NST February frugality and frolics

f0xh0les

CCL have a brilliantly relaxing chilled out time. You make me feel better that my kids have not been on a foreign holiday yet. I somehow got it into my head that everybody else jets off twice a year (even though at least half of the people I know who do, are taken by the grandparents).


Mothernerd - Is it time to get a wheeled trolley? It would solve the backwards and forwards with supermarket trolleys and low walls. My friend (in her 30s) loves hers! In times of change, you adapt. you could always think of it as a fabric wheelbarrow.



Well, we made it to half term. I am still in budget, just, but have not managed to save at all this month. The fruit bowl is full, the pantry is full, but it is half term and that could all change in seconds!

I am hobbling around like a fool, as I kicked the hoover (accidentally, not as a punishment) and my foot is so sore! It is ok in a trainer, but without support it is so painful. Oh well, will treat it gently for a few days and hope it goes away (the pain, not the foot).
So I am at a loose end this morning. I am letting everyone sleep in, and do whatever. I have £125 of after-school club money to find. I might limit it to £100 though, I don't think I can justify over £100 on a half term's worth of sports for 2 kids two sessions a week each. It all adds up.

Right, posh coffee and foot up for a bit.

XSpender

Food Expenditure - £300 £264.27 spent with lots of food in and only 1 shop left to do next week. Its going to be tight :eek:

Excursions – Meal out with Mum will need money for drinks but they are covering meal

Budgets –YNAB all up to date and pots that should have funds still do

Reduced food budget by £150 Struggling to achieve this but doing much better than most months

Useful leftovers. COMPLETE 15 FROGS Still on 13.5 completed, some progress made on others and hoping to clear a couple more this weekend

Aim to take your lunch to work every day – 4/20 taken to work - lost count with this as DH has had some spends

Remind yourself of what you have and be grateful I am grateful for 1) The many hours of driving I have done this week been safe and trouble free 2) A very rare evening on my own tonight without DH or DS who are at an event 3) DPIL support with childcare for DS next week 4) The volunteers who run our local village library

You should pay to your debt or savings first and live on what is left. Total to repay DPIL now £922

Spend Free Days (SFDs). 6/18

Use it up all food from stores

Regular check ins are recommended, daily if possible. – Sorry turtles, missed a few days this week

Outdoors. Regular exercise is important – Out with dog in the warmth yesterday lunchtime, run with DS and DH planned for this morning

Indoors - Nurture and protect yourself. Lots of reading and watching MasterChef and Sewing Bee

Vending machines etc. – 12/28

Advance planningFreezers need to be sorted and re-listed, possibly a job for this evening

mothernerd

Thanks for the suggestion f0xh0les, I do in fact have a large wheeled trolley - someone was trying to donate it at the library once when I was also taking donations. I am currently trying to free it up to donate (has the chinchilla food, bedding, hay etc in) as it's a box shape about 18" square on top and a good 2' + deep. Would cause the same issues as a SM trolley but worse.

I have tried to do a SM home delivery order once or twice this week (was going to bulk order some of their tins that are running down plus the few things we need right now) but my cotton wool brain couldn't get the right password and didn't have the patience to keep trying. I wanted an Arseda delivery here and for that I need Beloved's details (my e-mail and password gets stuff delivered to mum's, Beloved's make it come here - simpler than arguing with bossy websites and laptop's insisting they know better than you). Because I've been sleeping a lot more, I've barely seen Beloved.

I've done reasonably well on the soft bread and sandwich stuff I bought on Monday augmented with celery, carrots and peppers remaining in mine and mum's fridges but thought of the salad bar was so tempting (the large salad boxes are now down to 2.50 which is reasonable considering the number of raw ingredients I would have to buy to replicate them).

Morries is actually the nearest SM to mum's house but there are bollards between mum's little enclave and the neighbouring estate/ complex so if I get a taxi they have to go down the bypass and all the way round town (driving one side of the rugby field you can see from mum's front door and then into town, past the end of my street, then back round to get to mum's).

The little bus shuttles between the infirmary and the 'Sports Village" (Rugby ground/ junior practice fields/ new college/ houses/ hotel/ pub/ SM and shops all built on fields reclaimed from old pit rucks) and comes back via the shop near mum's (the buses use a separate road that other vehicles can't access).

I had only intended to buy salad box for me and cheese for mum (loads of food in but she's relishing the cheese and little Arseda has a very limited selection) but added one or two bits. I already had my reading book, laptop, purse/ wallet/ glasses/ keys/ meds (for the detailed inventory the do before letting you exercise), remains of a 2l bottle of water I'd taken with me so bags were already heavy before the 'essential' shop.

The side edge of the car park is only about 12' from the bus stop and I saved about 15 yards by going across the car park to be level with it. I only had to walk down one street (about two blocks) and back the other way to get to mum's, once I got off the bus.

It was a lovely suggestion, I was pushing things ( could have managed easily but for the cough/ ankle/ exercise session - would have managed without any one of those), I knew i was pushing things, I suffered the consequences but met a lovely lady and I got my salad box.

Hope your foot mends soon, try to enjoy resting as a different experience (channel your inner mothernerd and think what you can do).

Less To Dos, more Ta-Daas

Toni'sfriend

Remember if you lose a sock in the wash it comes back as a tupperware lid that doesn't fit any of your containers

Oh this made me laugh out loud.

Sashanut - Could you give me the risotto recipe. I love risotto and we have a mountain of cooked chicken in the freezer. Any other recipes using cooked chicken would be most gratefully received.

So, today needed some veg and household things etc but only spent £13.00 in all.

