Saving into summer!

[SnugglySnerd]

New frugal thread.

100 that's great news!

Seacow good luck next week I'm pleased you have support I hate toilet training.

Need sorry I haven't given any advice I'm sure you'll make the right decision for you

I still feel ill. My stepmum came and got the children at one and is giving them dinner. I've been asleep all afternoon but still have a sore throat and earache 🤒

Hi all, thanks for the kind words.

The week is getting to me a bit now, I'm really tired and I still have work tomorrow and then a busy Saturday eek. And we still don't have a start date for our new tenancy so we can't book removals, as they're still waiting on two references. Trying not to panic about everything!!

Spends today were the same as yesterday really, £1.20 on tea and £1.50 on an oreo doughnut (YUMMM) at uni café to go with my lunch. Not very frugal but helping me get through my work days. This week will be the most work hours I've ever done before (30 hours). My new job is 37.5 eek, trying not to think about how I'll manage that! On the plus side our new flat will be about a 20 minute walk away from my new job so that will really help.

Need Obv can't help at all wrt decision whether to leave work or not but sabbatical sounds like a good compromise. Do you work FT at the moment? Because maybe another option would be to drop down hours? It also sounds like you would be very busy if you stopped your work anyway with your kids, hobbies, animals etc! Plus you could always look at doing a few hours of voluntary work a week or something if you wanted to try something different too.

Ok. So. I'm not feeling as mopey as I was this morning it helps that i put my most fabulous outfit on complete with hot pink leopard print undies and went to meetings with new clients who told me I looked amazing for 32 weeks. Booyah! they also asked other colleague how far along she was....she's just fat....

At lunchtime I got my nails done. Yay.

I've also had a look at my bank account. Since I've been pregnant I've managed somehow to save about £500. This is partly to do with the not riding anymore but I think that maybe it's because I haven't been spending on myself. So I have some money to spend on new clothes for myself after baby. Yay. shallow I know but whatever makes you happy right?

And am now waiting for dh to finish work. Listening to Craig David. Yay!!!!

100 Enjoy! Cleaning product will save money in the weekly shop! and a massage, thats great!!

I ebf ds for four years and my period came back after 15 months, if that's any use to anyone. Weaned onto solids at 6 months.

I got nothing but encouragement from everyone in public and including when I went up to Glasgow and bf on trains and whatnot. Lots of thumbs up in John Lewis and secret smiles as people walked past.

These days I feel funny seeing other women breastfeed, but just in the same way that I would on seeing smoked salmon, if I'd spent four years eating nothing by smoked salmon, iykwim. Kind of had a surfeit of the experience myself, but I know that they are doing the right thing and I salute their efforts. I expect that feeling will wear off why I've recovered from the sleep deprivation maybe.

We're pottering along here. Spending too much money as it's the holiday, but pottering along.

Thanks all! Been looking at options - hot stone massage here I come!

Oh dear, em your poor colleague but yay you!

4 years sunny! That's awesome, I might be asking you and lonely for some advice on long-term ebf soon as it's something Id like to do but don't know anyone irl who has done it.

Sorry you're not well wreck I was up overnight with a sore throat but you sound properly poorly

meadow is the answer to everything!

need I think a sabbatical is a really good idea/option. I personally think you'd find your life to be just as full without your job, maybe even more full!

A friend just encouraged me to go with her to check out a new posh bakery on our high st that opened today. I went because we hadn't been out yet and I had cabin fever... but spent £10 on a cup of tea and two bits of cake. Cake was excellent, tea was way too strong. Don't think I'd be a regular anyway but it's nice to have a long-empty retail unit in use at last. Bread looked amazing.

I BF DD for 8 months but she was mix fed, DS I gave his last feed on his second birthday. Day after I just said "you're a big boy now" and he happily toddled off without so I guess it was right for him. This time I've already decided I'll just let her self wean. Lots of EBFers among my friends now so plenty of advice on hand! I was especially pleased to make it to 2 years with DS though, from the day he was born loads of people said (even midwives/doctors!) that because of his size I'd never be able to feed him all myself. Well, I showed them.

Yay em I'm so glad you feel happier. It's a massive change and it's totally understandable to be finding it difficult. And long, it doesn't half drag!

Eeeek poor colleague though I lived in fear of that! Sometimes I looked a bit pregnant. I lost weight before getting pregnant this time but sometimes I look down and I'm like, is this just fat again or is it actually a baby? :o I'm only convinced thanks to all the kicks usually on my bladder :o

Must go sort out dinner, I'm going to have my yummy ready meal tonight as I'm much hungrier than yesterday. Just need to sort the Caglets so will cobble together stuff from the fridge.

I made soup earlier though and for the first time used frozen leeks instead of fresh. Easier, cheaper and tasted no different, so that's a permanent switch. Plenty left for DH after work and for us all to have again tomorrow.

100years I'll have a go at questions if you'd like to ask. The LLL people are the best bet probably. I felt as though I survived rather then thrived, so following my path might not be ideal.

100 I just didn't stop feeding ds! He coslept until he was 4 (bedroom issue), so he fed at night mostly. I fed him at home during the day, usually to get him to nap, always held like a 'little baby', never running up and helping himself. After about 12 months I didn't feed him out and about, I could fob him off with other stuff. My ds was only fed for so long as he had teeth problems, his top four front came through without enamel and were like chalk. So he struggled to bite and wouldn't eat very much - we think it was very painful. I weaned him a month after he had the offending articles out. He's still super fussy with food though.

With dd1 I weaned her at 1 (pressure from all over to stop), dd2 and 3 self weaned at 13 and 14 mo like cag's ds they were just not bothered anymore.

I think any length of time bf is great, colostrum or 3 years, whatever works!

