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

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thanks Beanie .

117pauline

Glad to hear of the successful visit. A strange bed is just that, strange. Now this might make you laugh... I have a double bed at the moment with a superkingsize duvet cover on it. Now this was great when it was hot but I have had to put a duvet now inside it and the only one I can find in the house is a double. I could of course go and buy a bigger duvet but so far I have spent much time fighting the existing one. Most mornings I have to wrangle the duvet and its cover. I have tried a peg to keep it in position.... it will not break me!

Cheesy Christmas films are the best!!

Have a good week
Pauline

HairyHandofDartmoor

carbootcrazy wrote: »

Welcome back:beer:

I'm glad you enjoyed seeing your niece and her DH and that the journey was bearable. I know what you mean about finding it exhausting visiting your stepdad's sister. I found it hard work with my friend's brother sometimes and I know OH found it a real strain when he was staying at his house those few days. My friend phoned me this afternoon and she seems to be finding it a struggle being with him every day.


Enjoy your film:beer:. Sleep well.

Thanks Carboot . It's very tiring answering the same questions over and over again, plus she's quite deaf so you have to speak very loudly and clearly. But she is very amenable and cheerful so a nice lady.

HairyHandofDartmoor

117pauline wrote: »

Glad to hear of the successful visit. A strange bed is just that, strange. Now this might make you laugh... I have a double bed at the moment with a superkingsize duvet cover on it. Now this was great when it was hot but I have had to put a duvet now inside it and the only one I can find in the house is a double. I could of course go and buy a bigger duvet but so far I have spent much time fighting the existing one. Most mornings I have to wrangle the duvet and its cover. I have tried a peg to keep it in position.... it will not break me!

Cheesy Christmas films are the best!!

Have a good week
Pauline

Thanks Pauline . How awkward about the duvet :rotfl:.

[Deleted User]

daisy_1571 wrote: »

If he drinks hot drinks he has the use of a kettle and if he drinks cold drinks he has the use of a fridge? Does he go anywhere in the house with a light switched on or does he carry a candle about with him? Does he ever look at the bedside or other clock if its mains powered? Does he watch TV, charge a mobile device, use a computer? Does he ever wear clean clothes washed in the washing machine? Does he ever listen to the radio? Heat something in the micro? That shower he hasn't fixed presumably is electric powered. Even his oil filled central heating system may use electrcity to regulate a timer or start it up on the odd occasions it gets started. :mad:

I would start giving him a room temperature meal for every meal from now if he he reckons you use the electrcity because it's you who took stuff out the fridge and switched the cooker on to make a meal to feed you both. Sorry if this is all stuff you have already pointed out but for heavens sake, that really seemed a bit of a small minded comment for him to make CBC.


*shuffles back off knowing CBC has probably stood up for herself perfectly well and doesn't need you jumping to her defence*

Oh, I fight my corner as the saying goes, Daisy, but sometimes it's easier to say nothing and just get on with it;)

It may surprise you but we have very few electrically operated 'things' apart from the usual basic ones. I'm the one with the hairdryer, laptop etc. OH has nothing to charge as he's a computerless technophobe and has no laptop or tablet. He does have a basic mobile phone but never seems to use it as he never charges it:rotfl:. He doesn't listen to the radio except in the car but does watch TV and have the lights on. The vision of him walking round the house carrying a candle made me laugh out loud:rotfl:. Thank you:T


The idea of OH using the microwave or cooker etc made me chuckle too. He can just about manage to make himself a cup of tea twice a day:eek:, anything edible is made by me. He never seems to go in the fridge for anything apart from the milk twice a day. I do the washing. Suits me as he does 99% of the gardening. We have about half an acre so there's always loads to do including growing most of our own fruit and veg. I hope I haven't made him out to be a lazy Andy Capp (remember him, anyone?) figure as he's anything but.


OH insists, quite accurately as it turns out, that lights use next to no electricity and it's things like the washing machine and cooker that are the big users. The central heating uses oil but the pump to drive it is electric. We hardly ever have it on though and it's not using much of either fuel. I think his gripe is that the oil has to be bought upfront, a tankful at a time and forking out several hundred pounds all at once leaves him reeling. And grumpy:(

HairyHandofDartmoor

Believe it or not I didn't spend any money at all while away :money:. Stepdad paid for coffees on the journeys and we ate meals at niece's house and the care home. So I owe niece a meal when she comes my way. But I'm very thankful not to have spent anything, as we are behind with our bills and Christmas is coming .

