Sh*t creek - is now in my rear view mirror...!

Skint_yet_Again

Ren I am loving reading your Xmas plans 🎄😊

Irenadler

Ta Skinty! I am definitely making some small headway at last....

MovingForwards

Christmas is bright and sparkling, which is delightful during winter. Put decorations everywhere, have as many lights going as you can afford, dig out the Christmas songs, start watching the Christmas films and enjoy yourself!

atrixa

Let us know how you get on with the gin! Some of the L!dl ones look quite promising but I hardly ever get over there nowadays.

Irenadler

Well, some good news and some bad news.

Bad news, after meeting with my manager, I have now waved good bye to my job, and any chance of going back to it. I am not sorry to say I cried, because it is like yet another loss from my old life. I know I haven't been there for a while now, but, I was hanging onto it by my fingernails & hoping. That's gone. Merry blummin' Xmas....

Unfortunately, I know I am not alone, with many people out there facing an uncertain time this year. I raise a wave to all of us...

Good news, or, positive spin is: I may have said goodbye to a steady wage/security/pension, but I have also said goodbye to stress/deadlines/more stress/horrible work conditions (environment, not people). and did I mention stress?

Thank blummin' God that the extra financial help has come in, talk about timing, and that I have the support of lovely people on here. Plus I have finally motivated myself to save, which is even more important now. 

Other good news, Xmas is still going to happen, but, it is definitely going to be a money saving one! I am determined not to let myself fall in the pit of depression because I could so easily do so.  Put new batteries in the small set of lights and defiantly put them on at 11am this morning. Tweaked the decors and put every bit of tinsel in the place on everything. The dog would have been tinselled but she didn't stand still long enough.

Been on the interwebulator, and I can see that gin prices (funny how that's my first go-to!) in L*dl are around £10 for 70cl, whereas the other nearest supermarket Mr T, is £9.99 for 50cl. You can guess where me and the wally trolley are heading.... Apparently they've won awards for certain of their gins, so, will check out those....

I am going to try 2 new flavours this year (last year was a bramble/fruit one, plus a sloe gin). So, looking at maybe their ginger and rhubarb one! Hic! And see what else is there. Happy gin-soaked Christmas!  

This is going to be a new phase in my life, so, I will be weighing up what's out there for me, juggling helping the relative, and sorting out my brain. Or maybe I will be lying down in a dark room after gin-and-Strictly tonight....

riotlady

Ah, I’m sorry to hear about your job but hopefully the lack of stress will be a relief! Your Christmas plans sound lovely am debating whether to get our decs out early this year but my birthday is at the end of November and it feels wrong to do it before then! 

MovingForwards

You've now got closure, it's not hanging over you and there's no rushing to get better to return to it before you're really ready.
The pension will be waiting for when you retire, it doesn't just vanish into thin air. That one, with any others and your state pension mean you will be better off financially than you are now.

Christmas was always going to happen, difference is you can buy full size gin and not the single little bottle 😃

Keep taking each day as it comes, it will all work out for you.

Irenadler

riotlady said:

Ah, I’m sorry to hear about your job but hopefully the lack of stress will be a relief! Your Christmas plans sound lovely am debating whether to get our decs out early this year but my birthday is at the end of November and it feels wrong to do it before then! 

Thanks riotlady!

It's happened, I've grieved for the job & what it gave me - friends, income, some security (ha!) & pension. I'm relieved that the stress is gone. Honestly it was winding me in knots the thought of going back, & helping relative, & trying to get myself better. 

Ok - wait till your birthday, then go for it! I can definitely say it has cheered me up, can't stay down, when I look up and everything is shining and twinkling at me.... And it's a cheap mood-lifter as it's all reused decorations I haven't had out for years.

Irenadler

MovingForwards said:

You've now got closure, it's not hanging over you and there's no rushing to get better to return to it before you're really ready.
Finally, yes, I think I was grimly hanging on and not admitting I wasn't capable of doing it anymore.
The pension will be waiting for when you retire, it doesn't just vanish into thin air. That one, with any others and your state pension mean you will be better off financially than you are now.
True - it would be nice to be there making it bigger, but, its there...
Christmas was always going to happen, difference is you can buy full size gin and not the single little bottle 😃
Gin bought!
Keep taking each day as it comes, it will all work out for you.

Managed to get to L*dl & bought £9.99/70cl rhubarb & ginger gin. They had dry or original, spiced plum, raspberry, pink grapefruit and elderflower, plus one or two others (sold out but flavours on the shelf). The award winning gins were no cheaper or more expensive than Mr T, so didn't bother. Ranging from £20+. Although they looked and sounded delicious, I am thinking you are paying for the attractive label/bottle/branding as much as the gin. Seriously debated getting another sloe gin (£12.99/50cl) but resisted as had that last year.

Also picked up tonic water - £1.49 for six x 2. Honestly, the amount of clinking going on from the wally trolley, people must have thought I had a dozen bottles of alcohol in there! lol

If I had really got my act together, I could have brought plain cheap gin, e.g. 1 litre Mr T £15.40, foraged for free (blackberries, sloes, crab apple) plus if I had saved my own home grown fruit: blackcurrant, goosegog, redcurrant & strawberry. That's next years goal! Going to save this years nice, fat bottles for 2021 & re-use. I think I could get 3 bottles of flavoured gin out of that 1 litre.

Bonus is I checked the cupboard yesterday & found a bottle of gin I'd got for my birthday! Not a flavour I have tried before 'Battenberg cake' ? In 50cl bottle, with a little cork top. So 2 bottles already once those are used. May look in charity shops when open for those with the re-usable tops.

Crikey. I sound a bit obsessed about gin..... other spirits are available! 

Irenadler

I also picked up some dark chocolate, and vegetable crisps, but stowed away for Xmas. Total bill with a few other bits was only £19.48.
Operation: Cost-Effective Christmas is on!

Think I will tot up what's been spent on drink/food so far, and add to it as I go, just to prove to myself that I don't have to go mad with money to enjoy it...

Also eyed up L*dl's Xmas vegan meals - they are doing 2 mains that are larger, a pastry wreath or a pastry lattice thing, but I don't think I'll risk that as we don't know if we are even having a meal together. They had smaller meals for 2. However, I think I am going to make my own so I can portion it. Given the uncertainty, I can bring one portion to a family meal, or more if there's more of us. Same for a dessert we could all share.... 

That way I feel I am helping out with the food (and bringing the gin!), so, we can all have something we'll be able to eat & enjoy. Not straightforward, as we have the following to be aware of: lactose-intolerant x 2, vegan x 1, vegetarian x 1 (possible 2?), omnivores x 3/4, and of course, some of them have their strong dislikes (every year the sprout v. no sprout argument goes on!). I am with the sprouts, naturally!