Money-managing Masterfully into May - Frugaleers unite!

[needastrongone]

Thread continued for old faithfuls, new posters and anyone else that would like to contribute.

Financial talk, tips and discussion, with quite a lot of other stuff too.

We are a friendly bunch and there's lots of support for new and old.

Easter and Pitcairn Islands . Seriously, I am . Gosh, I hope we can have exciting holidays again once the kids have grown up. Only 20 years to wait!

Holiday sounds awsome, plently of time to save.

I.m on a frugal role today - knocked £21 off my tv bill be getting rid of channels we don't need. want a mobile upgrade but they couldn't give me a deal so will go to another network.

waiting for a mortgage telephone call from the bank to bottom out this moving lark as i've got the itch again. Need to ask some specific questions

Wow, how amazing, Copper. Definitely sounds like the trip of a lifetime!

That's interesting about the connection between birth and sensory issues Girlie. I didn't know that.

My ds came out like a canonball, with the whole process taking 1 hour 57 minutes from start to finish. I didn't think that that was the problem in his case though, as he's very much a chip off the old block in most ways.

Ds is back to school today and I'm sorting things out. We start beavers tonight. Very exciting. We're going for a long walk to buy ice cream apparently.

Just had the babies weighed and DS has gained 4lbs in 6 weeks! DD is gaining too but more slowly, she's still tiny.
My mum took DD out to buy milk an hour and a half ago. Shop is 5 mins walk each way. Assume they've gone to feed the ducks or something.

Holiday sounds fantasticCopper definitely a good thing to spend your money on.
Hope DS enjoys Beavers Sunny my DS was v shy at 6 and needed a lot of encouragement to go along (I ended up as a helper for while to get him to stick at it ). It did him the world of good. Both mine have got so much out of that sort of thing.
£11 sainsbury.

Snuggly don't question it just enjoy the babies by themselves

After my trip to alternative therapist two weeks ago I'm feeling a bit better already. I'm off work today & tomo. I've exercised & run a few km, taken dc to library washed all the velux windows inside & out(it's been years ) supervised the dc using magic sponge to take crayon off walls in two rooms & showered, shaved & blow dried my hair, since I got pregnant with ds almost four years ago & lost his twin I haven't had the mental energy for jobs outside off basics.
I've also gone back to counting propoints today is day 3.

Copper you're good at saving & you've got two years, it sounds amazing

Thanks folks
Mammy, what are propoints? Are they to do with weight loss or like Tesco points?
Sunny, hope DS likes Beavers.

Mammy I had no idea about your DS' twin, I'm sorry x

Mammy I had no idea that you had lost a twin. That must have been a huge thing to deal with. I'm so glad that you've found something that helps you to work through that. It's funny how a cloud can just lift a bit like that isn't it? I do know what you mean by that.

Thanks for the encouragement on Beavers scatty and Copper

We are just adjusting to being back at school today. It's odd to go back to it again. Only five weeks this half term and we had a good Easter holiday, for the first time, so that felt like progress.

1hr 57mins Sunny mine started Monday teatime and dd was eventually born Thursday at 7.05pm by emcs!! The whole experience was traumatic sadly. Thats good you are giving Beavers a try, i bet your ds will love it.

Quiet day here, my friend popped over for a bit this morning and I have caught up with some jobs around the house but getting bit bored now!! Should just enjoy not being a work but can feel cabin fever setting in

Mammy I didn't know that either

That sounds hard Girlie. Two of my best friends had 75 hours of labour followed by a cesarean section too. I honestly can't begin to imagine what that must have been like. Well done for managing it.

My 1 hour 57 minutes was very intense, but the gas and air made the pain go away entirely and I blacked out most of it. All I remember is about 45 minutes of listening to what seemed like a dramatisation of childbirth on the archers. I had my eyes shut and wasn't much involved. I wouldn't fancy doing it again though.

I love this photo of George Osborne:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39643347

He's such a sweetheart.

Went into town, £47 in Boots, toothpaste, foundation, sun cream x4, antiseptic, bite cream, two nail varnishes - I got 400 extra points for spending £40 and lots of offers. I am starting to stack things away for our holiday. £9 in Tiger - bits for holidays (snap, dominoes, colouring books) £9 in mothercare on a present for a friend's DD, £11 on Amazon, elsa dress for DS1 and a pair of star wars shoes. Spendy day!!

Didn't have much choice was how i managed it Sunny!! In hindsite I am cross that they left me so long, was pretty obvious a emcs was what I needed from Wednesday!! Ahh well, she was worth it GO is a such a charmer not sure what i think about a general election, unfortunately i think labour are no where near strong enough to beat the Tories. Would like to be proven wrong though!!