[Deleted User]

beanielou wrote: »

All I am saying carbootcrazy is that you must be a saint.
I dont know how you do it.I really dont.

HHD~~Sleep well

Trust me, beanie, saint I ain't:rotfl:

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

Believe it or not I didn't spend any money at all while away :money:. Stepdad paid for coffees on the journeys and we ate meals at niece's house and the care home. So I owe niece a meal when she comes my way. But I'm very thankful not to have spent anything, as we are behind with our bills and Christmas is coming .

Welcome back, back to your own bed and NSDs as well !

I used to find DFIL very relaxing to talk to. There were just 3 topics: how did we get there (the route he meant), how old was he (cue incredulity and mentioning of time flying), and how were we - then round again, and repeat. Never had to continually dredge up new topics of conversation, never had to worry if we were straining his recall, made it all very easy, and he enjoyed each iteration as if it was the first time he'd asked !

daisy_1571

Right, I'm all up to date now so can join in at the proper moment.

I think everyone on your diary is lovely, so many useful and supportive comments.

Quick roundup. 1 CBC is officially a saint.

2 You have done so well. I would suggest if you ever feel you haven't, go back and read your own diary. It will show you how far you have come.
3 Good luck on the applications.
4 One thought that occured and you don't need to answer, its just for you, is are you on the best mortgage rate? I always preferred the certainty of knowing what I was paying so was never on the 'best' rate (in hindsight a tracker a percentage or 2 below base rate would have been great all those years ago but I had been paying a mortgage in the days of 2 interest rates hikes in one day and 15% rates so I was happy with 4.3% latterly so would never have gone for a tracker in a million years). It's all very well scrimping on small things but the big savings help to if that's poss.
5 Also us there a Costco or other warehouse type place near you? I find they are better for toilet rolls than supermarkets.
6 Lastly, we have 3 clothes horses and there's only 2 of us in the house so dont worry if you get another one. How you manage go get anything dry I'm gobsmacked. We try to space it out and I have one next to radiators (we often put ours on but I also put them in sunny windows in the winter to gain solar) and every time I go past them I flick out the clothes to ensure they are not bunched up, and turn the clothes and the horse (ie the furthest away side of horse round to the heat source and also turn the clothes so the wetter side is uppermost- I feel the damp dissipates quicker when exposed to the air than having to travel through the dryer upper side of the item however I'm sure the poor clothes get dizzy lol). In this way they dry quicker but how yours dries in an unheated house I take my hat off to you. I'm another that uses a quick wash - mine is 15 mins but it only spins at 1200 so then I put it on for a spin cycle at 1400 which is another 13 mins. In summer it goes outside on the line without needing the spin of course.

Think that's all for the mo, sorry for long post. I'm off to bed, v late night for me.

Daisy xx

Eta - Elizabeth your poem about your daughter was beautiful.

[Deleted User]

elizabethhull wrote: »

Welcome back, back to your own bed and NSDs as well !

I used to find DFIL very relaxing to talk to. There were just 3 topics: how did we get there (the route he meant), how old was he (cue incredulity and mentioning of time flying), and how were we - then round again, and repeat. Never had to continually dredge up new topics of conversation, never had to worry if we were straining his recall, made it all very easy, and he enjoyed each iteration as if it was the first time he'd asked !

It's so very sad, isn't it as often the people who are suffering from that condition are often those who had the sharpest brains and held down demanding jobs. I say 'suffering' but often they are totally unaware of what they have lost and are perfectly content. I'm no expert but I assume it can depend on the stage of the illness. My friend's brother shows signs of aggression and frustration when thwarted in what he tries to do, but invariably he wants to do things that would be dangerous to himself or others. His diagnosis has only just been given so hopefully he will eventually become less aware of the confusion he is in now.


When OH was driving him and my friend back to his house, a journey of about 3 hours, he constantly asked OH what his(OH's) name was, if they'd met before and where they were going. OH was driving them in his (friend's bother's) car and he commented several times to OH what a nice car it was and how he'd like one just like it when all the time it was his own car that they were in.