NST April 2026: Thrift and Thrive

Esmeralda2662

Hi @apple_muncher, Please can I join in for April? Thank you! X

grandmanerd

I've been quiet. I had a couple of slow days which blossomed into a sore throat on Monday and a cough today. I must upgrade my masks because the ones I'm using stop me passing stuff onto other people but I need a respirator to stop me picking up other people's bugs eg when you spend a whole afternoon sitting in A & E.

I spent Easter Saturday and Sunday just wanting baked beans (I did have some in but kept eating more expensive but still easy prepare stuff). Mrs Builder came on Tuesday so the bathroom and kitchen are fine and most of the rubbish and recycling went out. I stopped her doing the front room as it's such a mess but I didn't feel well enough to do much, so we may do that next week. Several snag/ grime spots did get done - the bathroom trap got degunged and she cut up a lot of the freezer bags (the ones that come in food deliveries) which I'd chucked outside near the drain.

My ankle is still causing problems despite being strapped up - yesterday and today I can hardly stand on it. So anything more than getting to the bathroom and back is off the agenda. My back is also extremely painful. Yesterday I checked out an appointment I'd been sent - I don't have to attend, it's just a space for the neurologists to assess the information the doctor sent them and decide on a course of action. I also pegged out most of my washing, which took most of the afternoon with long rests for recovery (pegged out duvet cover, sit down in kitchen in hopes of doing more, gave up and came back an hour later - 1 towel and 1 pillow protector, another hour or so -2 pillowcases. I brought the green (food and garden waste) bin into the yard and near to the house as food in the caddy will go off rapidly and I can't wait until I am strong enough to go all the way to the bin (I put the caddy outside on Monday and I've filled a green food bag since).

Today I've had a shower and washed my hair (the beard and nail cutting are still waiting) and cleared up one small mess. I'm dressed and I've eaten and the rest of the day will be spent relaxing and thinking of more simple food ideas - I hope I can boil some eggs but I have several things I can have with the remaining salad bits. There will be more washing (I didn't get the sheet off the bed, only the duvet cover and pillowcases) but maybe putting clean pillowcases on will suffice - we'll see.

I've been doing a bit of research and found pages of helpful advice from the Tremor Association, some things I already do but more to think about. The receptionist at the Infirmary had to ask someone else to hold my phone so she could write down the number as my hand was shaking so much. One suggestion I'm well ahead on. The electricians looked at me as though I was insane during a rewire when I wanted my wall sockets at waist level, the way they would be in a factory. However it does mean that toddlers can't play with them (especially intelligent toddlers who react to safety plugs by learning how to do the expensive ones with wings and then try to remove the flat ones with a table knife). Later on, I spent far too many years struggling to plug PSs and tvs into a multi socket bar whilst lying flat on a bunk bed, face down with one arm through the end bars of the bunk and one arm under the bed.

So I'm spending the day planning and researching - if the hand tremors are serious, I may become an expensive patient overnight so maybe I won't be able to move outside my current surgery area as other doctor's wouldn't want me.

Grateful for yesterday's wonderful sunshine, caring doctors and NHS staff, simple food, books and funny programmes (Taskmaster is a wonderful distraction).

beanielou

Big hugs 🤗 @grandmanerd.

grandmanerd

My post yesterday wasn't meant to be whiney or miserable. I was aware that I hadn't posted for several days and I need not to lose touch with people (which can happen when I'm in a downward spiral and reinforces it).

My research so far is looking like I need to slow down even more, pace more and work out how I do more with less (I'm not doing much now). There are a couple of 'big scary' things that I'd like to have ruled out but stress seems to be a major factor so I need to adjust to a new reality and accept things I can't do or which take enormous effort eg I need to time my washing clothes and bedding so that Mrs Builder can put it outside when it's her day. Last time she came I asked her to carry a couple of bags of shopping through to the kitchen (they'd been there a day or two and were gradually moving through) and when I went to deal with them she'd put them all away - I could have cried I was so happy (my storage system must work because everything was in the right place.

