - when I remember - is 15mins and then rest for 15mins ..

Each letter I type is taking nearly a minute to show on the screen so need to log out and try to sort the problem .
polly

mardatha

Babs add the week's milk to the online shop. I've done this for years, we buy 3x 6pt cartons of milk every week and it never goes off. We drink a lot of tea
You can freeze milk, but when it thaws out you have to keep shaking it. I used to freeze it until I found out it lasted the week in the fridge anyway.

ivyleaf

Welcome, babs it's lovely to have you with us. I really feel for you as my DH too has loads of things he's collected and can't bear to get rid of! I long for a tidy home, but instead I have one full of "stuff".

fuddle So sorry you're feeling worse I hope the new ABs kick in sharpish! Thinking of you xx