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

Sun_Addict

@Delichon if you go to Gov.uk there is a vulnerable person form to fill in and one of the criteria is blood cancer at any stage of treatment, might be worth filling in as this will filter through to the supermarkets. I haven’t filled it in for my OH as he is currently in remission.

Glad you got out in the sunshine HH. I’ve noticed you can really smell the scent of flowers now there’s less pollution- one silver lining 😁

Onebrokelady

redofromstart said:

I have a shameful lack of any craft ability, but I find the hook latch thing soothing even if my progress is very very slow.  When we sell up and move to the mountains I may actually finish it.  Both boys have done some rows to help so I will always treasure it.
Blankets are good if you can crochet.  i can't! Despite being taught by my Grandma, I have lost all ability since.

I have very happy memories of making a rug with my mum using this method when I was little, she bought a kit and I was very excited to see one for sale in one of my local gardening centre shops a few weeks ago 😊

Onebrokelady

Nicnak said:

I think that's also the thing Hairy. You are used to that structure, but at home you don't have anything similar. 
The house being tidy is for you, but at school the classroom benefits everyone in there. I don't think I am explaining it very well, but it's about having a purpose to other people other than those immediately around you. 
Hopefully this will all be over soon, and we can return to some level of normality. Although I do suspect things will never be the same again. x

Interestingly I listened to a podcast about this yesterday and research suggests that humans need social interaction to stay mentally healthy,but it's not just about going out and having fun with your friends, they also need to have a purpose in their daily lives and need to feel that they are contributing in some way to society, if this ability is taken away from them they often become depressed, stressed and lonely  

Onebrokelady

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

DH and I had a leisurely breakfast and then went for a socially distanced walk in the park 🌳. It's DH's first time outside (apart from driving other people places) for two weeks and he enjoyed getting outside. It's easy to keep your distance in the park as you can go off piste onto the grass to avoid people (much harder on the pavements). We have a lovely sunny day ☀️ with blue sky and no clouds. The daffodils and camelias are going over but we some lovely wild bluebells 🥀 ( I know that's not a bluebell but it's the best I can do 😂). We walked very slowly so it won't do my cardio much good, but it will be very good for DH to get some exercise and vitamin D. I'll get my exercise doing some strenuous housework and gardening 🌱

I've got a long list of things I'd like to do so I won't get them all done, especially if I sit here 😁, but I've got two weeks before I'm back at school.

I hope everyone had a good and safe Saturday 😎.

Sounds like a lovely walk Hairy, it's lovely here today,I really want to do some bits in the garden but I've injured my shoulder so can't do any today,I'm hoping to get out there tomorrow,my next door neighbour is out cutting his grass and it smells sooooo good 😀

doingitanyway

I'm sure the walk did you some good. I love what onebrokelady says about purpose and contribution to society. I've been thinking about voluntary work when this is over for exactly that reason. 
Enjoy your evening

HairyHandofDartmoor

Onebrokelady said:

Nicnak said:

I think that's also the thing Hairy. You are used to that structure, but at home you don't have anything similar. 
The house being tidy is for you, but at school the classroom benefits everyone in there. I don't think I am explaining it very well, but it's about having a purpose to other people other than those immediately around you. 
Hopefully this will all be over soon, and we can return to some level of normality. Although I do suspect things will never be the same again. x

Interestingly I listened to a podcast about this yesterday and research suggests that humans need social interaction to stay mentally healthy,but it's not just about going out and having fun with your friends, they also need to have a purpose in their daily lives and need to feel that they are contributing in some way to society, if this ability is taken away from them they often become depressed, stressed and lonely  

Yes I think that's why I've been struggling for the past two weeks as that's been taken away from me.

I hope your shoulder gets better so you can do some gardening .

HairyHandofDartmoor

doingitanyway said:

I'm sure the walk did you some good. I love what onebrokelady says about purpose and contribution to society. I've been thinking about voluntary work when this is over for exactly that reason. 
Enjoy your evening

Thanks DIA . Yes I've been much happier since I've been working and volunteering at school and it's been good for my confidence too .

[Deleted User]

greenbee said:

@Delichon - from the sites I'm waiting on, I think Tesco are the only ones who aren't reserving slots for vulnerable people. Sainsburys were very quick to identify their vulnerable customers (at least, in my mum's area!) and she's be told she can have one slot a week based on age. Waitrose and Ocado are apparently releasing slots (Ocado are only letting people book 3 days ahead if they're not on the vulnerable list) for non-vulnerable customers occasionally but I have yet to spot one. I'm on week 4 of self-isolation, so it would be useful to have one.

