Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

HairyHandofDartmoor

teafor2 said:

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

DS1 had a horrendous visit to the supermarket today (as I described in an earlier post) with people getting far too close to him 😡 so it's not ideal but what can we do?

I think supermarkets are  one of most likely places to pick something up but as you say what can we do. It's not just who you're stood next to or passing but also how many people have picked something up and then put it back on the shelves only for somebody else to possibly touch it up a few minutes later. It's just so hard isn't it. xx

Yes I'm worried about supermarkets but with online deliveries so hard to get it seems we don't have much choice .

Delichon said:

teafor2 said:

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

DS1 had a horrendous visit to the supermarket today (as I described in an earlier post) with people getting far too close to him 😡 so it's not ideal but what can we do?

I think supermarkets are  one of most likely places to pick something up but as you say what can we do. It's not just who you're stood next to or passing but also how many people have picked something up and then put it back on the shelves only for somebody else to possibly touch it up a few minutes later. It's just so hard isn't it. xx

Good point, teafor2.

DH had to go to the petrol station yesterday.  Living in such a rural area we need to make sure at least one car is fuelled up 'just in case', even though we aren't planning any travel that isn't absolutely necessary.  My car would probably have to run on fumes at the moment so I'll leave the tank empty and save my money.  We're making sure we can get out if there's an emergency though hence his trip for the petrol. Plus. he needed to fill some cans for the petrol mower.  He came home pleased that he'd managed to avoid touching 'anything' in the attached shop but I reminded him that he still needed to touch the pumps, the door handles into the shop  to pay, the card machine as the petrol cost more than the cashless limit (which happily will be going up from £30 to £45 from April 1st), goodness know what else that was unavoidable!    I think he was just chuffed that he'd resisted the temptation to browse the snack shelves, a major habit change in itself!.  At least there wasn't a queue there, that place is normally heaving whenever we go.  People must be obeying the instruction to stay at home.

I think anywhere we go is a risk as we're touching things 😱 All we can do is try to minimise the risk. If we had latex gloves to wear when touching things, which we then pulled inside out and put in a plastic bag until the next time they were used, then that might help 🤔. I bet it's impossible to buy latex gloves though now!

HairyHandofDartmoor

Delichon said:

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

DH drove DS1 to the supermarket early to get a couple of items. Whilst DS1 tried to keep away from people, other people didn't seem to be getting the message and were coming too close to him 😱. Because the aisles were narrow it was hard to keep as far away from people as he would have liked. At the checkout he had to wait at the end of the conveyor belt, but there was nothing to stop people standing directly behind him or walking past him very closely 😱.

I feel worried and I really hope that DS1 hasn't been exposed to infection just by one trip to the supermarket 😟. We have plenty of food now so I hope that we can leave it at least a week before we go to a food shop again. People still don't get it 😡.

I'm sure DS will be OK. HHOD.  Unless someone actually coughed in his face he should be OK.  He wouldn't have caught anything by someone just brushing past him.  It's the 'droplets' that do it.  I'm sure he also knows the rule about not touching his face after touching things (such as stuff he handled at the supermarket etc) until he had a chance to wash his hands.  I pity the poor till ladies having to spend hours every day  face to face with so many people and handling cash.  We try to pay with our contactless debit cards whenever possible but with a limit of £30 it's not enough to cover a trolley full of shopping at a supermarket.  The limit is going up to £45 on April 1st, probably to encourage more people to pay that way and avoid cash or having to key in numbers into the card machine during the current situation. Even that's still not enough for most people's supermarket shop unless they go often and buy less each time which is definitely to be avoided at the moment.

I think people will be varying their usual diets in the coming weeks and eating some weird and wonderful food combinations (like we did when I had a moneysaving idea one January of living just off everything we already had in the freezer and cupboards).  I unearthed all sorts of interesting things that I'd completely forgotten I had even though I've never been a stockpiler in the true sense.  Living far from civilisation I've always had to make sure we had enough to keep us going in an emergency but. I was embarrassed to discover some  overbuying issues with the strangest things!

Thanks Delichon . I hope you're right.

I agree that we'll all need to vary our diets soon to suit what food we can actually get hold of.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Nicnak said:

You sound much more positive (despite the tummy bug). Glad you have got a rota and can now work to that. We are operating something similar, but on a two week basis. My week is next week. x

Sunshine_girl2 said:

I hope the tummy bug has settled down for you to enjoy the day 😀x

beanielou said:

Hope your day goes well 😊🌈

Thanks all of you .