Himself has spent the whole afternoon clearing things out. Is it too much to hope he's turned over a new leaf. I've done another little bit so hopefully a bit of progress.

Both Himself, and the Boy are still a bit unwell as is the Boy's best friend. Obviously something going about.

So having baked potato for dinner. One of my favourites. Taken some chicken breasts from freezer to make a spicy casserole for dinner tomorrow. Himself has stuffed all sorts in the freezer (hates to waste anything) so tomorrow's frog is sorting it out and making an inventory so we can use it all up.

Have a nice evening all.

dolly84

f0xh0les - I haven't taken my kids abroad either, I just can't be bothered with it all, DS doesn't want to go but DD does and really hates the fact she hasn't been, I keep thinking about taking her on my own to Paris or Rome but just don't feel grown up enough to travel alone and be responsible for someone else.


DS has had a haircut this morning £9, then we nipped into town where I bought two single wine glasses from Wilko for 50p each and a new washing line £2 plus some dog treats. I also got a running gilet, a neck warmer thingy, a book for DD, a Yankee Candle tart and a top for DH all from the charity shops, total spend of £14 on that lot.


Have walked the dog for 2 hours this afternoon, dried one load of washing on the line and all meals from stores. DH is muttering about nipping out for suppery bits so might end up spending a bit more.

Kerry_Woman

apple muncher - My holiday is in April and it is Memphis.
NSD today - 11/20.
Walked to/from park. Then walked the park run.
Used what I already had in.
Someone who I used to go to secondary school with made contact with me through social media and we are going to meet up at some point.
Messaged another friend about meeting up.
Dealt with a few frogs.
Stayed in after doing park run and chilled out.

DawnW

I haven't joined the challenge this month as there is all sorts of 'stuff' going on, but I am reading along

Toni'sfriend wrote: »

Sashanut - Could you give me the risotto recipe. I love risotto and we have a mountain of cooked chicken in the freezer. Any other recipes using cooked chicken would be most gratefully received.

How about chicken pie filling? Make a white sauce, either from scratch or from a packet, put chopped up cooked chicken in it - you can also add cooked peas, cooked bacon or ham, mushrooms, any other cooked or part cooked (just soften in a very little oil, or par boil) veg. Cover with pastry, bought or home made, bake

dolly84 wrote: »

f0xh0les - I haven't taken my kids abroad either, I just can't be bothered with it all, DS doesn't want to go but DD does and really hates the fact she hasn't been, I keep thinking about taking her on my own to Paris or Rome but just don't feel grown up enough to travel alone and be responsible for someone else.

I would recommend Amsterdam with your DD. Easier than Paris or Rome. Short flight, public transport from the airport is easy, it is friendly, everyone speaks English, nice shops, fab museums etc - obvs you don't need to go to THOSE cafes :eek: but there are plenty of others. DD will love it because it is cool Just be careful crossing the roads due to the bikes and trams, as well as the cars.

mothernerd

As expected, my ankles and knees are creaky this morning but my shoulders are looser and less painful. Not in the mood to go galloping around so have rounded up some washing, put it in the machine after yet another break and been down to the bins with some recycling.

Have also finally done the on-line order but taken off the soups as Beloved (not DS3) has been eating them and they are now on her banned list (anything with sugar or high in potassium, so no potatoes, bananas, broccoli, tomatoes). She can have onions and fish so my fish mountain will be useful (I doubled up on the 3 for 10 pounds offer, adding a few larger packs to my usual favourites which are getting smaller and therefore more per fillet).

I have been doing a rough time and motion study on my embroidery work. It's not totally scientific as I did not do the tests under control conditions but length of sewing session, stitches done have fallen. I need more breaks - little one every 20 minutes to half and hour and a full hour break after three hours.

However I have made progress on one of the pieces I want to complete and get sent off to it's new owner. Have found another useful 'list of lists', wrote some of it out, stopped to eat and now cannot find the envelope I was writing on. Will look when I have finished the current phase of the embroidery (only one word to put in then i can go back to the (quite complicated) border.

DS2 came to visit (and borrow money). His pay review is Monday, he has already let the man who will be conducting it know about the studying he has been doing and paid for himself. People with these qualifications can expect a salary up to 10,000 more than DS2 is currently on but he would take less from his current employer. I reminded him about commuting costs and the work benefits he has accrued with his current employer (current workplace is 5 minutes from his flat, the higher paid jobs need a couple of hours each way in rush hour conditions). He will be in a position to bring in a lot of new business for his employer so I'm hoping they have some money available to offer him.

Today I am grateful for a visit from DS2 (must make arrangements to see DS1 and his wife once my ankle is better), for being able to sew (making me feel better even if the future is uncertain), for being able to find all the things I needed to continue with this piece (part win for the tidying and decluttering).

Debtfreewannabme

mothernerd wrote: »

Sorry I'm late. Did try to post from the waiting room at the hospital but could not get a signal.

I am rewiring how I think, how I feel and how I exist in my body. I am not afraid to change. I welcome the new.

As the seasons change so do we. May we be aware we are sgifting just like the wind.

Like a welcome summer rain, humour may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.

Welcome the unexpected changes in life. Learn to bend with grace and humility. Grow through it all and never forget to take notice of the beauty change can bring.

I've been putting a lot of thought into it and I just don't think being an adult is going to work for me.

Sounds like you've had a great day. We took our two abroad last year. It was lovely but tiresome. We have decided against it this year and looking forward to some nice day trips - mostly to the beach. I am one of five children and didn't get to go abroad until a few years back, I don't feel as though I missed out and have lots of happy memories of caravan holidays and day trips x

Debtfreewannabme

Sorry that was meant for Dolly84.