From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

KajiKita

Awww … glad all is well again in GP world. ❤️😊

KK

beanielou

So glad all is well. Such a difficult time of year. I had a serious fall out with a friend yesterday as I was tired ratty and not very nice. 

Baileys_Babe

Thank you everyone for sharing, occasionally my OH makes we want to rant. Usually the situation that tips me over is in itself small but it's the constant drip drip effect. Some of the issues are because of OHs health problems but some of them are he has assumed I will deal with certain things. I would appreciate some acknowledgement of what I've done and a chance to discuss issues when they arise if I need it.

Good to hear harmony has been restored.

I am planning for the children (late teens & early 20s) to decorate the tree this evening 🎄

beanielou

Delighted to be report my tatties were Perthshire ones. My red cabbage was the smallest I have ever seen but for 15p that’s ok. 

Blackcats

I'm glad that family LG had such a nice afternoon and evening.

Greying_Pilgrim

beanielou said:

Delighted to be report my tatties were Perthshire ones. My red cabbage was the smallest I have ever seen but for 15p that’s ok. 

Fantastic 😁 I selected a couple of huge neeps, but I liked that there was plenty of choice, of whatever size.  I assume it was the same for the cabbages - and if they were stacked your local store, anything like they were in ours, you had to be approx. 6ft tall to have had a proper ganders at them - for everyone else, you merely stuck an arm over and grabbed onto summat, and hoped for the best 🥬

Baileys_babe - I hear you on the acknowledgement - and that sometimes you do just need to discuss things.  I must admit, DH was around - and stuck around - to have the convo with the neighbour, which I appreciated - it did present a much more 'united front' in finding out stuff pertaining to 'our' home.  Neighbour was lovely, and responded to us both 😁  I love the 'kids' help you decorate the tree 😁Your young adults will have so many memories of decorations getting placed on the tree - we had plenty with LG, "you made this at nursery", "this won you a prize at school", and there were two "new" decs this year, one from a NT place (we went using a newspaper voucher 😁), and the tractor ornament, bought because of attending the tractor run 🥰🚜 Simple, and yet wonderful, all in one 🥰

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Right, Good Morning MFW'rs

This is my second bash at this - I came on after wandering over to Cheery's, and started a post, only to lose it with one wrong button 'catch' 🙄

Anyhoo, I was wittering on about clothes washing/drying.  The loads that I did yesterday had some partial line drying time, and then went in front of the dehu.  In total it was on for 6 hrs 😬 but I stop it after 2 hrs each time and empty out the water.  I suspect I emptied out something approaching 3 pints.  I know that will have included room moisture too, but heck.  In hindsight, I should have put the whites out on the line at least for a time to get a blow.  I put them in front of the dehu straight from the machine, and they took 4 hrs to get completely dry - having said that, they're now in the drawer, washed and dried and ready for next year.  And although 6hrs dehuing won't be without cost, I suspect it still beats a launderette visit.  Especially as the launderette is on a busy side of Greying Town anyway, and yesterday would have been no exception with workplaces and the senior school closing early for the holidays.  

Today was supposed to be wall-to-wall rain again, but I just got around to checking the forecast - and guess what, it's changed - again!  We're now supposed to only have a slight chance of rain at lunchtime, and a good drying breeze 🙄 So I rushed around and gathered up DH's workwear and have shoved it in the machine, 🤞it'll be done and I can peg it out.  We're going to go to the tree festival in a bit - as a family this year, as DH isn't working.

Tea was munched last night.  I used up the last 3 (in the packet, I have another packet), of the M&$ YS'd finger rolls and the last of the 'l1ke hot-dogs' that I got on offer from MrM - as vegan sausages go, they are ok, but I wouldn't rush to buy them again, although they do fill a roll nicely, that is definitely in their favour!  I think they formerly were known as fry's - am I imagining it, or was that a firm out of Northern Ireland?  Anyhoo, for £1.75 they were OK, but at proper price of £2.75 I probably wouldn't have bothered.  Oven chips accompanied.  And I had to chuckle - you know how normally you buy all the boxes of chocs or the choccy oranges when they're on offer in October - and you can't resist eating them, so you have to buy them all over again in December?  Well that's how I am with gherkins - finished the jar I got from MrS (baxt3rs brand on offer) a couple of weeks ago!  I knew opening the jar would be a mistake 🤣  And no, I'm not pregnant!  Although DH had a dream I was the other night - and was werriting how we would be able to afford to raise another kiddo 🤣  That ship has sailed honey 🤣

DH and LG have pootled off to see someone from DH's work.  I need to get ready and hopefully put the wash out before they return.  

