From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

rtandon27

GP - would LG be amenable to a hot pasta dish in a flask for lunch?  - across the pond, we didn't have packed lunches but did have some very cold winter days & spag bol or spag with balls or mac & cheese were firm favorites for littlies as there were very little chance of accidents as there was with a flask of soup!

Greying_Pilgrim

Hey RT - it's certainly something that LG and I discussed yesterday.  I must find out what the school's policy is on flasks.  I agree about the potential for accidents with liquid soup, but don't know about more.....'solid' hot foodstuffs.  LG has certainly taken cooked pasta/lentil bolognese that sort of thing to school before now, but obviously it is cold.  Worth investigating, as I would prefer that LG sticks with pack-up lunches for the most part.  I'm afraid I find school dinner menus more 'miss than hit', and there has always been the issue of the kitchen running out of food before the dinner line is exhausted, so I'm not that keen to support them - despite being very sure that the school meals system (with all its flaws) SHOULD be robust and able to provide food for all children who need it, and there are alot of kids who actually are in want of a good meal, for a wide variety of reasons, which I know we're not to discuss here.

Moving sideways to food bank donations....

I have been and gone and done the shopping for the bits we needed (more milk 🙄) and the contributions to the school harvest festival/foodbank donation.  I am quite proud of myself, as I only went 22p over my £5 budget, and of that 22p, 15p was for the carrier bag to donate the goods.  And the 7p was as a result of having to choose a different pack of biscuits, as I noticed that the date on the one pack of biscuits I had picked up was quite short (just into January next year), and yes, I know - folk in the know - will say "Greying, goods in foodbanks don't stay in store and they're in folks bellies within a couple of days of being distributed.."  Of course, I agree, but for spending 10p extra, I "bought" an extra 3 months of shelf life - so I reckoned it was worth it - at least the FB has a bit of leeway as to when the goods are distributed.  I managed to get one of everything on LG's priority list.  'cup a soups' were the 'reserve' item.  Naturally, 'biscuitgate' happened in hB (I'd done MrAl & MrL), and when I thought, "mmm perhaps I'll get cup soups instead of another pack of biscuits", I was horrified to see how much branded mug soups are now 😱they are at least double from what I last paid for a box from hB.  I could have afforded a box of soups from MrAl/MrL, but wasn't prepared to trek back for one thing, so spent 10p extra on the biscuits instead.

I bumped into someone who I know on the way out of hB (I went to school with her daughter).  She is proudly an octogenarian - and I'm sure she must be knocking on door of nonagenarianism too...... It was just so great to see her.  She was always very kind to my late mother, and is just such a nice person.  We had a conversation that included tattoos...... 🤣  We both decided that whilst our respective siblings/children had gone the whole hog and used tattoos as 'clothing' which wasn't quite our collective cups of tea, we may well get a little something dotted somewhere before we popped our clogs........🤣  Gee, some people are just such a tonic, aren't they?

There were some £1.50 boxes in MrL this morning.  However, they were full of 'multiples' of the same things, and I don't know why staff thought it appropriate to box up heads of broccoli that were already yellow........  I wasn't the only customer to look, but not buy and I don't think anyone bought a box the entire time I was on site.  It was quite busy - although that was deceptive, as it was clearly break time and students from the nearby tertiary provision had flooded into the store.  Teenagers take up so.much.space! 🤣  Oh, and note to self, don't go to MrAl on a Monday morning - it was heaving!

We've lovely sunshine now, so I'll just pop out the couple of things that weren't 'bone dry' after yesterday's wash.  With sunlight and a bit of breeze, it should finish them off nicely.  I must also amend my grocery siggie - I will count the £5.22 as grocery expenses, although I suppose it is a charitable donation.  

Greying X

beanielou

If everyone gave one or two things to the harvest festival that’s more than enough. 

