Austere April Advances (even though it's mid March.....). Frugaleers Unite

[needastrongone]

New thread. Can't link.

House viewing was ok. Agent let slip that the lady died in the living room j front of the fire

But. There's an open viewing today it's already got two offers so it's not for us. It did feel like it had once been a lovely family home though. So I hope a lovely family gets it.

We went for breakfast after (Dhs treat!) and made lists of everything we have to do to our place to spruce it up. Top of the list is bathroom. So do is off to b&q this afternoon to look at tiles.

So it's been a productive morning.

knitting have you been to yarndale? It's like woolly heaven

kind of fell off the last thread.. tried to catch up but there was too many pages!!

been hectic in our house, started a job in December and doing my nvq level 3 as well as going on courses for work on top. I'm struggling to keep up!! however it has given dp an insight into what I do especially as I haven't got the time or energy to do everything anymore, he had to take on some of it! And he now knows how hard it is to get anything done with a toddler around!!

I haven't been as frugal as I'd like as I haven't got the time to get to lidl or aldi so have been doing online Tesco food shops and topping up in co-op (do get nus discount though so softens the blow a bit!)

I have been recording all our spending and I was surprised how much we spent last month, cant believe how it all adds up. So trying to do better this month not going brilliantly so far my weakness is definitely the kids and t shirts for me!! must stop looking on qwertee - I have a whole drawer full of them literally cannot fit anymore in!!

Meal plan:

S: pizza
S: out for lunch so will be toast/sandwich
M: roast chicken dinner
T: left over roast chicken wraps
W: bacon and pea risotto
T: chicken goujons/ fish fingers/ croquettes and spaghetti hoops (swimming night)
F: spag bol

I can't work out the name change either!

I just bought a printer £38 to be delivered this afternoon (thank you Argos) cheaper to deliver than the petrol to collect. I still haven't done my end of month for Feb either must do that. The dc are outside playing so I'm sitting with a coffee

Just back from the supermarket. We spent €95.87 in Lidl and €88.08 in Supervalu. That's €183.95 or approx. £143. Sounds expensive but it's been weeks since we did a proper supermarket shop so we were out of almost everything - from hand soaps to cereal to ketchup etc. Some of the things we got today will last 2/3/4 weeks so our next shop won't be nearly as expensive. Hope everyone's well. I'll be back later for a proper catch up.

Ok I've caught up now.

Wreck sorry the garage messed up and took the payment twice. You must have been fuming!

Em hope you're not too disappointed with the test result although I don't think you were planning for a baby just yet. Good luck with the house hunting.

Blue good luck with the job hunting.

fuzz heartiest congrats. to your DH on his new job. I'm so pleased for you both. A pity you won't get more time off together though.

Laska I'm smiling at the idea of you married to a famous rock star

babsmam congrats. on your promotion

Idstill I love the hedgehog cake

Minnie your DH's Aldi trauma made me smile too

lilac so very sorry to hear about your DH's mh problems and the lies. You must be so upset, at the deception as much as anything else. and and a for you.

Having a quiet Saturday here. I've a few breaks coming up with St. Patrick's Day (it falls on Thursday so I'm taking Friday off too and having a nice long weekend). Easter's the following weekend.

A few of you mentioned Easter treasure hunts. DD wants me to do one for her with two little girls who live around the corner. I did one a few years back so I hope I can find the clues - they might be on the old desktop upstairs. I had it all set up so they had to traipse upstairs and then downstairs and then out the back garden and then upstairs again etc. etc. I tried to hide one clue in each room. I have an egg for each girl (3 for €5 in Tesco) and then a few little art and craft bits. super your jigsaw clue is just inspired! Wish I'd come across it earlier. I don't think I'd have time to get a little jigsaw made up.

Tayto a tip I got here was bath foam instead of hand soap. I get a lovely tesco own brand one for 65c and it fills two dispensers

Thanks for all the lovely thoughts & best wishes I'm not further on in my thinking than I was yesterday.
Lies upon more lies is very hurtful.
He has been refusing to go on medication I've told him this is no longer an option

Lila unfortunately he has to want to get better and if he is that resistant it doesn't sound like he does I guess you have to decide if its something you can live with or not..... sorry totally rubbish for you

I have been working all day, been busy and i'm tired NSD though

He says he'll now go to doctor, go for assessment & go on medication but I just wonder is it too little too late?
On the other hand is it just a bad period in his life that he'll overcome with the right help

We've an almost 6 year old dd & a 2 year old ds, I don't want them growing up in either a broken home or an unhappy home. How do you put a timeframe on recovery from this though? No offence to any single parent/separated families, I just mean that if it's possible to keep the family unit together I'll do what I can.

It's tricky lila. I think that I would do my best to stick by him IF he was getting the help like he says he will but I think he'd be on his last chance. I can't remember what sort of problems you've said he has though.

