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

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

I'm definitely doing three days a week of teaching assistant cover in addition to my lunchtime job, so that's good for the budget. 

Today DH and I decided to postpone our walk by the sea as it's quite chilly and windy. Instead DH pulled down some of our trellis and sawed some more branches off our dead hedge and I swept it all up. I'm very excited because we've decided we are going to go ahead and get our back and short side fences put up along the top of the wall 😁. I have some insurance money set aside from our kitchen flood, so with me being offered the teaching assistant cover we've decided we can afford to spend the money on the fences.

DH and I felt inspired to take a walk around our neighbourhood after that, taking photos of all the fences we saw and deciding which were good or bad. I have to say that we saw more bad fences than good ones and we decided that our new back gate is the nicest one out of all the back gates we saw on our walk 🙂. DS1 thinks we're bonkers 🤣.

Great about the TA work. Good to have it confirmed as well.

I would go and look at fences too- why not ? How lovely you feel you can afford them.

It's cold and windy (and periodically rainy) here too. DH heard a loud crash outside over breakfast but failed to discover anything that could account for it - perhaps it was next-door !

jwil

Great news about the fences

Sun_Addict

Good news about the TA cover and being able to afford new fencing 👍 At some stage I’m going to have to finally give in and buy a face mask as looks like hairdressers and beauty salons will make them compulsory.

Seasidegal58

Great news on the fencing - it will complement the results of all the hard work you have done in your garden. 😀
Same here on the face mask - my dentist is opening next month and I'll have to travel on public transport to get there!😷😷😷!

Onebrokelady

Great news on the fencing, we will need photos 😀. You should change the filter in your mask every time you use it, or if it gets wet from you sneezing or coughing on it 😊

milann

Pleased you’re getting the fencing done. It’s made such a difference to out garden. We did it ourselves with the help of the neighbours though and it kept the cost right down. We bought 8 panels at £18 each from B&M. I painted them before they went in too on both sides. We’re just waiting on next door making 3 small panels for the ends of the runs where they’re not full panels and we’ll be done. The neighbours chipped in too at the back. Although next door chipped in with labour and getting rid of the old fences. A team effort 👍👍
I'm pleased you enjoyed yourself at work. A few of my neighbouring authorities are putting the opening dates back as the R rate has gone above 1 near us. I’m hoping we do the same. Staff are in Monday and Tuesday and children should be on Wednesday....I know I’ll be in with key workers children from Yr 2....providing we go in.
I’m sorry your BIL has gone into a hospice. They are amazing places though and he’ll get the best care.

Willowtree222

Hopefully you get the sea walk today.
Amazing news about the fences and the TA cover. x

HairyHandofDartmoor

elizabethhull said:

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

I'm definitely doing three days a week of teaching assistant cover in addition to my lunchtime job, so that's good for the budget. 

Today DH and I decided to postpone our walk by the sea as it's quite chilly and windy. Instead DH pulled down some of our trellis and sawed some more branches off our dead hedge and I swept it all up. I'm very excited because we've decided we are going to go ahead and get our back and short side fences put up along the top of the wall 😁. I have some insurance money set aside from our kitchen flood, so with me being offered the teaching assistant cover we've decided we can afford to spend the money on the fences.

DH and I felt inspired to take a walk around our neighbourhood after that, taking photos of all the fences we saw and deciding which were good or bad. I have to say that we saw more bad fences than good ones and we decided that our new back gate is the nicest one out of all the back gates we saw on our walk 🙂. DS1 thinks we're bonkers 🤣.

Great about the TA work. Good to have it confirmed as well.

I would go and look at fences too- why not ? How lovely you feel you can afford them.

It's cold and windy (and periodically rainy) here too. DH heard a loud crash outside over breakfast but failed to discover anything that could account for it - perhaps it was next-door !

Thanks Elizabeth . I wonder what the loud noise was? 

jwil said:

Great news about the fences

Thanks Jwil .

Nicnak said:

Hopefully you get the sea walk today.
Amazing news about the fences and the TA cover. x

Thanks Nicnak .

HairyHandofDartmoor

Sun_Addict said:

Good news about the TA cover and being able to afford new fencing 👍 At some stage I’m going to have to finally give in and buy a face mask as looks like hairdressers and beauty salons will make them compulsory.

Seasidegal58 said:

Great news on the fencing - it will complement the results of all the hard work you have done in your garden. 😀
Same here on the face mask - my dentist is opening next month and I'll have to travel on public transport to get there!😷😷😷!

Onebrokelady said:

Great news on the fencing, we will need photos 😀. You should change the filter in your mask every time you use it, or if it gets wet from you sneezing or coughing on it 😊

Thanks all . Where are you thinking of buying your face masks? I've ordered one from Z@zzl3. I'm not sure it's the best place to buy one, but I wanted one that was a similar style to a surgical mask, that was washable and I wanted one that you could put a filter into. I've only ordered one because I don't know how comfortable it will be. There are several different styles out there and I don't know which style suits my face. If I find it very comfortable and a reasonable fit then I may order another one. DH saw a nanotechnology cotton one that he liked the look of but it didn't have a space for a filter.

Thanks OBL I'll be using kitchen roll as a filter for cheapness then if they have to be changed frequently. I think we may end up having to wear masks in some situations .

HairyHandofDartmoor

milann said:

Pleased you’re getting the fencing done. It’s made such a difference to out garden. We did it ourselves with the help of the neighbours though and it kept the cost right down. We bought 8 panels at £18 each from B&M. I painted them before they went in too on both sides. We’re just waiting on next door making 3 small panels for the ends of the runs where they’re not full panels and we’ll be done. The neighbours chipped in too at the back. Although next door chipped in with labour and getting rid of the old fences. A team effort 👍👍
I'm pleased you enjoyed yourself at work. A few of my neighbouring authorities are putting the opening dates back as the R rate has gone above 1 near us. I’m hoping we do the same. Staff are in Monday and Tuesday and children should be on Wednesday....I know I’ll be in with key workers children from Yr 2....providing we go in.
I’m sorry your BIL has gone into a hospice. They are amazing places though and he’ll get the best care.

I can't wait to get our fences done, but our builders will probably be busy now! I'm glad yours are all sorted.

We seem to have a high R rate in the south west but I think it's Bristol and Weston Super Mare that are skewing the figures. The infection rate in Devon and Cornwall seems relatively low. I am trying to be careful at school though as it would be easy to get complacent and then catch it!