However, I have had some things delivered by volunteers in the village - you don't have to be on the vulnerable list for this. They know i'm self-isolating (and having collected my prescription yesterday are very aware that I'm unwell and a potential infection risk to them) and have offered to shop and get prescriptions. I was even told yesterday that they can cook and drop off meals if I'm not feeling up to feeding myself. It might be worth checking your local FB groups to see whether there are volunteers organised, and you may also find that places that don't normally deliver can help - a lot of our local shops are, and some of the pubs/cafes have turned themselves into shops or delivery services as well. A bit of searching online might extend your options. 

Thank you, greenbee.
Ocado and Waitrose don't delivery out our way.  We are very rural here, home delivery by Morrisons and Sainsburys only started happening in our neck of the woods about 2 years ago.  The nearest branches of those supermarkets where deliveries come from are about 25 miles away and they only deliver in this area certain days of the week anyway.  Very rare even in normal circumstances to get a delivery in the same week. I see the Tesco van but I'm not registered with them and I know some supermarkets are not accepting new online customers at the moment. I could do Click and Collect if I did a 50 mile round trip to collect.  In the present circumstances we'll mange with what we've got in.  It's just things like fresh bread and milk and some fresh produce like fruit that I miss. We grow most of our own veg and things will be coming up and ready soon. I usually keep a couple of loaves and some small bottles of milk in the freezer anyway (we've been blocked in by snow some winters and better to be ready IMO).  Sadly, they've now been consumed.

There are some very small supermarkets (just a Co-op and a dinky little Morrisons in our nearest very small 'town' but they had no bread or milk last time I was in. If I could see any I'd freeze some for later but they are probably rationing how many people can buy.  Also, I'm not supposed to go out either because of DH and although I certainly don't mind queueing if it meant I'd get something those stores are so small with really narrow aisles.  I can't see how they could ensure distancing measures unless they only allow one customer to shop at a time LOL.  There are only 2 tills in each so you can imagine how small they are.

No 'local' shops or pubs nearer than about 5 miles away, like I said, this is a wilderness.  The only small (tiny actually) shop in the nearest village is also a Post Office but it has closed apart from a few hours 2 days a week.

This isn't a village, just a few isolated houses and very small farms. We chose to live here in the first place for its isolation and as such have no friendship group or family anywhere nearby.  We both had jobs and our social life etc was always elsewhere.  It's a whole different ball game after retirement though.  I haven't heard of any volunteers at all.  I don't 'do' social media, never had any need for it  so have never joined Facebook etc. We rely on the 'real' mail, email  or landline phone. Maybe it's the time to join FB.  Perhaps  the chap who DH gives the wood to could drop something off for us.  I might give him a ring but barely know him and it seems a bit of a cheek.  On the other hand, DH keeps his woodburner fed for free a lot of the time.  He once offered DH some money for the wood but he refused it as we're glad to see it go. We've a lot of trees and are prone to frequent gale damage out here. The man and his wife went to Scotland last year and brought us a present of a very expensive-looking bottle of single malt whiskey as a 'thank you for the wood' gift.  It's still in the cupboard as we aren't big whiskey drinkers.

Ashamed of myself for being such a moaner.  Sorry.  I know we are unbelievably lucky to live in such a wonderful part of the country and my heart goes out to all those families who have to cope with active and energetic young children in a high-rise flat.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I've just done a marathon weeding session in the garden 🌱 and it looks much better . I've finished weeding all the pots (we have a lot of pots). I also weeded the second half of the wall and then swept up. One of our palm trees (in a pot to stop it getting as tall as the house) has died but is sprouting a bit at the bottom, so I chopped off the top of the trunk in the hope that it might sprout from there too eventually. 

All I need to do now is to weed the three borders and then it's just maintenance and pruning when needed. When I get the opportunity I'd like to get some compost and flowers to put in my pots (which is the fun bit of gardening) and I still need to sand and paint the garden bench. But I'm definitely making progress 😁. 

It was so warm today that I wore my sunhat and sunglasses again 😎 and was wishing I'd set up the sun umbrella. The bench is a bit too close to the wall so I'll need to pull it out a bit so there's room for the umbrella.

