NST July 2022: A Turtle Triathlon

Thrifty_Taylor

Hope your back feels better soon Deni.
Happy holidays to those away or due to set off soon.

My son didn't have a passport, but we completed the process online & all went well. A friend (who's a head teacher & known DS1 from birth) was emailed to verify his identity, original certificates sent & have been emailed that they've now been received, so would also recommend it.

A bootiful day in Orkney yesterday! The sun came out, so I put my shorts on, then it went in a bit 😂 met a friend for a walk & a long awaited catch up, the sun reappeared & we laughed lots. 5.3miles
Had dinner, cleaned the bathroom then weeded the raised raspberry bed & planted the newly delivered blackberry bush. Phoned about tax credits as couldn't use the app, due to no renewal pack. Waited on the phone for half an hour, but then the helpful young man at the other end of the phone went through it all with me, & discovered I'd not received any money for DS2 this last year 😯 so hoping that will be backdated now. I knew it was lower, but thought it was cos DS2 was older! I had stated that he was continuing at college, but they must've missed that!
Customers (mother & daughter) arrived after tea, got my pins out. Mother very keen to attend sewing lessons again, so contacted a few other people & now have 5 signed up!

Grateful for a lovely walk & catch up, that the app didn't work so that the underpayment was detected, interest in sewing classes

ldee2111

Hi turtles, 

I’ve been reading along quietly this week. 

Still eating healthily but got a bit overzealous. After listening to podcasts and audiobooks about gut health and buying a book on the subject, I now have a fridge bursting with YS fruit and veg. But I’ve gone over my food budget and I’m unsure I’ll be able to eat it all the extra food. Trying my best to use it up by adding it to my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners before they’re inedible. The bottom line is I’ve been a silly spender. 

Alongside listening to podcasts about gut health, I’ve been reading about simplifying your wardrobe. At the moment mine is a bit higgledypiggledy with stuff that doesn’t go together. I’m tired of wearing some of my clothes and don’t feel good in them.  I’ve bought a few sweaters and jackets in online sales, most of which I’ll return. But that’s me spent all my personal spending money (my balance is £0) which is a bit of a problem because… 

a friend’s upcoming hen-do is going to cost far, far more than I anticipated. It’s not until April but payment will be due very soon. 

The hen-do has gone from a day out to a 2-nights away, jam-packed itinerary of activities organised by a company costing £300 each (which doesn’t include food)! I’m a bridesmaid so saying ’no thanks’ isn’t really an option. 

We can pay the company in instalments  but I’m a bit annoyed at having to pay this amount of money for a hen-do. It’s excessive in my opinion. 

Anyway I’m just moaning… and I’ll probably moan to you all about it every time I’ve to make a payment on it 😂 

Energy bill has gone up by 56% after fixed rate ended. I recently got a 3.5% wage increase so that’s that gone. And OH having to add a bit extra to cover it to. And as we all know, there’ll be another rise in October. Oh joy.

Grateful for this group where I can air my woes (even if no one read them it’s still therapeutic), for the abundance of free content online, and for (so far) being able to absorb the cost of living increases and being mindful that this is not the case for everyone. 

Xx

Toni'sfriend

Thanks, f0xh0les. I think the photograph thing is beyond my capabilities. I had to give up trying with the COVID one and get a paper copy instead. I know it's doing things inline s second nature to most people but I can just about manage to do a bit of online banking, book hotels and order tickets. And where possible I have paper copies of everything. The thought of not having a paper boarding pass for a plane terrifies me. The Boy thinks it's hilarious.

Speaking of the Boy, we went to visit him yesterday and then went for a walk through the park. Three miles in all. I then spent a considerable time trying to rearrange the freezers. Himself has no spatial awareness and stuffs everything in, slams the door shut and hopes for the best. Of, course, when the freezer is opened it all comes tumbling out and is distorted into all kinds of weird shapes. And he never labels anything. It's looking better now but, honestly, we have so much food. He's banned from buying anything now that might remotely need frozen at some point.

So I'm having a rare day out by myself today. Actually, any day out with or without him is rare these days. Anyway, I'm going for lunch with the lovely cousin. Better go make myself look presentable and slap on some make up.

