Discount Duck’s Quest For Mortgage Freedom

DiscountDuck

Thanks both! I’ve been lurking on that gardening forum and am going to give parsnips and carrots a go, but haven’t decided what variety yet. I’ll do a bit of research as to the easiest ones to get success with. 

My son saw a great spotted woodpecker on our bird feeder and was thrilled to bits! I’ve never seen one so close before, it felt like a real privilege. My daughter is into protecting the bees so we are going to make some bee and lacewing houses with old scraps of wood and bamboo canes, and I’ve picked up a big box of wildflower seeds from Poundland to make bee bombs with. It’s great them being able to get out into the garden at the moment, now it’s not so cold we all come scurrying back in after half an hour! 

Im preparing for some interesting discussions with my stepbrother who is anti Covid vaccine. He’s convinced it will put proteins in our system which will be damaging. He’s coming over to visit fairly soon (just for a day). He’s been quite vocal over it with my dad and stepmum. I’d have more time for his nonsense if he hadn’t been a heroin addict for 25 years but I don’t think he’s in a position to get fussy about what he injects now, given the crap he’s put into his system until the last few years and the fact that he may catch and pass on Covid to someone less strong and healthy than himself. It’s normal to want to slap your own brother about a bit, right?! On a best case scenario he will have to agree not to discuss his ridiculous conspiracy crap in front of my kids, on the worst scenario it’ll be a very short visit. 🤦‍♀️

powerspowers

Garden sound lush discount duck! And you’ll love Edale 🙂

stepbrother situation sounds stressful, there’s a lot of conspiracy theories out there and he may well be rather vulnerable to that kind of stuff. Maybe a blanket “let’s not talk about covid” rule! 

Enjoy your weekend in the garden 

Baileys_Babe

DiscountDuck said:

 It’s normal to want to slap your own brother about a bit, right?! 

Yes, definitely. 

DiscountDuck

I’ve had a lovely few days moneysaving. I got a gift card for having done enough online surveys and bought a huge pot of Cornish cream coloured exterior paint to do my rendered garage walls. So of course it’s forecast to rain over bank holiday now, but I’ve still got it ready and as soon as the weather is good I’ll be able to get the job done - free! 

I also got some bargain veg plants at B&Q because they were all droopy. I’ve brought them home, planted and watered them and now the tumbling tomato, yellow courgette and butternut squash plants have all perked right up. Our onions have also come up and the strawberries are looking good this year. I’ve been lurking on the recommended gardening forum and have given some carrots a go, so this might be the year they finally do well. 

Quorn car boot reopened last weekend and it was my ex’s weekend with the kids so I went round and picked up kids books, a money box and some ceramic boat coat hooks to put up in the beach hut. I had change from £5, it was great. Books have cost so much over lockdown because even second hand, the postage puts them up. 

Suffolk_lass

That sounds great - the thing with non-nurseries (supermarkets and DIY stores is that they are better at putting stuff on shelves than looking after it when it's there - so often the plants get little or no waterng - well done for the bargains you bagged!

DiscountDuck

Thanks for the gardening forum recommendations! I’m just lurking at the moment but they’re full of great advice.
In the raised beds, the peas have come up and the carrots are looking promising. 

Our village has a telephone box book exchange and DS has picked himself up a bird spotting book, encouraged by our sighting of a great spotted woodpecker on the bird feeder in the front garden. We’ve not seen it again since but are desperate to. 

We’re off camping later in the month so I’ve been stocking up at Poundland on cereal bars and the odds and ends which cost more while you’re away, to try to reduce the cost. Their citronella candles are enormous but I’ll find out if they’re any good this summer. 

The big decluttering project is going well although my garage is now stuffed. I wanted to do a car boot sale this weekend but it rained cats and dogs. Maybe in a few weeks. 

DiscountDuck

I’ve been making good progress on making the house feel my own, not scrimping as much as usual because I finally feel ready to reclaim it as my own and want to shake off it feeling like a hangover of my marriage. Tradesmen have been variable. 

On money saving days out we went to Donington le Heath 1662 Manor House with the kids’ Blue Peter Badges and it was epic. £6 each entry for OH and I, upgraded for free to an annual pass, and they’d got a reenactment day on. We got an hour’s guided tour of the house with super knowledgeable volunteers from the Friends group, the kids saw King Richard III’s bed and had a go at sword fighting, learned about herbal remedies, saw wood turning etc. They couldn’t have made it any more interesting for the kids, it was fab. Then we went to the cafe and for £12 got a coffee, a herbal tea, two ribenas, a pack of 3 shortbread fingers (home made), a slice of lime cake (also home made) and home made dog biscuits to take back with us for the pupster. It was such a bargain. We’ve also been on trips out to the Park and to the beach hut. 

I’ve been a bit low because my brother has relapsed and is due to go into rehab. They’ve said it will take a long while to get him properly clean. I’m gutted. I don’t know why I’m telling strangers, I think it’s because it’s too raw to tell real life people - the words choke me. There’s no way he’s going to stick it out. It feels like a hideous waiting game for the call to say he’s dead. Previously homeless uncle who had got his lovely flat is now hoarding and it’s not so nice in there any more. He’s let me take away a carrier bag of coffee jars but that’s it so far. It’s depressing dragging myself into a better life from a !!!!!! start and trying to help other family do the same, then them not having the strength to see it through. It’s really painful. I’m working my backside off to give my kids nice memories and a proper childhood but I’m just playing along, feeling numb and broken underneath. I’m fraudulently pretending to be ok in my fake middle class lovely life built on pillars of sand. 

The garden is a beautiful distraction, our fruit and veg are growing brilliantly in the new raised beds. We’ve had so many cucumbers and so much rhubarb I’ve been sharing it with the neighbours and I think they’re sick of them! I’m going to make some rhubarb crumble to freeze for the winter and I’m after inspiration for what to do with gooseberries. It’s nice to see the kids eat their way round the garden. I lurk on a gardening forum that was recommended here and it’s been helpful for troubleshooting and tips. 

The mortgage is up for renewal in January but I can do it early from September so I’m hoping the low rates will hold and I’ll be able to get a good rate on a new fixed term deal. I’m toying with extending the mortgage because it’s so low in comparison to the house value, to get the kitchen done, but keep talking myself out of it because I could save it up within a couple of years. Maybe depressed me isn’t the best at decisions and that’s why I just don’t know. It doesn’t rain forever, so hopefully things will look up soon.

powerspowers

Sorry to hear about your brother duck x

in terms of kitchen, you could save some and do some on an interest free for a year type deal? 

Hope things look sunnier for you soon x

Baileys_Babe

To save room in the freezer (which is always at a premium here) is to only freeze the crumble filling and make the topping as we need it.

Sorry to hear you are feeling so low and your extended family are struggling 🤗

Your day out sounds superb, glad you have been making use of the Blue Peter badges. 

trix-a-belle

Same here Bailey or I have a bag of crumble topping already made in the freezer and spoon out to construct as needed.

Sorry to hear about things with uncle & bro DD but the holiday sounded great for you & the kids. I recall you said uncle was going a little covid crazy, would getting him out of the house maybe to help you in the garden give him some more grounding in reality?
Keep striving forwards for you & the kids. Re doing your kitchen there always seems to be nearly new kitchens coming up on fb marketplace i've found so if something nearly new/new to you would work it might save you a chunk