From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

tmv - thanks for that endorsment of the 0% stout.  I just wanted to try an alcohol-free version.  We don't drink masses of alcohol, but it's good to have alternatives.  There is a alcohol free pilsner in MrL that we like, but on trying a couple of (very big) name brand 0% lagers, we found we really didn't like them, so it's still a lottery - although compared to where they have come from, alcohol free drinks have improved vastly .

redo - the costume fitted the purpose, and LG ticked the box.  It was sad that none of the teachers dressed up (apparently - they always used to 🙁), none of the kids were asked to talk about their costume, nor the book it was from - so I think the school are just hoop-jumping for the sake of hoop-jumping.  I get that there is no 'right/wrong' and that book characters can be a wide and wonderful selection, but I still don't see how it encourages reading to dress up - particularly when there is no examination of the book, analysis of the character - or just plain and simple class discussion of 'who's your outfit?'.  Waste of time and resources.  No wonder the only winner is the Big River and it's stock of ubiquitous outfits. 

So today DH has gone off to work for the morning.  I don't think I will risk a wash on.  There is a really good breeze, but it's forecast to rain off and on, so I'm unsure how dry it will get.  I need to put away yesterday's load, as that had dried well outside and has finished off on the airer overnight.  

LG and I will potter into Greying Town to purchase a few bits and bobs (with LG's money) and visit the library.

I shall whip up some sort of soup for lunch as it's quite cool and it'll be just the job.  

I can't think of anything more MSE related at the mo.  So I best get shifting-a-tail-feather.  LG is anxious to spend their money....... 🤔 ponders if has done all can to instill money management in child........ 🤔

Ta for popping in.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

So, reasonable progress made this morning.

LG bought what they needed.  Ironically, the replacement watch strap was 3x what we'd paid for the watch in a chazzer in the first place 🙄  I know 'repair' is a good environmental option - but blessed heck 🙁  At least the shop fitted the strap for that.  

I went into HB and sprung for some apples, Henderson's relish and some garlic.  Must add £4.38 to my grocery total.

We walked into town, so free exercise and no parking charges.

We popped into the library, but couldn't find what we were looking for in the children's section, so left empty-handed. 

When we got home we had the last of the HM cake, and I got 'The Borrowers' out for LG to start to read.  One chapter done.

I made a PC batch of tommie sauce, with onions, celery, garlic, red peppers and carrots - a tin of chopped tommies and a passata carton, a stock cube and some water.  Once cooked, I blitzed it, put 4 scoops in little freezer cartons for pizza topping and filled one container with sauce to be frozen.  Then I thinned down the remaining sauce to soup consistency and served with a splodge of greek yoghurt for lunch.  Clean bowls all round.  

DH is back from work and is tackling the shower screen seal (not too sure if I mentioned it had arrived a couple of days after I ordered it 🤔)

I shall make a batch of mashed potato just now, and cut up and partially steam some savoy cabbage, so that it just needs re-heating later.  

I think I forgot to say that we did have pizza and oven chips for tea last night.  I did a 'half 'n half' with black olive topping one side and garlic mushroom the other.  I had a few mushrooms left over from the Veggie Gu1ness Stew. LG did "complain" (in quite a nice way) that they didn't want any more pizza at tea time, as they had had a (small) slice in their lunchbox already - which is fair comment.  We had a fake mini 'mag*um' for dessert.  The l/o pizza went into the freezer for future lunchboxes/picnics. 

Right, spuds to peel.  

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Dreich with us today, so no wash will go on.  I'm in the lucky enough position to not have a full laundry basket for any of us, so no need to go to the launderette yet.  

I got presented with the most luxurious bar of chocolate this morning, and a homemade card - bliss.

Yesterday's rugby watching was a triumph for the game - even if the results were surprising.  We tried the 0% Gu1ness and found it to be good.  Definitely not that different to the alcoholic version, but lighter to drink.  I would definitely buy it again.  The veggie Gu1ness stew was nice.  I had made mashed swede & tatties to go with, and steamed savoy cabbage.  LG had a bowl of it all - and ate it up.  I was a little surprised as the main ingredient of the stew was mushrooms, and they were obvious chunks.  There was a portion of stew left over, so I boxed it up and put it in the freezer for another day.  

It will definitely be soup for lunch.  

Definitely need a nsd today.  Need to update the C4C pot.  LG  has put £1 in there.  it's going even slower this month, but we are making progress with penny/tuppence saving, and if I sort out the bulk fund, I can transfer £8 over from the MrT vouchers.  Any leftover in the CHB (after club/activity payments), is getting a right battering from school/clothing requirements at the mo 🙁  But LG is still engaged in the process, so onwards!

DH fixed the replacement shower seal, but it hasn't fixed the problem 🙁 So he's going to remove the panel today and seal around the part that fixes to the wall.  I know he will do a comprehensive job, but if that doesn't work 🤔

Right, can't think of anything else MSE, so best shuffle orf.  Ta for stopping by.  Appreciated.

