Fantastic Frugaleers Continuing Austere April!

[Cagliostro]

Hello! :)

^^ what creme said!

I know. I was so was Dh. He hung up on her. I was even more

I've been to parents and taken everything from their fridge. And am now roasting a butternut squash to make a lasagne with later and am making Thai style carrot and peanut soup. Yummmm

Fucking hell em. I third crème

I don't mean this to sound patronising, Em, but I feel really sorry for your DH. Imagine hearing your own mother saying such a dreadful thing.

Bllody hell em your mil sounds a real, um, treat good on your dh, best thing he could have done.

Totally underestimated how large the area we have cleared for patio is, so had to get more downpipe and joints, but we will link the drainage for the top garden into this too, still £15, and £14 on two huge bails of compost. And £11 in greggs as it was lunchtime and the dc were getting a bit fractious.

Right, watch moto gp/go and dig garden? Moto gp I think!

Em has she always been like that? How is your dh so nice?!

About to go out again, weather lovely here today

creme I feel so sorry for Dh. It's awful. He's had to put up with so much. I'm as low contact as I can be now without going no contact. It makes it easier that she's 12500 miles way and 13 hours ahead.

She made our lives a misery when she was getting divorced from fil. And Dh had to deal with it. Both his brothers are on the other side of the world. So couldn't deal directly.

When we left NZ last year I jokingly said to dbil (who is the absolute best) that she was his problem now. He agrees.

With her you are never allowed to just "be" or be happy. You must always be striving for more. and to be more successful that everyone. She likes to show off. Money is a status symbol. She doesn't respect you unless you have expensive things. You have to mix with the right people. She was impressed when I started riding and suggested that I could make myself new friends because they would be a better class of person than the ones I already had.

Dh feels that it's a phase she's going through a bloody long one and that she'll sort herself out. I fully agree that the divorce was a stressful time. And that selling up here and moving back to NZ was stressful and that she's lonely and depressed.

But she refuses to get help. And instead just insults everyone.

I'll freely admit that I wasn't the best behaved when we were in NZ. Or while she was here for the summer. We argued. She insulted me and my family. Both I was good enough and I may have told her to fuck off to the far side and then some. I have since apologised. But no apology has been forthcoming from her. I admit this hasn't made it difficult for Dh which is why I back off a bit now where she's concerned. My only ask is that if she asks to borrow money again she has to ask both of us. And there has to be an agreement in place for repayment. (After the last time she didn't pay Dh back). He agrees that he was stupid on this one. And still asks her about once a month for the money.

I've said if we have kids I don't want them near her. But am not sure how I can enforce that if she comes here.

I realise that was a huge rant. Sorry.

Frugal frugal frugal.

girlie Dh is so nice I think probably to make up for it. He is super chill about most things (where in comparison I'm a stress head) so we balance each other out. He is my best Dh. 💕

Oh Em. I feel for you both. I'm not keen on my XMIL (she threw a strop about buying mine and XH's wedding cake and refused to pay for it at the last minute, because at £80, it was too expensive) so I know a bit how you feel, but not to that extent.

Bloody hell Em. There are no words

NSD Saturday.

NSD Sunday (today).

Hopefully NSD tomorrow too. Will see how I go.

Just making up big batch of vegetable soup using leftover veg. I've bunged in cabbage, onion, carrot, suede, potato and cauliflower. Not sure how it will turn out but DS likes soup and he's no idea how many veg I put in it lol plus it's quick to heat.

We used our NT membership today, so we've had a relatively frugal day .

I think we need to get some sunscreen soon actually. I worry about sun damage and vitamin D simultaneously though!

We've been out to the beach. We sat and threw stones in the sea. Also collected more sea glass for my jar.

It's what we do when we're angry/upset. I managed to skip my stone for 5 skips.

Rant away em

Space I take a cod liver oil for that everyday. I've worn sunscreen everyday except my wedding (plays havoc under flashlights) for 17 years.

frazzle Google vegan brownies. I know they sound utterly vile but there really nice & gooey. The one I used had too much oil in it so I reduced it as per the reviews. You can add things you've got in the baking cupboards. Lots of vegan cakes are nice and very cheap. They keep well too.

Em Oof, that's a pearler right there. You can see why fil divorced her.

£1 on loo roll, red onions 7p, flowers 30p. Doing sc red onion chutney for BBQ season tomorrow.

£62 garden companion seat. Dh will give me £20 & the rest was nectar points.
Pizza stone was free using dhs nectar card. It's designed to go on BBQs but I'm keeping the receipt in case it breaks.

Need garden furniture clear oil and cushions for the seat but the ones in homebase were thin & cost £20 so I'll wait for the sales. I want some naice white company ones or garden trading ones. But for wilkos prices.

£1 charity donation for an animals. Much prefer animals to people.

Back from ikea.

£2.60 parking
£28 ikea
£10.89 tgi's for lunch.

Not too bad I don't think. In ikea I got a new set of bowls/plates etc for the dc as theirs had got a bit old, cutlery tray for the drawer, cheese grater as ours old and skanky, a new roll of drawing paper, a new washing basket and some ice lolly holders, different to usual as they're like the calippo ones.

She sounds like a treat em.
Wreck £28 in Ikea is amazing, I wish I had such restraint! What did you buy?
NSD here - yay!

fluffy she divorced fil.... For never changing. And for holding her back. And for basically not being good enough after 30 years and 3 kids. and maybe because all of her gal pals were also single but that's just my scathing opinion

wreck how?? How did you manage to spend that little at ikea? I can't ever seem to go below three figures (which is why I'm not allowed there - helps that our nearest is in Rennes or Southampton).

Well if she's asking for money the grass wasn't greener.

Nope. Anyway. Spicy Thai carrot and peanut soup is ace! Maybe a little too spicy. But so yum. Looking forward to my lunch tomorrow!!

And butternut spinach and emmental (was supposed to be feta but mum didn't have any...) is in the oven. Nsd.

We've walked 4K today. And threw loads of stones. I think Dh is calmer now. I feel so bad for him. It is difficult. And I try to be as supportive as possible. But there are times when I'd just like to stab that woman.

I added some paprika and cayenne to give our veg soup a kick... it's may possibly be a bit too much of a kick oops. We've just had a bowl of soup and a bacon sandwich for tea, bit random but using leftovers in fridge. Was yummy though.

em your mil?!!!

Mine are v strange too. Too many antics to get through. Suffice to say we live opposite ends of the country to them.

Didn't spend much today. Church, lunch at friends (we brought some drinks £4).

Have a good week ahead everyone.

Oh forgot to say, we made about £200 on ziffit and webuybooks!

NSD today :)