The Mighty Frugaleers Meticulously March into March

[WreckTangled]

New thread. Sorry for lame title

Great news,Cag and Cag's DH.

Your trip to Cologne sounds lovely and relaxed, North. Glad you enjoyed it.

Wow, Knitting, impressive DIY skills!

Just chilling here today, after a hectic day yesterday. All I really need to do is laundry and make a pasta bake for dinner for today and tomorrow and a packed lunch for work tomorrow. I'm going to go for a walk now, while it's lovely and sunny. Should be an NSD.

The other day I went to visit a friend who lives out of catchment but goes to our school and discovered that she practically lives in a palace. I wonder what happens when they get to secondary school stage though? Surely that makes it hard to get from the good primary to the good secondary if they've moved out of catchment half way through primary?

So. Spends today. £38 nails. Now neon pink

And £95 at the shop. a lot of that is stuff for Saturday's dinner. (Totally unnecessary hangs like salami and bresceola for starters, chips n dips for nibbles) and meat was on offer so have stocked up the freezer. The two things I meant to get (risotto rice and chicken stock) I totally forgot to buy. They were on the list too. But I didn't take a pen to tick off....

ipso the catchments are different for secondaries, especially if you are rural I think. The good secondary here has a huge catchment (10 miles round it), but the primary about a mile. We have some kids go past 2 secondary schools on the bus on their way to ours, and some like us 9.7 miles away and out of county, and drive past fields to get there.

You can but apply and hope for the best! Theres so many criteria, that out of catchment doesn't always = no place. Is her palace very cold, or do they live in 4 rooms of it?

Forgot my purse, but just blued £140 falling into the amazon. Birthday pressies for dd3 (mostly wii games) and a new pair of fly london shoes for me (20% off new range colour I already have 2 pairs the same ), to be kept new for a verra posh christening in may. The colour is 'smurf' !

• immediately paid off same amount to credit card linked to amazon.

Fab nails em

Em I love your nails! I've never had my done ever. I wanted to get them done for my wedding but then I left it too late so the local salon didn't have any appointments left and now I feel like if I didn't even get them done for my wedding day why should I get them done now? Which I know is silly because why not?! Idk.

Spends today should just be £4 on a yoga class I'm going to at uni this evening with the Pole Fitness society.

Had a mock exam in uni this morning, it was a legal translation, it went better than I expected so fingers crossed.

Think I'm a bit in trouble with work as hardly been to work over the last few weeks so bit behind but been so stressed out. I am going in tomorrow and then again on Friday if I don't finish everything and I should be able to catch up fine by then fingers crossed. I work very fast and focus well when I'm there so get things done quick so should be able to redeem myself. My manager said he's out of office tomorrow as well so that takes off some of the pressure too. He's nice like but still.

Got a mahooosive electricity bill through yesterday now that we've updated our metre reading. On the plus side DH got new tax statement and marriage tax allowance has gone through as well as his uniform tax allowance thing so there's a little bit of frugal savings. And he got a bunch of new uniform yesterday from work as well.

Knitting The house was lovely, but in the good secondary here they won't even have room for all of the kids from the feeder primaries and the secondary that that house goes into has a very big behaviour problem.

I heard someone else discussing it once and they said that buying a house there was effectively committing up front to go to a private secondary. That school is four or five miles away through city traffic, so it's a big job that.

It made me wonder whether my friend has a cunning plan of some sort. She's often two steps ahead.

Aw, thanks all! I''m really grateful that I can share this stuff here and actually be proud of us. It's just nice that something is actually going well for us when most of our situation is frankly A Bit Rubbish.

First new pupils of the week been and gone, went pretty well I'd say :) and the little boy got on really well with my two as well :) hopefully weekly or fortnightly but not sure yet.

Learning about Russia and eating leftover Chinese while waiting for Tesco delivery :o

Em your nails are fabulous!
Meadow I got shellac done for first time before Christmas, I'm going to get them done again for a wedding in April. They really protect your own nails too & allow them to grow.

