From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

redofromstart said:

Will you need to buy any kit for the LG camping trip? 

No - not 'camping specific' anyway.  All the 'hardware' use is included in the cost of the trip. In terms of 'software' so sleeping bag/mat etc, LG already has camping grade ones purchased for an 'introductory stopover'.  In terms of backpack/clothing etc, we have those too - although whether by the summer LG will need 'new [insert relevant item of clothing/footwear here]' will of course depend on whether they have grown - but may have been an issue anyway - so will be financed by the CHB.  

You're right to raise it though redo (and Thank you) - and certainly if there are any pennies over with our saving each month, then it would be wise to have those in hand for any unexpected purchases.

Greying X

beanielou

Remember Vinted is great if the Chazzer fails. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Afternoon MFW'rs

beanie - good call.  I wasn't looking for anything specific in the chazzers, but I do have a 'do' that I might have to go to in May and I have nothing, and I mean literally nothing to wear for it, so I ought to start putting some feelers out.  I will only need 'smart casual', nowt too fancy, but I don't even have that, so need to get on the case - and indeed vintEd may be a better call that random chazzering.

Gosh, today is whizzing.  I have put the washing out (LG's things), done the shopping, put it away and read the latest missive from the school - one word, 'Kerching' ........again....... 🙄 I then got a message from a dear, kind friend and had a quick blub!  And now i am here to tell you all about it all about my shopping expenditure 😁

So start of the month, and I went to MrAl and MrL today.  I did a tiny bit of stocking up and I have got a few vegetables, so it is a bigger spend than 'usual', although I have noticed that MrL is hiking prices again.  Considering inflation is "supposed" to be falling, I ain't seeing much evidence of it in my basket 🙁But at least with going to 2 places I managed to get nearly everything on my list.  Between the 2 shops I spent £55.75, which was all food (or food-like substances) and a smattering of wine.  So that's February's expenditure off to a gallop - gulp!

When I was pegging out the washing this morning I could hear a bird, but I couldn't see it.  It was doing a variety of refrains, which it would repeat.  Gosh it was loud.  I eventually located it in a tree that is not in our garden - but is at the bottom of the garden (if that makes sense?).  I figured that it was probably a thrush - so looked up song thrush.  A useful video came up by the BTO, on how to tell the difference between a song thrush and a mistle thrush.  Well dear reader - perhaps they are interbreeding, because whilst this bird did sound like the song thrush, and from what I could see, looked like a song thrush, it's position in the tree was very much mistle thrush in nature.  Sure it was 'hiding' (as much as you can hide in a deciduous tree in January), but it was way up the top, singing loudly so that everyone could hear - none of this singing from the lowest branches mularkey.  This thrush was NOT hiding its light under a bush-el.  In addition to having the pleasure of listening to this bird, it struck me how informative the internet was in identifying it, and helping me to learn more about it.  The BTO video was only 5 minutes or so, but packed full of info.  So; grateful I'm hooked up to the internet?  Tick!

The washing is drying quite well considering it's none too warm and it's quite overcast.  The breeze is doing enough.  It won't come in bone dry, but it'll be mostly touch dry - which is an absolute bonus this time of year.

Tea tonight will be...... probably an omlette buddha bowl.  I switched stuff around this week a bit and I'm bit out of whack with my thinking and planning, but we have stuff in for an obb, so that's most likely.

So, ta for popping by.  Appreciated - as always.  

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

What a lovely bird experience 😊 Do you have the Merlin app?? It's fantastic. It identifies birds from their call, usually very accurately from what I can tell. Utterly lovely - we had a redstart in our garden which I never would have known to look out for if the app hadn't identified it in amongst the other things 😊

teapot2

Another vote for the free Merlin app though my experience with it is that it doesn't always seem to recognise some birds here about [Scotland].  Its American though so still growing its library of calls I think. 

Lovely to see your £4Panes fund has had a big boost.

Well done LG for keeping their enthusiasm about saving x

Greying_Pilgrim

oooh, thanks for the heads up about the app Cheery and teapot2 - that does look good 👍I could have done with that a couple of years ago - there was (it was possibly some type of warbler), a small bird in a willow tree alongside a disused canal, and it was singing furiously and loudly but oh so beautifully.  

teapot - unfortunately the boost is a one off (wouldn't it be grand if that could be swished over to the pot every month..... sigh), but it's so good that DH is on the same page and we're able to work together to achieve our goal.  And yes, I hope LG keeps up with the saving enthusiasm.  If nowt else, I would hate to think that we've damaged their outlook about money/finance and they end up being a spendthrift in later life 🙁 Mind school is doing their best to push the 'consume - r ' agenda, with it's (seemingly constant) "everything can be bought neatly packaged off a shelf for only £XX.99, folks!"  messages 🙁

Greying X

redofromstart

Thanks for the info on the Merlin App - much appreciated.  I am not that good at identifying birds (always have the wrong glasses on!) but really appreciate the volume and variety of visitors we get since Mr Redo started feeding them when he stopped work. 

EssexHebridean

Your warbler - if it was producing a song that sounds almost waterfall like in refrain- so gradually dropping down in pitch for a tumbling series of 10 or so notes of varying lengths, then repeating, it was probably a Willow Warbler - they've been described as having a song that suits the trees they are so often found in! Almost identical in appearance (and indeed incredibly difficult to tell apart unless they helpfully sing at you) is the Chiff Chaff - as you might expect though that handily says "CHIFFCHAFFCHIFFCHAFFCHIFFCHAFF!" 

I think you're taking good steps to slowly and gently introduce LG to the world of managing money - but yes, as they get older the apparent need for "stuff" is of course going to be more of an issue. There were certainly times where I got bullied at school for - for example - wearing hand-me-down clothes. One thing I would strongly urge you is not to obtain hand-me-downs from any parents of LG's peer group - with the best will in the world, that kind gesture can get translated by children into something quite nasty. It would be lovely to think that the parents wouldn't share the gesture with the children, but that was not my experience sadly. As an only child it will be known that hand-me-downs haven't come from an older sibling which is seems is mostly accepted. 

Greying_Pilgrim

EH - it definitely wasn't a chiff-chaff, but I was just so amazed how loud it was.  

Don't worry, we're not going to subject LG to bullying about second-hand clothes if we can help it - although given a couple of kids "objected" to a (new) item of (pedestrian, bland, non-logo'ed) clothing LG had (don't ask me what the issue was - I suspect pure, immature spitefulness), and damaged it, I fail to see what is to be done to avoid your kid being picked on 🙁

We spent a few minutes watching a wren close to the patio doors when LG had come home from school.  I'm delighted that LG is interested in watching the visitors to our garden.

We had rice, dhal, broad beans, carrots and sweetcorn with an omlette for tea.  LG doesn't like broad beans 🙁but they did eat up the ones put on their plate. Not the most exciting tea, but we're all full and nourished.

I forgot to put my grocery spend in my siggie - so must remember to do that.  

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

abundant wildlife
getting the washing pretty dry 
the kindness of chums

As I've nowt else MSE related to impart, I'll shuffle orf.

Ta for popping in, joining in the convo and supporting me.  Appreciated.  

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

I'm not sure there is anything to do to stop your kids being picked on, sadly 😕 We always wore second hand clothes, and while we were never picked on because of that, there were other reasons. Sorry to hear it's happened to LG already.

We love watching our garden visitors 😊😊 We have a regular wren, and a very tame Robin, and all manner of other things, including a resident owl and a visiting pheasant 😂 Lots of birds of prey here too, I'm less good at recognising them outside of buzzard, kestrel, and kite (not often seen round here). Should get on the case with learning more!