Fantabulous February with the Friendly Frugaleers!

[Cagliostro]

Hello everyone, new thread time yet again!

I'm a very happy frugaleer this evening
My mobile phone provider have been overcharging me despite the fact that they promised my bill would not go up last May when I upgraded with them.

Each time I ring, it's either wrong dept, out of a person's remit, out of the required departments hours etc. I've been ringing on an ad hoc basis since last Nov/Dec.

Well today I persevered & am getting a €120 refund and my bill is going down to €30 a month, it's been averaging around €56. Firstly she tried to fob me off with oh I've this great offer for you, but I was like a dog with a bone, I said that's fine but what about what I've been overcharged, then she'd to check with her supervisor and left me on hold for 20 mins, then transfer me to a different department but it's all good now my next bill will be mixed up alright due to changing contracts but otherwise it's a good outcome

Oh wreck no! Are they specific to each car?

I've found out there's another launderette I didn't know of in Durham City, so only 1 bus ride away. So my plan is to take a bin bag full of coloured and dark clothing and a bag of DS's school shirts there on Wednesday or Thursday, and then that should see us through until the washing machine is fixed. All that will cost the best part of £25, judging by their prices, as they only do service washes. There will also be another bin bag's worth by then, as well as the 2 loads of bedding, 2 of towels, 1 of bath robes and 1 of woollens that aren't going to the launderette.

Still, feeling less panicked now I have a plan!

Sounds a good plan to me Creme, but to be honest, I'd leave the bedding another week. Won't come to any harm.
Snuggly, yes I think you're nesting not long now, 2 baby frugaleers.
My first DC was a screamer but looking back I think a lot of it was my own fault. I was just a daft, young, new mum and I was convinced baby was dead every time he was fast asleep so I would creep up to see if he was breathing. And he was a light sleeper. Still, live and learn. Second one didn't wake up and had to be woken for feeds.
Really speedy day. Had to buy the tiles for the second ensuite ( last one, thank God) and the grouting and stuff for sealing them. Nearly finished now.
When the bathrooms are finished I am going to save like mad for a greenhouse. Last year I grew tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in the conservatory but I hadn't lived here long so had no choice. But now I am hoping fir a decent greenhouse. Before I moved I had allotments and had 4 greenhouses and bloody left them.
Cag, bet you caskets would love growing stuff on an allotment. Perhaps a home ed group could get one. It's fabulous for kids to grow their own food. DGD used to love picking all the produce.
Bad luck on the car Wreck. Can't believe it's £73 for a key!

wreck I think thats whats called daylight robbery.

trying that is exactly how I was with dd1, everytime she fell asleep I'd basically wake her up trying to check she was breathing, so stupid looking back. It turned her into an uber clingy screamer. Dd2 was my reward for surviving, she was a quiet angel who was uber easy (didn't talk until 3 though). Think I struck the balance about right with the last 2.

I might have just spent £61 on seeds and onion sets and potatoes from Marshalls. But my back garden is going from a 20m mudslide to raised beds, as I want to grow as much as I can from now on; I think food prices are going to get out of hand soon

I can't get the app to work 😡

Anyway the car passed its mot but there were a few other bits that needed doing (the exhaust was about to fall off apparently 😳) so it's £186. Ouch.

Also back from the hospital, my friend did have the dc. I have to have an ultrasound and an endoscopy. Bleurgh.

My mum used to hold a mirror over my nose to check I was alive.

Trying yes the Caglets really would love more opportunity to do gardening! Can't commit to an allotment at the moment due to my health really, but hoping we will get a garden if we are rehoused and then we will allocate an area for it. A friend has a big garden though and she is going to do a club where we all have an area to ourselves so kind of an allotment in her garden :) yay!

Creme it would be cheaper to buy more pants/socks etc from Asda!! What a nightmare though, I think I would cry if our washing machine packed up!

I'dstill, I bought my onion sets in Wilko's and some "rocket" seed potatoes. I am also having raised beds in the garden. Just 3 of them but quite long. I got some top soil off Freecycle so that will go on and I have covered the soil with horse manure from next door.
I have just pulled the last of the leeks so ground is empty just now.
I love to grow as much as I can and then freeze it all or make soup for the winter. I am veggie and living out of the freezer at the moment. (Just as well as every penny is going towards the bathrooms). I just buy tea and milk,
Cag, I am going to plant sunflower seeds with the DGCs and they can have a competition to see who gets the tallest sunflower and then they can feed them to the birds.

