From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

kayannie - that is a good price on the sugar, with or without discount.  Also, it stocks alot of brand lines, which are more expensive that store brands, so maybe in terms of them, it is cheaper - I couldn't tell.  I'm glad we stopped in for a look though.

We had a nice time yesterday.  We spent some time visiting, received some HG garden produce, and then went on to a historic site to eat our picnic lunch in glorious sunshine.  Tea was veggie burgers and chips and an ice-cream.

DH has left for work already. I need to pop into town to do some banking, and I'm wondering if we could pop into the museum for a looksee.  I ought to get a wash on - the weather is going to be good enough today. 

Right, best get shifting.  

Greying X

Cherryfudge

I find !celand expensive, too (Thanks @kayannie for the tip about the sugar and bakery items though - I can use those!). Our local one, however, does do some really good discounts. Perhaps that's a local thing, but I've bought gammon cheaply there, also things like corned beef slices, cheese and pastries from the discounted section. Quite often I leave empty-handed though.

GP, I hope you had a good day yesterday?

Greying_Pilgrim

Yes thank you Cherryfudge we had a lovely time, and it was lovely to sit in a garden to eat our lunch.  It is useful to know things like sugar prices in various stores, as sugar has hiked in price, hasn't it?  

We are just back in from Greying Town.  I did the banking, and was actually - get this - permitted to approach the counter 😱 The usual sentry was in position, but my request to deposit cash in my own account got us waived through, straight to the front of the queue - which was actually more about there being no queue, rather than me having leapt up the social status ladder, overnight 🤣

We popped into the museum.  I haven't been in it in it's new location/incarnation.  I enjoyed what I saw - LG had been recently with school, but we even found an area that they hadn't been into, so that was a good start to our visit.  We didn't see everything, but then that leaves something for another day.

***Saved the draft at this point as it was nearly lunchtime and DH arrived home****

I must admit, I had a bit of an epiphany/revelation whilst wandering into town.  I've had to postpone/rearrange an activity with a chum.  There is a perfectly bone-fide reason for the postponement - a reason that our chum could see/had thought of too.  It was so refreshing to have a convo with them, and say, "I don't think we should do this, at this time, because of X reason" - and they said, "I agree, I thought that could be an issue too, let's keep an eye on things and aim to do it another day". 

I hadn't realised how having a conversation about something - with someone who is on the same wavelength, and who is, (in addition to being kind and lovely) utterly pragmatic and sensible - makes life so easy. 

This chum is always up for fun and adventure, they always cultivate, never stifle, opportunity, but they want everyone to be safe, and have the best time.  Had I been dealing with some of my other aquaintances, I know that I would have been stressed about broaching the subject, as I would have been ridiculed, or made to feel that I was making a storm in a tea-cup.  I hadn't realised how much stress that was adding to life.  OK, perhaps I shouldn't care what people say, but I do find it hard to 'unhear' comments and not take them to heart.  Naturally, these acquaintances have never had so much as a chilblain from schlepping up the Matterhorn in flip-flops, so really can't see why anyone would suggest cancelling a hike in the mountains if snow was forecast..... (that's a 'made up' scenario, but you get the gist).

I hadn't seen how having to justify your answers/actions/feelings about anything and everything is just so stressful.  And yet, when it occurred to me this morning, I could see other instances of where conversations are unnecessarily stressful.  Thinking about it, I had a half-conversation yesterday with a relation that was the umpteenth one about an unresolved situation.  I now know that I need to say "That is my position on the matter, it was borne out of this, that and the other thing that occurred, please stop badgering me to change my mind.  If I change my mind, I will let you know".  I couldn't say that yesterday, as LG was stood next to us, and there is no need for them to be involved in adult discussions about silly adult events.

I need to look out my Sri Lankan runner bean curry recipe, as we have some runner beans to make the dish. I'm short of curry powder, so need to whip up a batch of that too.  

Right, a gazinty million minutes after I started typing this, I had better press 'post'.

