From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Right, further MSE(ish) stuff.

I got my maths wrong 🥹and LG now has £24 in the 'C4C' pot.  We counted it to check this morning.  I have amended my siggie total.  I can't remember if I mentioned I had banked the (full) bags of 10p's that LG and I had counted out - there was £15 in total from a 'forgotten' piggy bank that made the move with us (thank heavens).  I purposely haven't taken the money back out of my bank account, as the school trip (which the money is ring-fenced for), will have to be paid for via the school payments system, which is online, so I need to pay it from my account anyway.  

I did also ask for some more 'cash bags' from the post office (I didn't realise they supplied them too like banks/building soc's), and we have carried on snaffling pennies and tuppences when we come across them.  No full bags yet mind 😕

We did make apple crumble last night - LG helped 🥰.  We all had a portion for dessert and DH and LG polished off the very last of the MrL vanilla ice cream to accompany.  There is a small bit of crumble left over.  The crumble, chips and burgers filled the oven.  

Yesterday's washing dried quite well on the line and finished off overnight in front of the radiator on the airer.  It wasn't wet enough to use the de-humidifier on laundry setting, although obviously the de-humidifier being on would have positively influenced the drying process, but I figured it had enough to do mopping up the house!  I have set out another wash load today - DH's work clothes.  If they are out for long enough in the stiff breeze without any rain, they stand a good chance of being pretty dry before being brought back in the house.  I have tripled pegged everything tho...........

I want to check how many more bags of dried pulses I have.  I think there is 2 - a 1kg brick of black eyed peas (yum, my favourite) and a 2kg bag of chickpeas.  I seem to remember that the previous bag of chickpeas was very, very difficult to get edible...... hence why this pack is languishing at the bottom of the cupboard and has moved house with us......... 🥹

Right, I am going to explore the food cupboards and come up with a 'flavour' idea for our lunchtime soup.

Thank you all so very much for your ongoing support and suggestions.  Don't think for one minute that I don't appreciate it, because I do.  Thank You.

Greying X

kayannie

@Greying_Pilgrim.  I have only just come across your thread after seeing your post on someone else's thread. It's lovely to 'see' you again, I don't comment much, but I've missed you! I've only read your opening post so far, will catch up later. I am in a similar situation to yourself. We bought a house during lockdown, did essential work as & when we could (crossing the border between England & Wales when restrictions were lifted). There's still work to be done, I think my kitchen must have been put in 50 years ago & is very dated, but is, as you say yours is, functional!  KA

greenbee

Now your windows are almost dry, you might want to try 'double glazing' them with bubble wrap if you have any left over from moving. Ironically the windows need to be slightly damp (so something to do in the mornings maybe ) and you then press the bubble wrap gently onto the glass where it should stick. 

rtandon27

greenbee said:

Now your windows are almost dry, you might want to try 'double glazing' them with bubble wrap if you have any left over from moving. Ironically the windows need to be slightly damp (so something to do in the mornings maybe ) and you then press the bubble wrap gently onto the glass where it should stick. 

Greenbee - that is just brilliant - wish I had know that one the first winter we were in this place as our north-facing window that is in immediate (overdue) need of replacement would have benefited from this.  At the moment as it's in the 'spare' room (i.e. my office when at home)  we keep the blinds down and the thermal curtains drawn.  I've been working in the main room at the dining table this winter beside a sunny south-facing window!

Greying - Can't tell you just how pleased I am that the dehumidifier has had such a positive immediate effect!

roblou27

Hi Greying, long time no see…I have been awol! Just a tip I was given using a fan..you know the ones that are used in the summer. Any way point them at your clothes on the airer and they help dry them quite nicely…makes sense in that it is moving air the same as line drying. It doesn’t cost much to run and doesn't seem to create any condensation or too much draft…( that’s the wrong spelling but for the life of me can’t remember the correct one😅) I have a spare bedroom so I use it in there to finish off damp bits.😻🙏❤️

roblou27

Hi Greying, such bad manners I have, was so intent on remembering what I had to say that I forgot to say happy new home.🙏❤️😻

newgirly

Hi greying, I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned already the heated airer we use? It’s a big initial purchase but uses very little energy and I find makes the house way less damp (as well as heating the room a little). We are currently a family of six adults and it easily keeps top of all our washing including the trickier drying bits like jeans in the colder months, I just use it like a normal airer when it’s warmer. 

We have the l@keland three tier one, the first one lasted about ten years before it died and was on its way to the tip (via the back garden 😬) I went to l@keland to get a new one and told them my old one had sadly died, they told me to bring it in! So I rescued it from the garden and swapped it in store for a brand new one, no proof of purchase obviously 😆

 

Cheery_Daff

GREYING!!!!!!! 

I had spotted you lurking around the forums, but I hadn't realised you had a sparkly new diary! Welcome back, and happy new homes, both real and virtual!! 🥳🥳

Lovely to read your tales of your new house, and of LG growing and learning, and of your savings plans 😊😊

To jump on the dehumidifier conversation - we love ours 😊 Initially got it to help with drying plaster when the builders were here a couple of years ago, and now mostly used when there is wet washing. But ours is a damp old house with inefficient and slightly useless (at the minute anyway) central heating - I need to get it back out and move it to different parts of the house each day I think. We do have two rooms that have a bit of mould behind furniture so clearly need to get on top of this properly, so thank you for the nudge 😊

Also good to hear that you are tackling Shreiky Greying (although I imagine she isn't half as shreiky as you imagine...). I was bedevilled by age-related hormonal nonsense last year 🙄 I am usually calm and cheerful by nature (hence my username 😁) but I became anxious and fretful and snappy and felt like I was trying to think through a sea of fog. NOT what I aspired to be! In my case it was solved with HRT, and while I still have off days, that pervasive gloom and foggy confusion has lifted. Anyway, I am not remotely surprised that you have ended up like 'Exasperated Ethel' given everything you have had to deal with in the last few years, and I hope you can find peace and cheerfulness 😊

Anyway, I have subscribed and it is so lovely to read your diary again 😊😊😊

Cheery x

greenbee

@newgirly - I love my heated airer too  

beanielou

I also love my heated airer.