From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

rtandon27

@Greying_Pilgrim - you are a brave soul to go shopping on the Friday before Christmas!  - We went to pick up some supplements from B00ts which is located in a covered mall, and were blown away by the unusual amounts of people milling about!
We then attempted to go to MrS as I have coupons to use and points to spend - it was a nightmare, we could not find parking so drove back home!  We will go back later as it is less than a 5 minute drive away & I do have a list of necessities that need to be purchased.  OH also has a desire to purchase some wine, but he has his own fund for that & I'm just happy to collect the points on it!

Greying_Pilgrim

RT - I did wonder if I was doing the right thing.  For sure I think I would have been going round the roundabout twice had I ventured to MrS today, as the cars were definitely backing up in both lanes of the dual carriage way to the retail park where it's located.  OK, so there are other stores too, but I suspect it would have been busy, busy, busy.  I'm just glad I was able to pick up a few bits and that everyone was good humoured about it.  

I have worked out what I spent on food, so must amend my siggie.  The figgie is £16.67.

Nearly the "official" end of term and I'm off on the school run.  I've been cleaning and clearing and the tree (artificial) is up and the lights are put on, so that we can have fun decorating it when LG gets home.  I promised they could, and I'm pleased that I've achieved what I set out to do today.  Shifting dust about has made me think alot about how I want the future to be (a lot less cluttered!), and I think it will chime into how we live our lives, so I will have to give some more thought to how I make it happen.  Not 'New year's resolutions' as such, but factoring in that we are now in our own home, that we can modify/decorate (within reason) how we like, and we sometimes it will be worth saving for "what we truly want" rather than buying something because it's cheap.  I don't know why this has hit today, perhaps you really do need to live somewhere for a year before you start to make changes - I don't know, but it'll form the basis of domestic decision making going forward for me, for sure.  

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, lovely to get your tree up with LG after school 🥰

We too are aiming for less clutter and nonsense in the new year 😊

greenbee

Have fun doing the tree. 🎄

I'm decluttering as I work out how each room needs to work - although some things are hung on to as they might work in a different room. However, two car loads (mostly stuff left by the vendors or things from the old house that won't fit here) have recently gone to the CS and it feels so much better without the clutter. I did try to sell stuff, but after a year I decided that I'd done enough!

maddiemay

LG will have a great time being chief tree decorator.
Another one needing to reduce and simplify life, old and needing to  for future selves and each other, not being morbid just practical, far too much stuff that was enjoyed in the past, but neither now.

Mr Al here was busy too, but all polite and good natured also. Both of us recovering from nasty cold lergys sp? - quiet lives most necessary.xx

badmemory

I changed my shopping day to yesterday as last week it took me an hour just to get out of the car park & I couldn't face that again & just drove straight out thankfully.

rtandon27

Haha - I swore we would not be going near the shops - I'm not sure what made us think it was a good idea other than the extra couponing!  We will live without until MrG00gle confirms that the store is NOT 'busier than usual!' - You'd think it was the end of the world! - the stores will only be closed for just over 24 hours - like in the good old days when there was no Sunday shopping!

peb

It's bizarre.   I'm pleased in theory that two shops (not chain shops) are shut on Friday 27th but I was going to get things for visitors on Friday evening and Sunday so I am going to have to work out how to do it.   I may end up shopping Christmas eve (!) or otherwise do two shops.  

I want the shop staff to have time off but not on Friday!

I'm working other than the actual bank holidays so I'd planned then checked opening times. Ah well.   

Greying_Pilgrim

Oh peb - i feel your pain.  I'm glad that shopworkers get the time off, particularly on boxing day - but then again, there are folks who want to work/need the money, so one size never fits all.  I like to select my own stuff, so even home delivery is not an option for me, but that's down to my awkwardness.

I have been out for a walk this morning to deliver a Christmas card, about 2.5miles of urban walking.  I went past the house we used to rent, and it was interesting to see what was the same, and what had changed.  

One of our Christmas cards had clearly gone astray as a car pulled up earlier and they popped a stamped, correctly addressed (to us) card through the door.  I didn't recognise the people in the car, and the card was from our friends who live about 20 miles away, and don't drive an electric vehicle, so clearly the card had been mis-delivered.  But how nice of someone to deliver it to us - they could easily have junked it.

Tea tonight is going to be our equivalent of a 'roast' dinner, for the Solstice.  I am going to cheat a bit - we'll have either veggie sausages, or Quorn filets.  I'm not too sure if LG likes nut roast - no reason why they shouldn't, it's all nice stuff in a nut roast - but I suppose I ought to chose a less 'pivotal' meal to try it out  on them.  Plus, I am cheating (EH - close your ears), and have bought packet bread sauce mix.  LG doesn't like bread sauce, and although I have - for many years in the past - made our own bread sauce - I have resorted to packet mix as we tend to only 'eat it once' and it's just simpler to use the packet.  No, it isn't as nice, but it'll do.  Ironically, packet mix was what mum used at home when we were growing up - she would never have made her own.  But to be fair, she got lumbered with making a full roast most Sundays, so I for one wouldn't begrudge her a bit of convenience.

I did put a couple of LG's clothes through a quick wash this morning.  The weather forecast included rain, but the breeze was too good to ignore.  Naturally, now the sun is also shining and I wish I had washed more, but if I had lost the gamble, then we have virtually nowhere currently to set up the airer, so I would have been cussing, wouldn't I?  At least if the clothes mostly dry, then LG will have clothes to pootle about in over the festive period - tidy enough to wear out and about, or around the house.

Tea last night was Pizza (mushroom one side and black olives down the other end), and wedges.  There was enough to eat and l/o to put in the freezer for another day.  We all had fakey corney-ettoes for pud.

Right, LG and DH are clearing the toot that has collected on the table, so that I can put the tablecloth on for our meal later.  Then when I can get the kitchen back, I shall whip up a pot of soup - bean and vegetable I suspect.  DH has been very good and 'entertained' LG this morning, and they are going out for a treat hot chocolate this afternoon at the community cafe.  

Right, I had better vamoose.  This soup isn't going to make itself.

Ta for popping by.  Greying X

EssexHebridean

Hee hee - I’m. Read-saucing this afternoon Greying - wouldn’t usually make it quite so far ahead but I have the time, the electric is cheap this arvo, and I have the dregs of a pot of cream needing used so it makes sense…it will be another “job jobbed” anyway! 

Oh - and happy diaryversary! 😁