NST Awesome August

grandmanerd

I've been very sleepy today - woke at roughly 6.30 am, 8.30 am and 10.30 am, was aiming to get in the shower by noon but it was after 3 pm. Decided against going to another town to shop - there's a body shop branch in Wigan but the m'n's branch is in the retail  park (3 bus stops outside the town centre) and it seems to be another food outlet. The T -shirt dress I wore for the baby's baptism is blue. I asked when I bought it, if it was available in other colours but the assistant said what they had was on display. More recently I found it online and bought the bright green one. It also came in Navy blue and khaki (olive green) but they didn't have my size. About 2 weeks ago they had new stock including my size but when I returned a few days later it was on the last chance list and no online stock in my size so my only hope is to find some in store.

I really love the full length t-shirt dress. It has cap sleeves so it's great in summer (a lot more protective and covered up than a vest style), I can add a couple of toning t-shirts - long sleeved/ patterned so I'm getting 3 dresses for the price of one and I can add tunics and more layers for winter. I really like some layered look clothes from a Swedish designer but they're very expensive and I can replicate the look in my chosen colours for a lot less (long t'shirt dress, then a 'petticoat style skirt with a flounce topped by a tunic or dress -could even get more wear out of the sundress + long sleeved t then a cardigan or cotton jacket on top and a floaty or warm scarf). Middlebrook retail park (next to Bolton Wanderers stadium) is a possibility. I had to get the map up to get my bearings, knew where I was once I'd found the Vue cinema (the main reason we ever went there). I have been in the big Arseda there (why not pick up your week's shopping just before you get on the bus home) and m'n's is next to it, followed by B00ts ( I've been using the eye bath but really need the eye drops as well and ours doesn't open on Sundays or BH). Didn't feel like it today and might not feel like it tomorrow but I have the option. The bus carries on to Horwich (starting point for Rivington Pike) and there's a bus that carries on to Wigan so I can have some fresh air and countryside time or do all the shopping bits in one trip. The Middlebrook bus goes through lots of scenic places anyway so it's an option for a day out (I have lots of picnic stuff).

So didn't even go to the town centre (I found another bag with coins in this morning, mostly 10p and 20p pieces so I still have £13.72 in my budget) but stayed home and read books.

This evening they have managed to fuse the electric (we still had lights so not a power cut). I tried to tell DS3 what to do but he ignored me but Beloved got a man on the phone who led him through the stages of checking and finding whichever device had tripped the fuse. Apparently Beloved has not 1 but 2 of those tiny fridges in their room - must be for keeping a bottle of milk for tea as she recently bought a kettle and one fridge tripped the fuses. I know all this because I frequently had to go through the routine at mum's house - any tiny power cut set off the burglar alarms (once the power cut was so short that the tv turned itself back on again) and I had to climb on a stool to reach the fuse box, above the CH boiler. Anyway order was restored and I came back upstairs (the lights were on but I have no bulb in my room so depend on a standard lamp for light) to continue reading.

I did take one large bag to the bins and some decayed greenery. I also had a phone call from my brother which saved me phoning him, but he's making no sense whatsoever - I had to stop him because my brain wasn't taking in what he was saying and afterwards I noticed several inconsistencies. I need to message my niece anyway so will go through it logically with her and then we can go through things with him (both of us together so we don't get derailed by him jumping from one imagined problem to another). I told him where we were up to with grandma's house and the lodger and then he started backtracking (he's the one who wanted to sell) and further complicating the situation. Basically he doesn't want to share ownership of the house with me (too complicated), doesn't want to be a landlord (or even half a landlord) (too much paperwork), worried about dying (in which case the house ownership is even more complicated), but doesn't want us to have to evict the tenant (or even pretend to so he can get more housing points) and now he wants to be sure that the tenant really is ready to move (into a smaller flat with no stairs) or whether he actually wants to stay and of course he wants all this communicated to the tenant without him actually doing anything. I did tell him I can do basic contract law and can draw up an agreement about the house which we both sign and then give copies to all 5 of our children so everyone concerned is aware of the situation. That stopped him for at least 30 seconds.

He was also talking about money. Now the point of selling mum's bungalow (again at his insistence) was for him to have enough money to get through to retirement age because he would lose his means tested benefits. Now unless he's spent an awful lot of money buying the camper van, I can't understand why he's having problems. I know he's ill but he made my head spin and I'm just trying to get things straight in my head (sorry for waffling).

Grateful for the electricity working again, DS3 following instructions even if they weren't mine, my bed (might just spend tomorrow in here trying to get things in some sort of order). Anyway tomorrow is another day and I think I'll  just go with the flow as it worked splendidly yesterday. Oh, very important news - I saw a chair based exercise which is a substitute for 'crunches' and I can do it, sitting on the toilet and I don't get dizzy, so possibly difficulty getting up is because the couch is too low and too far back (DS3 rearranges the cushions to accommodate his long legs).

grandmanerd

Think it's going to be another lazy day - adventuring can wait. I am writing shopping lists of things I need to get - as well as the eye drops I need another tube of the cream for round my eyes - it's only tiny but you only use a tiny amount so it lasts for ages. I'm not a fan of 'special' creams but these really help (dry skin and the delicate area around my eyes suffers with the hay fever and the weight of my glasses (one of the costs of my new glasses is having the lenses milled thinner so they weigh less).

