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!

Right.

Snuggly Getting 2 babies up and sorted, plus DD and the dishwasher is a major achievement. You rightfully should be proud. Keep being kind to yourself.

Creme I agree. I like your cautious nature, but your decency shines through.

Em Thanks, I wasn't aware of the competition either. The tummy rubbing thing needs to stop, you won't even have a massive bump yet!

Christmas. I am surprised how much you can save by baking. I did lime drizzle and guiness chocolate cake at the weekend and it's still going strong. We all have a slice each daily. Much cheaper than buying crap in. I wish I had the time every week, in fact I will make time. When are you due btw? You must be about 25/26ish weeks I think, give or take my memory lapses!

I like lemon drizzle. Mary Berry suggested limes for a sharper taste and it worked well. I also had limes in and not lemons, so a frugal win.

That's fab snuggly well done! I remember feeling daunted when DH returned to work after the births.

Need with the greatest respect don't be daft! :o You aren't egotistical or any of those other things you said! I love reading your posts, they are inspiring and helpful and positive. This thread is amazing, all of us in different situations with different frugal goals, and yet here we all are chatting away supporting each other. It's a great place to share things we are proud of (and why the heck shouldn't we be proud of ourselves? Or is it the whole national tradition of being self deprecating... sod that I'll celebrate my successes thanks!) AND share our problems too whether to get advice or just to rant in a safe place. Goodness knows I do enough sharing on here - and I know it varies a lot in terms of how positive or ranty it is, which is a reflection of my mental health TBH - and I've never had anything but kindness and support from you all. 💐

I'm getting a nice long rest today as DH doesn't start work till 3 (normally 1.30 or 2) which means he can stay at the leisure centre for gym as well as trampolining and I can just meet them in town instead. Hurrah! Normally I'd be grumbling/going anyway because I'd want the social outlet seeing my friends (the other HE parents, everyone sits outside the gym and chats) but TBH I am all peopled out this week, so sod it! Rest it is!

Although there are heaps of things I should be doing if I can get the energy or actually be bothered 😂

Well done snuggly you seem a very calm and sorted person (and happy!).

I too forget that its not 'just us'! Which is silly really. I was going to post a pic of the race on sunday showing the huge volume of rain, but realised the shop's logo is plastered all over the car! I've naff all to hide, but would still be horrified if this got pumped out somewhere else.

I've said it before, you lot are like the friends I don't really have irl. And I value the varied opinions and love the bits of gossip. I read the troll posts, the dick had clearly only read a couple of pages. Gah.

Turbo session was actually ok need 38km through the French countryside, and pretty villages. 5mins faster than I did it last time (back in sept). Glad I did it really.

Got to go to Sainsburys to get red noses for tomorrow. This is never cheap.

realfood.tesco.com/recipes/vegan-victoria-sponge.html Halve this, put into a pound shop liner in a tin & bake.

I put a bit of glacé icing on & have used it a coffee & walnut and chocolate cake.

I feel a lemon sponge coming up. Usually I make flavours Dh doesn't like so I don't have to share.

Need limes are the superior fruit, no question. In fact I would probably swap DH for a really good lime and coconut cake with a lovely limey frosting - that might be my dream cake. But as DH doesn't do frosting (cream cheese) I never do it. But maybe I'll make one next week with a buttercream frosting and see how it goes.

I bloody love baking, it's pretty much my favourite relaxation thing. As an ex-chemist, daughter of a chef and with a sweet tooth, it's where all my loves (and my childhood) come together so it's my happy place. I didn't do it much for a year or so because I was following slimming world but now I am just happily expanding again and making up for lost time . DS doesn't really have sweets, apart from the occasional bit of chocolate, but cake is his treat thing. I hope I haven't created a monster there but I think a bit of cake as a pudding or whatever is a better habit, for teeth at least, than haribo and the like throughout the day.

On a less jolly matter, our shower head was dripping, then dribbling, now gushing. The plumber came out 3weeks ago and has been trying to get hold of a spare part (after a bit of trouble identifying the make and model) but no luck yet. As I am worried it will be spraying continuously by the end of the weekend he is coming tonight to cap it if until it can be resolved. So no shower . (We have one in our tiny en suite but the tray leaks so we haven't been using it - I guess I might just need to fix that. I don't like the en suite though as it is so tiny that it doesn't air properly and we had mould so I was glad to have an excuse to ban its use!) .

I don't mind a bath but.... hair washing?! Argh.

At least we are not on a water meter.

Ha cross posted with Fluffy. Yes, why don't I just make cakes DH doesn't like? . Cheesy frostings coming up!

Thanks for the recipe too, I will give it a go.

