Jolly japes in July (only if they are frugal)...!

[needastrongone]

New thread

Does anyone know about curtains? Window is 190cm wide. Curtains we like on Dunelm website are 168cm wide. I assume that is the width of each curtain not the pair? Is that wide enough?

Sorry to derail but I know some of you are good at sewing so might know this sort of thing.

snuggly I think you're right. I think it's each curtain. But then I'm clueless re stuff like this. I think (and this may be the wrong way to do it) we measured the window and just bought curtains which would cover two times the window.

Snuggly I think it is for each curtain and that will give you a bit of 'rouche' rather than the curtain being pulled really tight (please correct me if I'm wrong fellow frugaleers - I admit I don't own a single pair of curtains so this is just a guess!)

Em that's so great that you met other mums-to-be! A good group of mums going through the same stages at the same time can be a real sanity saver.

Fluffy I need more NSDs in my life! Realised today that we need to buy a new washing machine (ours was second hand 10 years ago so goodness knows how old it actually is!) and it's really playing up but I'm going to have to save up for a new one.

Girlie your day sounds truly frazzly! You definitely deserve a chocolate bar tonight!

Today's spends: £2.30 parking, £2.99 present, £2 notebook, £1.99 cards from charity shop, £5.85 Aldi, £44.35 diesel.

That's what I thought. I get really stressed about curtains. It's the combination of sewing type knowledge and maths both of which I am completely useless with.

Need - I have two degrees, I shant pay for another.. (we have share saves ticking along and my husband works for an oil company so the scheme is quite generous, that'll pay the kids a stipend... a small one!)

Yes Snuggly, the measurement is each curtain. How much width you need depends on the style of curtain- you typically need at least double for a pinch pleat, so for a 190cm window you'd buy 190 cm or wider curtains. You may get away with a bit less for an eyelet curtain style.

I've been a bit quiet recently but just about keeping up. I just rarely have two, or even one, spare hands to type with! Am currently sitting with the breast pump at one boob so can have a catch up. (Bf not going well, and j get very little out with a pump so I think I am tapering off TBH. Trying not to get upset about it).

Anyway, today was DH's first day back at work after paternity leave. It goes far too quickly . I was eased in gently as DS was at nursery (for a long day) so I only had to worry about DD. She was a bit more clingy than usual so I only just managed to get showered and dressed by 2.30pm! We had a nice day though and I did some jobs from my phone (booking her registration and other stuff, replying to messages, online banking etc) while I cuddled her.

NSD apart from a gift for a friend's new baby, £25. Was lazy and had amazon send it directly to them.

I have been looking at holiday cottages in Devon for the first week in September. I think we can get something nice for well under £100 per night if we are not in a seaside town - we normally stay in towns because I like having some amenities handy but TBH we don't eat out (no babysitter) and sometimes parking is an irritation so I am inclined to stay a bit inland and just drive to the coast. We go to different places most days anyway. I just need to be organised about food shopping so we don't have to drive miles for a pint of milk. DH might need to buy some extra annual leave as his year starts in October and he has used most of it already. But that seems fair enough since I have basically bought a whole year off!

Pump, pump, pump....

Hi sea, I used to feel like a prize milking cow with the pump on. Well done for perseverance on the bf. Please don't be upset you are giving it a damn fine shot and sometimes it just doesn't work.
It's not far to drive in Cornwall though the twisty roads and fun. Get a food shop delivered when you get there, that's what we do as long as the owners don't mind.

Will catch up later as have already done half an hour of work, on my way to work. Feel ready for the whatever is thrown at me (not literally) today now though

girlie you deserve a big bar of chocolate after a day like yesterday!

Sorry the Bf hasn't gone so well seacow. Baby is fed, that's the most important thing. May be worth looking at South East Cornwall (Looe area) for your holiday? It's a stunning area but less known about and tends to be cheaper.
I've always been an emotional eater but am doing well breaking that habit, finally. Hard going though!
NSD yesterday. Will be more spendy today as dh playing cricket and I'm trying to get concert tickets (Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbot). Fingers crossed.
Was frugal last night as I needed to deliver books to book group members (we use a library loan scheme). I felt I needed the exercise so dd and I walked round. Must've covered 2 and a half miles and saved on petrol.
Have a good day everyone.

Morning all!

Got up early to make flapjack and choc cake - I have used the cacao powder that mil bought in bulk, and decided she couldn't use up. It seems the same as cocoa powder to me? We shall see.

seacow well done for persisting with bf. Does dd still feed from you? I could have easily fed triplets, but never managed to pump more than an ounce. I hand expressed enough for baby porridge, like a tablespoon at a time! Baby latched on is so much easier, and less weird and mechanical.

I think the rain might have stopped. On my usual path to walk the dogs last night, the wall in the sidings (its a disused railway line) which is about 80cm high was underwater. Its never flooded here, we're on the side of a big hill.

girlie I'm finding trasition quite frantic. I have to tackle uniform next. They are bringing in a blazer here, £28 and I have 2dc needing them before I even start on the rest. Sigh.

Ah seacow it's much harder when you have another dc to consider too, you can't sit there all day feeding. Plus very feed counts you've given her so much by what you've already achieved pumping is the worst. I pumped exclusively for the first week so I really feel your pain!

