From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

in_need_of_direction

i had a recent similar hospital experience where i attended to have my hearing tested. I tried explaining that i knew that i had hearing loss and wanted to know why rather than to just be offered a hearing aid. i took a while but eventually they agreed to an onward referral. if i'd wanted a test, i could have gone to the high st. good luck to mr gp getting it sorted

badmemory

You would be surprised what they can tell you at those high st tests. Mine knew immediately that my hearing loss was caused by damage from ear infections as a child. Actually tonsilitis that spread to my ears back before the NHS got really started (late 40s) & antibios were very rarely proscribed. It also means that due to the damage I cannot have the really modetrn hearing aids as there is too much risk of infection. The only serious improvement I am likely to get is from a skin graft which could leave me with no hearing, I'm not going there.

Blackcats

if you have a MrM near you they are offering free breakfasts in school hols. It was in Martin's missive this week - mini box of cereal and a piece of fruit for all the family. You could add in a cuppa and a hot chocolate. Cheaper than a lunch out. Unless of course you have to drive miles and end up spending the equivalent of a month's shopping on fuel.

hope that MrGP can explain more when he gets home.

Greying_Pilgrim

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81945940#Comment_81945940

Oh how frustrating inod. DH won't 'fight his corner' tho. But I thought it was a scan, because it was requested under the cancer pathways scheme - DH has been to the ENT dept before, and had them prod, poke and look into his ear. In 6 months they've altered nothing - which is why I thought the GP said everything had been exhausted, so it was time to see what was going on in that whole region ie ear, sinus, throat etc. I shall be so b****y annoyed if DH produces an a 'script for anti-b's tonight, I tell you 🤬

In other news, I have been improving my kitchen storage in true MSE fashion. What I would love is a purpose built kitchen with slidey outey drawers that are just the right depth for your pots and pans, or you vast array of kilner jars of pulses, and flours, or spice jars…….. But in real-life, that ain't gonna happen anytime soon 🙄 So for several things; think my most used spices, and the flasks, and the numerous bags of lentils, I had got hold of a few MrL green boxes. They contain 'all the things' and are sturdy enough to withstand pulling in and out of the cupboard to access things. DH has seen this in operation, and this morning was sorting out the carboard for recycling and said that a work boot box that he had was put for recycling, but he was going to cut the top off, as wouldn't the base be useful for more 'drawer like' storage in the kitchen. Not one to squish ideas, I agreed. Later, I set to, and I've put some of my pots and lids in for putting curries etc in the freezer. Cue having been to fArmfoods today, when I got a cardboard box to carry out my shopping (we'd gone in DH's car, and I hadn't got all my shopping bags). When I got home, I looked to see if it would go alongside DH's boot box from this morning. It wouldn't go the conventional way, but turning it on it's side, it would. So cue some cutting and sliding back together, and I have a rigid box, that slides into the gap, and which now holds more freezer boxes and lids. If you want to get boxes/lids out, or return them after washing, it is easy to do, and if there are several, the whole box can be slided out, and stuff put away properly, instead of shoving the boxes in and shutting the door……. (which I'm sure we've all done at one time or another 😳). I've just done a similar thing with the box the new travel cups came in, and that has yielded 2 storey storage for my herb/spices overflow and spares 😁Cut down, it slides nicely at the side of my existing MrL green box, spice storage "system" 😁 Lawks, I am so cheap…….🤣

Lunch has been munched. We didn't take it anywhere, which was a good thing in a way, as we have had a bit of rain.

I need to pick up the rest of my prescription.

Feeling tired, even though I had a reasonable sleep last night - I watched the England footy match 🙄 Should have known it would induce 😴

Right, best get doing summat.

Greying X

rtandon27

Brilliant storage solution GP - all the 'best' organizers say to start with what you have so you are in good company!

We are a household of reused glass jars - a whole matching set of DE instant coffee jars that OH would fish out from his works recycle box for me back in the day! In our house the poshest we get is Waitflower essentials instant coffee and the jars are not half as nice - lol - I've also got many years of P@taks sauce square bottles which do nicely for spices bought in bulk when we venture to a city! Also lots of Salsa jars with black lids as old habits die hard and I top everything plain with a dollop of the stuff!

beanielou

What a fantastic storage solution.

Cheery_Daff

Excellent storage solutions there!

hope you can get some more info out of DH tonight when little ears aren't listening x

Greying_Pilgrim

Aw thanks everyone. The added advantage of the boxes, that I hadn't really thought about is their 'length'. They are long enough to hold quite a few packets/jars, but can be out of the way of the door hinge. Previously I was using old sandwich boxes/ice-cream tubs, which were not too wide, but were too short to hold much, but trying to put one in front of the other clashed with the hinge. Mind, in someways it also highlights how much "stuff" i've in me cupboards. I know spices are a difficult one, as you need a pinch here, and a pinch there, but even so…… Still, we're an ingredients household, so…….

We went to the chemist to get my missing part prescription. Totally picked the wrong time 🫤However, everyone was queuing beautifully and quietly - with the exception of one, there's always one isn't there? Mind, I think the customer assistant may have been asking them to repeat their name, and spell it out on purpose. And then they asked, and re-asked about the address……. 🫤

hB was heaving, and it looked like everyone had bought everything, as boxes, shelves and chiller cabinets were empty ☹️ I particularly noticed - and i know this is daft - that shelves of 'fruit w1nders' was just empty box after empty box with an odd packet here, and an odd packet there. We don't buy them, but it was just - "what does everyone else know about fruit w1nders???" 🤣 I got some of the things I went in for. I need to add £3.81 to my grocery total.

Oh Cheery I'm hopeful DH and I get time to chat. It's never easy these days. And it's not about wanting to keep secrets, it's just somethings may unduly worry a child, or they're not harmed if they don't know such and such a test is happening, or whatever.

Right, off to amend siggie figgie, see why the garage door is being opened, and work out what the heck to have for us tea.

Greying X

Baileys_Babe

We have a freestanding kitchen - we ran out of money to a fit a kitchen - it is made up of a variety of bits of furniture including a worktop unit with shelves underneath, we have drawers on the shelves using repurposed cardboard boxes, mainly those shops display flour wraps in. We buy herbs and spices in bulk, we use old honey jars to use them in cooking and the remainder of the bulk bags are in a box in the cupboard, which will have also repurposed.

@Greying_Pilgrim definitely done the shut the door and run away quickly from the tupperware cupboard of doom. Mainly due to lack of cupboards our plastic storage boxes live in 2 plastic crates, one in front of the other, the crate at the front holds lids and tubs of the similar size only different depths, the 2nd crate holds all the awkward shaped bits pieces hidden out of sight 😆

@rtandon27 you lucky thing having DE coffee jars to store dry goods in 😍

beanielou

DS & I used to love a winder! Strawberry if I remember.