From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

teapot2

Glad you all had a fun and enjoyable day.  Potholes are in abundance here too and often been filled up by and disguised by the recent rain 🙄

Greying_Pilgrim

teapot2 said:

Glad you all had a fun and enjoyable day.  Potholes are in abundance here too and often been filled up by and disguised by the recent rain 🙄

I know teapot2 - that's the scary thing, they were everywhere, on any type of road surface, high up on top of a mountain moor, in a town, on city centre roundabouts.  They weren't all associated with manhole covers, some were just deep holes all over the carriageway.  Several times we saw a trench line, where piping or cabling had obviously been laid.  The trench line had sunk, and then potholes had formed in the trench!  If your wheel got stuck in the groove of the trench, you had no choice but to go over each.and.every.pothole. 🙁  No wonder everyone drives about in big wheeled trucks and 4x4 - it's like going off road, even when you're supposedly on a road.......  And it isn't any one council, or council area - it's all over.  I can't see how it's ever going to get better, it seems like we've gone too far into 'carp carriageway' territory for any recovery.

👋to beanie - thanks love, I hope that we're managing to show LG a bit of the UK - but I does lurve me a day out & associated picnic 🤣

I know what I had meant to mention - when we were at the library yesterday, they had a jigsaw puzzle out, for 'public completion'.  Despite us only having one 'jigsaw like' puzzle at home, LG is always taken with puzzles in libraries and we always stop and try to add a few pieces.  I think we managed to add about 3 yesterday 😁  But it led me to ponder what skills you are developing/maintaining by doing jigsaws (whatever your age), I guess manual dexterity/fine motor skills, observation, logic? I just wondered if there was a written statement of what you "gain" from doing jigsaws.  Possibly too many things to define?  Interestingly LG has only just received this jigsaw-like puzzle recently and they dug it out this morning, and started completing it.  Apart from keeping them absorbed and quiet (both wonderful things!), I just think it's so wonderful to see a kid engaged by something that isn't all bright flashing lights and loud music...... but I'm a luddite, I know.

Right, I had better go and slice up a bit of 'Never fail fruitcake' to give to DH with a cuppa.  Got to keep him happy doing the painting...... 😉

Greying X

greenbee

Jigsaws are great for motor skills, concentration, understanding colour, and probably lots of other things. I remember with my brother's kids, seeing their progress in terms of being able to do puzzles over time. 

I finally got round to using my tin of jackfruit the other day in Thai Green Curry. Like you, I won't be going out of my way to include it again - I was thinking of it as a good way of adding variety, but I don't think it is worth the effort. I'll just sow a different packet of lettuce/radish seeds instead!

badmemory

Jigsaws are great for a multitude of skills.  I do know my first husband wouldn't go anywhere near one.  He was colour blind as was his mother which is rare.  He just didn't get them at all.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Thanks for the affirmation about the 'use' of doing jigsaw type puzzles greenbee and badmemory.  Funnily enough the jigsaw-esque piece that LG is working on at the moment is extremely colourful and I have been quite surprised at how they are sticking with it, and they return frequently to 'do a bit more'.  When it goes quiet, it makes such a nice change to see LG poring over the puzzle, rather than getting up to no good! 🤣

Yesterday wasn't a nsd.  An activity had to be paid for and the new tranche of 'afterschool' clubs has come out and LG decided they wanted to attend one.  To be fair, it is only a nominal fee for any of the activities (did used to be free tho), but unfortunately, some of the more interesting activities are run by the less-high calibre staff, and unfortunately represent a waste of time.  LG settled on something, so I booked and paid for it......  they have changed their mind this morning.......🙄   

I might go YS shopping tonight whilst LG is at club, although I could also return some jam jars (nice shape & quality) to a gardener/jam making friend who lives across that way. Will have a think.  There is always opportunities to do shopping, probably better to return the jars.

The weather is stalling any work outside plans. Like many, I am now heartily sick of the rain and saturated ground.  

Right, I can't think of anything directly related to money saving, reverse mortgages or magicking money out of thin air, so I'll push orf.

Ta for popping by.  

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening MFW'rs

So I went to the next market town along this morn for a haircut.  Did a bit of shopping, as this town usefully has a H3r0n as well as a small MrS and a range of chazzers.  I only managed to pick up one thing from the chazzer, but it was a really nice copy of a book that I had been looking out for, for LG.  I got a couple of things for lunchboxes, some apples, herbs, veg, fruit, chopped tomatoes and the TV mag.  I'm not sure I am using my n*ctar card correctly.  It registered the total spend points on my receipt, but didn't add in the points for the stuff that I bought that was supposed to attract extra points 🤔  I realise (now) that I totally misunderstood that the stuff that was 'priced for me' 🙄 had to be bought via the scan shop thingummy or online.  So I spent 89p on oranges, expecting them to be reduced - but 89p was an OK price and lesson learnt.  

In total I spent £11.35 today.  Which I need to add to the grocery total.  

I went to see my gardener/jam-making chum last night whilst LG was at club, so i didn't bother going to any supermercados to seek out any YS bargains.

Tea this evening was a veggie version of 'Staffordshire Lobby' that I made yesterday.  I made it in the PC, and left it to cool.  The pearl barley soaked up alot of the stock, so when I came to prep tea tonight, I made a sort of onion stock by frying up some onions and celery and putting a bit of colour on them, and then adding water.  I blitzed with the stick blender and added a speck of salt and pepper, and then added in the Staffordshire Lobby.  My meat replacement was the YS'd button and sliced mushrooms I picked up in MrL last week.  Knock me down with a feather - LG (who was sceptically sniffing their bowl whilst we waited for papa to come to the table), wolfed down, and I mean wolfed down their portion and said, "thank you for making this mum, I love it!".   So relieved - after all, Stafforshire Lobby - much like any other lob scouse, is based on the simplest of ingredients.  

We had natural yoghurt for pud.

Got some books from the library, so I am hopeful to get a bit of new inspiration for cooking.  

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

simple food - that was enjoyed and eaten up
our library service (which of course is under-threat of cuts 🙁)
a supportive school-gate convo - bit of a rarity, but very much appreciated at the mo.

Ta for popping in.  Appreciated.

Greying X

soozie3

Hi Greying, if you look under the activity section on your nectar home page the bonus points should show up there, under the total points for your spend, as long as you activated the offer before shopping. Hope this helps. 

Greying_Pilgrim

soozie3 said:

Hi Greying, if you look under the activity section on your nectar home page the bonus points should show up there, under the total points for your spend, as long as you activated the offer before shopping. Hope this helps. 

Ah ha!  I didn't 🙁  But lesson learnt, I shall do better next time.  Help indeed it does!  Thanks soozie3!

Greying X

beanielou

The points are usually added overnight. 

I usually activate the offers I think I will use through the app when I get the weekly email notification of my offers. 

Greying_Pilgrim

beanielou said:

The points are usually added overnight. 

I usually activate the offers I think I will use through the app when I get the weekly email notification of my offers. 

Ah, I had missed that I had to do extra steps beanie.  I have a card, and don't do shop/scan or online shopping, so don't benefit from the 'personalised' n*ctar prices, but I had bought something that "should" have attracted additional points, but I didn't 'save' the offer (didn't realise I had to), so the points haven't counted against my card.  The points for the money I actually spent instore have been added to the account tho 😁 Never mind, everyday is a school day 😁

Greying X