BOO! The Freaky Frugaleers prepare for Halloween and beyond. All welcome!

[Cagliostro]

:)

Cag oh no thats rubbish I would really get onto the council, could you go down and speak to someone in person? It might get you bumped up the list a bit.

Christmas thats awesome news, congratulations!

Wreck why are you embarrassed about your house? Hope your foot is feeling better. Re your dd and school dinners, does she like any of them? My dd is a fussy bugger when it comes to school dinners but will eat the roast dinners, jacket spuds and fishfingers so she just has dinners the days they do one of those!!

Mummy sorry to hear that, agree keep busy is prob best policy.

I have had a busy work day, have also had period pain all day and not felt great so its been a slight slog. Have got my car back, was sad to give the hire car back!! My car seems really basic and tinny in comparison.

Anyway had to fill up the hire car before taking it back, also picked up a drink, chocolate (medicinal) and paracetamol so spent £37.

Thanks everyone! It is lovely, though I am trying not to get too invested in it. Don't want to tempt fate.

wreck I am definitely going to go for easy meals - I have a limited but functional repertoire of very easy recipes, honed over years of FT work and commuting! I don't really like takeaways or ready meals as much as home cooked food so usually feel pretty motivated. I've just hit a wall this week!

Em I am going to miss having Christmas parties to go to this year. I do like an excuse to dress up.

Girlie we just can't afford to make it really nice and it's so small. Plus little things like the skirting boards are old and horrible and the storage heaters are too. I thought about that with the school dinners but I'm not sure we're allowed to do that whilst they're free. Dd also only likes the roast dinners and fish and chips! Oh and pasta.

Seacow I feel like that often and I'm not even pregnant

Posted too soon - sparkly dress sounds lovely.

Also Wreck I am sorry you feel embarassed by your house. I hope it's not because it is a LA house? I for one am embarrassed that we live in a country where social housing is not the norm because there's not enough of it! The lack of affordable housing and secure tenures is appalling.

I am lucky to own my home now giant mortgage aside but that's not how I grew up - I lived in a succession of basic army quarters. Never thought much of it as I didn't know any different. My parents were very proud when they finally got on the housing ladder... just before interest rates went up to 14%. Terrible times, I will never ever forget it.

Cross posted wreck. If it makes you feel any better I have three huge holes in my kitchen ceiling where a plumber had to cut the plaster out to find the source of a leak from above. THREE years ago. It mortifies me whenever I see people's eyes drift towards it but I have never had the golden combination of time of energy to find someone to fix it!

I've had bare concrete in the kitchen, utility, hall and downstairs loo since June.

Tiles go down in Jan, a year after I bought the damn things.

That sounds cold Fluffy!

Wreck, ouch, hope you are resting
Oh no cag. Can you claim enforced homelessness to get up the list. Sorry i have no idea how it works. Also as need says goi down the more benefits route.
Ah em catface is coming along.
Congratulation Seacrow.

Mummy, good luck with the scan. Good for you getting it checked out. Remember most lumps are harmless.
Ikwym about being embarrassed by the house but real friends don't care, they come to see you

for Cag and Mummy, hope you are both ok.

I feel very big and uncomfortable all of a sudden. I walked too far and too fast pushing the pushchair today. The bump hurts, I can't bend down, am just sitting with the cat watching tv.

Congratulations, Christmas! Lovely news, I hope all goes well.

Good news about the cat too, Em. She's getting confident!

Cag can you ask your local authority to look at a Discretionary Housing Payment for you? I don't know all the rules, but it can be considered if there is a shortfall in your rent after housing benefit. They usually will only do it for a fixed time period, but it is worth a shot.

Wreck I was a bit like with my council flat, it was nice but the storage heaters were ancient and for years we lived with a 1960s esque bathroom, complete with cracked tiles and manky lilo! I agree though, real friends would never judge.

I couldn't get the energy together required to take dd to her swimming lesson tonight, so we had a night off! Not very frugal given it was already paid for but hey ho we were both cream crackered!!

