NST March: Marching to a different beat

dolly84

Toni'sfriend wrote: »

What sort of things do you like to do Dolly? Edinburgh is a beautiful city but it can be very expensive. One place I always recommend going to is the Dome on George Street. It is a spectacular restaurant (it has a website if you want to have a look) but well worth a visit. It looks expensive (and I think it could be for dinner) but a drink or tea is very affordable (nice sandwiches and one portion is enough for two people for a light lunch). How long are you going for? Are you staying overnight?

I think we want to take in all the usual tourist sights really, we are going with our two children (12 & 14), I'm not going for fancy meals or shopping and everything will be on a budget. Just wondering how you got about, did you book meals before you went etc. TIA x

thriftylass

Hello,

NSD today but ordered a ASD@ pick up order agin for tomorrow. As usual should be cheaper than taking hungry DH and children in. Only got what's really needed like milk, bread, fruit, some lamb for st Patricks day. I really like that the limit is only £25 as someone else mentioned recently.

Lunch to work and gym.

DH was raking through the shrapnel box this morning (coffee money I guess) and took his HM lunch. He asked if I had money to book the hire car for our trip to my parents just now. I wonder if that and the fact that I need to pay the door fitter this weekend makes him hold back asking for money.....

abundant1972

Morning all!

Thanks AppleMuncher for the advice. It was helpful... I think if I'm honest part of me wants to look back and feel like I did everything I could to make things nice. I know she might not remember these things in days to come but she enjoyed it at the time haha! You are right though... establishing positive emotional memories is the way forward - try and keep her in a happy place and that doesn't have to cost money. Very wise re. Mother's Day. There have been days I haven't picked up the phone because I just don't feel mentally equipped in that moment for 45 minutes of the same conversation I had yesterday. I think you have to have a self-preservation button. If you/I go under then we are of no use to anyone. I also think 'if my Mum were well... would she want me to be in a bad place...?' - no she wouldn't. Thanks too FMess and Laurenh1 for the encouragement.

Today I'm just going to the gym, and maybe to a gaming event later on. Have a good everyone!!!

Toni'sfriend

LavenderBee - I'd also recommend The Train. Marvellous film. It is often on Film 4 so keep a look out.
Dolly - To see the sights I'd stick to the old town. Princes Street and George Street are mainly shopping areas. If you're travelling with children I'd recommend the National Museum of Scotland (it's free, very interactive and they have a great natural history and science section), The Castle (admission fee), The Parliament Building (free), Museum of Edinburgh Life (free), St Giles Cathedral (free). If they don't mind something a bit gruesome there's the Surgeon's Hall (fee), The Edinburgh Dungeon (fee) or Mary King's Close (fee). If you're going during the week the Bank of Scotland has a museum on the Mound which is free (you can see what a million pounds looks like and learn how to break into a safe?). I think all of these have websites if you want to take a look and all within walking distance of one another. Edinburgh has all the main chain restaurants (Prezzo, Pizza Express, Zizi etc) so I would look on Voucher Codes to see if you can get any discount vouchers. Sometimes they are as much as 50% so that could save you a lot of money potentially. If any more come to mind I'll let you know.
So today I'm off to lunch with the Canadian relatives.
Have a good day everyone.

Calling14

Thanks Toni's friend. I am staying in Edinburgh one night next month after a few in Dunfermline so will check out these attractions. Free ones especially. Bank of Scotland one sounds great.:D

Yesterday so angry - Patio door fitters cancelled on me for today after spent hrs clearing dining room out and now can't come for another week. My lounge is now crammed full of stuff, find it hard to chill out with so much clutter. Off this afternoon so plan to declutter and do a charity shop run.:(

Spent yesterday managed to get a hairdressers appt £20 same price as when he comes to my house, salon in future, hate clearing up hair and cost of putting my hot water on.

Plumber arrived, gas cooker disconnected. Yeah. New one ordered coming Sunday, free delivery and collecting old one. I can't wait to get a working oven, can't fit until next week.

Going to try my hardest for a SFD. Found stew in freezer hopefully defrost by tonight.

