From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Humdinger1

Your plans are coming on @Greying_Pilgrim! As ever, your logic is impeccable.   Making the most of every minute.  Love Humdinger xx 

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Cold start with us again, although "warmer" than yesterday I think.  I think it is due to be dry all day (unless the forecast changed), so will need to get a wash on.

DH has "approved" (😉) the suggestions for the holiday, so I must get on and get stuff booked.  

Tea will most likely be omlettes and something, as I have eggs that are in date, but I have plenty, so it'll be a good choice to use them.  

Another window installer is coming today, to quote.  It's the smaller firm, owner does the quotes, rather than the work.  I'm expecting them to 'know their stuff', at least.  I think I've got to research out another firm to quote.  I've got a funny feeling that the first firm who came out won't supply a quote, I don't know why.  I don't know if it was the off-hand way the surveyor measured (I'd assumed it was standard size windows, longevity in the game, worked on these type of houses before....) or whether it was the discussion of the composite door, 'gauging' affordability.....?  Dunno - hope I'm proved wrong.  Although perhaps it would be for the best. The surveyor was intent on the most 'secure' doors, I'm requiring the most heat retaining doors (and windows), make our lives more comfortable, especially in the winter.  

Right, best shift-a-tail-feather, washing won't put itself in the machine 😁

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Mmmmm, I'm having trouble booking TL by card, through their website. Interestingly if you book by phone, it costs £2.50 extra.  In addition, I double checked the PI in the same location, and that room price has come down by £5 for the night.  All of a sudden, TL is only (if I had to pay the booking charge too) £9 more for the night.  And I don't usually have trouble booking PI........

Anyone else had issues?  I've cleared my browser cache, changed browser...... not too sure what else to do?

Greying X

Cherryfudge

Can you go online on your phone and book through there? Interesting that the other price is going down, perhaps that's worth noting (i.e. how long before the relevant date it happened) as you might have found their timing for reducing prices for unsold rooms.

Greying_Pilgrim

Grrrr, super frustrated now.  Tried booking online using my phone, got further this time, and went through the authentication (from my bank by phone), and......nothing.  The screen keeps changing, and it's not booked anything.  I've either spent £250 on nothing, or booked 5 blessed rooms,  But I have no confirmation emails, and nothing is showing on my TL account.  Utterly, utterly frustrating!

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

So, second windows chap has been round. Interesting how folk are different.  Not saying 'better', just different.  Was more 'upbeat' and yes, that's entirely feasible and doable, about one thing we were wanting doing with a window, but was outright "that can't be done, and wouldn't achieve what you wanted anyway" about something else.  But then went and promptly quoted an even higher price that Co. No. 1 for a composite front door, so swings and roundabouts........... 🤣

Company No. 1 have sent through their quote, so I was wrong.  It's alot of money - alot of money...... but not an outrageous amount - given anything and everything associated with "construction" has gone through the roof  since c'vid.  Blessed VAT makes the difference of course.  I will need to study it in detail, and wait for the other quotes, but I'm slightly further on - I have one quote in hand, and the possibility of another landing soon. 

I gave up with TL, and decided to book the PI room, which is at the end of the holiday.  Similar pattern, had to go through the authentification process with my bank, and it worked.  I have a booking reference, and a confirmation email.  Why the issues with TL?  I might see if DH has any more luck booking with his card, otherwise I may just suck up the extra charge and book a PI at the start of the holiday.  

Greying X

rtandon27

@Greying_Pilgrim - well done with getting the quotes done honey - I think you might be properly grown up now - I'm jealous, one day I might get there too! 😉 

Watty1

Well done actually getting the quotes.   When I wanted to replace 3 windows here, people quoted by email (?) from photos and only 3 companies came out which was necessary as I wanted to make the wholes bigger so no one can quote by email until they can assess the actual space in my opinion, and one got very shirty when I pointed that out.      Of the 3 that came out only 1 actually quoted - so naturally they got the gig.

Inspired I asked them to quote for a new front door. Now, I knew that would be high as the door is enormous - the house is an old brick build barn  - and said I was aware it was not a standard size.  Have never heard from them. Which is odd because I didn't quibble on price and paid without prompts or reminders.  

I have never actually managed to get anyone to quote for the front door. So refurbed it instead.

On the security front,  next door locked themselves out one time and PPH and I had a (now sadly dead) friend here who offered to help.  She was slightly appalled we knew someone who would "break in" and went off for the spare key - 20 mins later she was back with no key. so asked the friend to help.   Off he want saying he would open the door in a few mins.  True to form, within a few mins he did so.  She could not see how he had got in at all so came to ask and he carefully and in great detail explained he fitted UPVC windows and how he had done it.  She was horrified making the point she had paid extra for the "most secure" type there was.  There was no sign of his entry at all.  (She installed an alarm after that!)

Greying_Pilgrim

Dearest Watty - that's the thing, if folks want to get in, they will get in by fair means or foul - same with a car, although I'm not sure the coat hanger down the side of the wind-up window is such a sure fire way of getting into a vehicle these days 🤔The chap today was telling me how rubbish our current front door is - and it was from the point of view of knowing how they are manufactured.  The other surveyor was telling me how police officers deal with composite doors during raids, so.........

Interestingly, the chap today did say - only once - 'oh, I don't have to measure that, I know what size it is' (but to be fair, he did double check).  I am wondering whether we have got 2 people to come out because we're wanting 'standard' (ish) windows - when we were after sashes for an older property, we had much more refusal to reply to messages/refusal to visit/refusal to quote.  Sigh - it's draining, isn't it?

I've not even started tea yet, we're still stuck on homework....... 🙄  I thought I would make it easier today with a short passage from a non-fiction book.  Something that we could, in part, check by stepping outside (got the washing in at the same time), but no..... here we are still, 1 hr later 🙄I know I would never be told but 🙄 I wonder how many kids are doing their homework........  I bet it's a fraction of the class.  

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Right, so we've pulled back the day 😉

The homework has been done - phew!

Tea changed slightly, although I did still make omlettes, to use up the eggs.  I did steal borrow inspiration from EH and made dhal, to which I added sweet potato, as I had some i had bought in the MrL PoTW.  I boiled up some brown basmati, and we had dhal, rice and omlette.  DH and I had some chopped up beetroot too, to finish up the beetroot I'd had in the MrL box.  

There was a portion of brown rice left (I intentionally made more than was needed), and 1 and a half pots of dhal, which is now in the freezer for another day.  All munched, clean plates and no complaints.  

Although it wasn't as planned, I'm pleased that tea ended up using what we had.  Another NSD, and use of stores.  

I need to try to sort out this TL room.  If it doesn't work, I shall have to see if the PI room in that area would work.  

I can't think of anything else MSE minded, so I shall shuffle orf.  Ta for popping in. 

Greying X