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Dusty's Frugal Fortnights Return!
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OK,very late in the day to pop in,but . Mr D had me helping him with the garden this morning. The hedgecutters were a success,and so much quieter than our old machine. That left me little time before making dinner to do anything in the kitchen. Did empty the rubbish and put a few items away,so the kitchen looks marginally tidier. And I FINALLY sorted the heaps of washing,sorted into piles of my work clothes,going out clothes and some deplorable old tatty T-shirts which went in the bin. 4 items less in the house.Yay!.Of course I slept after dinner for quite a while,and was at last intending to hoover after cutting up the oven box,so many bits of cardboard debris. Then my son called with GD5,who is now at 12 the same height as Mr Dusty!
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I dont think I ever mentioned that a while ago there had been a leak under the bath upstairs,and suddenly there was a deluge,Down came the ceiling in the hall.The council had just dumped rubbish,bits of concrete and stones under the bath and sealed it up when they put in the new bathroom in 2010. All the filthy muddy stuff spoiled the hall carpetcarpet,cant get the stains off,need a bigger mat in front of the front door. True the carpet is 20 years old,but it was a good one,still in fair condition.Part of the cceiling in the sittingroom also was damaged and water ran down the walls. The council cut out the ruined portions in both livingroom and hall earlier this year,but it looks bad,and they never bothered cleaning it up. I have been unable to climb up steps to do something with it and it was an eyesore. DS1 promised he would decorate the livingroom sometime this summer,but has been super busy doing his kitchen and bedroom in between travelling every other week for his job. Today he looked closely at the wall and says there is definitely mould behind the wallpaper. I thought it was just discoloured with the dirty water that seeped through,but he is adamant that it is mould,and with my poor health I dont need nasty mould in my already dodgy lungsSo,chip off the old block bossy boots that he is,he is coming on Tuesday with DS2 to strip off coving and paper in the corner,and wants to decorate the next day! EEK! Remember all those hundreds of books stacked behind the couch? All the boxes of toys in another corner for the littl'uns to toss all over the place? Well I somehow have to remove them all in the next 3 days. And I have a big full china cabinet in another corner that will have to be emptied and moved out of the room so they can paint.They also intend to do the kitchen,hasnt been painted in 5 years. Another unit there to empty,and a host of stuff packed under the kitchen table.,pressure cooker,crockpot,spare pans,dining chairs tucked under. etc etc etc.I know in bed tonight I will be awake hours planning things out. I will have to disassemble my shopping trolley and stick it under the stairs,and a plastic storage unit with 5 drawers will have to go upstairs. The resulting space will eventually have the china cabinet tucked in the corner.I will box things up and store them in the cabinet,I no longer want it in the sittingroom. This is a good time to be finally ruthless on all the stuff I got when we broke up my sister's home 12 years ago,plus my mother's stuff.I even have plates commemorating the marriage of George V,and Mary,in 1893 (our Queen's grandparents) Not a happy thing for me,but I need to do something.But I think all the stuff under the kitchen table will just have to covered in tarp on the yard if they are to paint the kitchen diner. 18ftx7.5 ft, it is full to the brim,NOTHING can fit in any cupboards. They are jam packed .Think I will have to bring forward getting a garden shed,scheduled for last year to store all the gardening stuff. Then I will line the cupboard with metal shelves and be able to get some sort of order in the house.Thought we would do the kitchen next year,now its all being done at once....sigh.Once again I had all sorts of stuff in mind to discuss today,now everything has fled from the brain.I was just feeling a bit smug that I felt a little bit healthier this morning. Looks like all the work,will shatter me again.Mr Dusty says he will help. Talk about bull in a china shop,can I realistically expect things to go well in the china cabinet?. Already he has leant over the back of the couch and extracted an old brass mirror and he is already asking why throw something like that away. It is so dulled with age,repeated cleaning has scraped away the gold looking surface showing the dull metal below.Tussle tomorrow as to whether it stays or goes.We are getting a chinese for supper,I am way too stressed to be cooking. Mr D will have to payWell,this post is rivalling War and Peace for length. Will close now,and will keep you informed about the continuing story of rhe Dusty family.2 -
Blimey, never a dull moment at your house.
I don't envy you!!I am a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Mortgage Free Wannabe & Local Money Saving Scotland & Disability Money Matters. If you need any help on those boards, do let me know.Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any post you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button , or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own & not the official line of Money Saving Expert.
Lou~ Debt free Wanabe No 55 DF 03/14.**Credit card debt free 30/06/10~** MFW. Finally mortgage free O2/ 2021****
"A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" Jane Austen in Mansfield Park.
***Fall down seven times,stand up eight*** ~~Japanese proverb. ***Keep plodding*** Out of debt, out of danger. ***Be the difference.***
One debt remaining. Home improvement loan.3 -
beanielou said:Blimey, never a dull moment at your house.
I don't envy you!!Its always been a bit chaotic and lurching from one thing to another in our house. When we had 4 kids at home it was absolutely insane!
Oh well,keeps the brain alert. Considering the state of my brain,without constant shocks I would have probably sunk into permanent coma status. As it is,I am only in partial mode2 -
Well,have formulated a sort of plan of attack. Measured the corner where I keep my shopping trolley and a plastic set of drawers where I keep underwear work clothes covid tests ,the old towels that I used for getting my hair permed,and odds and ends of cables,wires and plugs that I dont know where else to put them.
