NST OCTOBER 2022: Autumn Leaves and Sloe Berries

Dfw38

I include household items with the cost of food items. Certainly bumps the bill up unfortunately 😕 

Toni'sfriend

Don't know about anyone else, Esmaralda, but I include all those sort of things. I kind of think of it as household items rather than food.

Thanks for the suggestion. Weenancy. I was wondering as well about hospital radio or our local charitable radio station. It covers the immediate area and is run by volunteers. I think I know a lady who is involved with it from when I was much younger so I 'll try and contact her. Think the lovely cousin knows how to. Firstly I have to see what's there. I know some of it is very specialised and I think may be worth quite a lot of money. If that is the case I would rather sell it and give the money to a charity.

Been busy today. The Boy's washing all done. The weather forecast was awful so I hung it all up inside. Guess what? The weather forecast was totally wrong. Oh well, never mind. It's all done.

Made some carrot and butter bean soup to use up carrots and celery and sweet and sour chicken for dinner with what we had in. Plus there is frozen rice to use up. Quite pleased at how we're managing to use what we have before buying any more. Got Himself's jar collection in some sort of order as well.
He's under very strict instructions to use up what is opened before he opens anything else.

So, I'm feeling a little stressed. We have hotels booked in Amsterdam and Berlin in January. No flights or trains yet. I don't know what the situation is there re Covid, power cuts, etc but I'm going to have to make a decision soon. Also Himself's health hasn't been great. The money is all there to pay for it but it is a bit of a worry. The Boy calls me Stressball because I worry if I have nothing to worry about.  Think I should just go for it. Hotels can be cancelled till the day before and I can't book trains until beginning of December.

Someone called at the door the yesterday telling us we had to change to a smart meter. I wasn't there at the time so Himself (who knows nothing about these things) agreed to an appointment to have it done. Is it worth having it done? I submit readings every month and we are never in arrears (in fact the electric which is the one that is being replaced is in quite a lot of credit). It's probably OK but I just feel I'm being pressured, Advice would be appreciated. Stressball worrying again when she probably doesn't need to!

I don't know if I said that we were in Iceland (the shop) on Tuesday buying some pizza for the freezer (one we like which was on special offer). I didn't realise that if you are over 60 you get a 10% discount on your shopping on Tuesdays. All I had to do was show my bus pass.  I don't shop there a lot but it's certainly worth knowing as I was intending to buy sweets for Christmas.

So, off to make my list of things to do tomorrow.

grandmanerd

Toni'sfriend  I found having the smart meter very helpful. I had to sit on a stool and lean forward to be able to read our meters, here and at the other house the gas meter was on the other side of the toilet in the hall way -  only visible if you got down to floor level and peered across the outlet pipework. The problem has been that when you change suppliers, the meter stops working (don't know if that applies to the newer ones but the same thing has happened to mum's - think her supplier went bust and someone else had taken over). I've just applied to have new ones as I'm happy with my supplier and hate being reliant on DS3 doing arcane things with his phone and a mirror on a stick. If I try to get down far enough to read the meters, my glasses slip down and everything's out of focus. You can still take your own readings to make sure the energy suppliers are using the correct readings.

greent

Tonis friend - DH was set against a smart meter (he used to work for one of the big energy suppliers) but we've had ours a while now and never having to submit readings makes life easier:)

The 1st generation didn't transfer between suppliers. 2nd generation  (which have now been around for a while) do - so you wouldn't have the issue that grandmanerd refers to  x

lcc86

@Esmeralda2662 now that's some impressive prepping hehe.

@Toni'sfriend I like mine for the same reasons as @grandmanerd, but my provider doesn't accept it so I still have to submit the readings manually.

Slept really badly last night, was surprised given how tired I was. Have been knackered all day. Managed a 20 minute walk at lunchtime and after work.

Nothing financial to report today, budgets set for November and should have a few £'s left.

BadBookkeeper

Evening turtles, thank goodness it’s Friday! 

Outside - Usual walk to work but went the long way around as the park/field looked a bit soggy! 

Inside - Gave in & picked up after everyone!  House feels better and ready for the house clean tomorrow. 

Fun - My friend is calling around for a catch up later. 

Food / alcohol - Terrible again with snacking so had toast for tea!  No alcohol today. 

Read- No

Plan for December - DS had to design a coat of arms for school project and I loved it so much I took a photo and had it made into a bauble!  It will go in ds Christmas Eve box as the new decoration item. 

NSD - 13/15 not one today due to above bauble. 

MSE - Yougov survey completed and used code & tcb for bauble. 

Gratitude - Reviewing my attitude to things.  Found out a few of my friends are going out tomorrow and I wasn’t invited.  It may be at the stage where they’re just sick of asking as I never can afford it and if I’m very honest I don’t think I’d like where they’re going so would have said no BUT it still stings a bit.  I’ve not really been a great friend this year when I think about it so will make more of an effort now.  Bit of a wake up call as I think a lot of my relationships need a bit of nurturing.  Lots to think about! 

apple_muncher

I also keep household costs in with groceries. But I think I like to keep a separate note of how much we spent on them, as it varies hugely from month to month.

