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

milann

We’re in earlier too Hairy. We are staggering starting and finishing times for the children. My lot start at 8.30 and go home at 3.15. We never usually get a mid morning break but we now get 15 minutes and we used to get 15 minute dinner time break ( we unofficially covered each other to 20 minutes) - we now get half an hour. It makes such a difference. All the schools in our authority finish at midday on Friday - I thought we’d be in until 3ish cleaning but we go home at 12.15. I’m usually with challenging children but I’m now in a mainstream class - I don’t know what to do with myself....it’s totally different to what I usually do. It’ll be a shock to my system when/if things go back to normal 🤔😳 although there’s never a dull moment - my usual job is a LOT more demanding. I’d happily change my hours permanently to an earlier start and Friday afternoons off. Getting up early is taking some getting used to though😱😱
Your face masks sound good. 

I hope the weather improves so that you get your morning cuppa in the garden soon.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Sun_Addict said:

The weather has been quite muggy the past few days so this could be another reason for feeling tired. Boo to doing 10 minutes extra work for no extra cash. I was the same as you are with your fence when I had my new kitchen and bathroom 3 years ago, I kept going in an looking at them, just admiring them. I'm hoping to have a new front door and front windows this year, although not had any quotes so no idea how much it will cost probably a lot more than I've got saved up for it. Nice to get a free mask with a nice pattern - our local shop is selling flamingo print ones so when I eventually go somewhere to need one that's the sort of thing I'm going for.  Hope you have a good day today 😁

Thanks SA . I hope you get one of the flamingo print face masks .

HairyHandofDartmoor

milann said:

We’re in earlier too Hairy. We are staggering starting and finishing times for the children. My lot start at 8.30 and go home at 3.15. We never usually get a mid morning break but we now get 15 minutes and we used to get 15 minute dinner time break ( we unofficially covered each other to 20 minutes) - we now get half an hour. It makes such a difference. All the schools in our authority finish at midday on Friday - I thought we’d be in until 3ish cleaning but we go home at 12.15. I’m usually with challenging children but I’m now in a mainstream class - I don’t know what to do with myself....it’s totally different to what I usually do. It’ll be a shock to my system when/if things go back to normal 🤔😳 although there’s never a dull moment - my usual job is a LOT more demanding. I’d happily change my hours permanently to an earlier start and Friday afternoons off. Getting up early is taking some getting used to though😱😱
Your face masks sound good. 

I hope the weather improves so that you get your morning cuppa in the garden soon.

Thanks Milann . Ours get in at 8.45am and leave at 3.25pm but they have a long lunch break and we don't get Friday afternoons. I found it hard to get up early too after only working lunchtimes for ten weeks. 
Our classes are small and mostly well behaved so I feel like I've got time on my hands too sometimes.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I had a good day today 🙂. I was cleaning communal areas all morning which gave me a chance to chat to lots of people and then a teacher asked me if I'd be in her class in the afternoon. Lunchtime was dry apart from a bit of drizzle, but we had heavy rain before and after lunch 🌧☔. The children did cosmic yoga again which seems to relax them 😂. I spent ages waiting outside the toilet at lunchtime 🙄 as lots of the children seem to have developed weak bladders and the little ones are not allowed to go indoors on their own. I have to admit that I love being back at school, seeing some of the children and having lots of people to talk to 😁.

I feel quite tired now and I've done 15,203 steps today 😇🏃‍♀️, mostly at school. But DH is cooking so I'm relaxing now 🙂. Tomorrow I only working at lunchtime so it will be a more relaxing day.

This morning I posted two father's day cards, one birthday card and one thinking of you card. Tomorrow afternoon I need to go to the post office to post a well-being parcel to my sister and DS1 has a few packages that need posting. I've only been to the post office once since lockdown as I bought tons of stamps on that trip and try to avoid unncecessary trips there to save time, but it can't be avoided this time.

I'm hoping that we have better weather at the weekend so that I can sit in the garden and admire the new fences 🙂.

I hope everyone is having a good Thursday.

milann

It has rained heavily all day here so our 1st day of the children being cooped up all day in our bubble. It’s not ideal and they watched a fair bit of tv over break times....as long as we don’t get days of it we should be ok.....I’m quite jealous of your dry playtime. It’s surprising just how many steps can be accrued walking around a school. I don’t do as many where I am now but in my last school could easily clock up an average of 12,000 steps around the school 😲

jwil

Glad you are enjoying the fences and had a better day today

foxgloves

I've been doing that with postage too, HHoD.... I've been buying heaps of stamps, then weighing packages myself, checking the online Post Office price finder, using stamps from my stash & just popping to the village post box to avoid post office queues/going into town, etc. Did have to get a couple weighed in town today though as both were slightly too chunky to fit in our local postbox. I like writing letters too, so I always like to have stamps in.
F x

HairyHandofDartmoor

milann said:

It has rained heavily all day here so our 1st day of the children being cooped up all day in our bubble. It’s not ideal and they watched a fair bit of tv over break times....as long as we don’t get days of it we should be ok.....I’m quite jealous of your dry playtime. It’s surprising just how many steps can be accrued walking around a school. I don’t do as many where I am now but in my last school could easily clock up an average of 12,000 steps around the school 😲

No that's not ideal but that's what happens to ours during wet play, although educare children are allowed to use the hall.

HairyHandofDartmoor

jwil said:

Glad you are enjoying the fences and had a better day today

Thanks Jwil .

HairyHandofDartmoor

foxgloves said:

I've been doing that with postage too, HHoD.... I've been buying heaps of stamps, then weighing packages myself, checking the online Post Office price finder, using stamps from my stash & just popping to the village post box to avoid post office queues/going into town, etc. Did have to get a couple weighed in town today though as both were slightly too chunky to fit in our local postbox. I like writing letters too, so I always like to have stamps in.
F x

Thanks Foxgloves . There was a long queue outside the post office so I hope I don't have to go again for a long time!