From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

beanielou

Tomorrow is not promised though. 🤗

Greying_Pilgrim

Too true beanielou!

Well, tea was OK.  I made it a bit too thin (too much stock), and so it was a little difficult to eat - even for those of us with all of us teef.......  But LG liked the taste (they have had it before).  I made it in the PC to try to claw back energy costs from having the dehu on all afternoon **winces**.

I must admit, despite the dehu clearly removing water, the clothes are seeming to take an age to dry 🙁  Usual culprits tho - elasticated cuffs and waistbands 🙁  I think everything will be OK eventually, but it's not how I would have liked to have ended the day - I really hope i haven't brought in too much excess water into the house.  

I'm grateful for the dehu today - and for being able to whang something across to the eleccy bill.  In the grand scheme of things, these are but minor niggles.  

Ta for popping by.  Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Dreich day with us 🙁  So dark because of the rain clouds.

Anyhoo, small deposited at school and I didn't get too wet 😊 

I need to get up to date with using my pulses.  I forget to soak things overnight.  I realise that having the PC does help things, and it isn't necessary to soak, but I just find I get a nicer cooked bean/pea if I do soak.  So I must get better organised.  I have no black eye beans left - I haven't noticed them on offer anywhere and have resorted to buying tinned (FF is usually about the cheapest), but would love to drop on some dried, as we really like them, and they are useful in a range of dishes.  I think I got the last lot as.... 1kg (?) bricks in MrM, I'm going to say for around the £2.25 mark......

I have contacted another plumber - they are very local - but I have no way of telling if they do gas work, as they don't seem to advertise, but I can't find anything other than a phone number for them.  They do come recommended by the local 'stickler', so we'll see if they get back to me.  I suppose if trades can get sufficient work to bobble along, they may feel no need to advertise.  

I want to get ahead with some cooking today, as I won't be doing any washing, and to be honest, if I don't have to go out in the car, then I think I won't.  At least it should be a nsd!

There wasn't condensation on the windows this morning - and whilst i like to think that is because the dehu got the clothes 'dry enough' it probably has far more to do with overnight temperatures, which were in double figures.  I may pop the dehu on 'economy' for a while this morning, just to mop up any residual moisture.  

Right, I need to seek out a coffee, and maybe a bit of toast.  Seem to have the munchies this morning.  It's probably just the weather.

Ta for popping by.  Appreciated.

Greying X

debtfreewannabe321

I need to remember to soak my lentils for longer too, I usually forget as well and end up putting them into soak 20 minutes before cooking. Same for the rice...! The amount of dirty water that comes out of the lentils makes me want to soak them alone...

I have a TD now after years of dehumidifier and heated airer and small kids. I am grateful every time I use it (and I paid extra to make sure it was the most economical one to use when I bought it). Clothes washing and drying is such a pain in this weather. 

Hope the plumber gets back to you.

rtandon27

I'm joining you for a laundry free day as for the first time in days I am not putting on a load!  Everything is dry and put away so I'm going to enjoy it.  I do however have four loads left to do this week.  Bedding has been changed over so the warm weather duvet set needs to be laundered and put away tomorrow, a small load of assorted 'house' cloths can be done on Friday and a load of smalls each which can wait until the weekend.  I will then be caught up for the first time in months - I know how to spend my vaccy days eh?

Today I've got a pot of stock on, so our dehumidifier may have to be used at some point, but atm I have a door and window open as it's almost 20 degrees outside!

GP - if you have no joy with your local trades, please do think about giving BGas a go, our elderly neighbor recommended them for all things plumbing related and I have found them to be professional and reliable!  They can be booked online via their website and though I now have a monthly plan with them, I found the one of cost to be just as affordable as the monthly plan!

Greying_Pilgrim

I've learnt never to say 'never' RT, but BG wouldn't be be my preferred route.  But even I concede trying to get a certified, experienced independent gas plumber in is proving difficult!  But as energy suppliers, BG very nearly broke me at an extremely stressful time in my life, so I'm not rushing to have anything to do with them, if I don't have to.  However, never say never.......

I'm finding today very difficult.  It's entirely the weather.  It's been so dark all day.  There were cable guys working on a property nearby.  They must have been soaked to the skin from the moment they got out the van - so I should count my blessings really.  I was slightly surprised the school run didn't co-incide with a monsoon....... it did last week 🙄

Oh, I did pop the dehu on for 1hr this morning on the 'lowest' possible setting and it did collect some water and I must admit, when I came to fold the washing (it had been on the airer overnight), it did feel dry, and not cold (you know how sometimes stuff still feels wet, but it's in fact cold/air damp), so it was well worth the 8 or 10p it must have cost to run it for an hour.  I felt much happier putting it all away in the drawer.  

The brief respite from the rain meant all the little garden birds took the opportunity to forage for insects - a little wren came and bounced about just by the patio door.  It was so refreshing to see.  Although I think a turf war has broken out locally between a fiesty robin and a gaggle of house sparrows.  They are not getting along at all.  The hedge is actually big enough for them all....... and they ought to be looking out for the local sparrowhawk pair instead of arguing over prime real-estate.

Greying X

BookWorm

Greying...re finding a tradesman. Have you already considered a find a trader type site? There are various ones you could try. You can read reviews and also look at their own sites if they have them listed. Plus they also list the gas safe reg details so can cross check that too. I found my current plumber from one of them a number of years ago and he's been great.

In fact I've also recently found a decorator via the same route.

Greying_Pilgrim

Hey Bookworm - thanks for popping in.  I have looked at those sites to check trades 😉  Either I am not doing it right, or they include people who say that they are "willing" to travel, as the 15 or so listed were from 'quite far away'.  There didn't seem to be that many that were actually listed as "from Greying Town, will work in Greying Town and have reviews from Greying Town customers".  But thank you for the suggestion - I am sure I am going to be revisiting those type of sites, as I think there is a possibility that my most recent contact plumber is not a gas engineer, and perhaps does other type of plumbing work.

I realise it's a busy time of year, and it's a shame that we kinda were forced into changing heating systems now, (but it is what it is) however, I can't get over the lack of "sorry too busy to answer your enquiry/do your job/to speak with you" responses.  Radio silence does no one any good.  I don't get my boiler service, and the trades are making themselves look bad.  But I suppose if they get work regardless, it doesn't matter.  And yes, I'll be the first to say that not all customers are angelic, so I realise that it's a two-way street. 

Tea was lentil bolognese and pasta.  Yoghurt and tinned fruit for dessert.

I might attempt to go shopping tomorrow, but I have been looking at flooded roads round and about - on "unlikely" roads that perhaps haven't flooded before - so I think I will have to be prepared to stay at home if it's too bad overnight.  We certainly won't starve if I can't go.  

Today I'm grateful that grumps lifted.  definitely weather related.  It was nice to see the little birds flitting about.  It was as if they knew they only had a short window of opportunity to forage before the rain came again.  

Greying X

badmemory

I would ask the plumber you have had for a recommendation if he doesn't do what you need.  He is unlikely to recommend a bad one as then he won't get any more of your business.

BookWorm

That's a good idea from Badmemory...trades often know of others

Another thought is to check the boiler manufacturers website as they often have pages or links for local installers

ETA sorry if you have already done that too!

I'm going away now.....