From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

kayannie

My nearest Mr L still does the £1.50 boxes, but whether they have one when I get there is a bit hit & miss. I always go in during the morning - usually around 10 is a good time, but sometimes by then they've all gone, and sometimes that is too early & they've not been put out.  A few days ago I was earlier than usual & they had a good selection to choose from. KA

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

Thanks redo - possibly the best thing to do with this window would be to dig out the putty (probably old, cracked and shrunk), on the outside and put sealant - however, my worry is that if the outside bottom frame is as rotten as the frame is inside, there will be nothing to apply sealant to.  The frame has rotted away on the inside, to the extent that nothing is 'holding in' the glass pane at the bottom 😬We need to get the window replaced.  I hate having to do things 'knee jerk', but at least if we replaced that window, it wouldn't matter too much if future windows didn't match entirely - it is not in viewing distance/plane of any other window.  It is by far the worst window in the house 🙁

kayannie - thank you, that's good to know that there's a possibility of coming across a box.  When our branch started having the boxes, they were there first thing, but it's got later and later as time passes.  I don't mind so much taking pot luck with timing - just hoped that there wasn't a chance I could perhaps get hold of a box in the future.

Tea was omlette, mash and baked beans.  The mash was made with some of the tatties from MrL today.  I plumped for their £1.49 2.5kg bag of 'white british potatoes' in the end - somewhat expensive 🙁at 60p a kilo, but the variety was given as 'Estima' and I have to say that it made lovely smooth mash - maybe not lip-smackingly tasty, but good enough.  We had a 2-way split with sauce - brown for me and red for everyone else 😉 iykyk.

A couple of pennies and a 5p went from my purse into the collection bags today.  But I'm still a long way off having anything to bank.  

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

my little car
a warm house
LG had a good day at school 👍

Ta for popping in and for your advice and guidance - appreciated, always.

Greying X

redofromstart

Sounds sensible, but haven't dug anything out, just overlaid as a short term measure we have redone the lime mortar pointing but the replacement needed to wait.  Still trying to decide if we are staying ten years (spend all of the money) or moving to the rural cottage of our dreams (which realistically will have worse windows!)

beanielou

Love your gratitude’s for today. 

rtandon27

Greying - did you ever make me smile! After a carpy day in the office having been made to feel like a spare wheel, to be quoted and linked was quite the thing to boost my spirits! - thanks for being such a good egg! - sending a big virtual hug and kiss 💋 

Greying_Pilgrim

Morning MFW'rs

beanie - the first 2 are far from a given for anyone these days 🙁 and there have been times when I have had neither 🙁and unfortunately, this term there have been times when LG has not had a good time at school - which pains me, as we had issues a couple of years ago, and LG went from loving school and doing so well, to refusing to go to school and failing to blossom 🙁An ineffectual teacher was pretty much to blame during that period, for not engaging the children - they seemed to spend most of the time out of the classroom 🙄 and for not tackling the (plethora) of disruptive kids 🙄  LG really likes their teacher this year, and has been doing well.  The first term a disruptive child spoilt things slightly, but they got moved into the other set this year, so we had high hopes, but just recently another child has taken on the mantle of being class b*lly 🙁  A set of absolutely unique circumstances arose - which no one would wish on anyone, let alone a child - but it elevated them into the spotlight and has made their already bossy threatening behaviour into something much darker.  But finally folk are beginning to stand up to this child and things have been marginally more comfortable, and the enjoyment has come back into the school day.  We are certainly going into half-term in a happier position than we entered the Chrimbo hols, anyway.

Oh RT - who's been demoting you to 'spare wheel' status?  Tell us, tell us, the mse posse will be round to sort 'em out and remind them just what a diamond they have in you as an employee!  

So I woke up at 3am.  I think I would have woken up anyway, but found it difficult to go back to sleep - the de-humidifier was on (it's rated as quiet - and we can sleep with it working, it's just if you are awake, sometimes it is difficult to fall back asleep with it on - think the same as having a fan on in the hot summer nights).  Then of course DH got up, so I was laying awake, and I thought I heard an owl.  Sure enough, I opened the window a crack (don't tell DH) and I could hear the tawny owls 😁 How marvellous 😁 I had switched the de-humidifier off at that point and so left the window open a crack (definitely don't tell DH), as it was quite still, and no chance of the window being caught and flinging open.  Anyway, I had thought I could hear them a couple of nights ago, so we have Tawny Owls to add to our local birdy tally 😁

Today is a fund-raiser at school - LG has already said they will take in their own £1 for the pot 👍  I probably will provide the £1, but the fact they offered is 😁  They had a lovely time yesterday learning a new to them sport, and so fingers crossed we end the week on a high, with success in various spelling/times tables tests the other day too.  LG has to work at their achievement, it doesn't always come natural, but when they try, they do well 👍

I'm torn what to do for tea tonight - because of the rugger tomorrow.  Ideally I would do pizza and wedges, but then I was sort of planning to do a 'buffet' style tea tomorrow night, as I am pretty sure the England game is around tea time - and I was going to add pizza (l/o from the freezer) into the mix.  But if we have pizza tonight, we would have to have 'something like' pasta and 'meatballs' or curry tomorrow, which I'm slightly more concerned about us all eating 'on us laps in the living room'.  We've done it before at the rental 😱 but it's slightly stressy hoping nothing is dropped on the carpet - although at least here we're only potentially damaging our own stuff, and eventually the carpet will be replaced anyway.  I shall think on.  At least I have the luxury of choosing what to eat - a fact not lost on me........