When I've recovered from my weeding session I need to change DS1's sheets and then I'm going to enjoy a hot shower 🚿 and relax. I feel like I'll deserve it after all that 😁.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Delichon said:

greenbee said:

@Delichon - from the sites I'm waiting on, I think Tesco are the only ones who aren't reserving slots for vulnerable people. Sainsburys were very quick to identify their vulnerable customers (at least, in my mum's area!) and she's be told she can have one slot a week based on age. Waitrose and Ocado are apparently releasing slots (Ocado are only letting people book 3 days ahead if they're not on the vulnerable list) for non-vulnerable customers occasionally but I have yet to spot one. I'm on week 4 of self-isolation, so it would be useful to have one.

However, I have had some things delivered by volunteers in the village - you don't have to be on the vulnerable list for this. They know i'm self-isolating (and having collected my prescription yesterday are very aware that I'm unwell and a potential infection risk to them) and have offered to shop and get prescriptions. I was even told yesterday that they can cook and drop off meals if I'm not feeling up to feeding myself. It might be worth checking your local FB groups to see whether there are volunteers organised, and you may also find that places that don't normally deliver can help - a lot of our local shops are, and some of the pubs/cafes have turned themselves into shops or delivery services as well. A bit of searching online might extend your options. 

Thank you, greenbee.
Ocado and Waitrose don't delivery out our way.  We are very rural here, home delivery by Morrisons and Sainsburys only started happening in our neck of the woods about 2 years ago.  The nearest branches of those supermarkets where deliveries come from are about 25 miles away and they only deliver in this area certain days of the week anyway.  Very rare even in normal circumstances to get a delivery in the same week. I see the Tesco van but I'm not registered with them and I know some supermarkets are not accepting new online customers at the moment. I could do Click and Collect if I did a 50 mile round trip to collect.  In the present circumstances we'll mange with what we've got in.  It's just things like fresh bread and milk and some fresh produce like fruit that I miss. We grow most of our own veg and things will be coming up and ready soon. I usually keep a couple of loaves and some small bottles of milk in the freezer anyway (we've been blocked in by snow some winters and better to be ready IMO).  Sadly, they've now been consumed.

There are some very small supermarkets (just a Co-op and a dinky little Morrisons in our nearest very small 'town' but they had no bread or milk last time I was in. If I could see any I'd freeze some for later but they are probably rationing how many people can buy.  Also, I'm not supposed to go out either because of DH and although I certainly don't mind queueing if it meant I'd get something those stores are so small with really narrow aisles.  I can't see how they could ensure distancing measures unless they only allow one customer to shop at a time LOL.  There are only 2 tills in each so you can imagine how small they are.

No 'local' shops or pubs nearer than about 5 miles away, like I said, this is a wilderness.  The only small (tiny actually) shop in the nearest village is also a Post Office but it has closed apart from a few hours 2 days a week.

This isn't a village, just a few isolated houses and very small farms. We chose to live here in the first place for its isolation and as such have no friendship group or family anywhere nearby.  We both had jobs and our social life etc was always elsewhere.  It's a whole different ball game after retirement though.  I haven't heard of any volunteers at all.  I don't 'do' social media, never had any need for it  so have never joined Facebook etc. We rely on the 'real' mail, email  or landline phone. Maybe it's the time to join FB.  Perhaps  the chap who DH gives the wood to could drop something off for us.  I might give him a ring but barely know him and it seems a bit of a cheek.  On the other hand, DH keeps his woodburner fed for free a lot of the time.  He once offered DH some money for the wood but he refused it as we're glad to see it go. We've a lot of trees and are prone to frequent gale damage out here. The man and his wife went to Scotland last year and brought us a present of a very expensive-looking bottle of single malt whiskey as a 'thank you for the wood' gift.  It's still in the cupboard as we aren't big whiskey drinkers.

Ashamed of myself for being such a moaner.  Sorry.  I know we are unbelievably lucky to live in such a wonderful part of the country and my heart goes out to all those families who have to cope with active and energetic young children in a high-rise flat.

You're not moaning at all Delichon .

Why don't you ask the man who you give the wood to if he'd mind picking up a few bits for you? I'm sure he'd be glad to help. They're obviously grateful or they wouldn't have bought you the whiskey.

It might benefit you to join Facebook, as apart from anything else it's a lovely way to keep in touch with friends and family for free. You can even video call friends and family for free using Facetime and it's very simple to use.