It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

London_1

Florenceem : Oh dear Covid seems to still be around doesn't it, some folk have had it two or three times ,  hope you are soon better, as next week is forecast to be really warm in the south east fingers crossed for a nice Bank Holiday weekend.

YorksLass: I adore the LU stuff ,I used to get them when my late brother was alive as he lived in France , but they were cheaper over there back then. If I bought more of a stock I'd be so tempted I'm afraid, so I limit myself to some when on offer I'm a sucker for the cinnamon ones, as I just love the taste of cinnamon, when I poach stewed apples in a little water and honey I always sprinkle some cinnamon in as well.  But I think we all deserve a treat at times don't we . 

I also had a nice swap with a friend at Dobbies I had a small garden trowel that I have put away for safe keeping last summer, and as with all things that get tucked away I can't find the blooming thing. I happened to mention it to my friend last  week and she said she had three, and I could have one I told her I had a pile of magazines I had been given if she wanted some, and she said 'Oh yes please', so I swapped the magazines for a trowel. I bet I shall find my own one at some point  

She has a rescue cat who rules the roost in her house, and doesn't mind her reading a magazine but doesn't like her reading a book for some reason We all have a good giggle with Jan about her cat Smokey when she comes to coffee morning. She's such a nice lady who sadly lost her daughter last year to cancer and its the cat that keeps her going I think.  

My youngest DD phoned tonight to tell me how she had been brave today as she had root canal treatment ,she loathes the dentist visits, but knows its better than toothache. Until the pandemic I always had to go with her as she literally was petrified but with lockdown and restrictions she had to go in alone bless her.But she always rings afterwards to tell me she's been brave you'd never think she had given birth five times without turning a hair, but the dentists had always been her greatest fear.

I think the idea of a day off, and 'Me' time is great. hope it was relaxing .Tomorrow I shall be doing more decluttering of one of the rooms upstairs, I think another trip to the CS with more books will be on the cards.I really do have to get to grips with them all.
Right time for a cuppa and maybe two of my cinnamon biscuits

Night Night , God bless all here 

JackieO xx

Fizz2015

@YorksLass some supermarkets now recycle hangers (Larger Tesco and Asda's have bins to put your hangers in).

Wednesday2000

YorksLass said:

@Wednesday2000 - Now you know you're on a water meter you'll be able to track more accurately how much you're using and make savings accordingly.  

Yes, exactly.

So far we have changed the shower head so we can use the lower part of the shower, not the overhead waterfall one, put a weighted bottle of water in the toilet cistern and committed to not using the bath at all until the winter.:) I'm sure little things like that will make a big difference.

London_1

I am on a water meter in Kent with Southern Water and my monthly DD is £7.60, but then I live alone and am very careful with water.
 I have three 2pint empty plastic milk bottles that I use left over water with to water my potatoes and onions with. they have screw top lids and I poked several holes in them to turn them into mini watering cans

I have a lawn and shrubs in my garden and a few flowers in pots on the patio. The lawn gets the left over water from when I wash up the dishes every evening. I never have had ,wanted or needed a dishwasher,I'm quite happy with a bowl of water and a bit of elbow grease  
The shrubs mainly do well on their own as the run off from my roof and conservatory goes down a long plastic drain to halfway down the left hand side where the shrubs are. situated. 

I use a large empty 5 litre emulsion tub to collect the cold water from my downstairs shower room before the water runs hot.This goes either on the lawn in dry weather, or to flush the loo.

Water, like gas and electric is a  utility that can be used carefully, and why throw good water down the drain unnecessarily when it can go on the garden.
My late husband worked on contract out in the Sudan in the 1980s and he made us all very aware before we had meters in this country about how precious water is. so if we get a bit of a heat wave in the UK I never stress about the grass getting brown it will come back to green eventually and its really not that important when its a case of looking after a precious commodity.

My kettle is a small one litre one which is more than enough for my cuppas and any left over boiling water gets put into a thermos for later cups. Small economies but useful when it comes to paying the bills  

JackieO xx

euronorris

So sorry for your loss @Siebrie . It sounds like you Dad was surrounded by love throughout his life, which is amazing.

Gosh, it all went quiet in here for a while and then picked up again with gusto. I was several days behind. Sorry to hear you have covid @Florenceem . I hope you are feeling better soon.

I was in London for work last week, and was fortunate enough to be treated to lunch. My gosh, you would have no idea there was a cost of living crisis going on based on that experience! The restaurant was absolutely packed to the gills! I guess a lot of people working that part of the city must have more disposable available than the rest of us. Or maybe it's all expensed? Who knows.

Quietly plodding on in the background here. Did another boot fair this weekend. Shared the pitch fee with MIL. Managed to make a profit of about £35, which isn't too bad for a few hours effort. DD then spent £3.10 of that there! Not quite the plan, but still she got a lot for her money - Monopoly Junior (in great condition), a World Atlas book, a Mr Noisy book, 2 small Minecraft figures and 2 small puzzle toys. Bargains for sure.