Christmas, congratulations. Hope all goes well. When are you due?

Cag. That's shit news. Still I'm glad you are looking on the positive side. You want to move. This time next year you will be living somewhere nicer. And def go for the benefits. That's what they are for.

Mummy, good luck on Monday. I had a similar scare years ago. Turns out I had broken ribs from a car accident and I didn't know.
Cath, congrats to you DH. Love the umbrella. I think that is a really nice pressie.
£63 on diesel. £1.13 per litre. But I do a lot of miles for work

Congrats mummy I'm getting up as travelling to Dublin with ds this morning & we live at opposite end of the country.
Have my frugaleer hat on though & baked some rolls & buttered them & will just buy some sausages from hot counter to fill them later. Visiting a friend so will have dinner with her so petrol station spends eliminated except for perhaps some

Sorry cath, didn't mention your dh. Congratulations cathdh.
Rest up snuggly. Hope you are ok today.

Nsd planned, day off to do work from home in relative peace.
Did the sainsburys double up yesterday £15 points on clothes = £30
£5 points on Christmas = £10 voucher +4
£21 on food.
Got a 1200 point voucher so still have £40 of points to spend. Not sure if I will though.

Oh snuggly I don't envy you

Should be nsd providing I don't go to tesco to buy my lunch...my manager has a cupboard full of food so might get some from there been up all night with ds who has a horrendous cough so I'm really not feeling it today. Need to pay ds' pre school fees really.

girlie have you considered a mooncup as sanitary protection, seems to reduce the pain & headaches that accompany periods.

I'm still awaiting return of my period 3 years after birth of ds & almost two years after removing hormonal contraceptives from my life

If period ever returns I will buy an organicup I think

Thanks. I didn't sleep well. Or at least I did until about 4am but I've been awake since then for the 4th night running. Am shattered! Need to few bits from town and thinking that DD and I might have lunch out, mainly so that I don't have to think of it, cook it or clear it up! That's not very frugal though is it?!

Wonderful news Scarecrow. Here's hoping for a energetic and stress free pregnancy.

Are the stresses of work and life getting any better Life?

Spends today will be.
£45 farrier.
£20 horse/chicken feed.
£90 Ocado.

The shop will stock us back up again.

How far on are you now Snuggly? Do what is easy for you today.

Really recommend a mooncup, I've just converted and it's a huge lovely change.

Not sure abut the mooncup, my periods are really heavy and I can't see how it wouldn't be messy?! Would be lovely not to have the headaches and cramps though.

Quiet day off today, going to meet a friend for coffee in a mo and then the plan is to just catch up on jobs at home. Will put another phone call in chasing re my heating again, this has become a weekly job now

I'm a night time towel changed every couple of hours day and night person. No leaks, only mess was on changing and I just washed my hands and rinsed it under the tap or wiped it with loo paper and popped it back in. If I was out I had baby wipes and a nappy sack in my handbag to clean my hands with.

I've been checking the household insurance today and comparing quotes, both with TCB and Santander. There's only £10 in it with my existing cover, and said cover is also unlimited, unlike the others. I might actually just stick with what I have got, having done due diligence!

Bit fed up today. I am the most self sufficient person I know. I don't need a lot of emotional or practical support. I do EVERYTHING in the house, the whole caboodle. I do ALL the finances. I run the DC's lives, DH hasn't been to one single school event in their whole lives. He works. He just works. 8pm every night this week and 9pm last night. Out of the house by 7am. That's fine. It's who he is. We are financially secure, or thereabouts really.

I asked him to do ONE thing for me next week that I would rather not do. He can't, as he's too busy at work. He never says no to customers. I'm quite tearful.

I know he doesn't really have a life either. It's just tough sometimes.

There. Middle class issues. Me fucking moaning about a DH who has worked himself into the ground to give us all that we have..and loves us beyond belief. And does all this while being bi-polar. How selfish am I?

Said it. Feel better.