EssexHebridean

Hey HH - sorry to hear about the tummy bug - hopefully it's settled down a bit now. I get an upset tummy through stress so I've also been a bit like that the past few days, thankfully nothing too grim though.

Good that you have a rota for work so you know where you are - my Boss's wife is a teacher and she'd working on the same basis I think, although they don't have to many children in.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Well it's my birthday today 🍰🎂🎉🎁🎈.

It's going to be the strangest birthday ever. Not the worst birthday because that was last year which was the first birthday without my precious Mum 😥. But it's definitely going to be my strangest birthday. 

I can't go to a NT place for the day 😥, I can't go to the shops to spend my birthday money 😥, I can't go out for a meal 😥, and I don't trust takeaways at the moment 😥, I can't even go out for a walk because I'm in quarantine due to my weekend coughing 😥. So all I can do is eat chocolate all day 🤣 🍫🎂🍪🍩.

TRYING TO BE POSITIVE
On a more positive note I was given four lovely Agatha Christie facsimile hardbacks from DH (to add to my collection) 📚, big box of chocolates from DS1 🍫, and various money and vouchers from other family members 🤑. I'm going to eat chocolate, post on here, browse the corona news and watch telly with DH and DS1. At least I have most of my family with me and we're all healthy for now .

I'm going to have another birthday (like the Queen) in the Summer when hopefully this will all be over and I'll go to a NT place for the day and go out for a meal with DH in the evening. I feel old today because I'm the wrong side of fifty 😱, but I dont feel old and I hope I don't look old.

Anyway apart from opening my presents and eating chocolate for lunch 😉, I've put two lots of washing to dry in the garden on the two clothes horses and it will soon dry in the lovely sunshine. I may sit in the garden to drink a cup of tea and enjoy some fresh air later on today 😎.

I hope everyone is having a nice Wednesday .

doingitanyway

Happy birthday. What a great idea to have another birthday later in the year. Glad you can find some positives and I am sure you look lovely and not old at all

Sun_Addict

Happy Birthday 🎂🎁🎉🎈 Yes you'll have to celebrate later in the year. I'm definitely on the wrong side of 50, hanging on by a thread 😂  Try and enjoy your day as best as you can xx

elizabethhull

Happy birthday - and an excellent idea to have another one later on. Well, a good birthday often involves chocolate and some loafing about, as well as family. so enjoy the lovely weather. 

I'm wondering whether I'll be able to resist the 5 Easter eggs I bought that I can't give, except the one for DH !!!

Having just discovered video phoning via Facebook Messenger, I had an afternoon with a friend yesterday, just as if we'd met at one of our houses,  3 hrs together , and for free ! We drank coffee too.

HairyHandofDartmoor

doingitanyway said:

Happy birthday. What a great idea to have another birthday later in the year. Glad you can find some positives and I am sure you look lovely and not old at all

Sun_Addict said:

Happy Birthday 🎂🎁🎉🎈 Yes you'll have to celebrate later in the year. I'm definitely on the wrong side of 50, hanging on by a thread 😂  Try and enjoy your day as best as you can xx

elizabethhull said:

Happy birthday - and an excellent idea to have another one later on. Well, a good birthday often involves chocolate and some loafing about, as well as family. so enjoy the lovely weather. 

I'm wondering whether I'll be able to resist the 5 Easter eggs I bought that I can't give, except the one for DH !!!

Having just discovered video phoning via Facebook Messenger, I had an afternoon with a friend yesterday, just as if we'd met at one of our houses,  3 hrs together , and for free ! We drank coffee too.

Thanks DIA . There's going to be a lot of 'different' birthdays this Spring!

Thanks SA . We're as young as we feel aren't we? 🤣

Thanks Elizabeth . What a lovely word 'loafing' is 🙂. Your afternoon with your friend sounds great. I think it's your responsibility to eat the Easter eggs now 🤣.

HairyHandofDartmoor

EssexHebridean said:

Hey HH - sorry to hear about the tummy bug - hopefully it's settled down a bit now. I get an upset tummy through stress so I've also been a bit like that the past few days, thankfully nothing too grim though.

Good that you have a rota for work so you know where you are - my Boss's wife is a teacher and she'd working on the same basis I think, although they don't have to many children in.

Thanks EH . It may be stress but I did empty a sick bowl at school on Friday 🤢 😱.