Have a good day.

greent

ldee2111 said:

Hi turtles, 

I’ve been reading along quietly this week. 

Still eating healthily but got a bit overzealous. After listening to podcasts and audiobooks about gut health and buying a book on the subject, I now have a fridge bursting with YS fruit and veg. But I’ve gone over my food budget and I’m unsure I’ll be able to eat it all the extra food. Trying my best to use it up by adding it to my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners before they’re inedible. The bottom line is I’ve been a silly spender. 

<snipped> But that’s me spent all my personal spending money (my balance is £0) which is a bit of a problem because… 

a friend’s upcoming hen-do is going to cost far, far more than I anticipated. It’s not until April but payment will be due very soon. 

The hen-do has gone from a day out to a 2-nights away, jam-packed itinerary of activities organised by a company costing £300 each (which doesn’t include food)! I’m a bridesmaid so saying ’no thanks’ isn’t really an option. 

We can pay the company in instalments  but I’m a bit annoyed at having to pay this amount of money for a hen-do. It’s excessive in my opinion. 

Anyway I’m just moaning… and I’ll probably moan to you all about it every time I’ve to make a payment on it 😂 

Is any of the f&v suitable for freezing for future use - then you can prioritise using up the non freezer stuff (salad!) 
Tomatoes can be frozen and then eoated with other veg or around chicken or used in soup. Courgettes - chop or grate and freeze for use in soup, chilli, bolognaise etc (if grated people won't notice it in there 😃) Peppers - chop and freeze. Berries - freeze and use in overnight oats/ on porridge/ make jam or coulis. Apples - chop and freeze for apple sauce, crumbles, pies etc - if eaters then label as such and use less sugar when doing the crumble/ pie. Aubergines- slice, griddle/ grill and freeze for pasta sauce. Depends on what you have -- but so much is freezable and usable going forward - am sure we can suggest things if you get stuck

Bridesmaid or not I would be seriously complaining about that hen do - I would hope that people are looking to downgrade hen dos feomexpensive weekends to a spa day or similar, in light of the current economic climate, instead of the other way around. Honestly, I blame social media pressures on what people think they need to have to have a good wedding. 🙄 I am sure others invited will be mindful of costs - unless they haven't thought about the impact of October's energy price rise alone- let alone all the other rises... possibly selfish of the organiser/ bride.. x

ldee2111

Thanks @greent. I’ve got loads of berries and some chopped mango so I’ll freeze those! The salad leaf stuff I’ll just need to gobble up. 

I totally agree on the hen-do thing - it’s for show on social media. I tried to make a few suggestions at the start like: let’s set a budget so that there’s a better chance of those invited being able to attend… but that wasn’t acknowledged with a response 🙈 

Toni'sfriend

Idee - Salad leaves keep longer if you keep them in a tupperware dish lined with kitchen towel in the fridge. i buy them when reduced because I'm eating a lot at the moment and they last for many days that way. I agree about the hen do. You might be surprised about how many of the invitees are feeling exactly the same.

I passed the photo shop this afternoon and apparently they can take your photo and give you a code to use so that might solve me problem.

beanielou

@Idee2111. £300 for a hen!!
That's more than my social budget for a year. 
On one weekend.
That's obscene.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for finally finishing my marking (again), for dc joining me in a stroll to the PO, for sorting out some plants + their pots, for friendly cats, for having a nice chat with a neighbour who I only bump into rarely.

ldee2111

Today was a NSD although I don’t know what number. 

Thanks for the tips on storing food, turtles. I managed to eat the rest of the mixed salad by using it in a wrap for lunch, and I used the YS Bok Choi and spring onions in a Mr Oliver recipe I found online. OH and I both enjoyed it so I have a new meal to add to our list. I finished the raspberries, and the blueberries and blackberries are in the freezer. I’ll add some to my porridge tomorrow morning. 

A few items clothing I ordered arrived today. Unfortunately they don’t fit me so I’ll return them tomorrow. On the up side, money will be going back into my bank account. 

Grateful today for the sweetest strawberries, for tips and advice from turtles, and for achieving ‘inbox zero’ in my work emails!! 

grandmanerd

My whole wedding only cost £900