Frugaleers Marching on!

[Cagliostro]

Hi everyone, new thread as previous one full.

All welcome to chat all things frugal (and a whole lot more besides) - do jump in, we are a friendly bunch!

I don't like goat cheese either em, and also thought it had to made from goat milk well done on the flat.

allthebest can I ask, please, what the special deodorant is? I've given up with run of the mill because they all stopped working, deodorant or antiperspirant, it makes no difference now.

I forgot earlier, £24 on fancy make - up to put away for DD's birthday present in the summer.

I believe feta is a sheep's milk cheese, not usually goat? It doesn't taste goaty to me, in any case. Love feta and goats' cheese, although I don't get on with blue cheese naff palate, according to my dad

In Mexico they make dulce de leche out of goats' milk and it is really quite goaty. It's a popular breakfast spread there.

I missed the troll too. I am always late to any excitement.

I've had a useful day doing admin and spring cleaning the sitting room, which no longer has huge dust bunnies and scraps of Christmas wrapping paper under the sofas.

Been glued to the news about Westminster today. Poor victims and their families. Poor London.

Is it Christmas ? I'm totally confused now

Also haven't managed much fruit/veg today. Half an apple and a handful of blueberries with breakfast, none at lunch and a couple of carrots in the pasta sauce.

Sorry you are under so much stress Girlie

I absolutely love blue cheese. If only I could remember to eat it with veg like carrot and celery instead of crackers

Gosh I have missed a lot, including the troll.

I do notice the apparently competitive nature of the thread, but I think it's a contrast of styles. need likes to report her successes, and I know I tend to report my problems, as it helps me to think them through.

That difference in style can end up with need looking fantastically successful and me looking fantastically unsuccessful. If we swapped places though, it would look the other way round, as I tend to hide my successes, and I guess need doesn't report her problems much. I do think it's just a difference in what we report and what we keep to ourselves.

I've been enjoying reaquainting myself with essential fatty acids today Mmmmcrisps I managed to cram in 3200 calories in one day and am now quite excited to find out if I will soon be a bit chubbier. Woohoo!

I didn't spend any money really, but I did test drive two more cars, which was useful. I always find that such a lot of test drives are needed to choose the right car, and the sales people always just want a decision. I'm doing pretty well this time by saying that I will buy one immediately if they can find me the right one, and that seems to help.

Girlie you really have my sympathy on the overwork problem. All the GPs here look worse than we do when we go to visit them. I feel bad for telling them our problems. I wish Teresa May would call a snap election as the newspaper keep suggesting. I'd love to be rid of the conservatives.

Okay. Now I feel like an egotistical boasting competitive twat to be brutally honest. With clearly no sensitivity for others!

Sadly I think TM would win any election right now ipso, and am just beginning to understand how important a credible or at least electable alternative is.

How do you make stem ginger wilderness?

Report please on the turbo session knitting.

need I think it's really fine for you to come on here and tell us about your success. It clearly makes you feel good to talk to us about them and I am always pleased to hear.

If you find yourself feeling that I have a lot of problems that you feel you want to fix, then don't worry about it. I don't need fixes really, and I just like talking aloud about the process as I fix them myself. I have lots of success too, but I don't like to talk about those in case it sounds like boasting. It's just a difference of approach I think. I love that your running is going so well.

I think people post how they are feeling on the day. We have all been here long enough to have the ups and the downs which we have all posted about.
Sometimes there is a period of time where things go well and when things done and we are all at different stages.

I wouldn't say this thread has a competitive nature to it. I think if it like I think of chatting to people in real life. Sometimes someone's done something successful. Someone's got issues sometimes. It's conversation isn't it?

I'm in awe of the running need always am with crazy exercising fiends. Wish I had the stamina to do it.

Hoping for nsd today.

Someone at work rubbed my tummy yesterday. The annoying woman. Totally not appropriate. But according to her I have to get used to it because that's what everyone does. 20 in our office. And one did it. Clearly not everyone.

Should also be nsd today. Dh has made me and bump the most enormous chicken pitta for lunch. And has added fruit to my handbag. I'm so glad he's back in charge of food

I think we all have good and bad days here. You don't boast Need - you're good at running, which though completely unfathomable to this couch potato is fair enough but you've had your share of problems with DH's health and your DM too. Swings and roundabouts, innit.

Some people are naturally upbeat and practical solution sorts, others are think-alouders. All fine here.

Em I haven't had that too much with adults and I would give them short shrift if they did! However, I have found my bump is a magnet for lots of the kids in DS's nursery. There's a group of 4-yr old girls that run to me when I walk through the door and give me the third degree about gender, names etc and stick their ears to my tummy to hear it . No idea of personal space there but they are only 4!

Today: bit of batch cooking and cake baking and housework. Only spends should be parking for playgroup.

christmas kids I get. A grown woman of 54.... nope. Stay. Away. From. Me. I'm. Not. A. Fucking. Lucky. Buddha.

Eugh em you do not have to get used to that!

