A new chapter, An empty nest, Drama school & Last year of Uni

Spendless

I've been having a problem with cluster flies around several of our windows both upstairs and down. Fly spray wasn't fully getting rid and even the spiders seem to be sick of catching them. This morning saw me hitting the nearest big supermarket early for cleaning products with a fragrance they'll dislike (having googled this yesterday). Only supermarket is in in middle of a refit and you can't find anything - exactly why has disinfectant been moved away from air fresher and is now at the other side of the store opposite bread?! Surely all 'cleaning/freshen up' items would be kept together??! No wonder there was a sales assistant wandering around with a lollipop sign saying 'here to help' 

At home armed with products bought I fetched up a list I saved a few weeks ago on '40 things people notice when they walk in'. Not that I'm expecting anyone to walk in - other than my parents to pick up the dog when I'm next at work - but I thought if I work through this list then I'll also see the benefit. I was struggling at first as the list seemed to jump areas  and my mind doesn't work that way so I dabbled here and there but now I'm part way through the lsit  I see it returned to those areas and was literally listing the things in order that people would probably notice, so starting with the smell of the home, the state of the entryway and clutter by the front door. My home currently smells like a mix of the lemon cleaning fluid I bought and candles burning one of which is lavendar. I have barely seen a fly - though maybe they've just all moved upstairs as I haven't tackled there yet. 

Having forgotten to take the HMRC cheque in to town last time I was working, I asked at the post office counter in the village and they said I could deposit it there but this was in an envelope that I put the sort/account numbers on and I can't see it appearing in the bank account yet so now I'm worrying it could get lost and wishing I'd just waited till my next shift and gone to the bank. Energy company have refunded our credit. Mr S insists he asked them for £500 so why have they sent £499? Why keep £1 back? Having never asked for credit back before I am wondering if it works like a bartering scheme and you're meant to go in asking for more than you actually want as a starting point. My Dad refuses to pay by DD for this reason and isn't bothered when I point out to him he therefore pays more for his energy. 

Most of Nan's party food has been used up now. I bought a supermarket curry yesterday, didn't make it myself  cos just me here  and added the rest of the Indian snacks to it and had that for tea. The coleslaw/potato salad which I didn't find that nice anyway and a couple of sandwiches ended up getting binned. I just have cheese which will get used up in various dishes and a handful of crackers left. 

The link to claim the vouchers from the survery came through, looks like they're love2shop vouchers you receive. 


Right back to tackle the rest of my list.  

badmemory

Does the above mentioned supermarket also have about 10% of the fridges & 25% of the freezers just empty with nothing happening.  I was told they were doing them like aldis did a while ago & putting "doors" on everything to save power.  My last conversation with the person with the lollipop was why do they have spices in with the tins & not any sort of baking products & that is part of the store they haven't moved yet.  It isn't a year since the last shuffle either.  I wonder how long it will take them to realise that some of just shrug our shoulders & go elsewhere when they hide things.  Tea & coffee in the cereal aisle anyone!

in_need_of_direction

It can take a few days for a cheque paid in through a post office to hit your account. Don’t panic yet

Spendless

Thanks for the reassurance in need fo direction  re cheque put into post office. Not showing yet.

badmemory - I didn't really check the fridge/freezers other than think 'they're in an odd place' yes arguably right at the end of where you finish your shop but not with other related stuff. Yes they have doors on now, though my nearest Aldi doesn't.  It's  still 'open' fridges and freezers you lean in to there.  My Mum said exactly same thing about baking items not being grouped together. I wonder if it's a strategy to make us walk all the way round the store picking up other items as we go - groceries have become too expensive to do that! I'm with you, make it complicated and I will just go elsewhere.  

Oh my gosh following that list to sort the house out has really worked. It isn't a deep clean of rooms, it's not even a cleaning plan just a list of what (the author believes) a visitor to your home notices. I worked through it best I could whilst also cleaning all windowsills with a strong lemon cleaning product and then lighting candles. When I went to sort upstairs I extinguished the candles (my Mum dislikes them as she's convinced they'll start a house fire - no wish to be proving her correct!) and despite my poor sense of smell, can still smell the fragrance to the point I went and checked candlehad really been put out. Fingers crossed it has done the trick, barely a fly and just a few dead bodies I vaccuumed up. Haven't done everything on the list, so will probably work thru some more tomorrow am working later today) I can't believe what a difference it has made, just addressing little things. Last night I felt really cosy after a shower in my PJs watching TV with just the dog for company. 

This plus the new carpet has definately helped with well being, I can physically tell my mood feels lighter, so I decided it was also time for me to rejoin Slimming World. I was going at the beg of this year but stopped when I lost my job not wanting to justify the cost. I almost joined last week but regualr consultant wasn't there. I had a voucher which gave me a free membership joining fee so long as it was used by this week. 

During yesterday's 're-set' I came across £2.50 in a coat pocket (ages since I last found loose change!) and in a bag that I now realise hadn't been used in over a year my fav card holder and it that a driving license! 

In more concerning news Nan has now lost her door keys. Though she can walk with a frame around her house, she needs a wheelchair for outside her house, so is housebound unless someone takes her out. Only a few days earlier she lost her mobile phone and a couple of weeks ago her purse with money in. Despite a search by my parents none of these items have turned up. I'm in 2 minds about this, I'm aware that this can be a sign of dementia as my other Nan displayed the same behaviours and was in a care home for the last 8 years of her life. Mr S has suggested a ring doorbell so we can at least rule out people we don't know visiting but Nan has no internet - in fact I think Nan only owns about 5 things that come with a plug! I do know all this is wearing both  my parents out, who are elderly themselves. . 

