From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Fortune_Smiles

How wonderful to see the Firecrest Greying.  I've never seen one myself.  We did the Big Garden Birdwatch this morning and saw lots of species including a Greater Spotted Woodpecker but never a Firecrest amongst them.  Truly magical.

Fortune x

Greying_Pilgrim

Fortune - I am officially a prize parsnip!  We didn't see a firecrest at all 🙁  We saw a goldcrest - I don't think I have ever (knowingly) seen a firecrest myself.  I wrote goldcrest and then wrote 'firecrest' every other time 🙁  I have corrected my post - sorry for the confusion.  I've only seen woodpeckers here once - and I think they were the smaller, lesser spotted.  But isn't it grand to see such birdlife 😁

Well, composure momentarily lost today 🙁I have sorted out - or so I thought - the council tax liability for this house and for the rental house.  There was a period where we were liable for 2 properties, and we informed the council, and paid what we were liable for.   December was especially tight as we had to pay 2 lots of council tax.  But I was assured by the person I spoke to that we would be refunded 3 weeks of the December bill for the rental as our tenancy ended a week after we paid the DD, but I was also warned that they were at least 6 weeks behind with their paperwork, so I wasn't to expect the refund immediately - and of course, there was the Xmas and NY holidays to consider to make the catch up timeframe even longer......

To avoid further confusion, I am currently paying for here by the '1st of the month payment in full' method.  We had been doing the rental property on DD, and come the new CT year, I want to change our payment method for here to that, as it is much simpler.  But today in the post (WHY on a Saturday, when you can do nothing about it?????) I have had 2 letters (and DH has had one too), claiming that as we are still in residence (??) at the rental property, we are liable for council tax and are now in arrears!!!  There was also a waffly letter about the empty property policy of the council, and that 'our property' might be eligible but things were changing - we don't own the blessed place, it was a rental.  

Whether the new tenants of the rental house have signed up to pay CT, I have no way of knowing.  But now I am of course worried that we are considered to be in arrears for a property that we no longer live at.  So that is a job for Monday, to try to sort that out!  I'm quite sure if I had been chasing the council for the money they owe US, I would have been told to wait, and yet they send out payment demand letters at the drop of a hat.  

Anyway, my kneejerk reaction was to go off on one 🙁 But I did quickly realise that I was just letting my 'default' kick in, and actually, there is a papertrail that backs  our situation and the fact that we have paid everything that we were liable for at the time of being liable, and that we are now only liable for one property, and, in fact, owe nobody nothing.  I did apologise to LG for losing my composure, and explain why I was hopping mad.  

Yet again, organisational incompetence - whether the fault is with the computers, or the humans - is to blame, and I often feel powerless because the onus is always on me/us to prove the organisation is wrong.  

LG helped me make 'Sweet Masala Soup' for lunch - it's a recipe from Dr Rupy Aujla's 'Cooks' book.  Not only did LG correctly pick out sweet potato and parsnip from the fridge, but they peeled the parsnips beautifully, helped me crush green cardamon pods and put (carefully) the frozen spinach into the soup once I had blitzed it with the stick blender.  LG liked the soup, and ate their bowlful, although I think that the frozen spinach that I used (MrL XXL), is particularly 'stringy' which detracts from the 'eatability' of any dish with it in.  I'm not sure if 'fresh' spinach wilted down would have performed differently, but that was the only negative.  I would make the soup again, but with either a different green veg, or leave it out altogether (which isn't the purpose of Dr Rupy's recipes which are supposed to be big on health and vitality).  I used green lentils that I had previously cooked in bulk and frozen, rather than tinned lentils.  

Right, balance is restored.  I best crack on with summat else.

Ta for popping in, and I'm sorry I can't spell GOLD.crest 🤣

Greying X

greenbee

I'm not surprised you lost your composure Greying. I found councils a nightmare to deal with when I was moving. I hope you can get it sorted out soon.

Good for you though including LG in your cooking activities. It will pay dividends! My mum let my brother and I help in the kitchen when many of her friends wouldn't because they couldn't cope with the mess. It paid back when we were in our teens and she'd get back from work at lunchtime starving (she was exercising racehorses along with all the grooming, mucking out, and cleaning of tack also involved) to find food on the table. And it definitely paid back for us when we went to uni and then on to early house-shares able to cook. 

My uncle was taught to sew by my grandmother before he did his national service. Apparently he never had to clean his own boots... 

badmemory

I found with DS that it wasn't about the taste that made him not like something but more about the texture.  So mushrooms used to be a no as did broccoli but cauli was a yes.  Mushrooms are now fine & were fine by the time he hit his later teens.  Soup has always been fine as long as there were no lumps.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

greenbee - I just wish I could sort of see it as "ho hum, there has been a error, let's sort it out on Monday".... rather than going off on one on opening the mail.......  The only slight improvement is that I have acknowledged my reaction -  apologised to those that were around when I went off on one (LG) and kinda sorta parked it now - until Monday.  And yes, further development will occur if I can keep my composure when on the phone.  I never take it out on the particular member of staff I am dealing with, but my voice does get shrieky, so my mission, (and I choose to accept it) is to keep a well moderated tone, at all times........

