From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

rtandon27

Greying_Pilgrim said:

...Black Olive pizza for tea ...............sorry to mess wif yer head RT..... 😞  We also enjoyed some HG tatties...

So the question is now - what's for tea tonight? - given that the pizza & wedges were had last night!

We have all kinds of gifted courgettes lurking atm - some so large they are almost marrow - we've had Italian zucchini quiche and Chinese scallion/courgette pancakes - not sure what the next iteration will be!

Greying_Pilgrim

rtandon27 said:

So the question is now - what's for tea tonight? 

I suspect a 'picky tea'.  LG is catered for, DH is going out for a work meet-up and will be back later, and so i can either please myself or wait for him, so something along a 'buffet' vibe may be in order.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Here we are at the last day of the month.  Week 2 of the summer hols 😬  I have lost track of the grocery budget, but having just corralled a couple of receipts, I am very close, if not slightly exceeding the £300 budget for July 😞I'd love to say that I bought exotic food or masses of it, having spent £300, but no.  I just looked at a MrS receipt from yesterday, over £10 spent, all on (with the exception of the TV mag) fruit, veg and dairy - all the 'sorts' of food we're supposed to eat (in balance).  I did have to get some 'emergency' cheese from M&$ on Monday, as we were out and I wasn't able to get to a supermarket.  I can't believe how expensive that shop is.  Because I couldn't bring myself to spend £4 on a small block of cheese, I opted for the pre-sliced mild cheddar (10 slices).  Now, I am well aware that anything 'pre-prepared' attracts a premium, but as it was for DH's sandwiches, it was a compromise.  But £2.80!!  And the cheese isn't even that nice tasting 🙁 I see in MrS yesterday, their valoo range mild cheese slices were £1.39..........  I know, I know, I was paying for convenience, and it was a (very) infrequent purchase, but gosh it rankles........

LG has managed to mislay their purse.  That's £7 gone somewhere...... they had it last yesterday, so in theory it should in the house somewhere.  But I can't believe my child is so cavalier with their money 🙁

We're currently having a bit of a battle with LG expecting to be 'entertained' everyday - read "spending money to be entertained" 🙄They don't seem to understand that if we go swimming, that can only be the paid for activity that day, or if we went to the cinema that would be 'that days" paid activity - and at an average of £10/11/12, we can't really do that every single day of the hols, especially when travel costs need to be added in too.  I have this month's CHB, but whilst there are no clubs to fund for the next month, a portion needs to be held onto to fund the last of the (compulsory) uniform requirements, as general clothing purchases have eaten up most of what was in the pot.  I think we're probably just encountering the stage of life where the emphasis is shifting from being absolute providers, to giving LG free-er rein on what they spend their money on.  In time they will be in charge of their CHB, but will be expected to fund eg expensive trainers or whatever from that money.  DH is awful at budgeting and was either bought stuff when little (albeit it secondhand or recycled), or was shown how to go into debt to buy 'stuff' 🙁 once earning 🙁It'll all sort itself out - but at the mo, things are a bit fraught......

Everyone else round about seems to have 'gone away'.  LG just sees it as other kids being on permanent holiday.  Naturally having spoken to parents etc, I know that other relations are taking kids places, and there is much more behind this time away etc  We don't have the family networks that some people do, so LG doesn't get 6 weeks 'away' with family.  Never mind, it is what it is, we can't change our family make-up nor nature.  Friends always are, and have been, good to LG and have made great replacement 'Aunties' , 'Uncles' and 'Elders'.  

DH managed a bit more decorating at the weekend, which means we're closer to being a bit better 'looking' rather than having bare plaster all over the place.  But of course, prepping for painting - moving furniture and 'tat' all takes time and so only one room was finished, whereas DH had expected to complete the final 2 rooms (was never going to happen in the time available).  

Right, let the days 'entertainment' begin 🙄

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Well, the good news is that LG's purse came to light.  Funny how "I've looked everywhere, mum" seems to falter when I find it with the first cushion I move......... 🙄 

Anyway, we wandered into Greying Town to get some money out of LG's bank to pay a bill (the item was for their benefit, not ours).  They had wanted to withdraw 'extra', but I pointed out that if they take it out of their account, they would be likely to 'fritter', and then there would be nothing left for spending another day.  They didn't see my logic, but to be fair, they only requested to withdraw the amount they needed.  We walked a different way back, and popped into a de-commissioned church that had an exhibition on.  It's a nice building, is always free to enter anyway, and it was some respite from the heat.  Unfortunately there were some entirely over-zealous volunteers on duty, and as we were the only visitors at that moment, we were pounced upon 😕 They thrust a trail pamphlet in LG's hand (which I later saw had a 'suggested' donation amount emblazoned on it), and basically interrupted our looking at the very thing we'd come to see 🙄 We did do the trail, although LG always whizzes around looking for the clues, and doesn't take in the rest of the sights and sounds, but found that there was actually a missing clue, so we couldn't complete it anyway.  We were stopped half-way round by one of the volunteers trying to explain a very complex subject to LG, who hadn't requested the lecture, and it all got a bit awkward 😕Thankfully we were saved by some other visitors wandering in, and the volunteers snaked off in a pincer movement to give them the official 'spiel'.  I suspect the poor visitors were merely in search of some public conveniences......  I'm afraid I saw the opportunity and asked LG if we could please 'go now', whilst the volunteers backs were turned.  LG was holding out for the 'prize' attached to the trail -  a bookmark or something - but given we would have had to engage with the volunteers again to try to determine where the missing clue was, they could see that it was a bit of a high price to pay........  I am such a bad mother!

