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

beanielou

Hope you are having a nice quiet weekend 😊

milann

Yes be wary of vouchers...we had vouchers for theatre trips, a cooking experience and restaurants between us last year.....non have been able to be used - some refunded- some postponed and others just waiting to get a chance to use them🤔

HairyHandofDartmoor

Seasidegal58 said:

Lucky old you being out of the class when the mayhem was happening!🤣
Good news on the NT gardens staying open. I know how much you enjoy these and they will be good places to visit during this lockdown. 😀

beanielou said:

Fab news on the NT.
Just do research before you buy vouchers.
I am switching to £££'s this year for DS & GF. Which goes against the grain but............

Sun_Addict said:

That’s good news on the NT properties- for both you and them. I’ve been saving all year for my Christmas pot, it has now been released into the wild. Lockdown won’t make a massive difference to me either, just won’t be able to see DS and the GKs, hopefully Christmas will be saved 🤞

elizabethhull said:

The things that happen at your school do make me laugh !!

I'm glad about the NT properties. Perhaps DD2 and DGS will go using the membership I bought them. Of course I now won't see them till December. We go nowhere and see practically no-one - it's a very strange life. The newspaper calls it 'social starvation' = an apt term.

Nicnak said:

I hope the NT places do stay open over Christmas to ensure that people are able to visit but our local one becomes extremely busy on boxing Day so think they might continue with bookings to stop this.
X

jwil said:

I'm glad school is going well for you, and good news about the NT gardens staying open too.

That's a good point from Beanie about vouchers actually - who knows who is going to survive this, we keep losing big names, and January is generally a busier time for it isn't it.  Thanks  for the reminder.

badmemory said:

I agree about vouchers.  I got stuck with £55 of Principles when they went.  I got a massive couple of pounds back from the liquidator.  I did put a claim in but most people don't.

badmemory said:

I agree about vouchers.  I got stuck with £55 of Principles when they went.  I got a massive couple of pounds back from the liquidator.  I did put a claim in but most people don't.

Thanks all of you 🙂. School can be funny sometimes when it's not infuriating 🤣.
 I often give vouchers from the rainforest people as they're not likely to go bust and they give lots of choice for people. In a way I'd rather support smaller businesses, but with the shops shut now and me suffering from lack of time and general exhaustion it's hard to to do. 

HairyHandofDartmoor

beanielou said:

Hope you are having a nice quiet weekend 😊

milann said:

Yes be wary of vouchers...we had vouchers for theatre trips, a cooking experience and restaurants between us last year.....non have been able to be used - some refunded- some postponed and others just waiting to get a chance to use them🤔

Thanks both of you . I'll be very careful which vouchers to buy. The rainforest people are usually a safe bet.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thursday was manic and infuriating as we were run off our feet and the childen were being very difficult 😦. However Friday in the other class was a really lovely calm day 🙂. It's amazing what a difference different children and a more experienced teacher makes. One thing did make  me laugh on Thursday though, the children were doing a comprehension about the Gunpowder Plot and in answer to the question "What was Guy Fawkes in charge of?" one boy had answered "Murdering" 🤣😂. The answer should have been gunpowder 🤣 so that did make me silently chuckle.

Yesterday I did washing, bin emptying, and planted some chrysanthemums and autumn violas in pots 🌻🌺🌼🏵🌸. I've got a few aches and pains after the gardening but the garden looks more colourful with the yellow, orange, pink and white chrysanthemums. The violas aren't flowering yet but hopefully they will soon now they've been planted up. I also raised up my favourite and expensive pots on pot feet to help protect them from frost. We don't get many frosts where I live and the new fence should give additional protection to the plants, but better safe than sorry. DH helped me with the heavier pots and we turned around our bay tree that is leaning a bit towards the light. DH and I even had coffee ☕ in the garden to admire our new flowers, the sun came out for a bit and it felt quite warm ☀️.

Yesterday would have been my mum's 84th birthday, so that made me feel a bit sad 😥. However my mum would have been delighted about yesterday's election result 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😃, as she took a great interest in politics and disliked him and all the agggressive hatred he stands for (as do I). 
                                                                                                           
Today I've ironed my school tops, put a wash on and emptied some more bins. DH is going to iron my school trousers 😁. Apart from that I'm relaxing so that I'm full of energy for the week ahead. The weather is a bit grey and rainy today so I'm glad I did the gardening yesterday.

I hope everyone is having a good Sunday 🙂.

Seasidegal58

Your garden sounds lovely. What a nice place to relax and have coffee. 😀
I hope you are feeling better now after reflecting on your mum's birthday.  My mum and dad's birthdays were within a week of each other so it's always an emotional time for me and my sister.  They would have been 99 and 97 respectively next spring. 😞
Glad to hear you're feeling spritely for the week ahead though. 

Willowtree222

I too hope you're feeling ok about the birthday. 
It's amazing how different classes respond to different teachers and how different characters create a different atmosphere. 
Hope you have a lovely week x

enthusiasticsaver

badmemory said:

I agree about vouchers.  I got stuck with £55 of Principles when they went.  I got a massive couple of pounds back from the liquidator.  I did put a claim in but most people don't.

Thoroughly agree that maybe this year giving money rather than vouchers is a good idea.  I got stuck with HMV vouchers when they went under.  I have just ordered two new chairs online from Furniture World for our conservatory and for the first time for ages applied for interest free credit simply because I do not want to pay upfront in case they go under.  Shame to have to think like that. 

milann

Applying for the interest free credit is a good idea ES. 

Your garden sounds lovely Hairy and it so good that you’re able to make good use of it even though the weather is getting colder and the evenings longer. I quite fancy a fire pit so that we can sit out.....it’s a good idea but in reality I’m not sure how often I would actually use 😏

HairyHandofDartmoor

Seasidegal58 said:

Your garden sounds lovely. What a nice place to relax and have coffee. 😀
I hope you are feeling better now after reflecting on your mum's birthday.  My mum and dad's birthdays were within a week of each other so it's always an emotional time for me and my sister.  They would have been 99 and 97 respectively next spring. 😞
Glad to hear you're feeling spritely for the week ahead though. 

Nicnak said:

I too hope you're feeling ok about the birthday. 
It's amazing how different classes respond to different teachers and how different characters create a different atmosphere. 
Hope you have a lovely week x

enthusiasticsaver said:

badmemory said:

I agree about vouchers.  I got stuck with £55 of Principles when they went.  I got a massive couple of pounds back from the liquidator.  I did put a claim in but most people don't.

Thoroughly agree that maybe this year giving money rather than vouchers is a good idea.  I got stuck with HMV vouchers when they went under.  I have just ordered two new chairs online from Furniture World for our conservatory and for the first time for ages applied for interest free credit simply because I do not want to pay upfront in case they go under.  Shame to have to think like that. 

milann said:

Applying for the interest free credit is a good idea ES. 

Your garden sounds lovely Hairy and it so good that you’re able to make good use of it even though the weather is getting colder and the evenings longer. I quite fancy a fire pit so that we can sit out.....it’s a good idea but in reality I’m not sure how often I would actually use 😏

Thanks all of you . Birthdays can be a sad reminder, although I think about and miss my mum every day anyway. You definitely need to think hard about which shops could be in danger of going under at the moment. I know we are very lucky to have a garden .