Frugaleering, cakes and baby talk

[Taytocrisps]

Just starting off a new thread as the other one was getting full.

👋* at cag* sorry to hear you feel funny, although that's a common feeling when you're pregnant isn't it? does your dh not wake when you're up like that? Mine never ever did

I used to lie awake feeling baby move & it was just me & baby & the quietness

Work can be just like that, it doesn't happen me often. I'd a lovely night talking to one of the drivers from work & got complimented on my jumpsuit by a few too I feel good in it

He stayed awake with me a long time TBF - I was already feeling odd when he got in from work around 11. I just retreated downstairs at 1 though as it was a bit pointless tossing and turning and grumbling. He's promised he won't be grumpy if I have to wake him up 😂

She was super wriggly earlier. Can't believe she will be here in a few weeks! ❤️

Hooray for clothing compliments!

Hope you ladies are asleep by now. I am feeding DD and will need to hold her upright for a bit due to reflux. I am trying not to think about how much I need a wee...

Oh Christmas hope you didn't have to wait long for the wee

I've got to make an awkward phone call for work at 7am so dreading that & I don't usually drink Diet Coke now so that's messed with my sleep too

Ds woke up at 5:30 I've jut had the last of the coffee which means dh will be in a horrible mood but you know, first come first served.

I need to go food shopping today. Needs to be cheap.

Dd and ds both up early. Dh give for a bike event today in Wooler.
Shopping today won't be cheap as party stuff. Also haven't actually got dd anything for her birthday still.
Dd has a horrible cough too. No temperature but is snotty. Will keep an eye and take get to the doctor's next week

Sorry about the frugaleers who can't sleep and are stressed

Awake since 6 so I guess that's approx 4 hours sleep, made the phonecall didn't get hold of customer but left a voicemail have arranged things as best I can. He'll just have to get over it

Watched last two episodes of emmerdale after missing months as heard it was good, it was.
Going to get up & try to avoid waking dc yet

Wreck you snooze you lose, he needs it less he's still sleeping

Luckily Dh only drinks coffee at work. It's reduced service here till I've had my latte.

www.johnlewis.com/bosch-hmt72m450b-microwave-oven-brushed-steel/p231283638 Mammy I have this one, it's £99 on Amazon. I never used all the functions on digital microwaves. I know what all the buttons on this one do.

Making sage & onion breadcrumb stuffing today. Should be very cheap but taste nicer than shop bought.

cag sorry to hear you had a tough night. Hope you’re feeling a bit better this morning. Ds was asleep when you last posted but he did wake up at 3... and is now having a feed again.

mammy it didn’t come across as kreachu at all. I know she cares and just wants to help but I think it’s the assumption that I can’t cope that’s annoying me. Also there’s not much she can do. Obviously if I need her to help I’ll ask. She knows that.

Dh was getting a bit twitchy last night. Apparently I shouldn’t put the light on when Ds needs something. I suggested that he (dh) sleep in the spare room. But nope. He’d have to take the things off the bed. Told him to put my eye mask on. I need the light on when I’m changing ds. Not so much when he’s feeding, can do that just using a dim light on my phone. But changing....need the light on.

Lsd today I think. My aim is for us to go into town. Ds needs more little vests. We have a pack of 6 but it’s not enough. I’m constantly washing and waiting for them to dry - I haven’t learned my lesson yet to always cover ds up when he’s being changed. The amount of times he’s pee sprayed me/himself,,,,!

Sorry to hear all of those who were awake last night mammy cag seacow em and anyone I have forgotten

DP eventually was so tired he never woke with just a light turning on in the night em

Got £20 from VO yesterday for the last part of a three month survey. £8 more than expected as I didn’t think i’d done all the surveys. I get very few e-rewards surveys but I am getting the notifications now

This weekend will be mainly visiting various people from DPs family- birthdays etc. Going to PIL today and DP still needs to arrange to see DN. He is rubbish at organising these things and then I get frustrated that we are constantly waiting to hear when we can visit. Although sometimes that means only he and DC go

Morning. Enjoyed all the middle of the night chat, you poor things. I am a bit the same with caffeine Mammy, anytime from 5pm really.