Depending on the weather,  I hope to be able to walk into Greying Town today to complete a bit of banking.  In addition we could do with some more apples if HB have any in stock.  Not always a given.  

Can't think of anything overtly MSE to add, so I'll shuffle orf to make LG's snap.

Ta for popping by and joining in.  Appreciated.

Greying X

rtandon27

Oh dear Greying - your pizza dilemma would do my head in! Couldn't you have pizza two nights in a row and relegate the pasta to Sunday?

...and the thought of luring the offender(s) to my pack and letting em have at it is very tempting! 💋 

Greying_Pilgrim

rtandon27 said:

Oh dear Greying - your pizza dilemma would do my head in! Couldn't you have pizza two nights in a row and relegate the pasta to Sunday?

...and the thought of luring the offender(s) to my pack and letting em have at it is very tempting! 💋 

Ha ha - there are worse dilemmas to have for sure.  And it goes without saying that 2/3rds of Family Greying would NOT object to pizza 2 nights on the trot 🤣'tis only fussy mamma that gets bored with the same thing in succession 🙄

I bet we'd scare 'em into submission quick smart.  For 'people of a certain age' who may or may not have grown up watching the UK 'wrestling' matches on World of Sport on a Saturday afternoon, I shall take as my muse the doughty ladies who would NOT suffer any unsportsmanlike moves from the likes of Mick McManus, Giant Haystacks nor Big Daddy - and would bash any repeat offenders with their handbags!  I am getting my second best hat, and Saturday coat ready for action as I type! 🤣

Greying X

carolbee

Greying_Pilgrim said:

rtandon27 said:

Oh dear Greying - your pizza dilemma would do my head in! Couldn't you have pizza two nights in a row and relegate the pasta to Sunday?

...and the thought of luring the offender(s) to my pack and letting em have at it is very tempting! 💋 

Ha ha - there are worse dilemmas to have for sure.  And it goes without saying that 2/3rds of Family Greying would NOT object to pizza 2 nights on the trot 🤣'tis only fussy mamma that gets bored with the same thing in succession 🙄

I bet we'd scare 'em into submission quick smart.  For 'people of a certain age' who may or may not have grown up watching the UK 'wrestling' matches on World of Sport on a Saturday afternoon, I shall take as my muse the doughty ladies who would NOT suffer any unsportsmanlike moves from the likes of Mick McManus, Giant Haystacks nor Big Daddy - and would bash any repeat offenders with their handbags!  I am getting my second best hat, and Saturday coat ready for action as I type! 🤣

Greying X

My late Nan, a very quiet unassuming lady, became a thing possessed when the wrestling was on. When I was about 10, we went to a holiday camp where wrestling was on. My Dad, also a fan, removed himself as she became somewhat ‘loud’. She did indeed have her handbag, you’ve just brought back som lovely memories for me, thank you.

good to see you posting  again, I love your writing.

Greying_Pilgrim

carolbee said:

My late Nan, a very quiet unassuming lady, became a thing possessed when the wrestling was on.....

🤣🤣🤣 - carolbee that made me laugh out loud!  It was pure theatre, but it engaged and enraged in equal measure 🤣 Every game we ever played at school had us counting like a wrestling referee...... er-one-er...two-er..three-er......  🤣

So i walked into town and was lucky with the weather, as although i put my No. 1 best waterproof on, it didn't really start to mizzle with rain until I was headed back, and it was light enough.  The council have indeed been true to their word and refunded the council tax from the rental house, so that is that chapter closed in terms of anything owed to us/them.  

I need to pay the credit card bill today. I remembered that I hadn't paid it whilst listening to owls at 3 o'clock this morning!  Still in time etc, but I need to do it whilst I remember.

I got 2 bags of apples in HB, and I plumped for a 2kg bag of tatties - white 'all rounders' (no variety that I can see), for £1.  At 50p a KG, they still on the pricey side, but we'll see how they cook up.  If they are no worse than the MrL ones (which were fine), then they'll be better value.  

Greying Town was very, very quiet.  I know I was early, but even the chazzers were virtually empty.  I did buy a book for LG from BHF (a little pricey at £2, but it was in good condition, and was a modern puff1n edition of The B0rrowers).  I also got a couple of 'everyday/any occasion' cards for £1 each in Sc0pe.  

Still haven't made a decision about tea, but got too distracted on my walk into and out of Greying Town spotting buds and shoots, and flowers and blossom.  I stopped to take a picture of one tree that was a spectacle of tiny white blossom - very like apple/pear blossom, but smaller.  Then as I nearly got home, I looked down the pathway that goes at the back of our house to the main road, and spotted the same type of tree....... probably about 100 yards down the way 🤣 could have taken a picture any blessed day of the week and avoided the mizzle 🤣  Anyhoo, I shall send the pic to my chum who will identify it in a nano-second, and will enjoy seeing it, as their location means their seasons always start a bit later than us here in balmy Greying Town.  I did also spot some really vibrant camellias (I think) that were a really bright, deep pink.  Not overly to my taste to have in the garden here, but no doubt, SUCH a tonic to see at this time of year.

I retrieved no errant tennis balls today 🤣

Right, let's get this credit card bill paid, and put on me culinary thinking cap for us tea.

Greying X