The friendly frugaleers natter on through November...

[blueteapot]

Hope you dont mind me starting a shiny new thread

Checking back in after too long a break
Hope everyone is well; I'm just working through the latest thread.

Am proudly still bring a frugaleer on a daily basis; but having to pay out for major expenses like new bathroom and bedroom carpet.

To top it all our oven finally died yesterday. Excellent news this close to Xmas

Hi peppa Glad to hear from you. Your house will be super-smart for Christmas after all that fixing up.

Hi Ipsos... Sadly DH is doing most of the work himself evenings/weekends so nothing happening quickly!

Bank account looking quite scary today and I know a couple of things haven't come out that I've spent for the last few days. But the £172 from nursery hasn't come back so won't hit zero quite yet. I'm returning a pair of boots to Clarks so £50 back and I'll wait till after pay day to buy more.

Yesterday I spent £37 on trousers for my toddler. This was for seven pairs in tesco so reasonable amount but more than I thought. Today I have to go to the post office so I'm going to walk and save the fuel but toddler will get something small while we are there. I'm hoping to use random money in my purse to pay for posting my husband's letters to Poland (expenses) and ds1 treat. I need to work out what food we are taking on holiday next week and do an order. Sainsvury have sent me some vouchers to use so that's something. The more we take the less we will spend in very expensive centre parcs. I also have to work out how we fit everything in my car. It's a Passat but with a baby and a toddler it is going to be quite tricky!

Gosh, poor dh peppa. He must be very busy.

Welcome back Peppa .

I managed to get in to see the nurse practitioner, who thinks it's a mild uti. She's given me a 3 day course of antibiotics, but she said to come back if they don't clear it up. I have to say it's more discomfort and tiredness than out and out pain that are my main symptoms, so I might manage Pilates later.

Other spends:
£17.50 Aldi
£26.33 Asda, £13 of which was wellies and a comb for DS.
£3.50 bus fare.

Tired, weekend was enjoyable though not spendy. Went to Sheffield to see DSS in his new digs at uni. Train £24.00 with clubcard boost, meal £42.00 for four of us including drinks and sweets with £40.00 off (would have been £82.00) with clubcard vouchers. Only real expense some coffee's which came to £9.00 at Costa.

A few bits of essential stuff from aldi/asda today. Will have £60 to pay out for a repair which is covered by extra jobs.

DH came back from work has been a horrible accident at his work Friday afternoon, one of the men caught in some machinery, had to be airlifted to hospital, makes you horribly paranoid about what could happen as it was in his department.

Awful isn't it sporting. DH is personally liable, being a Director, if it were found that we hadn't followed Health and Safety even by the smallest margin.

£20 for my cleaner and £35 Abel and Cole delivery.

Welcome back peppa

Any news yet lilac?

ipsos I have read your recent posts. What specifically are you worried about not having enough hours in the day to do? Is it a general anxious feeling? Maybe being less in control with extra work? What specifically is important that you get done? There is DS and your and DH in the house right? No pets? I agree with the others suggestions but wonder if it's a feeling of anxiousness that change brings? I say this because I get this feeling too during the height of the competition season when I am away every weekend, so I might 'get' where you are coming from. In reality, everything does get done, not always as quickly as I would like, but it does happen.

needsa DH has been saying place is a mess and H&S has been being overlooked for months, now it has cost a man the full use of his legs. I've just told DH to be super careful as anything can go wrong in that environment.

Hi need the main problem is that ds doesn't get on with dust or processed food, so if I leave the housework to get behind a bit or stick a pizza in the oven then all hell breaks loose and no one sleeps for days. The only way to keep things running is to keep relentlessly on top of the tidying and cleaning and to cook everything from scratch. I even have to do a cooked breakfast, and I myself have a different exclusion diet so I do two different cooked meals three times a day. Ds comes home for lunch which takes about an hour and a half with cooking time and delivering both ways. I have 2.5 hours in the morning and 1.5 in the afternoon to do all the tidying and cleaning.

I feel good about doing such a good job of looking after ds's needs, but when I get carried away and try to do something else like fix something about the house or get this little writing job I can very quickly get totally worn out.

I have asked around for a cleaner and cut down my writing hours, so those changes should help a bit. I think there is an element of anxiety about change, but there's also a very large element of just being totally and utterly knackered.

Thanks for asking.

That's awful sporting poor person.