Fluffy - thanks, the super drug pads look good, and bloody cheap. I've bought N&F on the offer, but they are substantially cheaper than the Pixie Glow Tonic I've got at the moment, but I am willing to have bash at the Super Drug ones, lots of folk rave about the brand on FB.

Wreck Thank you! I have utilised the EB offer for gifts. Wouldn't have known about it if you hadn't posted here. Brill charity shop haul.

Seacow I'm queen of back issues. Strengthening is key but takes a lot of time and effort, which you are short of. I mean this honestly, it's only as the DC have got older and I can devote the correct amount of time that I've seen massive improvements. But stretching for sure. I've some brill ones taught to me over the years from various fitness coaches, I'll dig them out.

I am wondering if I need a flu jab! You lot are all getting them Never had a reaction to any vaccine but I've never thought to have one, so maybe it is pschyology to some degree?

Well, looks like the dishwasher is fooked, so they are giving me a new one. I'm quite pleased my dogged complaining got all my money back from the repair guys.

DS was properly fully drunk last night for the first time, staggering and being sick etc. He had drunk a full bottle of Sambuka that DN had bought him for his 18. It was me that picked him up at 1am so that was fun, found him laid on the floor outside the party with 2 of his mates with him bless them. He's at the age where he needs to figure it out for himself so I am not going to give him any lectures, he's usually teetotal bless him. And quiet and studious. I did check him at 4am so ensure he'd not choked on his own vomit

Cag I think this might interest you. DD (entirely focused and single-minded and a bit of a planner) has been looking at Uni courses already. She's looking at Archeology and Paleoecology, how cool is that?

I get the coffee and chill in bed while DH does the dogs as I did the drunken 18 y/old sorting last night!

Oh Em, my DM wasn't even around when DS was born, booked a holiday for his due date and said she'd see 'it' soon enough. That hurt. I know the love is irritating, but be glad.

Any recommendations for a slow cooker? I know fluffy mentioned an Asda one but that is the only place I don’t need to go. Mine seems to have a broken temperature setting as last time on the low setting I had to put water in three times as it was boiling dry. Had the slow cooker at least 10 years though

Love I am a massive fan of the Morphy Richards Sear and Stew. It's not the absolute cheapest but it's certainly not a ££££'s one either. You can use the pot to brown meat and then put the whole thing in the SC so you only use one pot iyswim, as the name suggests

Ooooh I like the look of that need . Thank you!

Ooh free dishwasher. Do you get a choice?. I bet it'll use less water, the technology has moved on so much in the last few years. Sambuka will be the spirit he can't drink for years. Sober Octobers passed him by then.

My sc are all really basic.

Did those of you in new builds ever check if you have a soakaway? No surface water charges if you do & a rebate if they've charged you.

Just catching up again! Sorry for all those with sleepless nights.
bacon we have a big Crockpot & a smaller Morphy Richards. Both are good & were reasonably priced.
Em that's a difficult thing to deal with, I'm sure your mum will relax soon...fingers crossed!
Need its hard isn't it? Ds is younger than yours and drinks lager a bit after the cricket which we are fine with, but he doesn't do parties at the moment. A couple of months ago after cricket someone had given him shots and he came home drunk & vomiting. I did the checking in the night thing & felt like the worst parent alive for a little while.
On Monday it was the awards evening for the cricket he plays at "District" level (just below county). He has now finished that after 5 years and got the most prestigious award for the player who has developed most as a player and personality over the 5 years. I was so proud & despite the odd drunk blip, we must be doing something right.
Fully into my Christmas planning now, hoping to have all presents bought or ordered by the end of the month.
Need to dash now as I'm doing circuits at 9, will pop in again later.

I second the sear and stew, we just got largest sc we could find, and got lucky. It is v good.

We were up in the night too, eating cheese, pickles and olives at 2am! No idea why, we just couldn't get to sleep. I drink caffiene all day. Can have a double shot coffee and be asleep two minutes later.

Dd2 has had her nose spray, very easy. I hope she stays well now. Ds will not like that at all, but I won't be there when he has his!

I have the vat to do today. I forgot. Oops. But we've taken so little this quarter it won't take long.

I got a bedside lamp with a dark purple shade for night changes em more light than that seemed to wake ds right up (like ready for playtime at 2am) once he was a bit older. But dp used to do the night burp/change/resettle.