Forgot to say: way to go Snuggly! I am not much of a crier but I cried when DH went back to work after paternity leave. It was the fear of coping but we did fine most days in the end. I shall keep my fingers crossed that you don't have any double poonami disasters . Would love to know the names btw. Totally understand why you can't say, it's just always the thing I look forward to knowing when friends have babies!

Need I'm glad you feel better about that.

I'm very aware that you and I do sometimes clash, and I wish I could think about how to avoid that. I wonder - in future would it be possible for you to aim your comments to me along the lines of "You're doing a great job, keep going!". That's what really helps me more than anything else.

I love hearing about your running, so please do keep posting about it.

Sorry to post again

Fluffy if you are halving the mix are you making it as a loaf cake then? In a 1lb tin?

I use an 8" sandwich tin. The more I make the more I eat.

Good job you aren't on a meter. Would a new shower be cheaper?.

Ooh lime and coconut cake sounds delicious!
I've just eaten 5 chocolate biscuits in one go, feeling a bit greedy now.

Em the bump-rubbing needs to stop it's so annoying! Be warned you will spend the next 6 months being asked if you want to know the sex and how long you plan to be on mat leave. I also got asked if they are identical and was it a big shock when we found out it was twins (well, yes funnily enough it was!). I had to keep telling myself that people were just being nice and taking an interest.

It shouldn't be cheaper, assuming they can get the part. But if that doesn't happen soon we will need a new shower. I just don't want to have to re-tile (it's a separate shower cubicle with floor to ceiling tiles).

Cake - I see, you are just making it as a smaller sandwich cake. I presume I could use normal milk if I wanted to, since I would have that in anyway.

I found a couple of San pellegrino orange drinks in the fridge left over from new year. I don't drink soft drinks much but I am having one now and I could swear I am on a holiday in the sun

Snuggly if you lived near me I'd bring one round! I always bake for a new baby. In fact, you'd need two cakes.

Forgot to say Need, yes, 26 weeks. Well remembered! I am feeling cautiously excited though there is a long way to go yet. I am getting lots of lovely kicking, it's a wonderful feeling. I am trying to savour it because I definitely won't be doing this again!

Cracking weather here today. I'm going to go and plant some sunflower seeds.

Ipso I can't promise that as I can't give false platitudes. That's entirely alien to me and I would hate with a passion anyone to do that to me. However, I can promise to simply not engage. That seems an entirely effective technique to use. Done. From now.

Love that kicking feeling Seacow. Savour and enjoy. I love having a happy place, it doesn't matter what it is, baking is yours.

Thanks again for the support folk.

I've done a personal training session and now am going to go to the tip and perform mundane household chores.

Spends.
£15 PT.
£15 PT for DH later.
£10 DD training.
£30 vouchers for DM's birthday, which she specifically asked for.

Thanks need. That works for me.

Today was very hurried my first day doing school run with two(I'm normally at work) everyone got there on time but we spent too much time laying in bed. Tomorrow I will get up a little earlier.
Think we need some pet pics today
Here are my two cats waiting for me, I'll get the dogs later, the fish are nothing to do with me.

See Knitting, you felt unfit, but ended up with a positive session. Love it when that happens.

Lovely cats mammy.

I just went out and checked out our garden and it's looking so promising. I love when the buds are just ready to go, or already opening as a lot of them are here.

Now I wish you lived near me, Seacow!

Animals. I give you Ddog1, posing I feel.

Mammy. One armed push ups. This fresh hell was unleashed this morning. I'm going to feel it tomorrow

I've had a lot of messages today about recent posts. You are all lovely. Xx

Argh, no photo

Ipso I love sunflowers, they are my favourite flowers, I used to grow them every year at home when I was a teenager.

Snuggly You sound like you are doing great!

Need I also like to hear your running (and other) successes! It's interesting. So don't worry .

Where is polka??

Nice and sunny here today but cold. I had my last ever tutorial today .

Mammy I love your cats! Are they related to each other as they look very similar or is that just chance?

NSD but I spent like £40 late last night on Figleaves on three new pairs of nice knickers from the outlet, and a sports bra + p&p.

All the cakes sound super yummy. I wish I could bake but I just don't seem to know where to start/how to do it . And I can't wash up the dirty stuff after due to my hypersensitivity so the washing up all piles up when DH is working as it is and our kitchen is only small-ish.

These are some very old "pigtures".

Is it alright if I join in? I've been watching you guys for a while

DP and I are saving up for a mortgage for us and DS (6 months). Our deposit is gonna shape up okay in the next few months if we behave, but it needs to be as big as possible because I'm not working and DP isn't on a brilliant wage. If we applied today we might get a tiny flat in the bad part of town, which is okay, but I'd rather not spend 25 years there