From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

EssexHebridean

OH DFW123 I should think you ARE still upset about that one - how awful, you would have hoped that his parents would have been told in no uncertain terms that a replacement was expected wouldn't you! 

I agree about Sindy's horse - I had one and it wasn't great in truth - IIRC Barbie's horse had jointed legs which Sindy's didn't. Just another way where it felt as though Sindy was the poor relation, although looking back now she was SO much nicer (and a better role model) than Barbie! 

It's interesting looking back and thinking about things we "didn't have" as children - and looking back specifically with adult eyes too. All the things that felt "So Unfair!" back then fall into their trivial place in life now - and with hindsight I'm glad I didn't get a bicycle until I was old enough to ride it properly, on the road, and that I didn't have a TV in my room for long enough that when I did finally get one it was a real treat, but I'd still learned that there were some things that were nice to watch as a family. I think I gained a lot from that. There is a lot to be said for things being earned, or waited for. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

Well, the washing came in, in stages.  I decided against going to the launderette.  I used the de-humidifier to 'more or less' dry the undergarments, and then I brought in the heavier items (3) - put them on an airer and put the setting on 'laundry' for less than an hour and then turned the de-humidifier down to the 'normal' setting, and brought in the rest of the laundry to put in front of it too.  None of the laundry is 'bone dry', but then neither is it dripping wet, so overall I am quite pleased.  Thinking about it, I am better keeping the launderette expense until it is 'really' needed - and as we have 4 days (at least) coming up where any outdoor drying will probably be very unlikely, a visit may well be on the cards.

Tea this evening used a bone-fide recipe (actually one for Instant Pots), but I substituted ingredients to use up what I had.  So the recipe was Persian Chickpea stew, but I substituted the potatoes for swede and parsnip.  I had lime powder (goooo me!), but didn't put any chilli in it, as I know LG isn't keen.  I served it with bulghar wheat (from the YS'd box from MrL) and green beans.  I ground up the fennel seeds with the mortar and pestle, as neither DH nor LG are a fan of whole seeds.  I also only used a small box of (frozen) chickpeas and threw in the remaining (dried) green lentils I had, instead.  The bulghar wheat box just said to pour the contents into the saucepan with water and cook - but given the box was 500g, I figured that would make far too much.  I ended up cooking 150g (dry weight), which was enough for the 3 of us.  Clean plates all round.  

The washing is now on airers in front of the radiator, and I am hopeful that it'll pretty much dry overnight without saturating the house.  

I've been doing next week's meal plan and doing the shopping list in tandem, I plan to go to MrL tomorrow.  In looking for the recipes today that I thought I had for swede, I came across the one I made - which actually wasn't for swede, but the substitution worked well - plus several curry recipes for swede, so I shall incorporate those and try to have a modest grocery shop.  At least the weather looks like it will be suited to curries and stews for the foreseeable. 

 Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

the dehumidifier
making use of my recipe index to make interesting meals with ingredients we have in
receiving paperwork that may just indicate the council tax fandango may.finally.be.sorted and a refund....issued

Ta for popping in, reading and joining in the conversation.  Appreciated.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Bleurk!  Bleurk to the dreich weather! Bleurk! Bleurk! Bleurk!

It was raining when I went to MrL this morning - and I was doubly grateful for having a little car to pootle about in - I did spot a mum from school (don't really know her other than to say 'morning' to, but one of her kids is in the same class as LG), anyway, she was walking, grappling with her brolly, but I had to pass her by, as there was literally nowhere safe to stop (3 lanes of traffic onto an island that everyone navigates super-fast 🙁). 

Whilst I was in MrL the heavens opened 🙁  as did the roof in that particular branch, as the roof has leaked like a sieve since it was built 🙁and coming out, it was the sort of rain that you got soaking wet just walking to the car and drenched just returning your trolley 🙁 To make it worse, it was that soaking and freezing cold rain - it's worse than snow almost 🙁

On the way back from MrL I did try to keep my eyes peeled for the school-mum, as the weather was just appalling.  I didn't spot her - hopefully she had retired to the local costa or something to sit it out 🙁

Spending in MrL today was a bit higher than I had wanted, but I did get quite a few 'ingredients', so at least it felt like I had 'bought' something.  £46.97 spent, which takes me well over half my monthly budget 😬and we're only on day 8 of 29 😬.........  Have MrL stopped doing the £1.50 boxes?  I haven't seen any in our nearest branch for ages (and the sign wasn't even on the back counter today).  I also noticed that our MrL seems to be bereft of stock - or the stuff I want to buy, anyway.  There aren't empty shelves as such, but it's like slots for products have been downsized - eg you would struggle to get 'own brand' tea bags in our branch, although they have space for the branded t-bags.....  The freezers were full of prepped products, so pizzas and ready meals etc, but there was little or no frozen veg.  I initially picked up the last bag of broccoli/cauli mix, but put it back when I eventually tracked down the XXL bag of cauliflower that I was seeking - I only found that by chance and it was possibly the last bag.  I was going to pick up a bag of the 'easy peelers' that were in the PoTW, but they looked so mini - to the point that I doubt there would have been anything 'easy' about peeling them at all - I left them were they were.  A poor chap who had investigated them previously had picked up a broken net, and sent oranges scattering all over the floor 🙁 He was good natured about it though and picked them all up 👍

