From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

debtfreewannabe321

When my laptop died I took it to a local computer shop, just a small family run one. They had a look and diagnosed for free, they said it wasn't worth me fixing it but they would allow a trade in as they could use the screen and some innards, they gave me £40 for it and I bought one for £200 from them, so £160. It lasted me 6 years! I only replaced it last year and that is because it was running slow not because it had broken. It is still kicking about the house somewhere as a back up laptop! So I would definitely look at a second hand refurbed one. 

Those plant balls looked really good btw!

rtandon27

GP - I'd highly recommend using a local repair shop if you have one.  Ours will diagnose & repair as well as recommend a suitable second hand replacement that will suit your needs.  They are completely trustworthy & saved OH's gaming laptop when the fan failed and it started to overheat at the ripe old age of 2! 

Greying_Pilgrim

Thanks for all your help ref: laptop.  I think small computer repair shop is always the way to go if at all possible, and will seek to investigate just what is available in Greying Town.  I know of 3 off the top of my head, but one didn't fair well during covid, so I'm not sure if they are still there, and the one I have used and whilst it's a business development success story, is the one that has become expensive and has something of a 'take it or leave it' attitude - the other business is run by someone connected to the previous business I mentioned, and they are not very good technically/not very nice personally.  

In the interim, the computer has (thankfully) come to life again, and I've realised a commonality with it going to a black screen.  The computer has exhausted it's battery pack, and I have either been late hooking it up to the mains (first occurence of black screen) or have forgotten that the mains lead is not actually on, as I switched it off to move the sofa to look for sources of damp....... 🙄 (second occurence of the black screen).  So, it now points to a CMOS failure (and if I sound like I know what I'm talking about - I don't, I would call it a 'button battery'), rather than (perhaps) a graphics card failure.  The problem being, when we took the back off last Sunday, we couldn't locate the button battery (of course, on utoob, all the laptops had button batteries clearly on display, centre of the camera angle 🙄), and goggling indicates that my laptop may not even have one.......  So maybe (just maybe) I have bought myself a bit of time - IF i leave the laptop connected to the mains for the forseeable, and at least if I find a local computer tech, I can ask more relevant questions, to determine what might be wrong/can it be fixed/how much or do I trade in/buy a re-furb etc.  When the computer came back to life eventually this morning, the time had altered on the clock, to 1.50am, so I assume that is when the power really dwindled to nothing.  A button battery is easy to buy, for not much money - so I am hopeful it is just that - but of course if it's located where you have to deconstruct the whole computer to replace it, or this laptop doesn't have one, well then of course it could take us back to costlier territory 🙁

I have walked to the PO to get the CHB.  I find it easier to budget with it in cash, rather than leaving it in the generic bank account.  The walk was lovely in the sunshine, and walking past the school I spotted LG at playtime - although they didn't spot me 🥰  

I have brought the washing in.  The weather this morning has been far better than I had anticipated, it has been lovely and breezy and we've had moments of super sunshine.  But about an hour ago, it clouded over and I thought 'rain's coming', and rushed out to grab the clothes off the line.  The cover on the drain had just a few spots on it when I went out, by the time I got in, the manhole cover was wet - it was that really 'wetting mizzle', so it definitely would have set the dryness back.  As it is, I've popped everything on the airer, it's not worth going to the launderette, everything is 'touch dry' albeit not 'bone dry'.  We're getting intermittent showers then sunshine now, so it was the right decision.  

I have made the Mushroom Carbonnade de Flamande, and threw in a handful of puy-style lentils that I had left over in the jar.  I put more veg in than I think would be in the original recipe (which I'm sure would be made with beef), so in effect, it is a mushroom, veg, lentil and beer stew.  As I say, it'll taste good on the morrow.  

I haven't made tea.  I think I will plump for something else - possibly we could have burgers, as I have the baps now after shopping yesterday.  Thank you for the compliment about the beanballs dfw321 - they were tasty, not as  'chewy' or meat-like as commercial ones, but then at least I know what went into them, so......

