NST: November 2020 - Madness!!!

ditty1234

Grateful for ending the week on a slightly more positive note, interesting work from students, AOK w colleague, screen chat and glass of wine w sister and the epic storytelling of S McQueen in the Mangrove.  

f0xh0les

Only 28 school days left til end of term! and I only have the school run to do, so massive credit to all the teachers still hanging in there. 

Gratitudes for today: good laughs with a chum while doing something crazy and new,  coming in under budget, hot chocolate, free apples.

facethemusic

Friday- still on NSD 12. Bought more food (does anyone else get frustrated that they do a food shop and it just gets eaten, so the same things need to be bought again and again or is it just me?), a "thank you" present for a friend and as I'd spent money I've also booked a December day activity for DD and a friend- its outdoors so social distancing compliant. 
Not much else going on- I really need to get sorted for presents for DD- I have a few stocking fillers but nothing very substantial! If she would decide what she wanted it would make things a bit easier! 

mothernerd

Can I do December. Have an idea, needs a bit of tweaking and then I want to put it up soonish so people can read and inwardly digest.
Food delivery came yesterday, mum complained (about me buying food). I'm only ordering a weekly food delivery, I'm limited to a total of 95 items with buying limits on some items. I'm not allowing substitutions after a couple of bizarre ones so if it's not available, I don't get. Tessimo are eliminating plastic rings on multipacks so if I order 6 cans of beans I get 6 individual cans but am charged the 'special' price (but it counts as 6 items). We get through about 3 tins a week so I put 6 cans down every other week (beans were unavailable for many weeks). I'm mostly ordering things in 3s as this was the maximum at the beginning of lockdown and it means I can choose a couple of areas to stock check each week rather than doing the whole thing. 

I know Kat thought all the food in the house should be used before buying more but I'm not mobile, haven't been in a SM since March 20th and there isn't anywhere near to just 'nip out if we've run out' - local off license/ shop is packed with shelving and very narrow aisles, wouldn't feel safe in there. We have a stock of most things that are non-perishable (we usually have a largish stock of tinned soups, rice pudding, fruit etc to cover our normal September - March, one bug after another period). I had done a small soup restock mid Feb as the previous lot had run out. I don't think I'm hoarding. It isn't as if I went out and piled as much as possible into a trolley. I've just tried to use the set limits and built up a 'reserve' to cover me if I am sick and can't cook. I have been doing an order on Sunday to be delivered Tuesday/ Wednesday but thought we could manage to nearer the end of the week this time. Then someone on another thread said that competition for delivery slots was rising because of the latest lockdown (although I feel we never really got out of it) so I thought I'd better check. Friday and Saturday were nearly all gone (can't have a delivery after 9 pm
as it would set the alarm off) so it was either Thursday or Sunday.

We didn't have a lot of food when I was a child. We didn't starve but you could only have as much as you wanted at Christmas and Easter and we went to grandma's house on Wednesdays and Fridays and she fed us (we also got a small chocolate bar each). I know when the hoarder programmes are on, this childhood food insecurity can be a contributory factor but all my stuff is in date (some okay until 2024), is rotated properly and will be used. I just have a horror of empty cupboards and feel as close as I get to being 'a little homemaker' when I have full cupboards. I've always given to foodbanks and have shared what I had with struggling neighbours on occasion.

I am grateful for the food I have and blessings on all delivery drivers, for starting to unravel a few problems and starting to see the way forward.

f0xh0les

You are very wise to keep a little bit extra in mothernerd, if either of you got properly seasonally ill, you would rely on that little extra stock, if you were incapacitated for 2 or 3 days, tins are perfect for your mum to cope with, and she would be thankful for them.  You sound a little bit frazzled tonight.  Take care of you.

apple_muncher

Yes please to you doing december,mothernerd!

ldee2111

Has the list started for December? Would like to join in please. 

65p for a stamp today for DS to post a very important letter  to the big man with the red coat and white beard! 

The weekly shopping arrived this morning - it came in just under £50. Budget is £80 for the week and going to try to keep it under £60. Need to focus on NSDs to do this and keep ‘nip to the shop’ to a minimum. Will aim for only 1 top up shop under a tenner this week. 

The OH and I are celebrating 17 years together with a fakeaway tonight. And a £1k OP to the mortgage.

f0xh0les

ldee2111 said:
The OH and I are celebrating 17 years together with .... a £1k OP to the mortgage.

Now that is my kind of romance! 

NSD 14 over here in Le very chilly Shire tonight. Got cold outside earlier, and have not really properly warmed up all day.

All food from stores, all menus planned, no surprises, I know what I am doing next week. Mostly waiting for payday

Had to stop DS1 from going into town to meet a mate and have coffee.  He seems to think he can still do these things if he is at school with them 5 days a week. Nuh-uh!  He is not a happy bunny.  But everyone else is doing it!! is just not an excuse in our house.

facethemusic

Saturday- still NSD 12, spend day again today. 
Have baked some cookies, played with the pony and done a few housework jobs. We have just finished dinner and I'm hoping I can convince DD to go to bed soon- so I can get a very early night as I'm shattered. 

apple_muncher

ldee2111 said:

Has the list started for December? Would like to join in please. 


The OH and I are celebrating 17 years together with a fakeaway tonight. And a £1k OP to the mortgage.

don't worry - mothernerd will post the linkie to the new challenge on here so we don't miss it.

Congrats on 17 years plus that OP!