Greying's Gaining Ground - with Gratitude & Grace

Mrs_Money_Penny

So pleased your back. Last year was a strange year for us all. Glad you managed to sell your property and move forward. Look forward to joining you on your journey xx

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning!

Oh hey edinburgher - that is such a kind thing to say, but I have to say, I am truly admirous of all efforts of MFW's.  We could finally contemplate selling up because the problem neighbour "passed", no-one would have bought our house as things were 🙁  I'm also aware that our property owning options (such as they are), are truncated now, simply because of our advancing years.  We've definitely skipped the 'forever' family home stage, we just can't afford to contemplate it because of lack of earning years (even under 'normal' times, never mind cvid circumstances).  I'm at peace with that decision, simply because it's pretty much the only one available - and I've got a wee bit more accepting as I've aged! 🤣  The parents of LG's chums are mostly purchasing the 'forever' houses, and making renovations/extensions.  It is wonderful to see the extra space emerge, and the new technologies used, or spiffing kitchens/windows/motorised doors fitted (it really is), but I also admire their patience with disappearing builders (for months on end!) and raw material hold-ups when there's no roof on 3/4 of their home!  I'm worried that my snail's pace savings plan will be utterly boring in comparison!  

Mrs_Money_Penny - hello!  "waves".  Definitley a strange year, but we were lucky to have some highlights, I'm so grateful for that.

Tea this evening will be Afghan Carrot Hotpot - which was originally from Sally Butcher's book 'Veggiestan'.  I still have a surfeit of 'christmas' carrots 😉 so need to use them up and get best bang for my buck.  I don't have any split yellow peas, so shall use red lentils instead.

I shall try to have another NSD today, there is nothing that we "need" and I shouldn't be going near anywhere that tempts me to spend/fritter!  I have allocated £150 to groceries this month - which is impossibly tight 🤔  especially when you consider I want to try to have something left over at the end of the month!  But needs must - it's been like this since September, and I can't see things improving anytime soon.  I have £140 of my budget left and reasonably full store cupboards, so certainly for the next week or two, I SHOULD be able to get by with 'bread, milk and NOTHING else' type shops - and not keel over with scurvy neither!  😁  There is no point in ruining our health to save tuppence.  My criteria for saving is doing it WHILST still living a good, joyful life.  And retaining good health has always been a cornerstone of my thinking.  There are enough illnesses/diseases/conditions that come into life, unbidden and that no preventative measures can alter, so I do realise, that all I can do is 'try' to keep us all healthy.

Right, best seize the day!

Ta for popping in - appreciated 😁

Greying X

Busy_Mee

I am in awe of how well you eat on such a modest budget Greying. You are a proper inspiration. 

I don't know whether you have found Foxholes diary on here. She has four boys and does miraculous things with her budget. I think you would enjoy her diary, if you haven't found it already.

Greying_Pilgrim

Busy_Mee said:

I don't know whether you have found Foxholes diary on here...........if you haven't found it already.

Sure have Busy_Mee - I greatly admire her MSE ways, her FB volunteering and her humour 👍  It is the 'differences' in everyone's life stories/mortgage journeys etc that makes this board (and the DFW diaries) such interesting places to hang out and be a part of.  Plus i'm under no illusions that £150 is nearby impossible to stick to, and that is even with a reasonable store cupboard - and as that runs down, the shopping bills rise again....... sigh.  And we're only a family of 3.........

Greying X

maggiem

So lovely to 'see ' you again Greying. I've struggled a bit with the new format and have tended to just bookmark some diaries I have followed for a long time but tonight decided to check the MFW board and I'm so glad I did. Pleased to hear Greying Towers has been sold and looking forward as always to reading your diary. Very pleased to hear you three are well.  Stay safe. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good evening!

Not got alot to say this evening......

But positives include that I DIDN'T spend any money today 😁 I did make the tea that I'd planned, which used up items that we already had.  I haven't taken a picture of us tea, as I actually think that the piccy on the blog that I linked to the recipe, was far more bootiful and stylee.  My carrots were just cubed 'larger' carrots - never gonna win a beauty competition!  i served it on it's own (we'd had rice last night), so it was like a soup/stew.  Just the job as the temperature dipped this evening.

I will need a couple of 'staples', but timing of shopping for these will probably be determined by an announcement/decision later......

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

1) that the washing dried - slightly - outdoors.  It should dry fully on the airer.  Every little helps.
2)  for an unexpected message from a chum - came in last night, but the afterglow effect has lasted into today.  Just so very good to hear from them.
3)  for LG's decisive and comprehensive 'I'm putting these into the recycling, mummy' various cardboard boxes and stray bits of paper that had accumulated in the living room prior to, during and after, Christmas...... 👍

Thanks for reading.

Greying X

edinburgher

Your grocery budget is less than a third of ours - hangs head in embarrassment 

I would try more vegetarian meals, but unsure how to sell it to a relatively picky 5 year old (she's still an angel compared to many)!

Greying_Pilgrim

maggiem - sorry we cross-posted and I didn't spot your post.  I'm not a fan of the new format....... but we are entering a new phase, and diaries help 😁 so here I am.  Thank you for your kind words though - appreciated.

edinburgher - £150 needs to be seen in the context of it being an 'emergency' budget (we'll gloss over the fact it's been like this since September 🙄....)  But also I do have a reasonable store of dry and tinned goods.  This store isn't exhaustive, and I have got to work out how to 're-stock' ie tin by tin as I use, or dwindle to nowt and then hope the money is there to re-stock.........🤔  Also, LG is super-picky and won't eat much outside of a (relatively narrow) range of foods, so even our 'supposedly frugal' semi-veggie lifestyle doesn't really 'work', although LG will eat a broader range of fruit than vegetables, so I do prioritise buying what LG will eat (which is why I get so disheartened when they suddenly decide to dislike something that previously they ate.........).  However, I wouldn't want anyone to get the impression that we 'thrive' on £150 of groceries - we don't, and the sooner I can 'up' it the better.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning!

So we're 'at home' for the forseeable.

Not looking forward to the social isolation - most especially for LG - but sucking it up, like we all must.

Today will be a LSD.  We will need some essential groceries, and DH will go to MrL on the way back from work.

Tea is going to be soup.  Most likely butterbean & thyme, which is a Lyndsey Bareham recipe from the book she wrote for her son when he went off to Uni.  I think it's called 'A wolf in the kitchen'.  I shall be using MrL tinned butterbeans and will use lime, rather than lemon, as I have no lemons, as 2 out of the 4 i bought in a net from MrL succumbed to that mould that appears overnight on citrus and turns them greeny/blue in one swift move........

Right, off to dust down my times tables........

Thanks for reading.

Greying X

edinburgher

@Greying_Pilgrim - I find most L1dl produce covered in mould, black bits or blue bits within a few days - we only buy bananas and cucumbers there these days! We tend to use Mr M instead, some of the low L1dl prices are false economies if you have to buy twice.