👋 and says thank you to Frugal_Hedonist and kayannie - lovely to see you both, and thank you for commenting.  

Better do a swish round and a bit of tidy up, schools out just now.

Thank you for all your help and support.  I have taken it on board, as I realise that this laptop needs sorting one way or another.  And repair/refurb is much more in keeping with how I want to be - even with budgets squeaky tight and ruling out £2.5k replacements!

Greying X

Pollie

Could you use the smaller wraps to make quesadillas?

Greying_Pilgrim

Pollie said:

Could you use the smaller wraps to make quesadillas?

Hey Pollie - yes, indeed, definitely an option.  I'm going to postpone their appearing on the menu so that I can give good consideration to use up what i have.  Thanks.

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Well, whisper it - it's morning and the 'puter fired up fine.... yay!  It's fully charged and connected to the mains, so fingers crossed.  Goggle searches still haven't confirmed if it has, or has not got a button battery.

I've a wash on and that will be done in a few minutes to go out. Currently we have lovely sun (not much breeze) so I have about a 6 hr window to try and get some clothes dry - mostly LG's school clothes and additional activity clothes.  

Tea is mostly already made - I shall give some consideration to what to make to 'go with'.  Preference would be for mash, but it's got quite alot of liquid, so rice/bulghar/cous cous may be a better option.  

DH is planning on starting decorating the landing ceiling today.  I know it needs to be done, but blow it will be difficult, time consuming and not at all straightforward.  Our stairwell is very high, so there is going to be difficulty in reaching a stretch of it.  I was going to pop into Greying Town to check on banking, but I suspect that although LG will be home with Papa, it's not wise to leave DH alone, as ladders and working at (some) height are going to be involved.  

Can't think of anything otherwise MSE that I am doing.  Sorry for being mundane 🙁

I do appreciate you popping by.  

Greying X

rtandon27

GP - mundane is the stuff of life 😊 Please keep being mundane!

Greying_Pilgrim

Totally forgot to add;  research into computer repair shops in Greying Town finds that the little place that I thought had gone 'under' after covid is still alive and operating - whether it's the same people, I am not sure, but that would be a definite port of call to follow up.  In addition, their social media pages show that they do have refurbed laptops for sale, last year they were starting from £250 (spec. tbd), so again, that is another option to consider and enquire about.  There aren't a plethora of options - although several offer 'in home' services, rather than shop-based, but I will follow up the one place for sure.  

At the moment, I am working on the assumption that I should avoid running the (main) battery out fully, and if I do, then I have to put the laptop on charge and wait until it is all but fully charged before it works again.  Not the end of the world if it does work, but I need to get to the bottom of this button battery mystery. 

The sun is wonderful here - I have just pegged out, and it was just so warming.  I noticed yesterday how even more of the garden gets sun - when it shines, and for longer.  A gaggle of Canada geese honkily passed overhead whilst I was in the garden (we have pools nearby that they hang out in), and I also heard a noise, which i thought first of all was a woodpecker, hammering a tree, but then it was too regular and too 'soft' (I think) a sound.  I wondered if it was a toad?  We do have them - we have already found 2 in our garden when taking down the overgrown conifer.  And it is that time of year.......... 😘  I think a couple of bramblings were hopping about on the fence (will have to look up to make sure that is what they were), and a male blackbird was sat so close to the end of the washing line, he was all but perched atop it!  Beautifully sleek black with an orangey/yellow eye.

Greying X

peb

I'm just in from pegging out the washing and my hands are so cold they hurt!  Annoyingly the sun is out at the front but the line is at the side.   

We have rain forecast at four so hopefully the side will warm up long before then.

rtandon27

We have sun today, but also a thick layer of frost, which has not yet managed to melt.  The load that is in the machine at the moment will most probably be hung inside with the dehumidifier doing it's thing.  I may or may not do a second load today - shall go & see how many underpinnings OH had left!