Fantabulous February with the Friendly Frugaleers!

[Cagliostro]

Hello everyone, new thread time yet again!

Could you ring and find out the scenario if you voluntarily terminate and then weigh up your options again snuggly Very kind of your MIL.

knitting well done on your etsy orders

I filled my car with diesel yesterday, used my new fuel card. Savings €1.76 on a €44 fill. This is a credit card with no fees once paid monthly. I've the money sitting ringfenced in my account for when it's due.

€10 to weigh in, I was up a half a lb, but I was expecting this
€3.40 on a portion of takeaway chips for dd as a treat, she left half of them after her unfrugal

Just gave up more of my personal savings to joint account as we needed to order woodpellets €824 gulp, and we only had half the money put away. This means I probably won't be able to get my underarms lasered if half price offer comes up this month as it's meant to unless I put it on credit card Might browse their facebook page to see how often it comes on offer.

That's helpful, knitting thank you. I didn't know cars like that existed!
I think calling them to check is sensible but have been putting it off because I'm sure I'll get the hard sell!

snuggly removing a seat is also an option on the ford galaxy, just saying knitting I've not had either car so I don't have an opinion on them. I have a toyota corolla verso(now au pair has it) and it has 3 full separate seats in middle row which is fantastic but extra two seats are only suited to little people, I didn't need them so they were rarely used, usually as a novelty

Today will be spendy - getting my hair coloured and trimmed and waxing underarms eyebrows and legs. Hope my refund from eir mobile comes through tomorrow

Snuggly someone I know is selling a car like that locally for around £1400 so you can pick them up fairly cheap second hand.

Glad the scan went well Seacow worrying is normal I think where babies and kids are concerned!

Br brave Cath

Thanks for all the birthday wishes for dd, she was very pleased with all her presents. The bargain scooter was a big hit

Plan for today is to pop put to Sainsburys and pick up a few bits to make a cake with and then to make said cake thats pretty much it, got all the family turning up at teatime but that just involves putting some pizzas in the oven!! I'm feeling tired today as didn't get to sleep till late and was up before dd this morning

Oh and I think my heating system finally works had another chap come out this morning. They all seem to blame each other but this chap did seem to talk some sense and said that he thinks when the last electricians came out they actually did fix the issue but blamed it on a faulty wire which the chap today bought out. He said he specifically asked to see the wire but suspiciously the other men couldn't seem to find it

Anyway I don't care anymore as long as it bloody works!!

This was dds present stash this morning but pic is mostly for you to admire my Poundland balloons

Three full sized back seats is good, as long as your "little helper" doesn't try to feed your baby pringles possibly my fault for handing out pringles in the car
And then later on we decided one in the boot meant we could seperate then to about arms reach. Might just be mine that fight like cats once restrained in seats though (before tablets and smartphones were invented - I am getting old).
Bored this morning as I'm waiting in for my dumpy bag to be delivered, it apparently has to go in a specific spot in the huge front garden. Got lots of stuff to do but cba, having coffee and a teacake.

Happy birthday to your DD, Girlie.

Ooh DH would like a Ford Galaxy, will have a look at those too.

Happy birthday Girlie's DD, great balloons!

Knitting I am a bit worried about our Little Helper. She seems to know rather a lot about how babies should be looked after! I'm never going to leave the room am I?!

girlie happy birthday to your dd, those balloons are awesome!! What a present stash too, she's a lucky girl.

Mine still manage to bug each other on opposite sides of the car now but they're a lot closer now in my Ford Focus than they were in the Corolla Verso, I wouldn't like to have to sit in the space in the middle of their two seats. It's handy for their jackets

Thanks everyone for the support, I didn't think so many people even read my posts, that was kind of you all. Good point whoever said about showing my capability in workplace as well. I am worried about whether I will manage working full-time to be honest but one thing at a time I guess!

Had another exam this morning which I don't think went very well but it's one of my weakest subjects so...we'll see I guess.

Really sore from my pole fitness class yesterday. Snuggly as you do yoga, pilates etc I'm sure you would pick it up very quickly. I am super unfit and also it takes me 10 times longer to learn everything because of my coordination problems and poor short-term memory (Asperger's and dyslexia -.-). So I'm always the worst in the class even though I've been doing it on and off for ages. But I really enjoy it so I try not to let that bother me. It is super fun and really good for mental and physical health.

Happy birthday Girlie's DD.

Spends yesterday was £10 on the pole fitness class, and £1 contribution to taxis to get there. And then £2 sandwiches from SU shop as was starving when I returned back to campus and it was only about 4pm and had to be in work til 8pm.

Then today spent about £4 on sandwiches and a flapjack for my lunch as I had one of those awful rushing about mornings where I didn't have time to make myself lunch. Being disorganised costs so much money!! -.- Need to rein in all this food spending on campus because this week has been ridiculous.

Meadow you are spot on about being disorganised costing money! I find the same with tiredness, if I'm knackered I'm more likely to get takeaways or treats to keep me going.
Pole fitness sounds like it would be fun, maybe I'll give it a go when no longer pregnant!

Yes same here with the disorganisation! I'd love to be the mum who packs healthy lunches every day and always has healthy home cooked meals ready to serve at home 😂 Baby steps though I'm gradually getting better at it

That's a lovely present stash Girlie and excellent balloons. Well done!

I did go to my meeting and it was wonderful. It was about how to improve equality of access in science and I was allowed to get on my soapbox a bit and felt properly listened too. I came home walking on air via Sainsbury's to buy steak.

Knitting I know what you mean about the dangers of back seat munching. When ds was about 2-ish I gave him an entire costa pannetoni thing to nibble in the back seat while I was driving and he swallowed it whole like a python, just as I was going on to a roundabout. Bit of a shock that was.