Should be a nsd. I'm about to make a sandwich to take to work then swimming lessons for dd later.

Em you need to tell her that just because you're pregnant doesn't mean touching you is anymore appropriate than it was a week ago when she didn't know & it's not something you need to get used to. She is right however that people think they can rub your belly whenever they want

I definitely think this thread is a conversation among equally supportive friends & each of us take what we need from it but also give advice back in return to others.
I agree with wreck I often forget lurkers are reading too.
I missed fingers posts yesterday.

I got paid today I've very little left already. After deductions for pension & Christmas club I received €580.88. €400 for joint account €70 for credit union loan €5 dd's savings(ds's comes out of dh's account) €19.12 to contact lens category as direct debit is due to come out this week €1.40 for newspaper on sat, €4 on Mother's Day card (already had stamp-and it has mother & grandmother on it frugal right!) €37 towards patch test for laser hair removal that I wasn't expecting to be charged for, 99c direct debit for iCloud storage, €16 on breakfast for myself & dh yesterday as we overlapped for 1 day of our holidays(he paid for food at cinema which was €26 so I got off lightly and that leaves €27.37 if I'm correct which I've put in my fun money category as we're going out sat night to see Evita for my birthday & want to have something in my pocket. This means I'll be putting diesel on my fuel card to repay next week which I know is wrong choice but I hadn't planned on paying for patch test & that money was for diesel.
I've got a full tank of diesel but my car is in garage & au pairs car has light on so I need to fuel that as I'm driving it for next 3 days.
In frugal news a colleague borrowed my car during the week, his third time so he topped up tank which was 3/4 full it was a nice surprise!
My pin came for 3.9% balance transfer card.
My plan for this card is to budget €40 towards it weekly & repay it within year of 3.9% interest.

Later if it's ok with everyone I will post my budget plan including this going forward.

Adora this is the only deodrant that has ever woreked, it has literally stopped my sweat patches. (tmi alert) I highly recommend it. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B004803YDI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1490255709&sr=8-1&keywords=perspi-guard+50ml&tag=mumsnetforum-21

€400 transfer to joint account budgeted like this €130 au pair holiday pay, €40 credit union loan, €20 cleaner,€20 school bus €7 dds activities, €50 counselling dh, €133 groceries. Dh's €400 tomorrow will be budgeted like this €60 electricity €5.50 property tax €17 tax au pairs car €5.50 tv license €75 savings for Christmas & wood pellets remaining €237 towards mortgage unless dh tells me he has bought anything else which is a joint expense, he doesn't use ynab(I hope to change this though)

I can't agree that this thread is competitive in nature. I love reading about everyone's different goals, issues and ideas, and offer support or advice if I can. In general, I don't like to give too much away, although some days I'm chattier than others, as you never know who's reading; as yesterday goes to show. I also hate the idea of ending up in The Mail, as fodder for their lazy "journalism".

After dsd posted on twitter regarding my lack of response to email for refund of parking I had to double pay I got a reply! Should be €9 refund coming back

Ooo allthebest I might try that. Is it like a gel spray? It looks like it... I use Mitchum but I still sweat I don't smell though it's since having dc.

Today I need to phone vax and get my Hoover sorted and get my passport form countersigned. I've done two forms just in case

It's a shame isn't it creme it's no wonder people move their threads to private Facebook groups (I'm thinking of postnatal groups etc)

Christmas have you tried vegan baking? I do a sponge now my milk allergies ramped up to include cheese & you can't tell the difference. I worked it out that a chocolate sponge in an 8" tin is about 30p.

I think fetas sheep milk too. Aldi get around it by calling it Greek salad cheese so they can use cows milk.

Yes Wreck. You have to be so careful on here, although I always thought our little thread was kind of immune from a lot of the drama on the forum.

I don't think we're competitive at all! This thread is good for me because I'm notoriously bad at asking for help with things or admitting when I'm struggling or worrying about things. I usually bottle everything up and get IBS so it's good for me to have somewhere to air my problems relatively anonymously.
Likewise I like to hear the good news that is posted on this thread.

I'm feeling a bit pleased with myself this morning actually. First day solo with the babies, I've managed to get them up, changed and fed and emptied the dishwasher! Just waiting for them to settle so I can get in the shower.
DH gets paid today and we've made it here without running out of money even with all the extra, last minute shopping trips, Amazon orders, hospital parking etc.

Thank you. I appreciate your kind comments about the recent posts, both on here and off line. Lovely. Supportive. xx

I didn't think the thread was competitive either, so it's good to know most of you think that too. I'm a bit zealous about the running . I couldn't run for 6 years, it was the thing that kept me sane during the difficult times with DH. Hadn't realised it was so good for my own MH until I got it back. Sorry to bang on about it.

I love the mutual support we get here.

Fluffy I haven't tried vegan recipes. No egg as well as no butter etc, I presume? Eggs have got quite expensive I think. 30p is ridiculously bargainous.

Lemon drizzle today. Got a visitor tomorrow, don't know her taste but I think most people like lemon.