Today I am grateful for an early morning session at the gym, for making delicious stewed fruit (a bit of DC's smoothie, apples, pears, plums, and dried figs that were mouldering away in the cupboard), for getting refunds on a couple of items, for dc going out and about on the buses to meet a friend, for my snowmen getting scarves and noses.

Thrifty_Taylor

@Esmeralda2662 I include mine in with groceries too.

Did yoga first thing. Dr phoned & he's signed me off initially for 2 weeks. A bit of a relief, but not sure what planet he's on! He asked if I still worked in a cafe, I told him no, I now work full time in a school, to which he replied "that must be quite lucrative then!" I said it wasn't, that's why I have to sew at night to make up the money!! Space cadet

Took DH for blood tests, after putting dough on for calzones, we walked to the village & back in the rain. I chopped wood & got coal in but we never got round to lighting the fire. Sewed buttons on the headbands I've knitted, did a hand sewing job, then looked out wool to start knitting my jumper. DS3 offered to wash the dishes, so me DH started watching a series we've got 4 lots on dvd, then 2 more series recorded on the Freeview box, & I started my knitting. Very tired, but don't feel as low as I did at the start of the day.

Grateful that Dr signed me off, finally starting my knitting, DH giving me a small bag of Maltesers

Esmeralda2662

Thanks for all your replies about how you account for food and household items. Think i may combine them together for ease.

@BadBookKeeper - the coat of arms bauble sounds a really lovely idea and what a fantastic way to celebrate your DS's artwork! My tree sounds like yours - special decorations made or collected that mean something. I hope he's thrilled!

@Thrifty_Taylor - I hope you feel a bit brighter over the weekend. You've had a lot happen so suddenly that it's bound to affect you. A doctor off Planet Bong obviously doesn't help. 

Ordered and received a heated lap pad today and it feels so nice and warm. Not much bigger than a water bottle but thought it might be more practical than a full sized heated throw (and hopefully the wires will be stronger).

Bought 8 UHT lactofree milks to put away as I run out and they are very dear in the village. Thought they might be more practical with longer best before dates.

OH cooked sausage casserole for dinner and it was delicious.

Just found that some of my washing hasn't dried quick enough and smells stale so will put it back through with the next lot. Can't stand that pond life smell!

Gratitudes: new electric heat pad for watching tv when it's cold, a nice dinner, getting a form about from the clinic for my bad hand and my son managing to get the porch lamp apart and fitting a new bulb.

hazeldreams

@BadBookkeeper, sending hugs, I've been there with my friends too. It's hard not being 'normal' and having big goals. Sometimes others just don't understand.
@Thrifty_Taylor, I echo what @Esmeralda2662 says. The stress of the last few weeks for you was bound to hit you at some point. Also sending hugs x

Outside 50 min walk with pooch. Manage to avoid the rain, bonus! 

Inside Dried loads of washing on the line while the sun was shining. Tried to get portable gas heater to work to finish off the rest, to discover its not working! Grr! Have 4 bottles of gas I've been stashing too!! So much for well laid plans etc!!

Fun Chatting with mum and DD2 when we went out for coffee

Food/Drink AF 16/31. Managed 11 fruit/veg yesterday thanks to the  breakfast smoothie, broccoli and stilton soup, and mushroom pasta we had for tea. Did eat some chocolate, but overall its by far the healthiest day I've had in months! Today, I've got breakfast smoothie again, leftover mushroom pasta for lunch. I'll probably have the batch cooked veg stew (from Jamie Olivers one pot show) that OH made on Thursday. OH and DD2 are planning on going out for a curry together.

Read Listened to Dave Ramsey podcast. The debt free screams are so motivating.

Plan 4 Dec Nothing.

Gratitudes Grateful for all the fruit and veg consumed yesterday, spending quality time with mum and DD2, space away from work to prep and bed down for the winter.

Yoga/Meditation Couldn't get up this morning. I'm up at 5.30am most days but today it was 7am before I dragged myself out of bed! Haven't done yoga or meditation yet. I cherish my mornings to journal and catch up on the MSE forum and we only have one laptop in the house (it's my DD2's) and if I sleep in, I have to put the journalling, MSE forum first otherwise, the hustle and bustle of the day and everyone being up, prevents me from doing it. I will try and do it later today but I am notoriously poor at getting it done later in the day!

Spending 7/10 NSDs still as out for coffee yesterday. Was hoping for an NSD today but I think I'll take my sister out for coffee. She's having a really tough time. Curry didn't happen last night so OH and DD2 out for one tonight instead. I'm not going to keep cost down but mainly because I just want to flood my body with healthy stuff! No reason why Sunday and Monday can't be NSDs, so hoping to close the month on 9/10.

Hazel x