Mine are improving thanks to these two products. One of which was recommended by our own need

Mammy and Em* and anyone else, speaking of nails, the last few months I've noticed that my nails seem really weak and are breaking really easily all the time. Does anyone know why that might be? I don't paint them super often so it's not because of that. I'm trying to remember to take a multivitamin with iron tablet each day in case it's some kind of deficiency? I get a lot of calcium so it won't be that.

meadow I'm not sure and don't quote me on it but my nails always go to pot if I'm stressed.

I use hand lotion a lot and have a nail oil which I rub in (when I have bare nails that is). This is the first time this year I've had the gels on and my nails were a bit soft and flaky when the last lot came off. But I kept them short. And really tried to take care of them.

I have also been taking vitamin d which I'm sure I read somewhere is good for hair and nails.

I seem to remember vitamin B and zinc deficiencies showing up in poor nails so maybe worth taking an extra for those?

I think some of it could be time of year meadow, mine only stay good when I'm looking after them regularly but I think my entire system is weakened since I had flu & how can I expect my nails to be healthy then.
Biotin is a supplement to help your skin, hair & mucus membranes.

Telling you about biotin meadow triggered me to start taking mine! It's in the drawer at work, it's not going to do any good there.

My nails are awful right now worst ever!

So hungry haven't eaten all day, just about to have a mug shot before picking up the dc.

Need to book a wax for before we go away too.

Am I right in thinking you're diabetic wreck?

Yes but I have a pump so not eating doesn't effect my sugar levels. There were biscuits and cake at work (we got outstanding at out CQC inspection ) but I didn't want to just eat cake!

Was getting worried about you x
That happens me sometimes, you end up hungry because you don't want to eat the wrong thing!

Brilliant news about the inspection Wrecked, and such a relief.

Lovely nails Em, fab colour and shape.

The Fluffster is your woman for nails, but my advice would be to have as good a diet as you possibly can, calcium, and care care care for your hands. Lots of cream, and use oil on the base of your nails only at night. I find keeping mine short works well. I'm nearly 2 weeks into my Shellac and they are spotless, despite the pony, dogs and chickens.

And SPF for hands..

Spends.
£10 class tonight for me and DD.
£14 M&S for DM, who seems to like me at the minute as she needs shopping doing..... I didn't ask for the money.

Chuffed for you too Cag

It's odd, but I have never ever had any trouble with my nails. I have no idea why. I don't paint them and when they get too long to type comfortably I cut them back short. That's all I do. If my nails were affected by vitamin trouble or stress they ought to have caught fire by now.

Hi, can I join please? I need some ongoing support from like minded ladies.

I've borrowed what I consider to be a large sum from my parents to pay off all my debts. In return, they are helping me to budget and watching my money for me. This is welcome, but very hard for me. They will help me save.

I cancelled my sky subscription today, and paid off everything barring my water bill, I'll do that tomorrow.

I have to be very careful with my expenditure now and each expenditure must be necessary. I must use all my toiletries, not buy any clothes for a time and then discussed with my parents what I 'need'. I've got so embroiled in this fashion, make up, takeaway coffee iPhone culture that my money has gone. I often shop to make me feel happier.

My outgoings now will be rather small, if I am very disciplined. It is my aim to have some savings and to meet my repayments to my parents.

I work, and study, and have 4dc. Single parent. Hello ladies, hopefully I'm welcome.

Today I spent

£11 on tobacco
£3 on a thank you bunch of flowers to a neighbour
£2 on a birthday and a Mother's Day card
£4.50 on bus travel
£10 rent contribution (on sick pay for a month)
£2.30 on buns for me and ds1
£65 Asda food shop for a week

Everybody's always welcome here polka. I got sucked into the takeaway coffee/latest phone thing years ago too, easily done.

Well done Cag, you might as well make hay while the sun shines for the sport class.

£2.75 boden vest. I Dh got sent a £10 off voucher.

Kidstart sent me £12 so I'll put £10 of it towards an Amazon voucher, we still need steamer chair cushions X 2 and they are hideously expensive.

Welcome Polka, of course you are welcome. We are a chatty, friendly lot who chat and who try to be frugal. Everybody on here is different, different goals and income and situation. The common themes are friendliness, support and not wasting stuff.
Em, your nails look great.