Lila I have every sympathy. Try to remember, and I know this is hard, but folk with MH issues are NOT thinking in the same way as we are. It's not as easy as saying that they have to want to get better. Of course they want to get better, but they are not thinking in a normal manner. DH says that, when he's down, he find it hard to process simple instruction. MH is an illness, like cancer, or heart disease or, to some extent, Asperger's (a condition, anyway).

I don't know why your DH lied. It may be that is WAS a selfish, thoughtless act. It may not be. And you won't be able to talk or find out until he is functioning normally again.

Unless you live with someone with MH issues, you really don't know, you honestly don't, I promise.

The key is to ensure that you have support outside of the immediate family structure, or to be able to take a break yourself, or some one who you can unburden to. Anger and resentment and exhaustion are all normal, I promise.

I do understand, DH has been diagnosed bi-polar for 7/8 years now, but was ill long before this. He will ALWAYS be bi-polar, so we will always have to live with it.

Take care

I meant folk with Asperger's have a condition, sorry, if that wasn't clear.

Spends today:

£2.30 on a coffee as I wait for DD to snowboard.
£7.50 riding lesson for DD.

Sorry I'd. I have 2 Aracauna, they are noisy little sods, but do lay lovely blue eggs. All of my girls (8) have been laying the whole winter, can't believe it, no break!

Thanks for new thread need

NSDs yesterday and today, tomorrow need shoes for DD2.

lila I think I would be angry at that. I suspect my DH may have something along the lines of ADD but he can't see the point in getting assessed at his age . He has a son with dyspraxia and now his brother has been diagnosed, in his 40's, with ADD. Suddenly a lot makes in terms of MIL/BILs/DH and, to a certain extent, DD2 and I am finding his reluctance to speak to a Doctor very frustrating.

Goodness me I'm tired, had a really busy day including dancing, library trip, hairdresser (£26.50) and park. Mum treated us to chippy lunch. Just making tea for DD, we're still too full to eat!
Loving the nice weather, first park trip in weeks and got washing dry on the line.
So pleased to read about your DH's new job fuzz, what a relief for you.
That is tough lilac, I have no advice but I hope the situation improves for you as soon as possible.

£36,86 in the co op.. I only popped in for a few things..
However massive Frugal fail (bugger)as I have ive just noticed ive been charged for 3 lemon tarts at £3.99 each and I only bought two! ( and 1 has been eaten and the other has gone home with my mum and dad so I cant prove that i only had two.. Damn.. Oh well a lesson in reading ones till receipt .

This has just negated my frugal win, in that I bought some home eyelash dye instead of going to the salon to have them done, and Dh has just done them for me and its worked really well..

Also yesterday I rang Southern water and TOLD them ( in a possibly slightly stroppy way I admit ) that i was not going to accept their extra £5 on my DD every month as I was already in credit and they backed down.. it seems that they are doingt his a lot though.. a friend of mine has also had a letter telling her that they intend to put her DD by £6. she is going to phone them now..

Very tough, Lilac. I understand you feel hurt and betrayed, but as Need says, your DH is not thinking rationally. That said, I do hope this gives him the push to try medication. Thinking of you both.

DS and I had a lovely day out at a country park about 15 miles away that Babs sometimes frequents. Spends: £12.70 travel, £14.70 lunch in Costa, £7.99 on a new belt for him and £5.64 in M&S, on milk, bread, croissants and sweets.

Oh crème we may see each other one day. It was on my radar but dd had a strop and the thought of double scooter park. (If in thinking of the right one) We stayed in town and did pic n mix sports. £7 plus £1 parking for 2 hours. My dc are not natural squash players twas hillarious

Laska, I don't think you'd need to prove that you only had 2 tarts - I'm pretty sure they'd give you a refund anyway if you just tell them.

lilac hang in there. I hope everything works out. I have no experience of mental health issues but you have my sympathy (right word...? Maybe not....) I'm thinking of you.

tayto no not upset by test result. Wasn't planning on being pregnant just yet. But if it had happened it have obviously been excited

£55 on afternoon tea this afternoon for dm and dsis. As a late Mother's Day/early birthday treat. Lovely. Bought some of the cakes home there were far too many!

£25 on my riding lesson this morning. Great day today. We hacked out for an hour. Across fields full of daffs. Sun was shining and it was dry for once! came back to the stables for a bit of a schooling session. Had a canter and might have got a bit too over vigorous with my kicking. Pony went faster than she's ever gone before. But scary. But I stayed on the saddle.

Not sure what we're doing for dinner. Dh is roasting a butternut squash.

£46 in sainsburys.
Lilac I have no advice to offer but if you want somewhere to talk I'm sure you can do it here.

I'll pm you the next time we're going, Babs and if you fancy it, we could have a coffee there. That was the first time we went since October. Today was the first day we've made it into double figures (11°) for absolutely ages!

Sounds good crème