Frugal January, part two.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Everybody is welcome.

The sausage casserole was delicious. Added celery and red pepper.

Bought 2 pints of milk 94p.

Thanks for well wishes, just spoke to my manager as think will be off work next week. I am thinking about having some counselling but it's £45 a session still if it helps worth it I guess.....

NSD.

I hope the dr sorts you out girlie.

NSD today - woke up late, wandered to parents for sunday lunch, mum made far too much food and has sent us home with leftover roasties, stuffing, chocolate cake, and some pork crackling (which I've eaten).

LSD yesterday. spent £4.30 on veg at the farm shop.

northender I buy the postage bags from ebay works out pretty cheap not sure where to buy in a shop though.

spotty have u tried toughees for school shoes they are very hard wearing but still a girly style. my dd wore through clarks in 6 weeks but these are still going since Sept, they are supportive on ankle and foot aswell. I got them from Amazon but think they have a website. the ones I got were the 'christine' style. they were about £25

Thanks for the comments re my trousers! They are actually new, unworn trousers and fit well on the waist but I have a bit of a tummy, no hips and skinny legs so they look like those old fashioned jodhpurs! I have tried on multiple pairs in different shops and bought them when I was losing the will to live imagining it would be quite cheap to get the side seams altered. I've always had this problem but put up with it in the past but I'm fed up of looking frumpy and untidy.
So my options are to return them for a refund and try on even more pairs or to pay the equivalent of an extra pair of trousers to get them taken in.
I don't suppose anyone else has skinny legs but a bit of a tummy who can advise me where to buy trousers?
Sorry if I sound negative, I'm feeling very stressed today about lack of money and about returning to work soon after mat leave. I'm a bit tearful and lethargic and letting things get to me.

Nocuts thanks I'll have a look.

Pointless I like dorothy Perkins for jeans

clippityclop leftover red wine? Sorry, does not compute....Please tell me. What is this strange and rare thing?

Hi pointless
Have you thought about wearing dresses or skirts (assuming you can wear them at your workplace)? I say this as a mum of 2 who had no tummy till dd born 4 years ago. Recently too with the onset of the 40s I have also widened slightly... That I stopped wearing trousers for the longest time.

And frankly everyone had only compliments. I think I looked more together for some reason or other.

Could you try that?

Girlie - must have missed your post about why you aren't well... Hope you feel better soon.

sossies went inthe freezer for a family meal next weekend , I decided as its just me (and the cat) living here all week , I should eat veggie and be more frugal, so I now have a potato and mushroom coconut curry in my slow cooker.should do 4 lunches (or dinners) all week i reckon can have it with a H?m flatbread or a HB egg if i feel hungry .

Does anyone else here have an Intellichef? We were given ours by DFa while ago ..am finding it really good ..It slow cooks, deep frys . steams etc..

Yes I do wear dresses too. I think I'm having a post-baby/return to work crisis confidence and just can't think what to buy. I've been researching for weeks and I was hoping to put together an affordable capsule wardrobe but I'm beginning to realise I'm completely clueless and need someone to help me. I am determined not to end up buying black boot cut trousers as that's what I used to wear all the time.

Pointless - what sort of work do you do? Office based or running around a lot (eg teacher)? I'm mostly in my office but have to do lots of presentations so I have to look professional. If that fits, I'd be happy to help with some ideas of what to wear?!

Oh - also how old are you or how old do you want to project?!!

Pointless, when I lost weight it persisted in staying around my stomach but losing inches from my thighs and bum so trousers looked baggy on me and I stopped wearing them. Sadly, I now fill them out a lot better now after a weight gain.

I actually prefer wearing dresses and skirts now.

Do you have to be "very" smart (by which I mean, you have to wear suits or tailored items to maintain a professional image), or is your office smart-casual like mine is?

girlie Hope a visit to the GP will help you with managing your anxiety.

Spent £10 today at a Pony Club rally, on bacon sandwiches, coffee and cake. Strictly more than I needed to spend or indeed actually spend, but the monies go towards stuff they do on camp and the annual pantomime, so I didn't mind.

