6th - Aldi £11.42
This weeks shopping was from Aldi at the weekend, again I was just buying the things that I either really needed or really wanted. I'm just keeping it simple while I slowly eat my way through the things in the freezer, buying just the few fresh things that I need to compliment what I already have.
The receipt for posterity.
I wonder if one day I will look back on this and marvel at how cheap everything was. 😄
6th - Booths £6.65
While we were in Booths having some breakfast I bought a couple of things that I needed. I bought two cartons of milk as it was on special offer again. One carton lasts me about ten days as I only have it on my Weetabix.
9th Booths - £6.65
That confused me briefly looking at the photos, as the total for these two small shops was exactly the same.
I called into Booths yesterday as Alan asked me to get him some bread, and also a sandwich and drink for his lunch while he was at the bungalow. He takes a flask of coffee and a banana every day, but as he was staying longer he wanted something else.
The new front door had been installed the day before so this was the first time I was seeing it.
Sadly although it is the right front door, it has all the wrong door furniture on it. It was supposed to be in black so that it ties in with the anthracite grey window frames a bit better. It looked relatively okay on the photos Alan had shown me the day before, but in person the chrome was a bit insipid.
The French doors in the main room look fantastic though.
The room is now flooded with light, which is exactly what you what you need when it's the main living area in such a small property. These door handles are right as they need to match the chrome and steel elements of the kitchen.
The main jobs of this week are having the outside of the bungalow rendered in brilliant white, and Alan is indoors stripping off remnants of wallpaper from the walls and the ceilings, ready for the plasterers to come in later this month.
Sue xx
It all seems to be coming together so quickly now. The light that is flooding in looks lovely :)
ReplyDeleteGail
It was lovely stepping into the now bright room. It gets the sun ... when it shines ... all day. 🌞😀
DeleteIt is strange how "door furniture" can make a difference. In our bungalow, we found 7 internal doors, and 4 different sorts of handles. We have recently changed them so they match. It looks much neater and coherent now. You can stand by the dining table and see all these doors (and now admire the handles)
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's the little details that matter isn't it. We definitely need a slightly bigger door knocker as we chose, that one is tiddly and barely makes a sound. 🙂
DeleteSue, you're making me antsy for the finished product! When do you hope to be done and moving in?
ReplyDeleteHaha, I thought I would be too, but it seems that I am very happy just plodding along. We are hoping to be in just before Christmas as everything is going so well.
Delete‘ knobs and knockers ‘ make all the difference don’t they. Hopefully you’ll get that sorted out to your liking. Those little Lotus biscuits are very moreish aren’t they 😀
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
Alan was a bit put out that the 'knobs and knockers' were the wrong colour. Yes, the Lotus biscuits are really nice. I have to carry them all the time now for hunger emergencies.
DeleteYou asked " one day I will look back on this and marvel at how cheap everything was"
ReplyDeleteI often think back to the first time I lived in a home of my own. The weekly budget for everything (food, cleaning stuff, toiletries) was £30. My then MIL used to pick me up and we would go the greengrocer, and then the supermarket every Saturday morning. I remember actually looking around on occasions wondering if there was anything else I "just fancied" because I had so much money left over.
I was feeding two of us, and we were eating extremely well.
That makes me feel very old, 😂
I feel very old, very regularly with prices these days. Food mostly, but at the moment we are being constantly astounded by the cost of building materials and labour. We will never be able to afford to do again what we are currently doing. 🫤
DeleteYou've got some great sun in that room! I don't think the door looks bad, but then, I don't have to live with it. Aldi really IS cheap -- much cheaper than our local Waitrose.
ReplyDeleteI agree it doesn't look 'bad', but it will look better overall with black fittings, it will tie it into the other elements. I think both supermarkets have their place, Waitrose and Booths, which are VERY similar, are good for some things that Aldi can't supply, especially quality items.
DeleteIts going to be a lovely room. And the color you chose for the door is beautiful. As always, I am interested in your groceries - are stotties buns?
ReplyDeleteThat shade of green has been our favourite since our first farmhouse door many years ago.
DeleteYes, Stotties is yet another British name for buns ... baps, bread rolls, teacakes, barmcakes, to name but a few. 😄
You must be very excited about the outside of the bungalow displaying your vision. Have you met your neighbours yet? I expect they are waiting for the reveal.
