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

beanielou

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

Thanks Cumbria.

DH had to ring the doctor first thing this morning to sort out his tablets. He's been without one of his blood pressure tablets for seven days now due to our surgery not getting their act together . When he had his mini stroke the hospital doctor said DH should double up on one of his blood pressure medications. Despite the hospital writing a letter to thus effect to DH's doctor, DH is never prescribed enough and so he runs out .

When he ran out this time he ordered them from B00ts using their repeat prescription service. After three working days (which is how long it takes) B00ts said they hadn't got them and it must be the doctor who said no. DH rang the doctor yesterday and they were closed all afternoon for staff training! So he rang this morning and the receptionist said she'll sort it out for this afternoon. Meanwhile DH is at risk of another stroke and extra stress for us .

Shocking. Just shocking.
Hope it is sorted out pronto.
Maybe worth your DH having a telephone appointment to get the Dr to get it right going forward.

[Deleted User]

beanielou wrote: »

Shocking. Just shocking.
Hope it is sorted out pronto.
Maybe worth your DH having a telephone appointment to get the Dr to get it right going forward.

I agree, beanie:T. Someone needs to take responsibility for getting the correct medication issued without having to be chased up each month.

HairyHandofDartmoor

carbootcrazy wrote: »

I can really empathise with this, HH. Your mention of 'tough decisions' really hit home with me.


When I was really skint, my debts were at their highest and all my credit cards and overdraft was maxed out, I was literally having to buy essentials with whatever loose change I could find. I sometimes did a car boot or table top sale knowing whatever I made would have to be spent on essentials on the way home at the supermarket as I only had a few pennies in my purse before the sale. If I had a bad morning with few sales I was feeling absolutely desperate. Many a time I've had to weigh up the importance to me on that day of a loaf of value bread, some sort of veg for our dinner or a small bottle of milk. It was often either/or. I was forever having to tot up the cost of what few things were in my basket (couldn't afford a trolleyful in those days) and putting items back on the shelves before getting to the checkout. I cringe with embarrassment at how it was for about 2 years.


Things are so much better now:j. I still need to be frugal and I've never in my life been a food-waster but I can afford to actually sometimes buy what we might like rather than just the barest selection of what we couldn't possibly manage without.

I'm glad things are a bit better for you now Carboot. We've had occasions before our debts were paid off when we've had a very low food budget and it is awful, especially when you feel like you're letting your children down . £60 actually feels like quite a lot to me now.

HairyHandofDartmoor

beanielou wrote: »

Shocking. Just shocking.
Hope it is sorted out pronto.
Maybe worth your DH having a telephone appointment to get the Dr to get it right going forward.

carbootcrazy wrote: »

I agree, beanie:T. Someone needs to take responsibility for getting the correct medication issued without having to be chased up each month.

It is very frustrating :mad:. I want to make DH an appointment to get it all sorted out once and for all. Trouble is DH likes one particular doctor and the chances of him being available in the near future...

I do think our doctors surgery is awful.

badmemory

I've given up on getting the chemist to do this after they messed up mine twice (it was them not the doctors). Even now I have to avoid that chemist because if I get them filled there they take it as permission to take it back!


I think your DH is very patient. If it was me the second time the doctors got it wrong I'd be standing in the doctor's staring down the receptionist. I do hope it is very quickly sorted.



Their excuse will be an IT problem as in the IT person went on holiday for 2 weeks & now they have a 6 month backlog instead of a 4 month one because they are also having to answer the phone for other people's holidays. Unfortunately it seems to have become a very British problem.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I agree that DH is very patient; I would be much crosser about it and tell them off.

It's difficult to know if it's the doctor or the chemist who get it wrong sometimes, as they are both so overworked neither of them seem to know what they're doing half the time :mad:.

beanielou

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

I agree that DH is very patient; I would be much crosser about it and tell them off.

It's difficult to know if it's the doctor or the chemist who get it wrong sometimes, as they are both so overworked neither of them seem to know what they're doing half the time :mad:.

However busy they are it is no excuse to play with people's lives.

HairyHandofDartmoor

My food shop was nearly a success. I spent £58, but then had to go back in for baking potatoes and grapes, so it came to £62 :mad:. I scraped the extra £2 from my purse.

The grapes were for DS1's friend who is in hospital and I also spent £1.50 on a sympathy card for DH's friend who lost his mum recently. So it would have been £3.50 cheaper without the grapes and card.

If I could get our food bill down to £50 a week then that would be even better. I must do more meal planning.

I don't buy alcohol (at the moment), biscuits, cakes, chocolate, crisps, juice, squash, yoghurts, or desserts, as these are unnecessary items. We do get mineral water for DS and diet c0ke for me, but neither of us is drinking alcohol at the moment (DH never does).

I feel like I should be able to get the costs down more though. The only fruit we buy is bananas and satsumas as these are cheap, and we get cheap frozen veg.

beanielou

I think food is just getting more & more expensive sadly.

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

My food shop was nearly a success. I spent £58, but then had to go back in for baking potatoes and grapes, so it came to £62 :mad:. I scraped the extra £2 from my purse.

The grapes were for DS1's friend who is in hospital and I also spent £1.50 on a sympathy card for DH's friend who lost his mum recently. So it would have been £3.50 cheaper without the grapes and card.

If I could get our food bill down to £50 a week then that would be even better. I must do more meal planning.

I don't buy alcohol (at the moment), biscuits, cakes, chocolate, crisps, juice, squash, yoghurts, or desserts, as these are unnecessary items. We do get mineral water for DS and diet c0ke for me, but neither of us is drinking alcohol at the moment (DH never does).

I feel like I should be able to get the costs down more though. The only fruit we buy is bananas and satsumas as these are cheap, and we get cheap frozen veg.

That was really sweet of you, HH, thinking about your DS's ill friend and the person who lost his Mum:A. You can't really worry about the cost of that sort of thing.


As for trying to get food costs down, I think we're all fighting a losing battle:(. It's like running just to stand still. We economise by cutting things out and down-branding, but then the prices of whatever we do buy go up again:mad:. It's so tiring sometimes having to be so vigilant all the time.