I got my new phone

Nsd.

I'm annoyed with dd'd head teacher. You all know dd has some mobility issues, anyway she does judo on a Monday morning such a big step for her. Some of us stay to watch but the head has said we can't anymore. Dd is now saying she doesn't want to do it and the head said to me 'your attitude will influence how dd feels about it'

Sorry to hear that Spotty. I truly hope that your dd watches your attitude carefully and understands that the head teacher is being a nob, whether she continues to do Judo or not.

ipsos Definitely a cleaner then. My understanding is that a cleaner will do pretty much what you ask, be it a general clean or specifics such as ironing or tidying or cleaning out the fridge or whatever.

I do wonder if it might be time to ask the experts again about your DS and his allergies. I know it's not been great in the past so understand your reluctance. You can control his life (in the nicest possible way!!!!) while he is the age that he is, but that will be harder as he gets older. Not sure how I would go about it with my teen DC's, but I've never had to, so I guess I would find a way. What happens when he goes on a play date? I am guessing you send his food, as my friend with a celiac diagnosed daughter used to.

None of my business, but hate to see you struggle, that's all

I don't get what the head meant spotty? Sorry you have had a bad experience.

I think I can see what the head meant, but surely there are ways of managing that move from you being there to her going on her own that aren't as abrupt. (Assuming you don't need to be there to help with the mobility issues.)

Is there any chance at all that a lot of talking up all the things she'd miss if she stopped going and a large dollop of bribery might encourage DD to at least give it a go?

That's awful sporting hope he's ok, horrible shock for your DH.
NSD for now but have to collect mum from hospital shortly so will have to pay to park.
Really annoyed! Just got Barclaycard statement to find it is £53 in credit (not sure why I never use it). If I'd known that on Saturday I'd have used it for my Amazon Xmas shop which was £54!

Well I felt like the head was saying that I was making dd worse but that's not the case at all. I wouldn't leave this morning because as soon as the head said it to me dd'd bottom lip started going and I knew she'd refuse to do it. Her asthma is playing up too. Dd had said this morning that she didn't want to do it but I try to be really encouraging. She just finds it really difficult and is the smallest one there even without her issues. She sometimes looks up at me for reassurance and she's worried she will take too long to get dressed afterwards (it's different to pe as they're all rushing to get to class and there's only a couple from her class who do it).

Ipsos, what a treadmill you're on. I hate doing housework at the best of time but the idea that my DCs health depended on me doing it feels me with dread. It must be relentless.

Def get a cleaner if you can manage it, even if it's just for a couple of hours weekly/fortnightly. If sone of the really crap heavy jobs are off your hands that will help.

wirral I am sorry, I missed that post. How awful for you. When you are totally and utterly skint it truly sucks the positive feelings away doesn't it? Life feels relentless. Do you qualify for any warm home discounts or allowances. Poor you

No idea if the guy is ok, DH says apparently it was horrible, compound fractures to both legs. I really hate what's going on there, it's not the first accident. Feel sure the place will end up on Dispatches at some point...

Tomorrow won't be NSD, £45 for 3 5l boxes of wine from a friend who imports it from Portugal. But it will last over Christmas.

Would love a cleaner ipsos but it is just a dream...

Oh no Wirral (I missed it too) I'm sorry I can't remember your situation. We have the heating on but only the heater in the sitting room and we keep the doors closed. What's the weather like where you are? The washing would have dried outside today here

I think wirrall has tried warm front and been rejected. Give me a minute while I google something.

Sorry Wirral, I missed it too. It's bloody awful isn't it?

Difficult one then, Spotty. Can't believe the head suggested that with no notice in front of your dd. It's hard enough trying to parent a child with additional needs without people who you'd expect to know better throwing a spanner into the works

£7.20 in Lidl. Didn't charge for the bags for some reason.

Impulse bought a persimmon as it was 29p. not really sure what to do with it now.

Well that didnt take long, I look a right nob now. www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/

These people are a charity to help people get out of debt with energy bills. Quite apt for BG as they wont let you leave if you have debt. It's a long form but you can do it online. You've got nothing to lose by applying.

Different providers have different criteria so you might get a better deal elsewhere (BG are not exactly market leaders in price) and be entitled to warm front or whatever they call it.

Did you ever check the loft? free insulation would help a lot. Perhaps a child wants to get up there?.

NSD.