Dh was late home from work. It was raining. He asked for a lift. I had just got home and was comfy. But like the good wife I am went to pick him up.

He got in the car and had brought me Burger King dinner. I haven't had a dirty Burger King whopper and fries and a Fanta for so long. Oh. It was delicious.

Oh I will leave all the bedding, towels and woollens until the machine is working, don't worry! If I can keep up with normal clothing and white school shirts, that'll do me.

Snuggly, if it weren't for school uniform and PE kit, I probably would go down the new pants and socks route. I've actually got enough clean to last until next Monday, but DS hasn't.

£2, on a mocha and doughnut from Greggs this morning, was my only spend today.

I'm such an idiot. DD went to cubs and I forgot it was games night so loads of running about. Couldn't take her home add I was helping. Now it's hurting again. I've probably set her back weeks. Fgs. Feel like I'm making loads of shit decisions so far this year.
Just needed a rant.

Ah life don't be too hard on yourself

em I had McDonald's for lunch It appears we share I love of burgers and subway

LSD if I don't include commuting costs

No sign of a parking ticket thankfully

Got meat out of the freezer for frugal casserole for tomorrow and will hunt for some cut price veg in Tesco tomorrow hopefully. Cancelled online Tesco shop tomorrow as didn't have £40 worth of stuff I needed so will go there in person and aim to spend less than that.

We had macdonalds for dinner I didn't leave the hospital until gone five and, although I had planned dinner, it would have been too late for the dc to eat by the time we got home.

Is anyone else watching The Accused at the moment on Channel 5? It's about a case that has been publicised a fair bit in newspapers recently I'm pretty sure, given the specificites of the case. I'm a law student and considering career in criminal law so have a special interest in it. Tragic though.

Spent £2.80 on cup of tea and the most amazing oreo doughnut, well worth it on the doughnut front it was soooo nice. That was in the library café with my lunch whilst on campus. Did a 10-4 day today at uni too and didn't feel super exhausted for a change either, quite happy with it and a bit proud. Oh and I got an exam script back for the exam I did last month and I got 71 .

Well done, Meadow, that's super.

Finally got through to the bank - turns out it wasn't a sales call, but they need to see some ID before they can downgrade my account. Fair enough (apparently the last time they saw ID was 2003?!...) but a bit annoying they didn't tell me this at the time so I didn't have to go back in! If this ends up meaning I pay one more month's charge because of the delay, I will fight that and ask them to refund it, worth a shot right?

DH is round at the neighbour's talking about personal training! He wants two sessions a week! :o DH hasn't decided what to charge yet, he'll need to buy insurance though. But yay!

cag dh used to be a trainer and he charged £60 an hour. Usually the same women (the ones who weren't bothered about exercising just wanted to be able to say they had a trainer).

Wowee Meadow that's awesome! :) Also Need forgot to say well done re: your run time. Woohoo!

Life big hugs. We all do what we think is best, that's all we can do. Rant away lovely

Trying I must get round to sunflowers this year, thanks for the reminder!

Awesome day at my friend's today. Really needed it. Kids all did brilliantly with their learning together. They insisted we stay for dinner too :o

£60 an hour I'm not expecting DH to charge as much because he's new to it (qualified but this will be first client) - but one day...

meadow if you have an interest in criminal law, you should be able to go and watch real cases at your local crown court. Anyone can sit in the public gallery. You may just not be able to sit in on sensitive cases e.g. certain types of victims and children. It's very different to watching it on tv! There's a lot of waiting around.

I would charge market rate for the area cag, people are willing to pay for this kind of thing.

If he's just qualified then all the knowledge is fresh in his mind.

Got a feeling Needs personal trainer is £15 but not sure if thats for an hour?!

£60 seems very high, if that is the going rate I need a career change

I've been watching Apple Tree Yard, was very good.

cag find out what others are charging and do the same. If people are willing to pay for it why not.

For his more serious clients (ones actually training for things) he'd charge up to £80 because he knew they were only short term. They interested him the most. Mrs fancy pants from the posh house he didn't care about really. She just wanted a trainer for status. And never worked hard.

girlie don't forget where I am though. Everything is at a premium here. And to a lot of people having a trainer is a status thing more so than a fitness thing.