At least we spent no money today, and did get to see something different.  I did begin to look out at Blackberry bushes on the way back in the green spaces.  I always get caught out by how early blackberries are about - it was always September when I was a kid! 🤣 But they are still green here, with the odd one or two at the top of the bramble starting to turn the very palest violet.  So haven't missed out yet!  

DH has been paid and I've done the workings out - I will double check, but I think £350 can go to the £ for panes pot this month.  We've definitely stalled with our saving, and next month will probably see us having to meet big bills for car repairs and insurances - not unexpected, but the repairs pot wasn't quite as full as we'd have liked, due to being unable to save for so long, and then a bit of a run of repairs and replacement parts occurring already this year - y'all know how it is.  At least now we have our own home, we are in a better position, and each month gets us a little closer to an even keel, so I am thoroughly grateful for that, and don't take it for granted.  

Right, best scrape together something for lunch.  Thankfully we've finished the M&$ cheese - even LG asked, "what is this cheese mum?", so it's not just me that thinks it tastes odd.  

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Aw Greying, you sound like you need a hug, and a rest xxx It must be hard trying to entertain a little one all summer, and it sounds like LG is starting to 'compare their insides to other people's outsides' which lots of people do with social media - that's not quite the right way of putting it, but seeing that a friend or two is unavailable for a week, and another friend away the following week, and interpreting that as meaning 'everyone else is away all the time and I'm not.

Does LG keep a scrap book? Or is this something they might consider over the summer? I don't suggest it as something else to add to your list - heaven knows you don't need anything else on there! I just know that when I blog regularly, and take pictures of the nice things I've done, they cement themselves in my mind more. Otherwise I get to the end of a fortnight off work and thing 'I've done nothing' whereas with the blog I can see walks, or days in the garden, or reading a book with a cuppa, or a meal I made etc. 

Anyway, big hugs, as always xxx

EssexHebridean

There are various places that you can get photos printed for free, so some sort of project using your phone as a camera could be am idea combining with Cheery's thoughts above - and as she says, a nice reminder of nice things done, as well as taking some time to actually document the things! (But then she is a FAR better blogger than I am - I go in fits and starts at best!)

Greying_Pilgrim

Thanks for the suggestions - timing is everything. Pardon me if the thought of LG scrapbooking makes me twitch, but I have just had to wash the bathmat because there was.....glue all over it 😣😭And just to make matters worse, the washing machine doesn't like having one thing in it to wash, so has decided to play up (I recall it did this last time I put one - heavy when wet - item in it to wash), so the mat is now drip-drying on the washing line.  OK, so I would be the first to say thank heavens the weather is as it is, but....... arrrghhhhh!! 🤣

LG was tasked with getting all the glue off the washbasin, and anywhere else it had landed......... I suspect that more glue will be uncovered as time passes, despite there being protests that "there isn't anymore, mum, promise".......

This too shall pass, this too shall pass.......... 😉🤣

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

😂😂😂 Oh dear!! Perhaps a virtual scrap book putting things in a word document! 😂😂 (or a sticky tape only one...) 

Hope you don't stick to your bathroom too much 🙄😂

Greying_Pilgrim

Cheery_Daff said:

Hope you don't stick to your bathroom too much 🙄😂

🤣  Thankfully, and serendipitously, it wasn't mumma that needed to 'take a seat' first 😉so perhaps all escaping glue traces have been cleared away...... 🤣  I can't get over the timing of the incident tho 🤣  In between wrecking the house, LG has been 😇and used some cardboard out of the recycling to make summat outta nothing....... 

Anyhoo, I can't grow anymore grey hairs, as I have a head full, so time to move on.  Tomorrow is another Thursday...... 😁  Folks are facing far worse than us, we remain blessed.  

Tea was feta cheese, red pepper and black olive pasta.  It wasn't hot, but neither was it stone cold.  Just about the right temperature and lightness for the weather.  Although I would have loved some tasty tomatoes and some sliced mozarella to have made a salad - perhaps with a pesto dressing, mmmm, yum.  Can't recall, is that a Caprese salad?? Or would it need to be goats cheese to be Caprese? 🤔Anyhoo, we're fed and mini fakery magnummys were on offer for pud.  

Today I am very grateful for chums.  

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Well, so much for the lashings of rain we were supposed to have overnight.  I think we had about 15.5 raindrops and they appear to have dried up now in the early morning sun-shyne......  What's the betting that is just enough water to make the weeds go whooooosh! but not enough to lower any temperatures 🙄  Ach well, onwards and upwards.  

Shopping today.  List is made.  Quite long, and will probably be quite a price.  I need to do some batch cooking today too, as we'll need quick prep/readymade meals for the next few days.  

I enjoyed smashed avocado on toast (go me!) for breakfast.  It was the second of the avocados i had bought from HB for 99p/2.  I am guilty of probably using both of them a day or two too early - they weren't at 'optimum' ripeness, but nor were they rock hard, battered/bashed or rotting from the inside out, and given that the stone in each was quite small, there was alot of 'useable' flesh, so I was delighted with them both, and glad I took a punt.  Is it this week 2 avocados are £1.19 in MrL's PoTW?? Think I will be leaving them on the shelf for that price.   Avocados are one occasional thing that I can enjoy selfishly as DH isn't fussed with them, and LG 'no likey'.  Although given the environmental concerns around their growing, I can live without them.  

Right, can't think of anything else MSE right now, so best start shifting a tail feather.  LG has got up, ate their breakfast and has disappeared upstairs........ it's all suspiciously quiet again........

Greying X