I do love a Too Good To Go box, but it can definitely be hit and miss. I've had great ones, and equally, not so good ones from the same exact Morrisons. My brother lives near Leicester and always gets amazing ones from his store. I haven't bought one in a while, but have kept my beady out for yellow sticker bargains and have grabbed a fair few. I got two big heads of broccoli for 23p each earlier today! 

Florenceem

I haven't been cooking - what I call properly since Mr F went into hospital - after visiting him and getting home about 5.30 - I want quick. Now I have Covid plus doing the declutter - not sure what I fancy so sticking to easy.
I haven't shopped much since Mr F went into hospital - 6 weeks now. 

YorksLass

@Fizz2015 - Sadly we don't have a Tesco or Asda near us, just a Sainsbury's and I'm not sure if they take them back.  I do, however, now always refuse hangers since I know I have more than enough.

@Florenceem - Look after yourself, if need be postpone the declutter for a wee while!

Yesterday's "Me" day was lovely.  I had a DIY pedicure, read the last two chapters of a book while sitting out in the sun, finished knitting the second sleeve of a cardigan and even managed a nanna nap.  All in all, a very idle day but most enjoyable.

Last night's beef & mushroom casserole went down a treat and there's a little bit left over.  I'll add some diced cooked potato to it, put it in a pie dish and add a pastry lid to stretch it out with some veg for another meal.  I'll do a fruit crumble at the same time to fill up the oven.  Today we're having cod cakes, peas and chunky h/m chips.

I did my usual weekly walk to the Co-op today - very sunny and warm, no coat/cardigan needed - and deposited one of the CS bags in the SA clothing bank in their car park.  Shopping consisted of cod fillets for Friday, a pack of 4 picnic size pork pies, strawberries (from Kent) and a small carton of cream.  Even though I go every week, I don't buy very much there so it takes quite a while to build up the amount on my loyalty card but today I decided to use it against the shopping.  That, along with this week's membership cash off offers, brought the bill down to just 35p.   

Not quite as much spring cleaning today but the first aid box got done.  Just a couple of out of date items needed to be binned - a part used fungicide treatment for manky toe nails (DH's, not mine) and a box of Senokot tablets that DH came home from hospital with in Dec 2020.  And he didn't need them either!  I do need some sunscreen though and have added it to my shopping list.  It doesn't have to be a posh one, SM brand is fine.

GaleSF63

I'm amazed how little some people manage to pay for their water through being very careful. I don't get any choice - Scottish water charges are based on council tax bands. I pay about £31 a month based on band D and including the 25% single person reduction.  I do try not to be wasteful but at least I don't have to micro-manage my consumption. I believe our water comes from Loch Lomond and it's a long long time since I've seen that water level recede significantly.
It is possible to get a meter - if you are prepared to pay several hundred pounds to get it installed!

London_1

@GaleSF63 Gosh those pics take me back to before we had meters and had to pay water rates along with the council rates. I think before I had a meter installed I was paying something like £29.00 a month, so as far as I'm concerned a meter was the best way forward  as it saves such a lot .
I live alone, although I have three bedrooms ,so my water bills are pretty low and I treat water the same as electric or gas and never waste it if I can help it. Our water in my area is very hard and you get an awful lot of chalky deposits in the kettle. I know when visiting Scotland how safe the water is by comparison to the water in Kent.

I have just blanched a bag of carrots to going the freezer given to me by my neighbour. Bless her she's a good lass and if she sees a bargain she will always get an extra pack for me. I think they were 30p and weigh a kilo so win-win. They can stay there until I make some more carrot and coriander soup.

Just waiting for the hospital transport to take me to the other side of Rochester for the dressing and drain bag to be renewed. The District Nurses don't visit at home anymore in my area so Thursday is my day to go there  it's attached to the Wisdom Hospice, as the hospice gets extra funding from the NHS to let them use some spare offices.
I'm not fussed as it is what it is, the only downside is I usually have to wait ages before a pick up.Last week because they were so busy I waited three and half hours , but I was in the sun room and read my book, and had several coffees.I also chatted to a couple of patients who had been brought out to the garden in their beds.

I shall take my knitting today as I want to get on with the unicorn blanket I'm knitting for one of my GGD's.

Hope the sun is shining down on you all today as its a beautiful spring day here in Kent, next Thursday I see my consultant and hopefully he will tell me what the next plan will be , I'm hoping they will take 'Dora the drain' out it would make my life a lot easier thats for sure .

Take care everyone and have a good day 

JackieO xx
 

Florenceem

Lovely day here - another day at home for me with the Covid bug. I will test tomorrow.
No spending as I can't mix with people so bonus there.
Got some cooked chicken out of the freezer - no idea what I will have with it yet as my taste buds are on strike.
Just had an ice lolly that I found in the freezer - was okay but not sure if it was past it's best or tasted strange to my corrupted taste buds.