Greying X

rtandon27

GP - as always, I love to hear your reasonings & working outs!  - Well done for another item simplified for yourself and Family Greying.

teapot2

Clear straightforward communications with no hidden or indeed overt agenda is a joy.  Sounds like you had a bit of a 'boundaries need to be put in place' revelation. x

badmemory

Did they actually allow you to pay in at the counter?  Last time I went to the bank to pay in cash I had over £1k to pay in as someone paid money they had borrowed back in cash.  The helpful person directing people in there insisted that I should use one of the machines.  Insisted as in took my arm to take me there.  So I fed all the money in & it only registered £470.  I was polite honestly.  He had to go round the back of the machine to get the rest out & then insisted on me trying again & it still didn't take it all.  Well it took it but it didn't get counted.  As I went to the counter with the rest I said it had better all be there.  It was but now I pay in at the post office & I don't even have to pay parking there.  No wonder they are closing bank branches down.

badmemory

Did they actually allow you to pay in at the counter?  Last time I went to the bank to pay in cash I had over £1k to pay in as someone paid money they had borrowed back in cash.  The helpful person directing people in there insisted that I should use one of the machines.  Insisted as in took my arm to take me there.  So I fed all the money in & it only registered £470.  I was polite honestly.  He had to go round the back of the machine to get the rest out & then insisted on me trying again & it still didn't take it all.  Well it took it but it didn't get counted.  As I went to the counter with the rest I said it had better all be there.  It was but now I pay in at the post office & I don't even have to pay parking there.  No wonder they are closing bank branches down.

Greying_Pilgrim

teapot2 said:

Clear straightforward communications with no hidden or indeed overt agenda is a joy.

Yep - totes agree teapot2 - and yet it hadn't registered as to quite the extent it was missing from my life.   And possibly for how long it has been missing.  It's been quite the revelation.  Thank you to the dear chum who is so fantastic to have convos with/plan with/just generally chitter chatter with - soooooo nice!

badmemory - I suspect the only reason why I was allowed to was because the bank was deathly quiet, and there was only one person (being served) at the counter.  The fact that of the 3 staff fussing around behind the counter, only one was actually helping customers, is neither here nor there......  Our bank does have one of those cash/cheque 'fast deposit' machines, but for long enough it consistently played up, in the manner you describe; so people wouldn't use it - and unfortunately got a bit niggly with the bank staff.  It was replaced, and the replacement did (initially) work far better, but like you, I normally do any depositing of cash via the PO.  The PO staff do count cash note deposits by hand - someone was putting £2k in twenty pound notes in, the other week - but the bank staff use those note counters, which invariably 'glitch' for them, as they do for the general public 🙄

Curry was on the plate for tea last night.  I made up a batch of curry powder, so there is enough for several more curries, plus I made a vat of lentil dhal, so there were 2 tubs of that l/o for the freezer too, which is helpful.  I'm thinking along the lines of pizza and wedges for tea tonight (at the moment).  

I've DH's work clothes in the washing machine.  Yesterday's load dried nicely on the line and has been put away.  Fingers crossed for success again today, although the weather is forecast to change tomorrow.  I will try to get a second load of clothes (mostly LG's) on just now.  

LG was a bit careless putting their breakfast bowl in the sink, and it got chipped, so that will have to go in the bin 😕 The bowls were only the W1lk1nsons basic white crockery, but it's more a case of where to get replacements, rather than any costly bone china being damaged.  

Right, can't think of owt else MSE related to natter about at the mo, so I'll push orf.  

Ta for popping in.  Appreciated, as ever.

Greying X

lucielle

Hi GP, just popping out of lurkdom. Please could you post your Sri Lanka curry recipe?
thanks 
L

Greying_Pilgrim

lucielle said:

Hi GP, just popping out of lurkdom. Please could you post your Sri Lanka curry recipe?
thanks 
L

Hey sweetie - sure no problem.  Sri Lankan Runner Bean Curry and although the recipe just says to use mild curry powder, I use R1ck Ste1n's Sri Lankan roasted/unroasted curry powder recipe which is from his........ Far Eastern Odyssey series/book? Which doesn't seem to be on the net, but THIS recipe has all the same ingredients as I use (I miss out the chillis tho).  

Hope those help.

Greying X