Oh, when I had fobbed LG off 1 time too many 406 times too many, I realised that this wasn't how I wanted to be as a mother.  I want LG to experience all manner of activities - some of them 'life' activities, some of them life 'skills' and some of them fun life moments.  Naturally some of them have to be paid for, but a heck of alot of them require nowt more than a dollop of patience and a bit of time.  I would be just plain stoopid to crush LG's enthusiasm to do a bit of cooking, or cleaning or tidying - because it wunna be too long before they won't want to have owt to do with their parentals - rolls eyes in typical tweenager fashion..... 🙄

I love that family anecdote greenbee.  Irrespective of whether you consider it from a self-sufficiency aspect, or a repair rather than replace aspect, or a ready-made bartering aspect - it just ticks so many boxes for your own competence and taking your place in society with that competence.  It wasn't all 'rosy' in the auld days, but i'm not so sure it was so siloed either 🙁

badmemory - LG's dislike doesn't seem to have such rhyme or reason to their likes/dislikes.  But there is some history of LG being more accepting of food items that they have had a hand in preparing.  We found this out with a "Sunday Roast".  They wouldn't entertain it in Reception class (hence the teacher's concern), but during lockdown they help me make Yorkshire Puddings (and naturally made THE MOST light and airy puddings 🙄) ate them, and has been much more entertaining of a "Sunday Roast" since.  Hopefully, as it's on the menu - LG can help me make Yorkies tomorrow 🥰

I haven't "saved" any money today, but I haven't spent any either, so......  I have found a new 'keeper' soup recipe (so that was a win x 2 as it came from a library book 👍).  And tea was a popular choice as it was HM pizza and wedges, which yielded l/o pizza for another day/lunch box and DH and LG finished off the last portion of the crumble along with a bit of yoghurt.  I had a lovely time with LG this morning, and LG has had a ball with DH this afternoon as they occupied themselves tatting about in the garden 👍

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

mother nature
shopping from home
LG's ongoing enthusiasm and my determination to foster that enthusiasm

Ta for popping by and reading.  It's appreciated.  Always.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

May I just add a HUGE thank you to the MSE'r - they will know who they are - such kindness and generosity is always appreciated.  Thank you for thinking of me and my family.

Greying X

pinkypig

Greying, you’re back 🥳
Just wanted to pop in to say-
1. It’s great is ‘see’ you back. I loved your other diaries.
2 Congrats on your house purchase No mean feat at the best of times but in the current climate that’s a proper success story.
3. To inform you that you are officially an ‘influencer’.  I’ve just bought a dehumidifier and it’s flipping marvelous 😃.  Cannot believe how much water was in it this morning!  No wonder we’ve been getting mildew spots 😱.  Not anymore though so thanks for that.
Looking forward to following your adventures! 

PP x

daisy_1571

Hi, I'm late to the party but you possibly know about trigger stacking?  It happens when you, for example, snag a fingernail at work and end up shouting at someone then crying in the toilets.  Of course the fingernail wasn't the issue.  The 2 broken nights sleep, the lost vital school supply that morning, the discovery of cat sick on your work shoes, the traffic issues making you late for drop off, the circling for a parking space, the person who didn't hold the door even though they saw you had boxes with you, THEN the snagged nail.  Any one of these issues can be dealt with.  But when one comes on top of another, thats when something you feel you should nirmally be able to shrug off sends you over the edge.  Happily it sounds like now several stressers have been removed from your life you're in a place to be able to think about shreiky lady.  As the moving issues all get sorted that will remove more stressers.   It all helps you in your downward spiral towards calm.  

I was also going to advocate dehumidifier.   We put 2 clothes horses in the bathroom (its out the way and not a room we are in that much),  drape washed downie cover or sheet over both of them, any other washing on the lower slats and dehumidifier sits underneath inside the cave.  We also use brushed cotton and one bed set is super king so enormous to try to get dried.  Between the warm air coming out and the sooking it gets things dried so easily.   I find checking after a couple of hours, then turning the items definitely helps them dry quicker.   A drier house is much more pleasant to be in and I'm glad youre finding this is happening.   We are in a converted church so huge freezing cold spaces, ice on inside of windows etc and dehumidifier has made a huge difference. 