Greying_Pilgrim

beanie, love - you know I heartily agree with you, but that (in reality) doesn't happen.  I'm sure in your neck of the t'woods it's the 'have nae's' who are proportionately more generous that the 'haves'.......  It's no different with us 😞 I think  Family Greying have 7 items to bag up, and it's what i would feel happy donating, so hopefully the school 'raises a bundle' for our local FB.  I was proud of LG for their thinking process.  They have (unwittingly or otherwise), managed to include 3 tins comprising; a 'light lunch', a vegetable and a fruit.  They have included a preserve (jam) and biscuits - either for a family, a couple or someone on their own.  Reasonably 'balanced' - as much as emergency food parcels can be, I guess.  

Tea was veggie plant balls, tommie sauce and pasta.  There was enough for 3 meals and excess pasta and sauce to squirrel in the freezer for another time.  

Afterschool activity went well and even though its been weeks, everyone tried their best, and it felt good to be there and 'doing', so big thumbs up 👍

DH picked up the (formerly out of stock) coat rack this arvo on the way home from work, and has affixed it (with LG's supervision 🙄), so that is another good development in 'organisation of the homestead 101'.  

I hope the sunset with you tonight is as blessed marvellous as it is with us - such colours!

Today I am grateful for;

an angry kid being moved away from LG 's table before they can inflict any more bruising......

a classmate waiting so they could walk home with LG...... (that brings a lump to my throat for reasons too numerous to mention....)

LG's soul - good, deep, old, loving, wise, worldly, nobbly and flawed.......... 😉

Greying X

beanielou

A good day on many levels for lg. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Activity wear washed and pegged out.  I'm hopeful that the sunshine will dry the lightweight clothing in the absence of any significant breeze.

School are being utterly rubbish in communicating - taking up from where they left off last year 🙄 I'm not going to say anymore, but......aaarrrghhhhhhhh!

At least our donation to the Harvest Festival got taken in today, so that's 3 square inches of space freed up..... 🤣

I have gained LG's 'back to school' cold 🙄 my throat is prickly and scratchy 🙄 I wonder if i can shake it off.  LG has moved onto the cough-cough-coughing stage, at night 🙄 Although to be fair, there was only one episode last night, so fingers crossed we're just going through the motions.......

Can't think of anything else MSE related to add, so will push orf.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning lovely MFW'rs

Ugh.  Head colds.  At least I've moved past the sore-throat stage, so that's definitely already one 'gratitude' for the day.  

Mashed taters, omlette and baked beans for tea last night.  I hadn't the brain space for much else, although that combination would have been on the agenda for sometime in the week, so it was just moved to last night.  I'm going to try to be more on the ball tonight and 'make something'.  Although I am glad I sorted out the freezer, I don't want to just use up the HM 'ready' meals, or the convenience bits - just because I'm feeling slightly below par, as I still need to keep my options open at the mo for 'meals in a hurry'.  

LG enjoyed their trip out with school yesterday.  It was a bit of a puff piece public relations exercise, but 'life/experience' educational too.  

I've optimistically put a towels wash on as it's supposed to be pavement-splitting sunshiney today..........  currently the sky is the colour of a tissue that you've wiped a grubby child with........ 🙄

The tawny owls were hooting last night.  I still wonder if it is a 'young un' as it sounds terribly wheezy and a little hesitant.  

Right, I can't conjour up anything more MSE to say at the minute, so I'll shuffle orf.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Well shopping done.  It takes sooooo long.  I went to 3 shops today 🙄  I mean, for sure I'm grateful I have the transport and the range of shops nearby, but.....

Anyhoo, today's highlights were being 'tolerant' in MrS when the customer in front of me started picking up my shopping to see what I was buying 🙄  I asked them if I had put it on the belt the wrong way round?  and they just admitted they were being nosy......  It gave the cashier a larf anyway - and we both agreed that in c'vid times you would have left your shopping in the shop rather than have anyone maul all over it........ It is actually the second time that has happened to me in MrS - note to self - "stop buying interesting ingredients"........ 🤣

I ended up spending more in MrS than I intended, but in the end, I decided not to spent the amount to get 5x n*ctar points.  But I saw that they had c0rnett0s on offer - 6 for £2 (N*ctar price), and as they were the same flavour as the generic ones LG had originally picked in MrL last week, and which led to all the disappointment, I decided to buy a box, and we'll have celebration v1.1 this week, instead......  Thanks to the nod from redo about c0rnettos often being on offer  in MrS - I just happened to spot them as I walked past the relevant freezer.  I did buy quite a few storecupboard 'ingredient' type bits from MrS too, as I've been researching crockpot recipes as we go into autumn.