On my return home, having got soaked just getting out of the car, I got drenched getting the shopping in the house, to the extent that given I was wet from exiting MrL, I just got in the house looking like a drowned rat 🙁  And then I heard 'dripping'.  You know, that type of dripping that isn't a bathroom tap, isn't the shower, isn't muffled, like the guttering outside, but is falling, from a height INDOORS 😬 I discovered that the landing window - which is shot anyway, and needs replacing (like..... yesterday), was leaking because of the volume of rain (I assume the angle of the wind was just making it hit the window, as it is on a less exposed side of the house).  I had contributed to the issue, as when it was leaking last week - not massively, but a bit - I had put some kitchen roll to try to soak up the excess moisture.  I had been remiss and not removed this when the weather had changed, and of course, with this mornings rain, the towel was saturated, and it had begun to leak onto the windowsill, and had dripped down, onto something that had been left at the top of the stairs 🙄(thankfully not the de-humidifier 😬), and was splashing all over the wall and carpet........ 🙄

So, operation "get some double glazing quotes" can't start soon enough.  But I do still want to check with DH about asking one person to quote.  The guy is nice enough, we know him from 'way back', he would do a good job, hopefully charge a 'fair' price, but would possibly bring his emotional baggage along, and also bring other members of the family with him who have issues of their own, and are something of a drain.  It's one of these things where you've a shared history up to a certain point in your lives, and you had lots of fun and shared memories, but then you've kind of gone in different directions, and maybe have less in common.  Now that we have LG we really wouldn't want to go back to 'the olden days'.  We would trust the guy to do the work, and know he takes pride in his work etc.  There would be no issue with the windows/their fitting, it's just whether we could handle all the 'baggage' too.  Although having said that, he now lives in the next market town along, and may not want to travel over -particularly for piecemeal fitting.    It may be more prudent to go with an 'unknown', but professional outfit.  Although in Greying town you either know someone, went to school with their sister or are related to them, so......

Don't think there is anything else MSE to add.  

Ta for popping by and reading - appreciated.  

Greying X

beanielou

Sorry you got so wet. 

Greying_Pilgrim

Thanks beanie - I count myself lucky tho, as my trousers have dried (thankfully an old pair of walking trousers), my coat is hung up and I'm home safe and sound.  I do feel sorry for the school mum - wished I could have helped. 

Even driving along coming home, I got totally engulfed by water spray - a puddle had formed on the other side of the carriageway, and a car went through a bit too fast and water just 'dumped' onto my car.  Thankfully no-one was on the pavement either side of the road when that happened, as they just would have got drenched immediately.  

And the rain has lessened here now, so things have improved. 

Greying X

EssexHebridean

Perhaps there would be a way of making it clear that while you would very much like him to do the job, the baggage would not be welcome to attend alongside? After all, you would be employing the chap himself, as a professional, to do a task for which you'd be paying him - it wouldn't be normal to then expect that person to bring others who were not actively part of the job at hand with them as well. I think when our chap did ours they were a team of three, and all three were actively "working". 

Greying_Pilgrim

EH - I think you have kind of sort of helped me make my mind up that it would be too much hassle to have this individual to quote.  He himself is a nice guy, time served and straight as a die, and whilst he would accept any amount of cups of tea offered, and natter at length in the style of Les Dawson and Roy Barraclough's 'Cissy & Ada', the other family members would see contact with the fitter as an open invitation to drop by at will - normally if they have nothing to do, irrespective of whether you are up to your oxters in wallpaper paste, rodding the drains or finally getting a lie-in coz yer kid is on a sleepover!  

Greying X

lucielle

Hi. I’ve read your diary from the beginning over the last couple of weeks. My DD2 has just moved into her first house and it goes have a condensation problem. Which dehumidifier did you get?  

L

Greying_Pilgrim

Hey lucielle - am I imagining it, or where you an original Stripey Gang member, back in days of yore over on DFW??

Right, I have only ever had one de-humidifier, so can't say whether the one i have is the spiffiest on the market, but it's cleared a heckingtons wellingtons load of moisture outta this house, I can confirm. 

So, if you go to the link that RT posted here, you will see the company and if you then look at RT's post here you will see the type of machine that RT and "other" 😉 MSE'rs have.  It will depend on the size of your DD's house - plus whether the co. have various machines in stock. I am hopeful that the electricity consumption/costings are accurate as we haven't a smart meter/App/way of calculating the cost - but for the most part have it on fan 1, RM 60%, which is the 'lowest' setting (but is proving more than adequate at extracting moisture).

HTH.  Greying X

redofromstart

We have a similar window problem when the rain is heavy and in the wrong direction, one of the kitchen windows pours water.  Our house is thick local stone with lime mortar which is part of the problem, but mr redo added some exterior grade sealant squirt tube window seal (c£10 from memory) on the outside edges of the window which has helped.