I have no idea how long my labours were! I know DD's was longer and more difficult, and I remember a doctor coming in and giving me till 8pm or I'd be prepped for CS, but she was born at 7.56. I think she was taking too long and was getting distressed, she was covered in meconium although TBF I was off my face on gas and air so goodness knows. It was the induction process that took the time. DS was much quicker and easier (the induction and the labour). TBH I am terrified quite nervous about doing it all again now that I'm so much weaker (due to the fibromyalgia etc) but the midwife was lovely and reassuring, said my body will know what to do etc.

Having a bit of a clear out and tidy today in preparation for the sofa tomorrow. So excited about having one, it was early November that we had the old one collected.

Checking in, had to buy lunch again coop £11, just rolls and cheese and lollies (had ds with me).

Mammy I don't think that's something you ever truly get over, just learn to live with.

Wow copper truly a holiday of a lifetime!

Have had every type of birth except forceps! C-section, ventouse after full medical induction, cannon ball (dd3, she still is) on trolley in corridor (being wheeled to delivery, apparently I didn't look in transition ), and straight forward, normal delivery (phew!) Every birth is different, you never know what you're going to get! As long as you and baby are healthy at the end of it, that's all that counts blocks memories

Frugaleers how the hell do i clear out 16 years plus of stuff in the attics. I have boxes of stuff from grandparents houses that were put on our stuff by DM? Don't quite know whether to charity it or make a concerted effort to sell it.

Sorry to hear you lost a twin. X

Slightly spendy day today

Bus to nearest town for DD's dental appointment - €8

Lunch in Subway - €10.70

Shampoo and conditioner in Tesco - €5.60

Dental floss in Boots - €2.99

Dusters - €4

Total spend - €31.29

Gosh life that must be a lot of stuff. I guess it depends what is more important, the money or the time/space. Is it going to keep bugging you if it takes ages to sell it? I don't sell on eBay anymore because I get too anxious about dodgy buyers so I just try on FB and then charity it. It's a shame as I could use the money but I know my own limitations and the anxiety just isn't worth it for me personally. However everyone's different. I guess if it's out of the way in the attic you could just bring one box at a time down to sort through. I guess if it's old stuff some of it may be too outdated to sell anyway, which might be quite helpful in that it makes the decision for you. Unless there's antiques and stuff... auction?

Disclaimer I have no idea what I'm talking about :o

Our attic is nearly empty just a few boxes of books and one box of paperwork that is likely to all be chuckable. Don't be impressed though, it's only so empty because most of our crap is in the actual house :o

Lunch was NS my friend paid as I drove plus closed a dormant acc & it had €63.25 in it presumably my Nan opened it with £50.
Going for eyebrow shape & brow & lash tint now

Cag love that statement don't be impressed because most of our crap is in the house

Tayto they're reasonable spends.
Lifelong carboot sales are supposed to be good
Life cag sunny & girlie that wasn't a post drawing sympathy just explaining how long I've felt that I'm operating at about 50% capacity

Copper propoints were the ww system previous to this one.

life are you under pressure to clear it out quickly or can you do it gradually? If you can do it gradually, maybe commit to clearing out one box a month e.g. first weekend of each month or last weekend of each month. I don't know what the boxes contain so I don't know if there would be a market for the contents. I've never sold anything on e-bay but I'm sure some of the posters here have and would be in a better position to advise you.

Life, I understand completely. I had 28 years in my last house before I moved here. Brought the DCs up there, had LOADS of stuff. Boxed it up and either:
Handed it to each DC and said" this is your stuff" ( think it's in their attics)
Took to charity shop
Took to tip
There was too much to think about and I had sold the house.
Mammy sorry about twin, I had no idea.
Yes, definitely holiday of a life time. Excited even tough two years away.

Ha ha cag we have a full loft and a full house

life you are just going to have to tackle it however it works for you. Sorry, unhelpful, but you'll know your ability to deal with it in the best way. Eg one box at a time or one massive clear out. When you do it, tell us how you managed it though!

Sorry to hear that mammy

£20 in primark
£18 in H&M on kids clothes but returned stuff and got £42 refund too from returned women's clothes
£4 b&m on wellies (price label said £5.99 so pleased with that)
£4 Tesco on sweets for cinema, bread, reduced Easter chocolate
£4.78 McDonald's (I got a £1.99 receipt deal and brought my own water)
£4.99 Waterstones on book for DD

Ah, I thought I been quite restrained but written out it was quite spendy

Love the individual amounts don't sound too bad. It's when you total it up at the end of the day that it hits you