Also, you said about cold from the garage?   Home made draught excluers help massively.   I made ones - an oblong the door width plus a bit more.   Sew the 2 edges and one long side.  Sew up towards the open edge every 6 inch or so.  You now have a long piece of cloth with open topped pockets.  Fill some small plastic bags with cat litter (the stuff that looks like grit).  Tie the top of the bag and pop one in each pocket.   Sew along the top of each pocket.   The bags should stop any powder if the litter breaks down.  Its not attractive to beasties to eat.  Crucially its fairly heavy and moulds to the door to fill the gaps and stop the draught in a way foam filled ones dont.  They sit proud in my experience.   I made these inners sausages from old pillowcases.  The sausage can be covered with a prettier fabric covering as you prefer.  You don't need a machine,  can be done as hand sewing.   Involve your bairn if you think its another skill they are of an age to learn ?

I'm amazed at you getting washing out at thus time of year.  It will be months before I can get anything on the line sadly. 

Back to lurk

Dxx

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, Daisy, thanks for that suggestion, that sounds like an excellent way of making a draught excluder! Although I foresee with at least one of my doors the cat litter may end up swelling and damp 🙄😂 But better cat litter than anything else!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Lovely visitors - but heavens, Daisy and Cheery - y'all pulling a night shift????

pinkypig - such a kind post.  Yeah, we'd begun to wonder if we were ever going to be able to buy a house, as prices just got crazy, and we seemed to be in competition with both buy to letters and first time buyers.  Ha ha - me an influencer 🤣 We have the likes of dearest rtandon to thank for explaining the benefits of de-humidifiers.  Mind, I was thinking the other day, we get enough moisture from this house (1980's build) - I wonder whether, had we bought one at Greying Towers (built in 1896), whether the de-humidifier would have been running 24/7/365.... 🤔  There was so much obvious dampness in that house........  But yes, we've been filling up the machine's reservoir in 24 hrs here too.  Thanks for popping in - lovely to "see" you too.

Daisy - that explanation of stacking triggers makes perfect sense.  I think sometimes you need more time to process things that happen in life, that life permits.  OK, maybe not a snagged nail; but a job loss, or unexpected health diagnosis in a relative, or a house move - but then life throws in (on top of the job loss/ill health/house move) an ill child, or a lockdown or a freak storm or your only car dies or whatever, and the knock on effect, and the subsequent knock on effect etc etc can just discombobulate you into a place that it's difficult to come back from.  

Our bathroom is tiny, so unfortunately we haven't the space to put washing to dry, but I can certainly see the value in 'how' you arrange your airers/washing to get the maximum drying potential.  We place our de-humidifier on the landing, so that it can draw the excess moisture out of the bathroom following a shower etc, but it isn't rated to work in a bathroom, and can't safely be put in the bathroom itself.  The bathroom itself is completely tiled and 2 of the walls are external, with one on the coldest side of the house, so the steam does quickly condense in there 🙁

Thanks for the draught excluder advice.  The door from the kitchen into the garage isn't actually the issue (well, I don't think it is).  It has got pretty good insulating strips around it - inside and out - which do seem to stop the draught.  To the extent where you notice where the draught does get in (through the keyhole) - so we have to bung a plug of kitchen roll in that when the door is closed.  The coldness was coming in from water pipes that had been directed out into the garage, and whoever had done it, had either had 2 bites at the cherry, and decided on their second direction, or there had been something else directed into/out of the kitchen, and then the water pipes went out too.  When DH filled up the water pipe cavity, there was still a draft whistling through.  But when he discovered the second cavity, and filled that in, the draught seemed to diminish greatly.  Having said that, I had the de-humidifier in the kitchen yesterday, and it ran pretty much all day, and collected more or less a full reservoir of water, so I'm not too sure where all the moisture is coming from 🤔

Early start here for us, as LG got up bright-eyed and bushy tailed at 5.30am, wanting to start the day 🙄  DH was hoping for a lie-in after working hard all day yesterday 🙄  I have popped a couple of 'quick' washes on to rinse through some new clothes that I got for LG - they might 'bleed', so better to give them a quick rinse, before they stain other clothes or the sofa or whatever.  They will get pegged out just now.  Then hopefully DH's work clothes can join them.  I'm so blessed to have a garden, however small, to peg washing out, even if it requires close monitoring of the weather to weigh up whether the clothes will partially/fully dry or not.  I do get it wrong some of the time.........

Lunch today will be soup - probably tomato based, as I had to get some tomato sauce out of the freezer last night as I had forgotten I hadn't any small pots (of the same sauce) that I use for pizza topping.  So a larger portion was defrosted.  No matter, it will get used.  tea will be a veggie 'Sunday Roast' and I'm hopeful LG will want to help with making the yorkies batter.

Has every opportunity of being a NSD so I shall look to take it.  i need to sit down and do the maths as to where money can go in the 'wages money shuffle'.  

Right, I've washing to peg out.  

Ta for popping in, for your advice and for your support.  Super appreciated.  Thank You.

Greying X