KxMx

You  have the option of making a safeguarding report to trigger a social services investigation into Nans welfare & needs and see about getting them to put into place appropriate long term care.

Your parents if they want to continue are entitled to a carers assessment which will look at their own needs. 

Your Nan also might need to be presented with choices which don't include her preferred option. 

My own health was broken (again) extremely badly by Mum's hospital admission number 5, so badly I knew if I allowed that to happen again there may be no recovery next time.

As such I stepped back from admissions 6 & 7 to focus on myself.
I rarely volunteer for anything and take at least overnight if not longer to consider any requests. 
It hasn't been easy but it was the right thing to do.

We faced the same situation, temporary care is provided out of Hospital funded by NHS, as a tactic carers then come later and later, find Mum already up, medicated, eating (with insulin and other meds she can't wait hours past waking) declare her independent then stop the care.

Post hospital care is only ever temporary up to 6 weeks anyway, then the local authority take over assessment and funding (where needed) . 

Spendless

Thanks for that info KxMx. I'm going to have a ponder about this over the next few days but I think I'm going to have to have a difficult conversation with my parents over it. 

I think the last twice Nan had been admitted the post care carers came for around 10 days last time and a day and a half day the time before (the previous 2 winters). 

Spendless

Friday and £5 moved over to the alternative universe account. There is now £21 each in lost, stolen and jabberwocky.

Cheque from HMRC appeared in bank account yesterday lunchtime. Thanks for the reassurance that it would. Have moved that to savings, along with the refund from energy company it will pay most of our upcoming holiday costs. 

Been into town with a friend. Shes currently seeking work and when she mentioned the difficulty she was having uploading her CV just on her phone and having to go the library to sort it, she was put in touch with an organisation that gives away free refurbushed laptops. I drove to town with her so she could collect it and paid for parking. In turn she treated me to breakfast.  5 items for £6 which I didnt think bad. I also picked up a bra on sale for £6 and discovered a gorgeous market stall selling flowers so have a bunch of sunflowers for £1. 

No plans for rest of day, think.I might just have a lazy afternoon. 

Spendless

Washing machine had a breakdown at the weekend. We had gone on a last minute night away (long story) so returned late-ish Sunday and discovered this. I needed clothes for work the following day - gulp! Managed to salvage some bits together to wear. Mr S looked up the code error and then last night cleared the filter. There was a whacking £7.87 in coins from 1p to £1, no 2p or £2, I can only think these coins are too large in shape/size to get stuck rather than we have never had them. The coins were mostly discoloured so I have put them into soak in some pepsi that we were given as a freebie from the hotel we stayed in Saturday night.  

There was also some shirt collar stifferners he'd been looking for and a load of random fluff.  The WM  seal is also worn. I have currently got a wash on of spare unimportant bedding just to test if it's now working ok. Plan 1 to solve this is to buy a new seal and  see if relative can fit, plan 2 is to call a local repair man out to do it, plan 3 is to buy a new WM. 

I have redone my spreadsheet for DD's England rent. I have worked on 2 scenarios, that I keep my job past the temp contract and that I don't. Both are manageable. I will be increasing the Friday savings up to £10 as the extra £5 will add up and pay the last week's rent at the end of the tenancy regardless of what happens. 

Though we haven't much in fridge and freezer wise, I'm tempted to try and make things stretch. I could do with the psycholgical boost of a NSD. Also we will be eating out 3 times over the next week, 1 is an invite from a relative who is currently dog sitting nearby (for another relative) and then as we have forthcoming bdays will be eating with friends and family at the weekend.  As we go away soon too, no point in getting loads in.  Today I need to spend my time doing  free things, like dog walking and housework and prepping to go away

Tomorrow I will need to spend money as me and Mum are going to a nearby town for me to buy some jewellery to wear at a forthcoming wedding. We will pass by a pub where I have 2 vouchers for a free coffee, picked up at a job fayre I attended earlier this year. It's a bit far out to make the trip just to get the free drink, but passing it by, it makes sense to stop. 

Dog whimpering at me as I finish my coffee so I guess he's decided which of my jobs takes priority -lol. 

Spendless

Just seen that Monday marked 4 years since this diary started.

Since then mortgage has been paid off and so has the CC debt. We are starting to repair (currently in tiny amounts) the hole in our savings and also refurb rooms in the house that have had to be on hold for years.

We are about to go away to visit daughter studying abroad.

Didnt make the NSD unfortunately, had done so well until evening and then realised I needed birthday cards and the ones I wanted only available online, sadly my family owned, independent card shop could get any card you ever thought of had to close down after the pandemic as lost sales meant they couldn't afford the rent. I then decided having spent I was hungry and needed snacks, which Im annoyed with myself over but lesson learnt.

Today need petrol in my car before picking Mum up and going shopping for costume jewellery. 

Spendless

My first payday from my new job. Have been paid slightly more than I anticipated and unsure why, despite a pay slip spelling it out. I think it's to do with payment period of when I started. Anyway it's a nice surprise, means I can repay back to myself some reserves I'd had to dip into whilst waiting for payday and have the money for DD's student rent for next few weeks. I will ask Mr S to have a look at what the payslip says but currently he's battling a cold and sleeping. This isn't great as we go away in a few days. I have said I think a heavy workload then followed by taking minimal ime off has got him at crash and burn. It was something a Consultant fetched up with him years ago about adrenaline keeping him running and then the minute he took time off he was ill. I will mention to him about spacing his still remaining AL out to avoid this.

We are due to see our financial advisor later today. Will see what Mr S is like before cancelling and also if we will need to change our plans to go out this weekend.

As it's Friday have now moved £10 over, £5 of which now goes into rent. For the other categories, Lost and Jabberwocky have £23 in each, stolen has £22.