Edit: Forgot to add, DH wandered into the kitchen yesterday afternoon, and spotted a sparrowhawk on the garden fence.  We have seen them around, but not actually in our garden.  It even stayed put when LG bounded upstairs shrieking "there's a sparrowhawk on our fence!" 🤣  And there it was.  A male sparrowhawk, about 20 feet away from the back of the house, just sitting and perusing.  We could see it quite clearly, and as it turned it's head, we could see the 2 light blobs on the back of it's head - which I think are to make it look bigger??  After a minute or two, it just upped and effortlessly few off down across neighbouring gardens. Absolutely magical.  Although I fear for the plethora of small birds that usually frequent in and around our garden...... 🙁 but nature is nature. 

Greying X

ladybird1106

Fantastic bird spot, we've been here 12 yrs and only seen 1. Also found evidence of them taking a blackbird out in the garden last year. 
Love 🐞

Greying_Pilgrim

So, the shower screen is sealed.....  Had to give DH a hand to hold the screen as he unscrewed it, and then when he screwed it back on again.  We'll see.  It is a poor design, that has probably been fitted to the wrong situation, and is really set up to fail.  In the short-term, if it fails again, there isn't alot we can do - apart from possibly change to a fixed screen?  In the longer term, we all would like a proper shower cubicle fitted, as none of us bathe.......

Lunch has just been munched, we had Creamy Potato-Cabbage Soup.  For such a list of simple ingredients, you get a filling, tasty meal.  I didn't use sour cream, but substituted in the remainder of some soft cheese/cream cheese that I had.  I did use white wine vinegar - putting it in to cook out a little bit before adding the cream cheese, and I added in a teaspoon of dijon to accentuate the 'cheesiness'.  I did also put garlic into the soup.  Lovely recipe that used up 1/2 the remaining head of savoy from yesterday, plus the little bit of cooked cabbage that was left over from last night.  At the end I put in some dried dill that I had.  Importantly, LG liked it, and we had clean plates all around again.  I remain grateful for this, as not only does it enable me to keep to budget, but LG is getting something like variety, and is eating a broader range of foodstuffs.  'No Likey' is still very much fresh in the memory, but I am hopeful that we're truly moving beyond this stage 🤞

I wouldn't mind watching the rugger this afternoon - don't know whether LG will want to.....  Will have to conjure up something for tea in the interim tho.  

You will be pleased to know that I did share my chocolate this morning.  We had 2 squares each and there is a little bit left over for another time.  Delicious.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Laptop has died. If I am not around, it's because I have no access to the internet. Using phone is way too clunky and slow ☹️ Just what we didn't need ☹️

Greying X

northwalesd

Hope you get something sorted soon GP. I rarely access the forum through anything but my phone, but I know what you mean.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good News!  The laptop lives!

I have NO clue what happened, but the screen went black and to all intents and goggled explanations, the graphics card had possibly gone kaput.  None of the remedies provided by utoob (thank heavens for DH's mobile phone that is much newer than mine), appeared to work.  We even took the back off and tried to make our 'innards'  look like the one in the video, to see what bit we were supposed to be disconnecting..... all to no avail.  Hard reset didn't work.  Glaring at it didn't work.  Switching it off and on didn't work.  Connecting it to the power didn't work.........

I set it to one side and sulked.....

Later I noticed that the power button at the side was flashing.  I thought nothing of it, and then noticed it had stopped, so I picked up the computer and opened the lid, and pressed the on button....... it fired into some version of 'safe mode'.  It worked!

I have spent this morning looking for the cable for the hard-drive 🙄  Which was right where it should be, only I hadn't remembered how it connected up, so thought it was a cable for an older device 🙄Then I have moved all my photos off the computer, along with some other files.  I figured one sudden-onset black screen is possibly a warning, and whilst it would be a fandango, it would be worse if I lost all my pictures of precious memory making holidays and day trips out as well as having a computer that couldn't be mended.  

So, at least i didn't spend any money getting the wrong cable this morning!  

In between overseeing file-shifting, I have cooked up (in the PC) the second kg of dried chickpeas that were in the cupboard.  They are at least a year old, but the first kg cooked up well and I'd used them all up.  They are now boxed up and cooling in the kitchen.  I have also just set a vat of tommie sauce on the go in the PC.  I'm hopeful to make lentil bolognese and pasta for tea tonight.  There is NO swede being used in this tea! 😮🤣

At least whilst I was looking for the cable, I took the opportunity to get rid of toot and put things away. so not a totally wasted exercise.  

I didn't put a wash on today.  I'm not convinced we had any of the showers that were forecast, but neither have we had much breeze nor any sunshine, so poss for the best.  

LG has got a gazinty-million things going on at school this week.  Outfits for this, shoes for that, trainers for the other 🙄Not too sure any of it directly adds to educational value either.... ho hum.

Right, I'm going to cook up the pasta for tea and dig the green lentils out of the freezer.

I found some bits and bobs of change in my search for the cable that was under my nose so that has gone into the collecting bags.  I also found 2 50p's that were 'picture' ones (I collect some for LG) and that we already had, so I swapped them for a £1 from my purse and have added the £1 to 'C4C'.  Must update siggie.  

So glad to be here again.  I really thought the computer had given up, and my mobile phone cannot cope with the internet - as is the wont of steam driven technology 🙄

Ta for popping in.  

Greying X

redofromstart

Glad the laptop got sorted. So stressful when these things happen but as you say the important stuff rescued just in case. 

Thank you for the reminder on chick peas for soaking, I have left my pack on the work top for a morning soak.

rtandon27

Glad to hear the laptop finished its sulk!