From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

themadvix

Oh I didn't mean to sound Grinchy about the tree  - I love putting ours up and we have lots of memories associated with decorations too. I just get to the point where it feels all a bit cluttered and yearn for the soothing clear sides and furniture in the right place! (We have to rearrange too and it's fine for a bit, but becomes annoying soon thereafter).

Washing done here because it absolutely needed doing or we'll run out of clothes (I've been avoiding it), but not worth putting it out here either - very, very still today. Heated airer will be on tonight!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good evening MFW'rs

Dearest tmv - you aren't being grinchy at all.  I think you're right, we'll put up with something for a period of time, and then there comes a point where it's a nuisance too far for everyday living.  I don't think that I could move to putting up our decorations mid-November, but that's just me.  Perhaps it's starting to feel less Christmassy after the 26th these days, as retail etc 'moves on' to the next thing. 

dfw - I know what you mean, but curry is an excellent option too!  I shall be trying hard to stick to a 'soup & pud' night each week for January.  No promises I'll keep to it, but it's a target, isn't it ☺️

So the film was OK - and actually filmed in Scotland!  In and around Culross according to the film blurb.  It was predictable, but an alright watch 😁

I made bell pepper crustless quiche, roast tatties (they worked!), roast parsnips, steamed carrots and broccoli, mash and baked beans for tea.  LG claimed to love cottage cheese (🤔?), and ate up their slice of quiche, they had 2 roast parsnips and 2 roast tatties, and ate everything up.  I also made a crumble, I used the last 6 red-fleshed plums that had been in a...... MrS - or MrL box (🤔?) several months ago - they actually were fine (should I be worried about that 🤔?), and I used the last 2 cooking apples that we'd been gifted at the airbnb when we stayed at the start of September.  I do have some cooked apple left in the freezer, but those were the last 'whole' apples.  The crumble colour was glorious - just right for the season!  I put mixed spice in the crumble mix too.  I served with a ball of vanilla flavoured ice-cream, and we all liked it - clean bowls all round.  There is a little bit of crumble left for tomorrow.  We are all stuffed, and it felt like a good veg heavy meal for once.  I used some of the broccoli from today and a couple of carrots.   I just grabbed the tatties (to roast) out of the fridge - didn't think about them, only went for little ones.  I prepped them the same way - par boiled, left to steam dry and ruffed them up in the saucepan, heated the oil and popped them on to cook.  No idea why they worked today, and haven't other times.  Maybe - much like alot of gardening - not thinking about things too much, is the way to do it?  

I can't think of anything else MSE to add.  Ta for popping in.  

Greying X 

Baileys_Babe

Greying_Pilgrim said:

Aw, I do like our tree, even though it isn't much, and I love taking the decorations out each year and remembering where they are from, or when LG made them or whatever, and i do like twinkly little fairy lights, but we just don't have the space, in the current room permutation to have the tree in situ for long.  Hopefully next year, we can work out how to have the TV wall mounted - with cabling hidden as much as an after market fix can allow - and then in future we could have the tree out for a bit longer.  I still love wandering past houses and seeing the trees twinkling in the corner 😁

We've just finished putting everything away.  LG was most helpful 😁Yesterday's wash has been folded and put away too.  

Oh, it was never on the cards, but I didn't do any washing/outdoor drying today - far too still and overcast ☹️  I think I had the dehu on for 7 hrs in total yesterday 😬But for big and heavyweight fabrics, I guess it's par for the course.  I suppose 7hrs dehuing, is starting to get towards launderette costs, however, there would be less shrinking/damaging of the fabrics this way, so it's 6 of one, and half a dozen of the other.  But boy, did alot of water come out - even with having 'half-dried' some of the stuff outside.  

We're currently watching a 'allmark olliday' movie on the telly.  I taped it earlier in the month.  I suspect it will follow a predictable format.....  but it's shot in Scotland (allegedly), and will have some nice set design..... surely 😁  At least you can ffwd through the ads when its on tape.  

Greying X

Remember when comparing dehumidifier running costs and the launderette to add in the cost of travelling to and from.

Next time you are in the vicinity of the launderette could you pop in and find out how much it would cost to dry a load. Then you would be making comparisons based on facts, assuming you know how much it costs to run your dehumidifier.

We aren't as tight for space as you, our tree will stay up until late afternoon/early evening of epiphany, we get together earlier in the day to celebrate with family and friends.

KajiKita

Congratulations on the roasties 🎉🎊🤩😊

Were these spuds a different variety to previous batches? 

KK

Greying_Pilgrim

I regret, I don't know how much it costs Baileys_babe - but last time I was in the launderette - I'm talking 2 years ago?? I'm pretty sure that £1 bought you 6 minutes on high (I honestly don't know whether low/med/high settings actually made a significant difference to time/cost - the dryers weren't overly sophisticated 🫤)  I don't know how long the bed linen (brushed cotton) would take to dry - something between 20 - 30 minutes I would have said, from previous experience.  So £3-£5?? and a couple of things that I washed and dried couldn't have gone in the drier anyway.  The launderette isn't overly far away - but probably I would have driven, and it would have taken no less that an hour to do it all (assuming it wasn't busy).  

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Last time I calculated our dehumidifier cost it worked out at 11p an hour, so at that cost even being on for 7 hours would easily beat the laundrette if you were only going on price (and I realise my calculations are likely wildly outdated at this point). Also realise there are other reasons not to have your house festooned in sheets if you can avoid it! Xx

Baileys_Babe

Fantastic news about the roast potatoes 🎉

Weighing up the dehumidifier and launderette will be about more than just cost, time, faff, space, convenience, opening times etc will all need to be factored in.

Another whoop for the potatoes 👏

Greying_Pilgrim

Cheery - did your calculations set on a specific mode for the dehu?  I only ask, because I know that there is a published "usage" per hour for one setting of our dehu - it's one of the eco/middle of the road settings.  I was using the dehu on the laundry setting (clothes emoji), and as it seems the fan runs a little faster, I had assumed that this may be more of a power drain?  Realistically, even if the drying was costing £1 an hour at home (with unit charge pro-rata'd in too), it would still be worth doing - because although it took 'longer' I was able to do other things whilst the dehu puttered away.  OK, so I mostly put it on for 2hrs at a time, as I find the water needs emptying at that point anyway, but it's all still less bother than a launderette visit.  It took so long because it's only really effective using one airer in front of the dehu at a time, and there's no point in overloading the airer - nothing gets dry.  But I have to say, I left the airers overnight (not in front of a running dehu, just at room temp etc) and when I was folding the sheets today, I was perfectly content that they were fully dry and could be put away.  

I am pleased that the tatties crisped up today, but i think I'm more impressed at how LG has taken to eating roast parsnips - with the skin on too!  Thank you JO! 

Greying X

newgirly

Just popping in to wish you a belated merry Christmas GP, I’m glad you all had a good time ☃️ x 

Greying_Pilgrim

newgirly said:

Just popping in to wish you a belated merry Christmas GP, I’m glad you all had a good time ☃️ x 

Thanks hun - we did 😁 We had a 'quiet' time, but given that LG said that they most appreciated it being 'us' together as a family for a few days, I think we're getting towards 'our' Christmas 😁 Doesn't mean to say that I wouldn't change some things in the future, but reflection is no bad thing, right? 😁

Greying X