Morrisons today £50 but used £10 vouchers as well. All food and house stuff like bin bags. The 12.5kg bag of spuds is down to £3 at the moment. The dc picked lunch, so that was pricey as it was cream cakes and Starbucks iced coffee etc.

Salmon from the freezer tonight, with pasta pesto, and broad beans and peas (homegrown). Tomorrow will be pot luck leftovers.

100 Fab news . I hope you dont have to wait as long as I did when I won the MN family recipe prize.. I finally got my cast iron pans about 2 months later .. (but since then ive not actualy used them, they seem more 'winter food ' pans ..

NSD and yesterday £9 in co op on bottle of wine and some snacky things to take to a friends..

I am going away this weekend and apart of that will be a trip to Lakeland . That will be spendy as I have quite a list of things we have ,or are about to run out of and I only go about twice a year .

I am having a packing dilemma . 2 reasons: -what will the weather be like? (its easier holiday packing i know it wil be hot and sunny) .

The other thing is (and I am deeply ashamed of this - see below ) that I am going to see a somewhat difficult and competitive/ critical friend.... ( yes - i sometimes wonder why I have been friends with her all these years also ) .

The reason for being deeply ashamed is that although she had lost about 4 stone in the last few years (and I had also slimmed down but didnt need as as she did,she has recently lost a lot more weight because she is ill.. and I have put on weight . And yes, she will say something.. and yes, despite the fact that she has been ill I am envious that she is now thin and I am fat (about 2 stone heavier than I should be) And I will be easily the heaviest person there (again) - her DH and mine being quite small men. ..

There.. I have said it.. dreadful isnt it ? .

Laska you can't help the way you feel anyway it's her who makes you feel like that. Goodwood is on until Saturday be warned re traffic.

I'm feeling much better after a shower might attempt to eat something. Annoyingly I got chicken out of the freezer last night which will need chucking now as the dc ate at my parents and dh bought himself a steak.

wrecK yes and Pride in Brighton.. loks like ther will be de.

Cant you cook the chicken and eat it cold? , I like colf chicken even beter than warm

In my (small) defence , her illness is nothing like those major ones which cause weight loss. .. she gets very stressed and it affects her eating.. ..
Also in my defence ( I( have tried do ingsomething about this but its never changed) she is pretty manipulative and in the past ive felt bullied by her,.,but when ive tried to break it off she get s very upset.. Also its now a 'couples 'friendship' .. her and my Dh get on well as does her Dh.. I cant really get out of it without looking about aged 6! .. though we do have lots in common and ive known her about 25 years..
(sigh) ...

wreck if it's raw just bung it in the oven on a timer, and then refreeze it cooked. If it's already cooked it should be fine in the fridge 'till tomorrow.

Just sorted out a load of preschool toys out of ds' room. Will see what I have there, lots if v-tech toot toot cars and track etc, and will put some pics up, see if any of you woukd like it. Cba selling it, but always happy to post (it just takes me a while to actually get round to it!).

What ! terrible typing all round.. !!

Corrections:

.. Looks like there will be delays on A27

I like cold chicken better than warm (esp with mayo!!)
(sigh again)

Could you cook the chicken off tonight wreck and eat cold tomorrow? I think that's safe? (Don't hold me to that but somebody will know!)

Laska indeed you can't help how you feel. TBH if this friend is a competitive and critical sort it sounds likely she would find something else to have over you anyway.

Dilemma, do I drag myself to a workshop I booked tomorrow? Caglets don't know about it. Still a little cough-y and tired, so in that sense can't be bothered, it would save money (bus travel as it's out of bus pass area) and DD has work to get done tomorrow too... but also should I get out the house and meet people/see others I haven't in a while... argh!

Spends today £217 bus passes - only gone for a month on mine (quarterly for Caglets) because I SERIOUSLY need to get my disabled bus pass sorted FFS.

And £1.30 on a mars drink I've been craving for a while :o

I can't cook anything I don't think. I might ask dh if he can put it in the oven for 20 mins

laska I had a super lovely but sooo entitled friend. I'm afraid I kind of cut her loose. Luckily dp found her dh very odd and creepy, so he didn't mind not seeing them. In our family we call it 'doing your duty' seeing someone you kind if don't want to, but can't avoid.

Drink lots of wine, and spend £££ in Lakeland.

Id like to cut her loose.. have tried before but just it hasnt worked .. DH has just phoned and said how much he is looking forward to the weekend.. !

Gah . I do tend to drink when I am there ..and smoke ( but it has to be in the garden she hates smoking so its a great excuse.. (I gave up smoking some time ago .. I do have a vape for emergencies but havent used that for about a year (ive not seen her for about a year either! .. ) .. must dig it out ..

Heck looking back those posts are super-outing,..but I dont think she reads MN..

Ive found my vape..

Sounds like you'll need it, Laska.

NSD.

Not dreadful at all, totally understandable laska and thanks for the info on your win - mnhq have told me if I've not been contacted in 28 days to let them know so hopefully it won't drag on too much!

Thanks cag, sunny, and lonely I think that's what I'm thinking, to just let DD self wean but yes, any amount of bf is a great thing.
And sunny sounds like you were a real trooper.

Congratulations on the win, 100yearsofdotcom.

MN must have upped their timescales then100, they told me 14days! But tbf i did get the recipe book that came with the prize within a week, (that came direct from MN and not the manufacturer offering the pan part of the prize.) . Anyway . Its great to win something isnt It? I was chuffed to bits..

Right am off to pack bag.. and then early night.. Thanks for being understanding of my stress ., Ill be ok .. just having a wobble.. .

Looking forward to Lakeland! Also DH says we can go and find some motorhome dealerships to look at also .. . There is one near Chichester..