ReplyDeleteYes, we met all our neighbours before Christmas and sent them all cards. Coincidentally, next door but two to us is the office manager from when I lived in the caravan in 2018, so I already knew her quite well. 😀
DeleteThe door colour is gorgeous. A shame they messed up the door furniture for you though. I hope it's being put right. After all you want this to be exactly right!
ReplyDeleteThe living room will be lovely and bright :)
Angie
It's all in hand thank goodness. Alan NEEDS things to be EXACTLY right. It's the engineer in him. 😄
DeleteAs always, I was interested to see your shopping. The Lotus Biscoff cookies sell for $4.99 for an 8 oz. packet at the supermarket I usually order my groceries. I think it contains 32 cookies (package says 8 servings and each serving size is 4 cookies).
ReplyDeleteI keep wondering if people will get sick of seeing my shopping, so I'm glad you like it.
DeleteThese little Lotus biscuits are in travel packs of two, so they are really handy to slip into my bag for emergencies. They were £1.70 on special offer. 🙂
A lovely light room. I would be very aware of the "neighbours" though - have never lived anywhere facing onto houses, always had privacy in our properties. But then I have lived in the countryside most of my life. You have made such good progress - perhaps you will be in before Christmas?
ReplyDeleteI hope you can get replacement black door furniture sorted. I agree, the chrome doesn't look as nice.
Sensible shopping. I have finally cracked the cat biscuits and we are back to the original one which they will all eat, so I bought a big pack in Tesco as they were on offer - hah, the right price, as they had been hiked up about £3. I asked Gabby to get me some cat food sachets in gravy. She clearly didn't pay attention as she bought me the jelly ones, so I have not got 3 partly-used packs of jelly cat food, some of the flavours they turn their noses up at! I have enough for a month now anyway.
At this rate I will soon be vegetarian as I bought a pack of Smoked Haddock in Tesco, for Kedgeree and was horrified to find it had shot up to £7.50!!! I had been paying around £4 I think (probably from Aldi though). Even so . . .
I think we have gotten used to having much closer neighbours since we moved back to England. Happily we are only overlooked by the bedroom windows as all the gardens here are separated by 6ft high fences.
DeletePet food has really shot up in price hasn't it, so it really is vital to find one that they like and will eat. Ginger is hooked on Gourmet Revelations at the moment. They are £3 for a pack of 4 and he has 2 at each meal to try and keep his weight up. He also has Webbox Lick-e-Lix squeezed into a dish twice a day with his thyroid medication. I don't think we could afford more than one pet a time now. But never say never. 😄
It's impossible to make money and price comparisons; my father once said ruefully that when he got a salary rise to £500 per year he knew he was set up for life... back in the 1950s! We felt the same when my husband came back and said he'd got a rise to £2,600 per year in the 1980s!
ReplyDeleteIt really is isn't it. My first ever wage packet in 1976 was for £14. By the time I was married two years later I was earning the fantastic amount of £17 a week and my husband earned £24. Our rent was £7 as we rented off a family member. Compared to these days that seems so strange. 🤔
DeleteWhat a lovely colour your door is! I rather like the chrome with the sage green but I get the matching with the window frames.
ReplyDeleteThat room is so light, a perfect space for loads of houseplants! xxx
There may be a few plants. 😄
DeleteWow its all coming together now quite quickly. love the green door.
ReplyDeleteIt had to be green, it's a good reminder of our farmhouse door. 😀
DeleteIt's really looking good, and I love the front door.
ReplyDeleteWe're pleased with it. 💚
DeleteThe colour of the door is fantastic. I do love the colour sage. The door off the main room is spectacular. Things are sure moving right along.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
When I stepped in and saw all that light, I knew immediately that we had done the right thing. ❤️
DeleteJust catching up…..it’s starting to look more like a home now rather than just a house. Are you planning to have curtains or blinds in that lovely sunny room. And any more thoughts on a deck leading from the French doors.
ReplyDeleteIt's getting there. Once the loft insulation isn't hanging down through the holes and large gaps in the ceiling it will be much better. 😄
DeleteWe think that there will be colonial shutters at the windows and voiles and curtains ar the French doors. But the final decision hasn't been made yet.