Pointless

Post in S&B, they'll help you.

annoyingly have just had to throw away a whole pumpkin. it was totally rotten (despite only buying it yesterday from the farm shop). i suppose i hadn't checked it properly.

was only £1 but still. feel cheated. and like I've wasted that £1.

Thanks for helping me. I'm a teacher so on my feet all day, no need to be super smart but need to look professional. I'm mid-thirties, 5'7 and size 10-12. I have 3 dresses in wardrobe that would be ok although one is looking a bit tatty and another is quite formal. I cannot wear heels all day, too much standing!
I have decided to return one pair of trousers which was a bit of a panic buy. I really like the others so will look into getting them altered.

LSD today. Dh spent €11.52 on God knows what. Papers and some 'bits' not too bad by his usual standards so I think he's getting the message ...

Emenem. That would really bug me too.

NSD today - not going anywhere!

Will be tomorrow except money will go out for new floors in kitchen, loo and bathroom. £448

I have booked a driving lesson for Thursday, I took 33 hours of lessons in 2012 then moved house and changed jobs twice in the next two years so never managed to get round to booking a new instructor. Now am determined to get the test passed before my 30th in June.

I have really overspent this month due to Christmas etc and it's been sooo long since I was paid before Christmas, money is tight. Thankfully payday is Friday so not long to go. Plenty of food in but nothing to spare once floor man is paid. Need to get a

At christmas I used primark paper bags turned inside out for packing paper!

I always wear dresses for work - usually with sleeves in the winter so I don't have to make any choices about matching tops to bottoms at 6am! Just don a pair of tights and you're good to go :)

£13 at Costco yesterday - big tub of olives and feta and a big tub of chewy vitamins for dd. I was overwhelmed tbh, I could have spent a fortune and only come out with a few items and bulk buying scares me - if I bought 40 tins of sardines I think I'd be put off for life by the time id eaten my way through!

My aim this week is to get stuff on local fb selling group - I need some pennies in my purse!

Fingers crossed for an NSD here. No bike as have to take DD to school (DH waiting in for builder) but I managed it 4 times last week, so hoping I've managed to get back into the swing and will be back on it tomorrow. I wish it would warm up: DD and I went out on our bikes yesterday and froze.

I also wear dresses to work, sometimes with a jacket over the top or sometimes just on their own. I've had some great Ebay bargains for work clothes - I think people often buy stuff for interviews and then never wear it again. I spend more on tights than I do on dresses!

I am also a dress wearer, a home and at work. I think I have a couple of pairs of trousers/jeans that are comfortable, but dresses are so much more. Also have a couple of short cord skirts that I wear with tights and boots which are a good option too?

Hoping for a LSD today, need milk and coffee but will both be from Aldi.

six I am dubious about the value of Costco tbh, and feel a bit like you, a bit overwhelmed by the choice!! I did think it was good value when we did a New Year Party, but for day to day, I am less convinced it's worth me driving all the way there.

MissA I think that if you can see where you money is going i.e new floors, it's more palatable iyswim? Spending that much on repair the boiler would feel less satisfying to me somehow!!

Need to meal plan today at some point too.

LS weekend here. Saturday I took dd2 out to spend some of her Xmas money-she spent £7.50 of her own money in the garden centre and I resisted the sale bargains!

£6.30 in pet shop on rabbit bedding and pig ears for dog.
£2 in coop on salad for tea.
Yesterday we took the ponies and dogs to the beach for the afternoon, £15 for my share of fuel for the horse lorry.
Aiming for Ls week as we are off to a theme park on Saturday for dd1 birthday treat so want to save this weeks spends for that.

I'm thinking dresses might be the way to go. I already have 2 jackets and 2 smarter cardies I can wear with them. I can wear my long boots in the winter but what about summer footwear bearing in mind I'm on my feet a lot?
It should be a NSD today as I'm not very well so staying at home in my pjs.