Meadow On the plus side, at least you're remembering to feed yourself well. That matters too. Take care there. You're doing a great job.

Not an NSD (ever, apparently)

Yes she is a lucky girl although tbh I have toned it down a bit this year she def benefits a lot from being a spoilt 'only' am feeling a bit bad that I didn't get her two things she had asked for. She wanted some 3D pens but they are really expensive and get very mixed reviews so am going to suggest if she still wants them she could use her birthday money (of which she has plenty) to get some. The other thing was a remote control helicopter which I did order from Amazon but it never arrived I messaged them but they didn't send a replacement only refunded me so then I ran out of time

Am determined not to feel bad though as like you say Mammy she is a lucky girl!! One of her favourite gifts was a commemorative silver coin that I got online for about £3 to go in her coin collection

Glad the meeting went well Cath

That sounds like it went well Girlie. If she has birthday money then she can always buy those other things herself. They do sound fun, but both a bit breakable, so good to have her in control of it.

Nsd.

Hi meadow just a quick check in but if you could find time at the weekend to prep a few bits for lunches they would be easier during the week & you might be less likely to be buying them out.
E.g. A tray of flapjacks, a tub of tuna mayo mix, a mixed salad, roast meat for sandwiches, maybe pick up some precooked salmon fillets, smoked fish etc so throwing a lunch together is easier.

And get good Tupperware, with tight fitting lids

Happy Birthday LittleGirlie. Hope a brilliant day is had by all. You are entered the pre-teen years, good fun with girls (you have a few more years with boys).

Sounds brill Cath I'm glad you got confidence from your talk. Equality of access in terms of gender do you mean? I'm always banging on about this to DD. She's the only girl doing Engineering GCSE and will be the only one doing Computing A Level even now. DS reports more even numbers in his Sciences A Levels, but certainly not equal.

Spends.
£15 Personal trainer (who put me through my paces today..).
£80 Ocado.
£7.50 DD training.
£5 postage, posting something I ought to have posted a long time ago to a Mumsnetter on here, sorry. Big sorry.

Happly birthday miniGirlie. Love the balloons.
Glad your scan went well Seacow. Can't believe you are 20 weeks. Am I right in thinking that you know it's a girl?
Cath. I am glad you are being assertive about women and girls in science. I did chemistry years ago and I was one of only two girls. But I find it interesting that there are more girls than boys now doing medicine and vet medicine. Why should that be, I wonder?
Option 1 here also Snuggly. I have a Renault Grand Scenic with 7 seats but the back two are really small and fold out of the floor so only useful for kids. And I don't feel the are substantial enough to be protective. Enormous boot though
£6.20 on tea and lunch with friends.

So... I have a flute

Ooh, exciting Cag!

Sorry Seacow I forgot to mention that I was glad the scan went well. x

For weeks my irish opinions survey balance has been €9.25, need €10 to pay out. Finally did a survey that I didn't get screened out of this morning and balance now €10.75. Eventually when voucher comes I'll have €20 for boots. I want foundation/bb cream.

Snuggly option 1. We have always owned our own cars (bought at varying stages of secondhandness) and for us it has definitely saved us money in the long run.
Happy birthday to miniGirlie. Love the balloons.
Well done Cath, sounds like you did well.
Cag did you get the flute? I hope so, I play the flute, not very well, but it is a lovely instrument.
Planning meals ahead, including lunches definitely saves money Meadowhay

Today has been busy busy again. I prepped tea first thing. It's a steak pie with mixed roast veg. Then had a counselling appointment. Our manager at work is leaving so I popped in to have cake say goodbye to him and finish off some work so that I can properly relax on my week off. Then finally went over to my parents for lunch & to set up various bits of techy stuff mum has bought (tv recorder box, tablet, hard drive etc).
No spending so far. Ive got a cricket committee meeting tonight so maybe £2 on a couple of drinks.
We're off to Devon again tomorrow. It's our 3rd visit in 3 months but then that may be it until August. We're staying until Tues/Wed so should get some coastal walks & beach time in. Free accommodation so just diesel & any extras to pay for.

Need That's great that your dd is doing computing. The computer science departments have huge problems attracting girls to the subject but it means that all the things that need computer programmes written for them that would be useful for women and girls in society are not being written, iykwim. Also she can make shed loads of cash in computing, which is a good thing. And the ladies toilets in CS departments are always pristine because there are no women to use them

Trying thanks I did my best anyway. There's a huge emphasis on getting childcare so that women can go back to work, but for me I would actually like to have access to funding and networking so I can go on being a scientist while being mostly a SAHM so I gave a totally different viewpoint from the one that they are used to hearing. It was nice to be able to make my own voice heard finally. I've no idea why more women are in medicine and vet medicine now. All the subjects are so different in so many ways.

Is it spring yet? It's been lightly snowing all day here, so I think perhaps not.

Happy Birthday Girliedd, that's an impressive haul of pressies.

Sea I hope the new education pysch comes up with a good plan, at least you know why you're not feeling much yet.

Snuggly Take car seats with you, it was a nightmare for cousin when their kids both needed seats plus fitting pfb in too. They bought a vw sharan in the end. He always says there's no 5 person cars, there's 4 & 7. No idea on the funding, I'm not comfortable borrowing money off family, or lending it.

North Devon

£4 Argos, new tea bag bin for the work top & a hand blender for soup, my hand blenders vanished. I must've binned it.

£5 pop up spray tan tent in aldi. Pro ones cost £50+ so it's a bargain. Apparently you can use it indoors or out which is really handy for all the clients who want to be sprayed outdoors starkers apart from a tanning stick on tattoo & a paper shower cap.

Im trying Iceland own brand southern fried chicken steaks tonight. I need to keep our weekly food bill