There were no green boxes in MrL.  The store was very quiet.  Thankfully the cashier was nice and cheerful - both to me and the lady who followed me.  There seems to have been a bit of a change of personnel at that store and it's starting to be not a particularly nice place to shop, so at least going through the tills is still a nice experience.  I did spot that they have brought back (they've had them before, despite the 'new' moniker), the 1.5kg bags of carrots for 79p (10p dearer than their conventional 1kg packs).  I would have bought them, but I think they are taking the mick with this product - I mean, for sure, they're 'horse' carrots - you expect that for class II produce, but a self-respecting shire-horse would baulk at trying to chomp through these 'carrots'.  So I'm afraid I left them where they were, and selected a bag of very nice carrots in the 69p/kg line.

I managed to spend an eye-watering £65.05 on food shopping, although there is plenty that has gone into the storecupboard and freezer for that amount.  I spent £8.77 on non-food items, which included an extremely vexing amount of £4.19 on shoe laces for LG.  They need a specific size/type for their school shoes and they aren't routinely stocked in the discounters, so I picked some up from T1mpsons.  I didn't realise until I walked away that there are 2 sets in the packet - I'm not sure the shoes will outlast 2 sets of replacement laces.........🙄

Ho bl00dy hum.

🤣🤣🤣

At least the sun is shining now.  I haven't stuck a wash on.  At least all the towels I washed yesterday dried and aired well, so I am please about that.  

Even LG said it felt Friday-ish today - and I have to say I agree.  Activity tonight, so need to make tea in 2 shifts.

Other than that, can't think of anything spiffily MSE..... spending £65 on food ain't exactly in the spirit of things, is it? 🤔

TTFN, Greying X

beanielou

A young man touched & smelt my car earlier in the carpark! 

Greying_Pilgrim

beanielou said:

A young man touched & smelt my car earlier in the carpark! 

WOT!!!!!!!! that's outrageous!  Since when have 'scratch and sniff' cars been a thing???  Why did no one tell me??? 🤣🤣🤣

In other, slightly more pedestrian news, I have shifted my bum and booked a room at Sir Lenny's gaff for a day out in a couple of weeks.  LG has a PD day, and DH has the day off, so, as we didn't do mucho, mucho super exciting in the school hols, I came up with an idea to do a visit, using our EH membership, and which should also chime in with something LG is studying in the curriculum at school (polishes halo for mum'othemonth award.... 😇.....🤣).  It is somewhere that I've always wanted to visit, so it will make good use of our membership.   I know I am super bad at organising booking, and then I complain like mad when the room price goes up - so I got on with it!  It's "relatively" inexpensive for a Friday night, and given the location - which surely has mucho passing trade from industry and the armed forces - I think we've got ourselves a good deal.  On-site parking is included in the price, and the hotel is one of their newer ones (I think), so has good write up for the general state of rooms etc.  I did think about applying for one of the NT family passes too, as there is a significant NT attraction in the area, but it's partially closed for renovation, and although there are still things to see, the parking is chargeable there (the free passes don't include it), and it probably wouldn't be as good as the EH place we're planning on seeing, so we'll not factor that into the itinerary.  I went for the cancellable up until 1pm on the day booking, as whilst I know that has added.....  £15 (? I think) to the price, the area has been prone to severe flooding in recent times, and as autumn weather is unpredictable, I would prefer to have the option to cancel and lose nothing rather than lose the equivalent of a week's grocery money.  

I must remember to pack all our intended food this time tho!  (forgot last time and had to have a carpet picnic from the MrAl that was near the hotel).  

Today has been very spendy 😳 I'm away to sit on my hands.

Greying X