Dusty's Frugal Fortnights Return!

weenancyinAmerica

dustydigger - did she post pictures on FaceBook or send copies to relatives? Sometimes you can find replacements by contacting other people. Did any relatives actually take pictures with a camera when they were visiting or put them on their phones? My sister makes be the book form of the her grandkid's family photos each year as my Christmas present. I always worry about things being swallowed by the computer also, so I have copies printed out of most things like the family genealogy.

Bluegreen143

My papa is 85 years old so hard to buy for, as he is very well off and has over the years now bought everything he could ever want for himself! Eg he likes cashmere jumpers so has about 20 of them in different colours, all in good condition! What do you buy a man like that?! 😅 I make him a calendar each year with photos of his great grandkids 😊 

dustydigger

weenancyinAmerica said:

dustydigger - did she post pictures on FaceBook or send copies to relatives? Sometimes you can find replacements by contacting other people. Did any relatives actually take pictures with a camera when they were visiting or put them on their phones? My sister makes be the book form of the her grandkid's family photos each year as my Christmas present. I always worry about things being swallowed by the computer also, so I have copies printed out of most things like the family genealogy.

This was about 8 years ago,people werent very conversant with the cloud etc back then.My daughter did make huge efforts to get photos from some of the family,but a lot of her favourite pics were lost forever.

Talking about genealogy,someone in America,finding via amazon that we were related was able to to supply me with a wonderful 1883 photo of my great grandfather,with his wife and 3 children sitting posed in that usual stiff non smiling way of the time..Unfortunately my grandfather was the youngest child,born 1885,so he's missing

I only have a couple of very precious photos of him,aged around 30 in his army uniform. He won a medal for bravery in 1915,for carrying a comrade off the battlefield under fire. But died at the battle of Amiens,in 1917.No one to carry him to safety. Some 9000 young men died in 3 days of fighting. It was very moving to go to our town cenotaph in 2017 to lay flowers there to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death.

Its all come back as clear and fresh as ever today,looking at family photos

dustydigger

Morning all,lovely day. I did manage some of my online chores of setting up new threads on my science fiction and Librarything groups. On LT there were already 9 posts on the old threads that should've have been on the June thread,I usually do it late on 31st,so any UK members can get there if they are earlybirds,but 31st was a hectic day,I didnt get round to it till 10.am :*Oh well,better late than never.

Today I've hoovered through,and put on Mr Dusty's plantian,wrapped in foil and steamed. Still some fish left off yesterday,so an easy morning - as long as I keep checking the water level in the pan! How many times have I let the pan run dry.......sigh........

They are preparing for the Trooping of the Colour,at 11.00.I have no memories of the Coronation live in 1953,we hadnt a TV,nor did any of the neighbours. I assume my family listened on the radio. But I think it was a week or two later that the whole thing was on the cinema screen in glorious colour,a wonderful job by Pathe news. We still see shotsfrom it to this day. We went to see the film at our local cinema numerous times!

I had a book about it. I distinctly remember lying on the floor in front of the old blackleaded range,barely able to read it(I was only 5) but adoring the pictures of the orb and sceptre and the crown jewels in the Tower,an aerial shot of Elizabeth walking down the aisle with the enormous train sweeping behind her.

She has spent 70 years faithfully fulfilling the vow to serve that she made that day. As they sang then - VIVAT REGINA

Spendless

Still only half way through this lovely thread, but a couple of things 

@London_1 - Is your youngest Grandson going into halls and are these the cheapest or into a house-share? Uni Halls can be cheaper (but it depends!) because the contract term can be shorter than privately renting and often heating/lighting/water/internet and even insurance is included in the price. Mine get the min student loan (DH's company car is added as income for student finance, which drives me nuts because he is  already taxed on it and so has a lower net income because of it). My eldest has just finished 4 years of Uni, and has done Uni halls, large private shared accommodation, small private shared accommodation and private halls. 1 of each thing I think. His cheapest year was the first year he went with Uni halls. 

@dustydigger - Here we have several supermarkets (I've also seen it in a local pub) where people leave their unwanted books and others can take what they want. There's a charity box for you to give something in return for taking any book/s (no min donation, just give what you can afford) 


Back to reading -lol.  

Spendless

dustydigger said:

CapricornLass said:

Bliss, isn't it, having a computer that works?  However, sometimes its the programmes that  are running that are the problem, not the laptop and some of those programmes are only visible in the background, if you know what I mean.  When my son looked at my laptop, there were two programmes running in the background that interfered with each other, and slowed down the laptop performance to the point of stopping altogether.  I'm very lucky in having one son who has built several computers from scratch, and the other who is a programmer by trade, and who could not only identify the problem for me but also have the skllls to fix it.  Otherwise I would have been like you and forking out for a new laptop.

But not being able to replace the battery is annoying,

My son studied forensic computing in college,but even he could'nt do anything with it. Everytime you turned on it was say firefox was already running,we should close down and restart. Drove me bonkers.

Did he find a job in this subject area afterwards? My son has just finished his degree in this. Now he has to job hunt. 

dustydigger

Hi,Spendless!. Actually he didnt! .He found it incredibly boring. CSI was popular then,I think he thought the word ''forensic''had a more exciting meaning ,or that he was Gil Grissom reincarnated,at least thats how I teased him. He stuck it out a couple of years and packed it in,not his cup of tea. But he did learn a lot of technical computer stuff. Funnily enough,he doesnt own a computer now,he is glued to his phone all the time!

Brilliant career for those suited to desk work,with an eye for detail and lots of self discipline.  Hmm,doesnt sound like my son at all . He did a course in gas fitting and he quite happy working in that field. He travels a lot,last week he was in Gloucester,next week its Oxford. He loves driving,and loves new places,so he's happy,though some would raise eyebrows at a seeming loss of status. But he's happy so who cares.

