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

HairyHandofDartmoor

doingitanyway wrote: »

Same here, although for some reason I have been spared for a few years now.
The moths are slowly appearing so lock up your jumpers

Yes I've noticed a couple of moths recently :eek:. I hate moths :mad:.

I hate them eating my clothes anyway. I'm not scared of them. My sisters were terrified of moths so I was always the chief moth catcher :rotfl:.

HairyHandofDartmoor

foxgloves wrote: »

Re naughty mice, Hairyhand, are you in a semi-detached house? I ask, because this was a factor in the mouse infestation we had a few years back. When we'd caught Seven of the little b*ggers...... 6 in a humane mousetrap (driven off to be released in field) & one using cookery books to make a tunnel leading into a box, I decided to phone council pest control operative. He was fantastic.... £40 & he visited 5 times to check progress. I told him where I thought the mice were coming in & he ignored that & asked if we had any stripped wooden floors. Yes! He said we kept thinking the problem was solved because the mice were breeding under the floorboards & because we are in a semi-detached house, they can keep running underneath & accessing both ours & our neighbours homes. He said that if you can fit a pencil or the tip of your little finger into a gap, then a mouse can defo fit through & he found two gaps in our floorboards.... one almost invisible right close to the skirting boards where he said they were coming through. This was confirmed the next day when I made a grab for one which ran across the lounge floor but missed when it squeezed through the skirting board gap. Turned out neighbours had seen a couple too, so this running between two semis thing had certainly made them harder to catch. Sadly had to use bait boxes provided by pest control man, but he said that if we'd managed to catch 7 ourselves, we defo had a sizeable infestation under the floorboards. This is why you can think you've got rid of them for a while..... they're busy popping up into the neighbouring house, but will come back when they're ready.
Re the humane traps - you do need to check them regularly so any little mice caught are not left in distress..... & our most successful food for trapping? Mars bar!
If you don't have mouse poo or that sickly but very noticeable 'mouse smell' in your cupboards, you probably don't have a problem.
F

Thanks Foxgloves. I'm in an Edwardian terraced house so even worse :eek:. It's full of holes and gaps. The external wall are solid brick but we could hear them running inside the stud walls previously, although all is quiet on the western front at the moment.

Our council does pest control too but it's two visits for £82 so not such good value as yours. Do they look in every room Foxgloves? Because DS1 and DS2 are terrible hoarders and they'd be lucky if they could walk from the door to the window, let alone look for mouse holes :mad:.

Although DH has sworn to clear and tidy DS2's room next time he's abroad and DS2 actually said he could! I think even he has got sick of the mess. He can't seem to cope with tackling it himself, I'm sure he's got Aspergers too.

I have a terrible sense of smell and do does DH and DS1 but I haven't noticed any fresh mouse poo for a week or so. They've probably moved into the garden .

greenbee

I'd just buy some traps bait yourselves (and bait boxes if you're worried about people/animals getting to it). You can get a lot of kit for £82... and you have it immediately available for any future problems.

And I'd read the riot act to the rest of the household - no food outside the kitchen, and having a good clearout so that any problems are immediately visible. Remind them that mice may well nest in their clothes/bedding if they make it too cosy for them...

HairyHandofDartmoor

greenbee wrote: »

I'd just buy some traps bait yourselves (and bait boxes if you're worried about people/animals getting to it). You can get a lot of kit for £82... and you have it immediately available for any future problems.

And I'd read the riot act to the rest of the household - no food outside the kitchen, and having a good clearout so that any problems are immediately visible. Remind them that mice may well nest in their clothes/bedding if they make it too cosy for them...

Thanks Greenbee . Yes maybe the money would be better spent on bait boxes, wire wool and cement to fill up holes.

I've told the DC that crumbs and mess attract mice but they still make a mess in their rooms :mad:.

HairyHandofDartmoor

doingitanyway wrote: »

My house is also full of gaps and holes. Most old homes are. Yes holes can be sealed but they can still get in. It is just something I have to deal with sometimes.

I take tips from our Prime Minister and her immigration policy and create a hostile environment instead. So being vigilant with food sources and I also use those sonic thingies. I think my new Dys0n has helped as crumbs are dealt with straightaway.

I think your decluttering will help so well done.

Thanks DIA . We're definitely aiming to create a hostile environment at the moment. All our food is locked away in plastic containers or tins, even the bunny food now. All I need to find now is a container for spaghetti. Once I've de-cluttered it will be a lot easier to hoover thoroughly too. The new shed will swallow a lot of clutter from the understairs cupboard, once it's assembled .

elizabethhull

greenbee wrote: »

And I'd read the riot act to the rest of the household - no food outside the kitchen, and having a good clearout so that any problems are immediately visible. Remind them that mice may well nest in their clothes/bedding if they make it too cosy for them...

Without wishing to sound too authoritarian (it is YOUR house!), I'd read the riot act too, You obviously love your DS's,but not their mess. And when you've found nesting areas, with chewed fabric, you realise they destroy clothing, old school books, cherished paperbacks, useful gadget instructions - anything DS's might rather like to keep. You're not running a mouse hotel !

Thank you for asking after me, HH. We are all well, having had a week away with DD2 and DGS. And I now have an appointment at the hospital orthopaedic dept on Friday - I can hardly wait for them to advise surgery! Anything would be better than staggering around with my stick during the day and failing to find a comfortable sleeping position overnight.

HairyHandofDartmoor

elizabethhull wrote: »

Without wishing to sound too authoritarian (it is YOUR house!), I'd read the riot act too, You obviously love your DS's,but not their mess. And when you've found nesting areas, with chewed fabric, you realise they destroy clothing, old school books, cherished paperbacks, useful gadget instructions - anything DS's might rather like to keep. You're not running a mouse hotel !

Thank you for asking after me, HH. We are all well, having had a week away with DD2 and DGS. And I now have an appointment at the hospital orthopaedic dept on Friday - I can hardly wait for them to advise surgery! Anything would be better than staggering around with my stick during the day and failing to find a comfortable sleeping position overnight.

I feel like I'm running a mouse hotel sometimes :rotfl:.

Your week away sounds lovely Elizabeth . It's so lovely to spend time with family.

I hope you do get some surgery if it will benefit you. What needs doing if you don't mind my asking? Is it a knee or hip replacement?

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

It's so lovely to spend time with family.

I hope you do get some surgery if it will benefit you. What needs doing if you don't mind my asking? Is it a knee or hip replacement?

Family time is indeed precious and wonderful, and to be enjoyed when it comes around !

As for my surgery, it will probably be a new hip, but I doubt that will sort out all the pains. Can one do a total lower body transplant ????:rotfl:
Pretty sure Jamie Summers in the Bionic Woman didn't have arthritis, or facet joint problems etc etc !

greenbee

I think you can get an exoskeleton...

HairyHandofDartmoor

elizabethhull wrote: »

Family time is indeed precious and wonderful, and to be enjoyed when it comes around !

As for my surgery, it will probably be a new hip, but I doubt that will sort out all the pains. Can one do a total lower body transplant ????:rotfl:
Pretty sure Jamie Summers in the Bionic Woman didn't have arthritis, or facet joint problems etc etc !

Well hopefully a new hip will help. Do you get pain in your knee too?

My mum was pain free in her knee after her knee replacement but it was damage from a fall rather than arthritis. She used to have very painful hands and fingers though because of arthritis and had trouble grippin things.