All sorts of oddments and junk.The display cabinet fits in easily
For now its going upstairs in my junk room that purports to be my bedroom. No idea where the shopping trolley will go.So,clean out that corner and start emptying the china cabinet. Just dump things in boxes for now and shove things in cupboards .. and move the cabinet into the diner corner. Wash it and then just leave it empty,since it will have to be moved to paint the corner.(on a related topic,I fell in love with DS2s wall units he has put all down one wall of his newly done sitting room Dark grey board,with cutouts showing shelving behind. Cupboards and drawers below. He wouldnt tell me how much it cost in case I had a heart attack :DDS1 had similar ideas for his house,just one corner,but he said the coast of the wood and the cost of a joiner(doubled fees from precovid days) that he sadly had to forget it. Bye bye goes my dream of a couple of wall mounted display cabinets,and making the recess where the display cabinet is now into a computer/office(well not really,just somewhere for all my family history stuff.)Looks like it will just be IKEA shelving unit,no desk or shelves,with canvas boxes below for the kids toys,and a some doors above to shove my paperwork in.At least no cooking today,we have chinese. I have finished my asd@ shopping list. Am quite well stocked up on salmon,tinned stuff,veggies etc,but still it barely came under £60,at £59.81.I see the Flora has gone up yet again. Last week £2.50,this week £3.50 Ouch! If I had had to get some of my regulars as well,I would have been touching £75 at least.Right I am off to start the dispay cabinet - after I move some stuff which have been behind the armchair - shoes,hairdrier,plastic boxes bought for kitchen junk,an 18in high Xmas tree used on the dining room table at Xmas,plus a 3ft high Xmas tree for the living room. I was too lethargic in January to drag out stepladders to put them away in the usual places.......sigh........They are all going in my bedroom/junkroom today.Oh boy,I would get on well with the Steptoes!2 -
Ouch! 15mins in and have to take a break. Took several minutes to strengthen a cardboard box to stack stuff in.Put the Wi (that the kids never use and refuse to take home)and one Xmas tree at bottom of the stairs and conveniently Mr D returned and carried them upstairs. Put the stuff from 2 drawers in the kichen unit into the box,and once my back stops hurting I'll empty the third drawer - lightbulbs,placemats,more cables,BP machine,everything but the kitchen sink. How you you folks arrange all these sort of oddments? It can be an annoying puzzle..Then the top half of this unit holds a shelf of my everyday drinking glasses the tribe use when they come. On the top shelf is my makeup,jewelry in a little box - oh and a butterdish I had no where else to put it
On the bottom shelf I keep my bread,scones etc. No room for a proper breadbin.
OK,off to empty the bottom drawer. Then I have to decide where to pt my shoes. And the hairdryer and tongs. Every drawer is FULL FULL FULL. Oh dear,more stuff for the bedroom/junkroom. Lord knows where Mr D dumped those things he took upstairs.You know,I am typing all this drivel,hoping to entertain you and provide an outlet for my rants. But who knows if anyone is even reading it? Hardly anyone ever comments,or gives a ''thanks'' (OK keep your hair on beanielou and that faithful little band that DO show they are taking note.I dont mean you)I know people do pop in ,because where else would those 43K views come from? Thats insane really 43K views in 10 weeks.So I know people are actually out there..........lurking.......in the shadows....OK,back to work9 -
I’m lurking and am in awe of you4
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Cleared round the sides of the china cabinet.On one side was a Xmas tree,Xmas cards,Xmas gift bags,and Mr Dusty's hair clippers! On the other side was the fittings for a vertical blind,3 walking sticks,a golf club,an oldTV recorder . Those metal things are all in line for a scrap merchant to collect - if the little company tucked away in an obscure area near the railway line even exists any more! Must checkdoing dinner now. Then a rest - and possiibly a nap before I empty the bottom shelf,back too bad to do it right now Will wash all the glasses and crockery and decide what to keep,what to get rid of.,putting them in approprite boxes. Where the boxes will go is still a mystery!4
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Your thread is addictive......I am more of a reader than a poster though x4
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Suffolksue said:I’m lurking and am in awe of you
Hi Suffolksue,and welcome.
nursemolly said:Your thread is addictive......I am more of a reader than a poster though xHi nursemolly. Dont know about addictive,more like looking in awe at a car crash?
It is a rather odd thread,when I compare it to the normal rational type of threads. Very little frugality,or minimalism,or useful tips on saving,more a whingefest about my bonkers immune system and any odd topic that passes through my admittedly rather strange brain. It is what it is.Thanks to everyone who peeks at my weird thread. You never know what is coming next.Oh by the way,after a long nap,and an hour enjoying a fluff read,no literary merit but a fun frolic,I have cleaned out the display cabinet,all glass with a mirrored back.Now sparkling delightfully. All the items are spread across the kitchen table and benches. I have counted over 60 glasses. Some heavy crystal,which I am not keen on,some beautiful delicate tulip glasses,the lower part so lovely carving.and but after 12 years isnt it about time I made decisions? much more graceful,some glasses for spirits,lovely stems,gold rim top,and a beautiful white rose etched into the side. I always used one of those for my whiskey! The styles are endless. My sister was a notable hostess,the whole street were invited for New Year's Eve,and she could have 30 people there to see in the new year. I inherited all her glassware,and havent ever been able to get rid of themThe tribe think they are too old fashioned and even heavy,so I am deciding which to take to the charity shop. Sad and reluctant to do it,but..............5 -
hi I am a lurker too! I've been on this site since 2009. I come on to this section to read a couple of other threads and spotted this one a few weeks ago. You have been busy moving stuff around!
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