From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Thank you for popping by ed & teapot2.

ed - it is true LG has got a lovely nature (not too sure if I can take the credit tho 🤔), but compared to what some of their peers get gifted (not necessarily limited to Christmas and birthdays it seems), LG is all but receiving the proverbial lump of coal.... not because of their behaviour, but in value/imaginative gift giving terms.  Thank heavens we are not yet at the phone/social media stage.  Ho hum.

Happy solstice.  I will be cooking a 'roast' dinner this evening - well, as much as a 'roast' as we bother with.  Toad in the hole - using veggie sausages - and all the veg (inc. sprouts, much to DH's disgust 🤣).  Apple crumble and ice cream.  (ha ha - whilst i am typing this, LG is discussing what Santa and the Elves will be doing at this moment in time..... I don't think they still truly believe - thanks Yr6 kids 🙄, but it's good that they are humouring their dad..... 🤣). 

DH will try to finish off the loft insulation today.  The weather is milder, but I am pretty sure that what is already laid has made some difference, particularly to LG's room.  The insulation will have cost just over £100 and then DH's time. A worthwhile investment I think. 

Yesterday's washing is dry and can be put away.  I am more or less up to date, so we certainly all have something to wear for the next few days. 

 Greying X

in_need_of_direction

Great to see you back and still shaking a tail feather.

MatyMoo

So lovely to see you back Greying 😃

But would you stop the clock before we go from Baby to Little to Teenager in less than a heartbeat!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

MatyMoo said:

But would you stop the clock before we go from Baby to Little to Teenager in less than a heartbeat!

Dearest MatyMoo - how wonderful to "see" you too!  I have a sneaking suspicion that we are on the cusp of "teenagerhood" already with LG 😕 poo-namis seem a breeze in comparison...... 🤣 

DH worked wonders with a screwdriver and a face mask today, and I have a couple more functioning (as in they actually close) cupboard doors in the kitchen and the loft is 95% insulated - naturally he just ran short of insulating fibre..... 🙄Never mind.  Even if we have to pay out for another roll or more (to exceed the minimum depth suggested), it will certainly be worth it.

We have just had a nice meal in celebration of the solstice.  It weren't grand and featured YS'd parsnips (MrM), 15p potatoes and carrots (MrL) and a sweetcorn cob (divided into 3) that was the last of a gift from a friend who had grown some in their allotment 👍  I have just remembered that I forgot the sprouts!!!!!  Naturally DH said nothing........ 🤣  Never mind, what cunning dish can I conjure up on the morrow?  I have swede to use too....... 🤔  I did use packet bread sauce, I make no apologies - I was brought up on packet bread sauce - c0lmans I think - and have made my own from scratch, in later years.  I like both versions - although I realised by making my own that it is in fact the bay leaf that makes 'the' bread sauce taste for me.  The packet came from MrS and they had accentuated the onion flavour - OK, but not quite the real deal for me (personally).  The packet bread sauce was an homage to our new house.  It is very much a product of the 1980's and indeed, much of it is still (stuck) in the 1980's 🤣 

Pudding was spiced apple crumble and a scoop of icecream (MrL I think, from the summer).  LG ate everything on their plate - not quite 'happily', but they had something of 'everything' with the exception of gravy, as they really don't like it.  Definitely easier to meal plan these days........



I did the 'normal' shop in MrL today.  Bread and milk and that sort of thing.  I noticed that it was quiet and calm in there - as MrAl was the other day (albeit MrL was a bit more 'bustle-ee' if that is a word....), and realised that the key difference with both Mr L and MrAl was NO (blaring) Christmas musik!  A completely different atmosphere to the 'big 4'.........   

DH's pay slip came in the post.  Payable on the normal date - so no need for a last minute spending frenzy, but we can look forward to plotting and planning and budgetting anew during twixmas 😁👍 

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

progress with DIY 
we all enjoyed a celebratory meal that didn't bust the bank
that we have everything we currently need and each other.........

Thank you everyone for popping by and cheering me on.  As ever, it's appreciated.  Greatly.

Greying  X

LadyWithAPlan

Last year's  (& this) xmas list from my teenage  DN has made it very clear the moment  she discovered tiktok influencers .. her list suddenly leapt to v expensive brands and items I never knew existed such as
 'Di*r lip oil' £35 for a lip oil .. what even is a lip oil??

I am doing my best to show (not tell)  that fashion and being oneself is an individual choice and far more fun and fabulous and  following everyone else's opinion  is quite frankly boring and shows a lack of originality -  hopefully I have some sway when her friends are focused on such expensive brands
So enjoy the younger years and hopefully you will have her appreciating a frugal affordable secure lifestyle ... 

I am sure she still believes a little bit at least ..

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

LWAP - I agree with what you have said, but I think it does take a great deal of confidence to 'plough your own path' - whatever your age.  Whilst LG has some peers at school who are doing that, I'm not sure that even those children's individuality is necessarily borne of innate confidence and conviction.  Unfortunately, there are also several children who are extremely vocal about 'doing what everyone else does' and actively criticise those that don't follow the herd....... 

If you could buy confidence or 'street savvy' by the bucket load, I'd certainly get some as a stocking filler for LG....

I'm not too sure what is on the agenda today, although I know that DH has remembered that he is 'supposed' to be on holiday, and wants to take LG on a little trip out to a cafe run by our local hospice.  I want to get my spices back up to 'ready for action' status, so need to make a couple of 'goto' spice mixes for dhal and 'general' curries.  