After 3 girls, having a boy who weed as soon as you took his nappy off (do they all do that?) did take some getting used to. The girls never did that.

North Kudos to your DS. He is so committed to the cricket isn't he? Does he do football in the winter? I suspect that we parent in a fairly similar manner to be honest. I'm not into micro-managing as a parent and that wouldn't work at this age anyway! The fact I didn't drink on a Friday night and picked the little sod up is enough parental love He's supposed to be going to the RL Grand Final with DH and some friends of ours in a couple of hours, that will be interesting!

Fluffy It's only 18 months old but I am sure things will have moved on even in that period, no idea re choice but I'll ensure it's as least as good. Cheers re the soak away, I know for sure this development has one, so I'm off to check my bill after this post. My drink was Southern Comfort, even now can't stand the smell of the stuff

I've posted on the Christmas thread to mark my place.

ps North One of our good friends DS plays/trains for/at the Yorkshire Academy, their commitment as a family is huge, I get how much time you guys put in.

Em I know it probably wasn't the safest thing (!) but I put a towel over the lamp for night time changes. But we didn't change either DC for long in the night anyway, this will pass quite quickly.

Hi Christmas I can't find the book but it's this one:

Dr Ali's Ultimate Back Book: A unique integrated programme featuring, diet, yoga and massage

It just has 6 pages of easy exercises that always sort me out when my back gets wedged. Definitely good as an emergency fix.

I'm glad you like the word woggle. I enjoy it myself.

The flu vaccine continues to be weird. Today, swimming head.

Wow well done northDS how awesome!

Need you know me too well - what a cool uni course, I can see that being my DD's sort of choice someday. Bless your DS :o I wouldn't lecture either I don't think, what's done is done and it's a rite of passage really isn't it.

Em after a while you probably won't need the big light on for nappy changes anyway! It all becomes autopilot :o

Weeeeeell my weirdness last night seems to be because I now have a horrible throats and cough. Grumpy as hell now because a cold is bad enough (due to flaring up POTS/fibro symptoms) but also I'm sad and feeling pathetic because I can't even have stuff like hot apple juice and honey, as it'll mess up my sugars. Yay.

cag oooh poor you feel better xxx

I did have the bedside light on...good to know it won’t last though. Ds is usually awake for night time changes, we change feed burp then back to sleep (hopefully).

Dh is still sleeping. I’ve had breakfast (so has ds) I only had a small bowl of cereal. And am wondering whether brunch might be ok to have too. Would I get away with waking dh up with a coffee and a bacon sandwich?!

Something else new which has started to happen (which I had heard about but just figured everyone was lying...!) my boobs leak now when ds cries. Or when it’s roughly feeding time. Crazy how our bodies work huh? lucky I bought breast pads otherwise this could get embarrassing

yous guys probably already know this but it’s amazing what happens when you’re a first timer!

Good morning everyone.

After checking our bank account this morning I am jumping back onto the frugaleer's bandwagon. Just one week after payday and we are almost in the red (we get paid monthly).

I hate September and October financially, it's when we get the least pay (we're both teachers in France) and have to pay for loads of things. So far we have already paid the usual biggies (mortgage and car loan) plus DD's yearly karate fee (€200) but we have yet to pay DD's and my trimestrial pottery fee (€200), DH's martial arts fee (€280) our biannual water bill (€260), DS's school trip (€100), the monthly taxes bill (€500), monthly electricity bill (€190), plus all the other 'little' bills such as insurance, phone contracts, Netflix etc. which come to over €300.

We have €1600 left in our account.

It's not like it comes as a big surprise, but every sodding year it's the same thing - oh fuck, we are going to end the month in the red.

In order to avoid overdrawing our overdraft we're going to have to drastically change our diet for the next month (usually eat all organic, bought at the local bio co-op, ridiculous food bill for a family of four) meaning I'm going to have to take charge in the kitchen (DH usually does all the cooking, it's always delicious, but he doesn't pay any attention to how much each meal costs). So lots of meal planing, shopping list making and bargain hunting ahead. Urgh.

Love I got a Kenwood basic slow cooker on Amazon a couple of years ago for about €30, it's been great (it's big enough to fit a whole chicken in).

(€1600 in our savings account that should read)