Have a good day folks

greent

Spendy day yesterday in Tesc0 (although was less than £25) Bigger spendy day was on MOnday - OH slammed my laptop shut and caused a massive error (hard drive) so had to get a new one. We couldn't recover anything off the hard drive, either Have asked local computer chap to see if he can, but it wasn't looking hopeful It is a business laptop, so the co paid for the new one. Also bought a joyful purple whisk on Monday

Should be NSD today. Was NSD Tues.

Two large bags of items donated to CS this week - and another bag already started. Also got rid of some things which have been listed on fleabay for several months with no takers - they were only liosted at low prices anyway, so would much rather the space

Likely need to spend tomorrow - need to get my nan a bday present for Sunday (88th bday) - will probably go to garden centre

x

dolly84

Toni'sfriend wrote: »

LavenderBee - I'd also recommend The Train. Marvellous film. It is often on Film 4 so keep a look out.
Dolly - To see the sights I'd stick to the old town. Princes Street and George Street are mainly shopping areas. If you're travelling with children I'd recommend the National Museum of Scotland (it's free, very interactive and they have a great natural history and science section), The Castle (admission fee), The Parliament Building (free), Museum of Edinburgh Life (free), St Giles Cathedral (free). If they don't mind something a bit gruesome there's the Surgeon's Hall (fee), The Edinburgh Dungeon (fee) or Mary King's Close (fee). If you're going during the week the Bank of Scotland has a museum on the Mound which is free (you can see what a million pounds looks like and learn how to break into a safe?). I think all of these have websites if you want to take a look and all within walking distance of one another. Edinburgh has all the main chain restaurants (Prezzo, Pizza Express, Zizi etc) so I would look on Voucher Codes to see if you can get any discount vouchers. Sometimes they are as much as 50% so that could save you a lot of money potentially. If any more come to mind I'll let you know.
So today I'm off to lunch with the Canadian relatives.
Have a good day everyone.

Thank you for that. Definitely want to visit Mary Kings Close.

What italian restaurant did you go to?

indigowarrior

Another spend day. £7 on electric (dont get me started) and £10.59 at Tesc0. Had a last minute contact with my eldest which was lovely. My youngest is covered in chicken pox. So she couldnt go to contact anyway. The next 5 days should defo be a NSD though.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for plenty of sunshine, for my hyacinths starting to smell gorgeous, for dd enjoying school, for dd having a great parents evening, for doing my kettlebell workout (a super toughie one), for good lessons with the pupils, for getting some admin done, for a tax rebate (£220 - thank you very much!), for dh doing the maths on the number of slices in a gf loaf and comparing sainz and genius to work out the price-per-slice, for dd liking liddle's gf ginger biscuits - more pennies to save.

LavenderBee

Thank you mothernerd for the film title, I'll definitely look it up. We have a free trial of Netflix this month so I'll see if it's on there I'm glad you know about SLS free toothpaste, I've suffered since I was very small with ulcers, nothing ever came anywhere close to helping, then it was on a forum like this I saw the SLS connection. I even make sure to tell my dentists, they've generally never heard of it either, but it seems to ring true for anyone that tries it. Never found any foods that triggered it but yes, being ill or 'run down' always brought on another flare up (which is the last thing you generally want!) for me too.

I'm rambling. About ulcers of all things.

Spend day today, diesel and groceries. Will update budgets tomorrow when my notebook is to hand. Grocery bill was bigger than usual but I decided to take advantage of the wider range in Asda and stock up on a couple of bits that Lidl don't sell (I agree with thriftylass, it is far more dangerous to take a hungry husband shopping on an extra trip for those bits...). Hubby is home with me for two whole weeks, weekdays and all, so I'm thinking about stocking up on things he'll recognise as the basis for meals now to stop him insisting we go out and do a big shop specially... Between experience, and somehow channelling my inner my Nan (who I'm led to believe was an incredibly thrifty cook) I can make a meal out of anything, to me the cupboards are never truly bare. Hubby needs everything laid out in front of his immediate eye-line, like instructions on a Blue Peter programme, otherwise he considers there to be "nothing in".

And this is why I'm going to be the stay at home parent :rotfl:

Oh and today I am grateful for a cheery Asda driver, little traffic driving home from a meeting, and SLS free toothpaste!