The next bill is supposed to come out of the bank tomorrow - not too sure if that will now be after Christmas 🤔but the money is there.  The water company loused up our account and didn't port our D/D over to the new house, so we've got a truncated bill now 😕 Moving house has meant that our D/D schedule - which was pretty much tailored to the start of the month has gone all to pot, as we now pay the council tax on the first of the month by cash (until the end of the financial year), we have had a change to the water payment date because of a louse up - ditto the landline/BB, due to a massive mess up by BT/Openreach which is still not resolved 🙁 The only thing that has stayed the same is the energy payment Edit* - and the TV licence payment - I have changed our address for that too. But I do need to update my accounts book so that the new amounts/companies and payment dates are recorded for how they stand currently.   It'll all settle just now.... I hope.   And yes, I am counting my blessings that as things stand, we can meet our financial commitments.  So no complaints.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

So it was a no-spend day for me today - YAY!  DH took LG out for cake and hot chocolate at the hospice cafe.  They had a great time 🥰  Cost was met from DH's personal spends. 

I made a vat of tomato sauce in the PC.  3 punnets were frozen, one was put in the fridge for Christmas eve (for plant-based meatballs and pasta in the SC), and there was a splodge leftover for the pizza topping tonight.  I also made up a batch of sri lankan curry powder, which is a R1ck St3in recipe , and I also made up a batch of basic curry powder (recipe from the internet yonks ago, but unfortunately source lost), so that "anything" can now be curried - YAY!  

I did look up the menus for the curry house takeaway that is near to us. Hmmmmmm.  There was a REALLY large selection of dishes.....I felt a bit better about using a sauce pouch the other day.  I suspect that if I had a (small) selection of standby curry sauces in the cupboard, along with some sort of vegetable or legume that could be subjected to currification, alongside with some basmati rice (raw, or a microwave pouch), I could probably/possibly avoid accidental takeaway expenditures........  I do realise sometimes we are all tired and I would be lying if I said that I was an inspired cook every single day......  But whereas in previous times we have lived in places where the local takeaways could quite easily be avoided on the basis of quality/value for money, I think that here - to be fair - with a bit of effort and forward planning, we can avoid inflated expenditure.  Our new windows installation will be worth it...... 

Tea this evening was HM black olive pizza and potato wedges (MrAl 15p tatties), with half the pizza put in the freezer for inclusion in the Christmas Day buffet......

DH finished off the insulation in the loft (YAY!).  The weather has been milder these past few days, but i do think it has made a difference.  Focus will now be on draft reduction, curtains/linings and ultimately new DG windows.  

I washed and line dried a Christmas table cloth - that I got from a chazzer for £2 - today.  If all else fails, and moving forward if we really don't follow the "celebratory meal" traditions, then the material is good and plentiful enough to be made into eco-present bags.  For the size, it was a bargain for £2 - and is LG's favourite colour too 👍

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

DH completing the loft insulation project 👍
DH & LG enjoying quality time together at a Christmassy experience - photos captured the event 😁
being able to 'pootle' whilst remembering a loved one lost on this day a couple of years ago.....

Thanks to all who pop by.  Apppreciated.  Greatly.

Greying X

beanielou

Hello 
Good to 'see' you again.
Happy shiny new diary for your happy new home.

edinburgher

Well done on the tablecloth, we spent more than that for a disposable one! 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good afternoon MFW'rs

Waves 👋 to beanie & ed

Well, I have been keeping myself out of mischief today - thus far.  I saved petrol and parking by walking into Greying Town to purchase a couple of bits and bobs and to clear up a bit of banking pre-Christmas.  I would like to say that the petrol was saved, but then DH and LG drove into Greying Town...... 🙄  They did however park on the street, so no money spent on parking.  I was going to say that I was further rewarded by doing a bit of 'wombling' on my walk back out of town, as I came across a kitchen drawer insert, discarded by the side of the road (random) and it was just the 'orientation' I was looking for (the inserts I have don't work well in the kitchen drawers here as they don't pull out as far as the drawers in the rental house did).  On picking it up, I saw that it was well used and had a small crack in it (wouldn't have affected it's actual performance, but added to the overall worn nature of the tray, made it not worth cleaning up).  I figured if I put it down where I found it, I would  probably find myself confronted by the littering police, so brought it home and have put it in the bin.  Will have to count as my good deed for the day......

I have kicked off the 'new windows' fund and have moved the first £500 in the 'Panes Po't.  The money is actually from the returned rental deposit.  There is money left in the account to cover all known bills/D/D's for the start of the new year, so I thought I would boost our spirits by kicking off the challenge now.  I certainly hope that I can do a 'Tilly Tidy' at the beginning of January, and sweep any 'leftovers' into the same pot.  But £500 is a nice round number to start.  

Washing has been put out on the line and has dried well, so that's another trip to the launderette saved.  

Lunch was a vegetarian version of Snert. But if any Danes are currently perambulating through my diary, it was utterly unauthentic and I used tinned mushy peas and a tin of marrowfat peas in my version.  I also seasoned with mint.  LG wasn't wholly enthusiastic (they aren't a great lover of mushy peas), but they did eat a (large) ramekin portion, so that was good enough.  

Tea this evening will be veggie burger baps and curly fries - made at home with all components from the freezer.  

Pounds for Panes = £500/£10,000

Thanks for popping by.

Greying X