Right, best shift-a-tail-feather, before the troops return.  

Greying X

themadvix

While I’m sure that ship probably has sailed this time, I rather remember you saying you thought that before LG came along, so you can’t blame DH’s subconscious for being insecure about it! 😂

 Enjoy the Christmas tree festival!

Greying_Pilgrim

Ha ha tmv, one should never say never, but it really wouldn't t be a good idea, and I've no desire to be in the Gu1ness book of world records - for anything - let alone being Britain's oldest new mother 🤣

So we walked into Greying Town - bickering at each other, as - as per usual - DH prioritised going to a shop for himself over our outing - having already been out and about and passed anyone of a number of pharmacies🙄 As it was, the pharmacy didn't have what he wanted, then he was super niggly and stomped off to the Church, whilst I was trying to catch him up to say as we were in town, why didn't he try the shoe-shaped chemist - then he alarmed me by saying he didn't know where it was (!) the store has been on the high street for 50 yrs (?) Eventually he got served and the pharmacy did have one of what he needed in stock... LG and I stood nearby, trying not to appear smug.

The tree festival was OK.  The church does super well, inviting all sorts of individuals, groups, musicians, singers, performers - religious and secular - into the church to perform when the festival is on.  Today was no exception, and a ton of young people and their parents and supporters had filled the pews.  We got to see the trees, but it wasn't quite as calm as last year.  There was also no refreshments being served so we didn't get to enjoy a coffee and a HM cake ☹️  

Not one of our better outings.  Mostly down to Fam. Greying silly squabbling, but also the tree festival moving away from being a festival about trees.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

So, in MSE things to report;

We've used approximately £5 less in household energy than we did this time last year.  I'm not too sure if that is down to slightly warmer weather?  The effect of the DG?   I wouldn't have said we've conciously been trying to save energy - for example, I've still used the oven, but have also used the PrC and SC - but more than last year??🤔  

I put out the rest of DH's workwear wash.  Whilst it has stayed dry - a 20% chance of rain was forecast  - the breeze hasn't been anything like what was forecast, so the washing (I just brought it in), was as damp (and now cold) as it was when it went out ☹️That's on the airer in front of the dehu - again ☹️  BUT the one item that doesn't have dupes will dry before it's needed again on Monday, everything else has dupes, so in terms of clothing, I am up to date with the washing - I didn't think I would be able to say that 👍

We're changing telecoms/BB provider, so I've been sorting that out.  Whilst the new package isn't like for like with our previous package, it is alot cheaper and we're already getting a better service.  Naturally, the 'old' provider makes it difficult to leave them behind, and as it is now, I will have to pay for extra days at the end of the contract because they require 30 days notice.  We had such trouble with them at the start of the contract, and their service has been rubbish, I shall be glad to leave them, but this 30 days notice is a nuisance.  Needless to say, whilst i was aware my contract was coming to an end, they didn't email me at 32 days prior to inform me that the contract was nearly up, oh no, they're allowed to leave it until 14 days until your contract is up to tell you how much more expensive it's going to be to stay with them.  Car insurance doesn't work like that - they usually give you at least.... 21 (?) days notice your policy is coming up to renewal.  Didn't I see somewhere that Martin is pushing for a review of the 30 days nonsense?  You can't let a phone contract lapse either, they would still charge you 30 days from the end of the contract.  If you enter into a time specific contract, why can't you leave without further payment at the end of that time period?  especially if you've given them notice of your intention to leave.  

DH and LG have gone for their (annual) little trip out to the hospice cafe.  As we didn't have cake this morning, DH rang to see if they could get a table.  They do scrumptious cakes and it's part of our charitable donation - rather than giving cash to a coffee chain.  Luckily there was seating available, so they've trotted off there.  

Lunch was soup.  I made a base with onion, celery, garlic, carrots, parsnips and turnip.  Cooked that and then blitzed.  Then I added a tin of baked beans with the tommie sauce washed off, and some frozen mixed veg.  It made 3 full bowls, and was a nice soup.  

I think we'll go for pizza for tea, with wedges.  

Right, that's as much "proper" MSEing as I can think of at the mo - and for sure, I'm no good at it, feel a bit of a fraud being on here actually.  But I do know that I do make savings that contribute to the household running for less, so mustn't be too harsh on me auld self.

Greying X