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

milann

We’ve tried several times to get in NT places....we’ve only managed once midweek- not a chance at weekends.....

HairyHandofDartmoor

I had a lovely day on Monday pottering around the house doing washing, tidying and cleaning, with plenty of coffee breaks ☕☕☕. I did some jobs that I've been wanting to do for ages like cleaning the kitchen windowsill and the things on it, hand washing my wool scarves and gloves, etc. It was a relaxing but productive day 🙂. 

Yesterday I pottered again in the morning and then DH, DS1 and I met aunt and uncle at a local NT place. It was heaving with people, but most of them were walking around the park with dogs, so once we got in the garden it was much quieter. We had coffee outdoors in the courtyard first ☕ and a good catch up about family and Christmas day doings. Then we enjoyed walking around the garden in the late afternoon sunlight 🌳🍃☀️.

Today DH dropped me in the centre of town early on as I had a £50 Christmas cheque to pay in the bank and I wanted to buy next year's Christmas cards and a diary in the sale. I got six packs of ten Christmas cards in the charity shop at half price, and also a diary with a third off it. I also returned a top to Joules that I'd ordered in their online sale in a moment of weakness, then had second thoughts, so I felt very virtuous for returning it 😇, but less virtuous for buying it in the first place as it was a want rather than a need 😕! It was fairly empty in town I thought considering the time of year and that the sales were on. It was grey and drizzly 🌧 but that doesn't normally stop people shopping. The shops seem more empty of stock somehow despite less shoppers, so I wondered if they'd been ordering less new lines due to the virus. On the way home we stopped at the chemist for me to pick up my new inhalers that the asthma nurse has prescribed after a telephone appointment and I bought DH some cocodamol for his bad knee. 

It's good to have all those tedious chores done, I'm particularly pleased at paying the cheque in, returning the top and getting my half price Christmas cards, as these will all help our budget 🙂. I had a brisk walk around town too which I needed as I've done very little exercise since I've been on holiday from school 🚶‍♀️. 

I was delighted to wake up to news that the Oxford vaccine has been approved as I know that will speed up our vaccination programme immensely 🎉🎉🎉. We still have hard times ahead of us until the spring, but if we can vaccinate two million people a week then we can stop a third wave of the virus hopefully 🤞.

I see the goverment have just announced the new tiers and Devon is going up into tier three. I can't say I'm surprised as our infection rates are going up. I dont' think it will make much difference to my lifestyle and I hope it will help to stop infections rising. I'm a bit nervous about going back to school on Monday with the new variant of the virus being so infectious 😟. I've caught two colds since September and if I can catch a cold at school then I can catch Covid 19 😟. I may start wearing a mask at school when I'm supporting children one to one or in small groups. 

I hope everyone in diaryland is having an enjoyable and relaxing few days between Christmas and New Year 😊.

Seasidegal58

Pleases to hear you had a good walk meeting up with your family at the NT place. 

Good too that you got your half-priced Christmas cards. I've been unable to get mine as being in Tier 4 our card and charity shops are closed. I'm going to have a go at sourcing them online. Annoying because I also buy whatever I need for next Christmas in the wrapping department as well.

jwil

Glad you've had a nice productive day.

milann

Sounds like a productive day 👍

Sun_Addict

It is good news about the vaccine. We are finally seeing an end in sight, not yet but it’s not too far away 🙏 The last time I went into our town, November I think, I thought the shops had very low stocks, can’t say I blame them.

Sunshine_girl2

Looks like you are able to go back to school as well . Glad you got another NT walk in, I tried booking just for me to go to an NT place and like Milann said it was fully booked . 

My break is going far too fast , but I am looking forward to the New Year starting . 

HairyHandofDartmoor

Seasidegal58 said:

Pleases to hear you had a good walk meeting up with your family at the NT place. 

Good too that you got your half-priced Christmas cards. I've been unable to get mine as being in Tier 4 our card and charity shops are closed. I'm going to have a go at sourcing them online. Annoying because I also buy whatever I need for next Christmas in the wrapping department as well.

Thanks SSG 🙂. I usually get my Christmas cards from the Cancer Research shop and they are selling them online, so I expect other places are too. I expect you'd be able to get hold of gift wrap online too. Heaven forbid we pay full price for things like that 🤣 .

HairyHandofDartmoor

jwil said:

Glad you've had a nice productive day.

milann said:

Sounds like a productive day 👍

Sun_Addict said:

It is good news about the vaccine. We are finally seeing an end in sight, not yet but it’s not too far away 🙏 The last time I went into our town, November I think, I thought the shops had very low stocks, can’t say I blame them.

Thanks Jwil and Milann . Yes I'm delighted about the vaccine news SA .

Sunshine_girl2 said:

Looks like you are able to go back to school as well . Glad you got another NT walk in, I tried booking just for me to go to an NT place and like Milann said it was fully booked . 

My break is going far too fast , but I am looking forward to the New Year starting . 

Thanks Sunshine . I'll definitely be back at school, but I think I'm going to start wearing a mask if I'm close to children, which I often am. My holiday is going too quickly too.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I got up this morning determined to plant our new holly tree 🌳 in the pot next to our front door, as it's a dry, sunny day for a change ☀️.

 
It was quite an undertaking as I had to dig up the old half dead box tree and empty the soil out of the pot. I wasn't sure what to do with all the soil as DH thought it might be infected with blight, but he came up with the idea of putting it into our garden waste bag. I thought this was an excellent idea. The soil from the pot half filled it and it was extrememly heavy, so I asked DS3 to carry it through the house to the back garden for us so DH didn't make his sore knee worse. Then I had a coffee break ☕ before filling the pot with the new soil (the garden centre recommended John Innes No 3) and then planting the holly tree. Then I had to sweep the front steps as there was soil everywhere, pour some water on the steps to clean them off a bit and water in the new tree. I felt really tired when I'd finished so I've obviously been letting myself get lazy and unfit over the autumn, in fact my back is so achey now that I've had to take some pain killers 😟. 

I'm really pleased with the results though as I think the holly tree looks lovely in the pot 🌳 and I know I won't do it once I'm back at school. DH and I spent ages trying to make sure it was planted in the middle of the pot and not over to one side. Here's a photo of the new tree 😊. (Our paintwork looks shabby but we're still waiting for a quote from our builder!)