I wish your son the best of luck in finding a job. Times are hard now.

Spendless

dustydigger said:

Hi,Spendless!. Actually he didnt! .He found it incredibly boring. CSI was popular then,I think he thought the word ''forensic''had a more exciting meaning ,or that he was Gil Grissom reincarnated,at least thats how I teased him. He stuck it out a couple of years and packed it in,not his cup of tea. But he did learn a lot of technical computer stuff. Funnily enough,he doesnt own a computer now,he is glued to his phone all the time!

Brilliant career for those suited to desk work,with an eye for detail and lots of self discipline.  Hmm,doesnt sound like my son at all . He did a course in gas fitting and he quite happy working in that field. He travels a lot,last week he was in Gloucester,next week its Oxford. He loves driving,and loves new places,so he's happy,though some would raise eyebrows at a seeming loss of status. But he's happy so who cares.

I wish your son the best of luck in finding a job. Times are hard now.

Hahaha Thank you. Desk work and eye for detail work - absolutely, might need some work on the other bit. He was mid teens when he became interested in hacking so DH (who works in IT) said yeah, ok, just make sure you're paid to do it not prosecuted for it. Mine has the computer he was bought for his 16th birthday buuuuuttt he's replaced every single part on it for something better. It is Trigger's Broom (from Only Fools and Horses) just as a PC - lol. 

Glad he's enjoying his change of direction. Gas fitters should always be in demand, anyone thinking his current job is a loss of status is really not worth bothering about. 

dustydigger

Spendless said:

Still only half way through this lovely thread, but a couple of things 
 

@dustydigger - Here we have several supermarkets (I've also seen it in a local pub) where people leave their unwanted books and others can take what they want. There's a charity box for you to give something in return for taking any book/s (no min donation, just give what you can afford) 


Back to reading -lol.  

Pity our Asd@ doesnt do that. One of the banks used to have a book table which was fun to peruse while waiting for service,but covid put a stop to that.There is a charity box in the minimall beside the bookcase,its a similar situation.I very rarely find anything for my tastes. I'm a science fiction geek,I particularly like old pulpy 40s and 50s stuff.Not very prevalent I gave up almost entirely on modern cime fiction,but am trying to get back into it. I'll doubtless rant about it soon

I am going to be posting some of my TBR (to be read) lists here soon.I'll do a post about it soon,I'm late with everything this month. Well,its only the second June,but I usually do those sort of things around 30th.

Thank you for reading my ramblings. I came on intending to talk about budgeting etc,but found since I pay all billls online,have the same income each fortnight,and just leave all the cash each fortnight in a literal box and count up what is left each fortnight and bank that,its not exactly riveting stuff!

Last time I did this diary sort of thing I was doing a lot of it cash,did lots of savings challenges here,took note of literally every penny and was ever busy with my savings pots.It was great fun,and I enjoyed it. Now life is much darker,I mainly want to do what is simplest. But I have learned an incredible amount of wise financial advice on MSE and what we learn here is not just a ''hobby'' or ''leisure activity'' as it would seem from where this ''hobby'' is located on MSE.It is a lifesaver for those drowning in debt and a vital resource for all of us struggling in this present dire position

Spendless

London_1 said:

First shelf I look at when in a charity shop is the bookshelves, often find ones that the library don't stock in there When I was touring the US a few years ago I came home with a stack from their 'thrift shops '
I actually had to buy a big soft grip to get them home with I bought it in Wallmart for $5 in 2007 and I still use it when I go on holiday today its great with lots of side pockets to stash toiletries etc in.

 As its made from a soft material it doesn't weigh much either as a suitcase would

Another bargain bought accidently. When we were in Washington waiting to go through customs to come home my friend said 'it will cost a fortune to pay for that extra luggage' but I said 'I dont care those books are coming home with me'

We got to the counter and how lucky was I the weighing thing had malfunctioned, and the lass on the counter said "What's in the grip?" and I said 'books I haven't read yet' .Obviously a book lover, she said "go on through ma'am glad you enjoyed your trip" I marched through beaming, and my friend said "you jammy begger"  

JackieO xxx

That made me laugh because in April, me and DD accompanied DH on a business trip to Miami. We only had to pay for mine and DD's flights plus our personal spends because we could stop in DH's suite accommodation, were included in most meals, drinks and theme nights.

Then DD went off to LA to meet up with a college mate who lives there but left behind quite a lot of her stuff plus the most awkward rigid hand luggage she'd taken with her (cos it looked good on Instagram!) for me and her Dad to take back to England.

 So, finding myself at a bit of a loose end I went on a shopping trip to a nearby Walmart and bought several items to take back. This included boxes of Rice-A-Roni, one of DH's favs and unavailable in the UK, so I got a dozen boxes, thinking nothing of the weight. Then we were told one case was 8 pounds over and it would be $180 or we could buy another bag and pay for a 3rd home, we declined and instead started re-distributing it amongst hand luggage not being weighed) and another suitcase that was under. We abandoned a couple of items, inc an old towel, that we'd taken out to use 'just in case' but then sentiment over came me as we'd bought it on hol when the kids were little so I'd packed it to come home, only to discover in the airport taxi that  Mr S had been ripping up such towels for cloths anyway - so into the airport  bin it went, we checked on some scales and we were (just!) under.

On telling the story to DS on our return, he weighed 1 of my boxes of rice-a-roni and discovered that they were the equivalent of much of the being overweight! Thank goodness we didn't pay the charge - it'd have been cheaper to order on Amazon!