I want to draw up a list of products I may need from Will Co - lip gloss is very low so need to compare with what is available in the £ emporium. They have some lovely black resin hares (stargazing) but that's a want rather than a need but may ask the offspring to purchase them and put them away to be gifted to me later. The large planters I've used since the start of the pandemic are on sale, along with the wider 'window box' style ones - they'd be very good for 'layering' one row on the floor and another on low wall or along the row of ancient garden chairs (left behind by the previous owners when I temporarily moved from here 16 years ago, now all seat less and back less but good sturdy metal frames to support planks and lengths of decking). I'm reluctant to bring in more things to plant in before I get the current lot sorted but don't want to regret that later. May leave them and if they're still there when I decide then it was meant to be (and if they're gone that was also meant to be). I'll leave the seeds for other people unless I find something I want to experiment with.

I may have a little potter round town later, any crowds will be on the retail parks. Not many shops open in the town centre and lots of empty benches so could be quite pleasant. Riding around on a bus feels like fun but could be done any day as long as I avoid commuting times.

Grateful for my bed and my CPAP machine (not a very restful night as my brother's illogicalities were pinballing around my head but the bed and machine helped), good books (2 finished yesterday), lots of healthy food in the fridge (I'll still be able to find something less healthy).

f0xh0les

Bank Holiday Monday Issue

Morning lovelies!

Today I am taking DS3 and 4 to the optician for their eye tests (fun!), and as I  will have managed to drag them out of their caves, will make them choose a new water bottle (oooh!), pens and pencils and rubbers and rulers for school (aaahh!) because  school starts back Wednesday (boo!), they will get to see their little friends again (yay!)

Will also buy another 4 pillows for 'the visitors' to use on the sofa beds.  The living room is all tidy in readiness to be turned into a bedroom, the back room is much tidier and has room for the surplus armchairs to go in there -  instead of DH having turned the whole thing into his study/hoarding hole.  

Everyone will have their own space and place to retreat to (except me, I still have to share). I need to move one bicycle into the shed.  20 second job, 200 hours of putting it off #

Grabbed DS4 last night after supper, tied him to a kitchen chair and shaved the back and sides of his head while he complained bitterly for the whole sub-5 minutes it took - saved me £15  He now looks vaguely presentable and not like the 5' tall mini-man from the woods - he only has 5 inches to grow until I will be the shortest (just don't call me fun-sized!) member of the household.  Grrr. DS3 does not trust me, so is booked into the gentlemen's stylist tomorrow morning - a £15 loss.

So today and tomorrow will be planned spends.  Roll on payday, I think I am going to have to borrow £200 from savings  on Thursday just to make sure nothing bounces with the dd's and bills going out on Friday - an hour before the bank processes the incoming funds - banking really is a racket. On the plus side, I will be able to put it back on Friday.  DH is only having 25% of his pay deducted this month, so I should at least get a decent amount for housekeeping -I will not be in this position next month. I will be more organised about the last week of the month, not squeaking through on pennies.

thriftylass

f0xh0les said:

Grabbed DS4 last night after supper, tied him to a kitchen chair and shaved the back and sides of his head while he complained bitterly for the whole sub-5 minutes it took - saved me £15  He now looks vaguely presentable and not like the 5' tall mini-man from the woods - he only has 5 inches to grow until I will be the shortest (just don't call me fun-sized!) member of the household.  Grrr. DS3 does not trust me, so is booked into the gentlemen's stylist tomorrow morning - a £15 loss.

DS let his hair grow and looked a bit like Pumuckl  for a while. He let it grow for a year last year and then got lice in the summer. So we had to shave it off as they wouldn't budge from his thick dense mop of hair and he nearly cried.He wanted to grow it again before going to secondary this year, last hair cut was last October (although I tidied up the split ends) and I don't mind. It started to look half decent now it's past the awkward stage actually. Although he gets mistaken for a girl occasionally, I'm sure he can't wait for the male hormones to kick in and change that, lol.

Not much to report, NSD today, did a shop yesterday and bought a new rug for the living room as the pold one is now in the conservatory making the living room cold and echo-ey. DH is off today and hopefully busy preparing wild boar stew for dinner

f0xh0les

That's my boy! When you can shave the sides and have the top in a ponytail then the hard work is over, and you can do it with the trimmer,  it is the too long to gel, but too short to tie, period that is the messiest.

apple_muncher

September is live: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6469364/nst-september-2023-turtle-tightwaddery-with-a-sprinkle-of-alchemy/p1?new=1

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for dh coming home a day early, for dc accompanying me to the gym, for knitting + watching Barnw00d builders, for simple food, for rasps.

grandmanerd

I called on mum's  cousin and  spent all afternoon catching up with her (until gone 7 pm)
Grateful for family, good books, soft clothes.

lcc86

Spend day today but planned spends. Went out for a friend's birthday, she planned a kayaking trip on the Thames. Unfortunately my back condition absolutely hated every second and flared up about 10 minutes in, not to mention the fact that I was also terrible at it! I had to bail just over halfway, my back has been hurting ever since, so frustrating but it is what it is now, at least I tried. We went for lunch afterwards and spent a couple of hours chilling. Went to OH's parents' as it was his mum's birthday so spent an hour or so there as well. Today is likely to be my final check in of the month as we're away at OH's sister's wedding for the next few days, so I'll see you all in September 

Thrifty_Taylor

No bank holiday north of the border 😓 so work as usual.
Did yoga before breakfast. Woke DS1 for work & 3 for school, reminded DH that he had to catch the bus for his hospital appointment (not be taken by me), so he left big long after. Read my book whilst eating my breakfast.
Busy day at work, think most of the children had the Monday blues! Was glad when it was hometime.
Had a nap fir half an hour, as kept waking in the night.
After tea, I hand sewed the sofa cushion closed & watched 2 episodes of a programme.

Grateful for the bell at 3.30, a nap, the sun n coming out midday