I'm back, still struggling along, still frugal

nannygladys

ladybird1106 -  when I had the lottie my celery never grew very well but in my garden its fine. I'm thinking of picking and freezing the rest as it's getting cooler and I'm not sure if it will die off or not.

Skint_yet_Again

Mmmm celery soup 😋 Does celery stay crunchy if you freeze it? 

nannygladys

So yesterday I did three loads of laundry and most dried outside but was cold when I bought it in, so slung it all onto dryers inside. I also did quite a bit of garden tidying as well as its garden bin collection tomorrow so its all looking a lot neater now and took the pooch a good long walk. And no shopping was done - yay!

Today, I have finished painting above the dado rail and also putting the first coat of paint on the ceiling. The ceiling will probably take 3 coats, and I'm not too sure about the dado as I did a test, but I'll have another look in the daylight to see if its ok, and then below the dado rail and the ceiling again and the painting will be done. Then its new chair, footstool and carpet, just the expensive bits!!!

Completed a menu plan for next week but I'm using what I have in as I'm not shopping until Thursday, I usually go on a Wednesday but I would like to see if I can manage to go a day later each week, every little bit helps.  And that's about it really. As far as I know I will only be out tomorrow and Wednesday and shopping Thursday morning so it should be a low spend week!!! we will see!!!
Nannyg

nannygladys

Where has this week gone? I haven't managed anymore painting since I last wrote here, weekdays are usually busy anyway but I was hoping to start the second coat on the ceiling - ah well I'll try for this weekend instead.

I'm still following my menu plan and keeping my money in my purse!!! until today that is, as it's a shopping day one day later than normal. So all is going well so far.
It's bitterly cold here and a few snowflakes actually fell yesterday but only for a few minutes and unless you were looking out of the window or outside you probably would have missed it  but I've put the heating on for a short time each day, especially at night. 

I've started a new cross stitch that I've had in a cupboard for quite a long time and I've sorted out another that has been on the go for years!!!! and I still haven't finished the Santa one I started this time last year! so that'll be next years goal, complete two of them!!!

I picked a cauliflower this afternoon as the leaves were wilting somewhat, I'm thinking of picking the other two as I don't want to lose them even though they are quite a bit smaller, they will go in the freezer. The carrots seem to be ok thought so I will leave them until I want them and see how they cope with all this frost! I'm also trying to decide on what I want to eat/drink over Xmas and what I can have a go at making for myself. 

Well that's about it, my life is slow and steady presently just how I like it. 
Nannyg

Skint_yet_Again

 Bit cold for painting nannyg? Especially if you’re not having the heating on much. Will you get the carrots out of the ground if it’s freezing ? 😆

RedRose61

I’m a lurker and I love to read your diary. It’s very motivating to hear how you are managing. Hope you find a nice chair to go with your fresh paintwork. 

Blackcats

I've never really grown fruit or veg so I think actually picking a home grown cauliflower is amazing 🥳

nannygladys

I'm getting quite fed up with this old laptop as I have just lost quite a long post when I just moved it not touching any keys, so this is going to be short.

Thanks for the comments.  I have been out today with youngest dd and dgd and picked more carrots and celery!
Took the pooch a very cold walk and picked some more carrots and celery, I'm thinking of picking the rest of the carrots and freezing them tomorrow, and I must have a look at the potatoes I have left in.

So that's it in a nut shell. I hope I have more luck tomorrow with the laptop - it was given to me years ago and I think it was already second hand so it doesn't owe me anything, it may mean using my phone more 
Nannyg

nannygladys

Another busy few days. Been all over the place doing nothing in particular and getting in exhausted!!
No all the time though two dgc have been ill this week and I looked after the youngest for the day on Tuesday, she is just so full of cold and cough and poor baby was so miserable with it. Her mum wrapped her up in blankets and foot muff, hat gloves coat etc so I could take her out for a bit of fresh air and I'd only been walking about 5 minutes and she went to sleep and only woke up when I got back and I was out for about an hour and a half! and she was still really miserable when we got back and had bright red cheeks and runny nose, mum took her temperature and that was raised so no wonder. She was still bad when  I left when I spoke to mum today, dgd was still full of cold but a little brighter!) The other poorly dgc was being sick so had to have 48hrs off school but they were older so coped better with feeling "off" and the second day was sent on the settee watching the tv with a bucket in attendance just in case!!!! It's that time of year I suppose.

I've been doing the usual dog walking, trying not to spend unnecessary money and trying to keep warm! I have been and bought a new tv at long last, its taken me a while to save for it but it's done now. It still has to be taken out of its box and set up but my sil is coming to my rescue on Saturday, he likes messing around with techie stuff and soon gets everything working   

I did my weeks menu plan around what I have in this week so I shouldn't need an awful lot from the shops, just milk and perhaps a few veggies and fruit, although I have a variety of both in my freezers, so I might cut back on buying some of that as well, it will be nice to have a low spend week on food for once. I know some people do a no spend month on everything but I don't think I could do that, I like to think I am capable but I think I would cave in by the end of the first week!!!! I know it's sad but sometimes I quite like going for a look around a really big sm that sells everything and I don't often buy unnecessary things whilst I'm there but I do sometimes have a cup of coffee in their cafe  if I haven't got a lot of frozen stuff!!

It was budget day today but I haven't had the tv on so don't now how it affects me yet, I'll wait to see what Mr Lewis has to say about it all and make any changes accordingly. We are always worse off somehow, I just need to know what affects me and redo a new budget to cope with it. Anyway better go to bed I have to get some more painting done before the tv is set up because I don't want to be pulling it all out after it's been set up!
nitey nite, nannyg

nannygladys

Still here and keeping busy. The painting is progressing in the front room and hopefully will be finished by Friday, just the ceiling to finish in summer. I have bought my first ever tv, I've never actually bought a new tv before, I've always been given them or when I bought my little caravan (many years ago) the people who had her before me left two tv's in her!!! (I've still got one upstairs!)
My sil kindly came up on Saturday and installed it for me, and the chest that I bought from the cs (which he got out of the car for me) I gave it a really good scrub and polish and it's come up lovely! so It's slowly coming together. The next big thing to do is get rid of one the settees (or maybe both) and buy a new chair at least. I've enough money for the chair that I have seen but not enough for a settee yet, so that's why I might only get rid of one of them at the moment.
I made a gf cake the other day, the first I've ever done and took it up to my dd's for them as her husband and my dgs both can't have gluten, and I did take care and sterilise everything I used ie tins, bowls etc as sil is coeliac whereas dgs is intolerant at present. The cake I made was a 'school' cake, sponge cake with butter icing and sprinkles on the top. I'm practising before I do the Xmas cake so I'll try a few other bits as the gf flour acts a little differently to ordinary wheat flour, it's a new thing to learn.
On the money front it's going well, I'm still being careful and writing my menu plans, using any scraps left over to make more meals and using any bits and pieces that are left in the garden. I've put together a Xmas menu that I keep adding to or taking bits away, so hopefully when the times comes I'll know exactly what to buy 
So that's about it really, life goes forwards and we all have to make the most of it whilst we can.
Nannyg