I think I need to buy food in much smaller quantities, downgrade my expectations on what I can achieve (in all areas). I think I'm going to start piling up books and other things to go to the charity shops, even though I can't take them yet. At least it will give me a clearer idea of what I need to organise within my space. Hopefully I'll get some clarification in the next 2 - 3 weeks to help with big decisions going forward. If moving to a bungalow isn't a possibility then I can spend money on upgrading my house to my ideal (an oblong geodesic dome greenhouse covering the whole of the back yard?). Also accept that I need to pay people to do the work which needs doing starting with painting - it's now 9 years since I painted internally (after a previous lot of improvements/ repairs) and it isn't going to be me doing it anymore. I need help with gardening, starting with a planned professional layout that puts things at a comfortable level for me working (and accessible even if I need a wheelchair in future), preferably with a self watering system installed. It might be time to upgrade to a heat exchange system and/ or solar panels. I think I need to ask the 2 elder boys to give me a half day a month to implement tech improvements (some things I already have but can't use and other things like an alternative way to access books).

Okay I'm going to move across to my chair and start putting things in bags to leave the house and organising (finding) bits to make my life easier.

Grateful for a positive response to my email request for a Council Tax refund for grandma's house - over £400 (go me), another sunshiney day, feeling hopeful (I'll get there - don't know 'where' is or what it looks like but I can do it).

beanielou

@grandmanerd. Not moaning at all. Just the reality of being an older disabled person. It was quite a big change for me to realise that there’s nothing wrong with paying people to do things I can’t do. So know I’m ok with that. For me comparison is the biggest thief of joy. My reality is different to others. That said I’m so blessed to live in a bungalow with my lovely cats that bring me joy every day.

in_need_of_direction

beanie, I would take your thinking one step further and say that, where money is available, use it to pay people to improve your quality of life. It doesn’t have to be due to age or disability but can be to just get rid of things that deprive you of joy.

beanielou

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81957502#Comment_81957502

Absolutely this.

grandmanerd

A good day. Put my phone on charge in case they wanted information from me during the neurology assessment. Emptied the caddy and a green bag into the green (food waste) bin, brought in the duvet cover from the line, washed the caddy in reclaimed rainwater, hung out 2 dresses and 2 teatowels. One of the dresses had been soaked and rubbed as I'd spilled something on it. Don't want to do washing until next week and I hadn't had the dress on for long so I realised I could put it on the line to dry.

I put a bag with 4 food items in the kitchen (put away later) and have been doing little bits of recycling through out the day ( a brown sack for paper and card, orange bag for life for cans and bottles with a small pile of washed items by the sink, the emptied hay bag is being filled with soft plastics and a black bin for anything which can't be recycled).

I've boiled a pan of eggs and put chicken mini fillets, defrosted casserole veg, extra celery and leek, barley, lentils, veg stock, herbs and chilli flakes in a large pan (gorgeous, DS3 said it smelled great). I did the prep for that whilst warming 3 small baked potatoes in the microwave and ate a wholegrain salad from the fridge. Put out the remaining washing - a teatowel, 2 cleaning cloths and a nightdress (all brought in before dark but just put on a worktop because I couldn't stand up longer.

I've jotted down as much as I could of the salad drawer and fridge contents for weekend food ideas and watched 2 more Inspector Lynley episodes. Yesterday I watched one episode with a very young Henry Cavill (playing the Head Boy of a public school) and another episode with Idris Elba and James McAvoy playing youths.

Grateful for the turtle gang, getting things done, resting my ankle.

beanielou

Glad you have had a good day @grandmaned. 🤗🌸

DawnW

Very quiet thread. Sent OH kicking and screaming to the doctor's this morning, as his cough is ongoing after 3 weeks and shows no sign of improving. He has a chest infection and is now on antibiotics. He also has high blood pressure which may or may not be linked to this. He has to get it checked again later this week.

Yesterday we did a bit of work in the front garden, making a neat space for the bins. It is a great improvement, and the only spend was on some bags of gravel. I dug up some hardy geranium and feverfew plants and gladioli and hyacinth bulbs, and have made space for them elsewhere. Also dug up lots of Spanish bluebells and some elderly, leggy and gnarled lavender plants, and put those in the garden bin. The bluebells will be back. It is colder and windy today, and OH kept me awake for ages with his coughing, even though he is sleeping in the spare bedroom on another floor, so I haven't done much outside, though there is plenty to do.

I have done the shopping, washed my yucky hair and cleaned the bathrooms though. I will shortly be starting dinner which will be sweet and sour pork.

Grateful for the new look front garden, OH seeing the doctor, and getting some jobs done despite being tired.