My alarm didn't go off this morning luckily an annoying bird woke me up. My phone is dying but the contract isn't up for renewal until October I need to buy some jelly babies today as I'm all out otherwise should be a nsd.

Starting the day in Costa which as I said the other day is very very rare for us. We got the even earlier bus so as to avoid the school run. DD had an awful night (screaming, punching furniture etc) and going past her old school would be the worst thing today. So we got to town nice and early with time for a hot chocolate before the second attempt at the scan!

Eek exciting Cag! Poor dd do you know what triggered it? I saw a very bad example from a school the other day of how not to treat a child with autism. They had clearly just labelled her as naughty and a pita poor girl. Unfortunately I think the mum had a similar stance.

Thanks wreck she gets anxious most nights about the girl who was bullying her, it has been getting a lot better but some nights it still escalates. I wish I knew what caused that as there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it!

That's really sad about what you saw at the school :( there is so much more awareness of ASD now but a long way to go in terms of translating that knowledge to decent behaviour management I think :(

Good luck today cag if you have one near you jojo maman have a sale at present and the baby clothes are super cute!!!! And decent reductions and have super resale value (according to the shop lady and a friend of mine!)

seacow second Looe. Me and dh stayed there a few years ago. So pretty. the bnb we stayed in had the best karaeoke night ever. I swear it was all ex cruise ship entertainers singing all in their 70's/80's belting out Sinatra-esq tunes It also had a blue and yellow maccaw parrot in a cage. I didn't think it was real until it squaked at me.

Well it looks like the majority was right here! Scan went great, everything healthy, baby was STILL hiding its bum though so couldn't get a good look! She reckons girl basically because she couldn't see anything that suggested otherwise 😂😂😂 but she also said she wouldn't buy too much just yet.

Wow, congratulations Cag. Exciting!

Ooh exciting Cag! DD will be happy about that, right? Sorry she's having a hard time... DS isn't sleeping well either, seems to be having bad dreams a lot. It's very hard to see them distressed

Love the sound of the Cornwall karaoke holiday! We are committed to Devon though as my very elderly granny lives there and so we try to get down at least once a year with child (now children). It's a pretty long way though so easiest to combine with a holiday in the vicinity and maybe pop in a couple of times over the week, as granny can't really cope with long visits. Plenty for children to do though so it works out quite well.

Oh Cag what a pickle!

Just had a really good blood result my hba1c is 6.9! I'm so please with myself

North or South Devon Seacow? We have done lots of holidays in Devon, went to Salcombe for a day over half term and thats lovely. Going to North Devon in the summer hols near Woolacombe which is also fab. When does your ds start school? Sorry the bfing isn't going that great but echo everyone else in that you are doing a fab job so don't feel bad if it doesn't work out. I wouldn't let how much you can pump worry you too much though as I could never pump more than an oz but fed dd o.kay from me iyswim.

Exciting re the baby Cag dd had her legs crossed at the scan as well must be a girl thing sorry your dd is struggling so much, is there much support now she has a diagnosis? I need to speak to the secondary school SENCO to get some support for when dd starts, I think she is going to really struggle with the transition as well as managing being around that many other children!!

Lonely I am trying not to think about how much the uniform is going to cost ££££ its not just the uniform but all the P.E stuff as well!! Plus they have a residential trip in the first term which will be at least £80!!

Much needed day off today, catching up at home. Car is in for its MOT so praying that doesn't pick up on anything unexpected.....

Girlie is it Devon you live in, or Dorset? This time next week we will be in Charmouth/Lyme Regis. Super excited.

Not really any support after diagnosis TBH, there is just no money I suppose :( we are very lucky that the paediatrician is even seeing the Caglets again at all! She said she's not supposed to but she is so convinced there are other conditions present that she is determined not to just leave it. We do need to contact the specialist HVs again though to talk more about sleep.

You're doing brilliantly seacow

Waffles bacon and syrup for lunch.

Oh my lord your baby's going to keep us all in suspense till the birth Cag isn't she/possibly he mind you Dh would say women are stubborn no idea where he gets these ideas from

55p bleach
£10 huge fuck off thermos flask, £20 online
£10 raspberry pink sainsbos jeggings.
£2.98 homebargains. Fire lighters are 45p there (for the as yet un-named travel BBQ)
£2 organic soya milk

Really cross with myself for not doing surveys recently, I could've got the jeggings & flask for free . Massive Frugal fail.

Made £21.16 matched betting.

Eeek a cagletina!! Maybe!!!

I just had an "accident" in local dept store. Sort of fell into the sunglasses section and my credit card sort of accidentally ended up in the machine! Nice new pair of raybans though!! (And 30% off and I had a gift card so spends to me...£60).

Also £2.50 on tissues in boots. Colleague has a cold. And it probably it just all psychosomatic but I'm feeling it coming on now too! Have dosed up with fruit, vitamin c, and a ton of water.

i live in sunny Somerset Cag so close to Devon and Dorset, I wonder if the paediatrician could refer your dd to the O.T or even CAMHs for some advice/ support. The O.T dd saw was massively helpful.

My car failed its MOT think its going to cost a lot to sort out, I need a new car waiting for the garage to ring me back to let me know the damage.

My dads dog is really ill, they think its pancreatitis, depressing day really

On a completely different note has anyone used Farmfoods? Do they work out good value?