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First Frugalling month of 2018 almost done , so Forging forward into Feb we go

999 replies

Laska5772 · 23/01/2018 22:52

...and here we go !
Welcome all!

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31
SunnyLikeThursday · 25/01/2018 19:43

They were lovely Laska. Smile

SunnyLikeThursday · 25/01/2018 19:44

I need to do something about curtains too, but I keep looking at the prices and putting it off.

I was a tiny bit frugal yesterday and re-covered an office chair in fabric from ebay. I was chuffed with that.

Laska5772 · 25/01/2018 19:46

Thanks sunny !! ..That was a ridiculous put out for a compliment , I know.. No one else need reply Grin.

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WreckTangled · 25/01/2018 19:51

No laska I haven't posted my new one Grin I love your new curtains!

Seacow hope it's going ok!

Laska5772 · 25/01/2018 19:51

Actually they are the first ever 'posh' and 'proper' curtains I have bought in all my 60 years!! .. Have always had 'inherited' ones , charity shop, or found cheapies from somewhere ..

Curtains are so expensive .. . and also curtain rails/pole .. I did get the latter from Dunelm in their sale . they should be here tomorrow hopefully they will be right. (they look the same as the expensive JL ones )

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Laska5772 · 25/01/2018 19:52

Oh who was it that ordered the sofa with all the back cushions then ?

wreck we'll need a photo of your sofa to ogle then .. Smile

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SunnyLikeThursday · 25/01/2018 19:53

LOL! If you keep posting your curtain pictures I might get carried away and buy civilised ones for our house too. We could also do with lampshades.

WreckTangled · 25/01/2018 20:04

I hate buying curtains you're right about them being expensive. We have big windows considering we have such a tiny house and need the biggest curtains you can get. Managed to get the dc some in the dunelm sale reduced to £40 so that's not too bad but they're just plain dark grey as they don't do 'kids' ones in big sizes Hmm

SunnyLikeThursday · 25/01/2018 20:11

Glad it's not just me Wreck. I'm always torn between getting nice thick ones to keep the heat in, and the cost of the fabric.

Maybe the thing is to buy thin fabric and line them very heavily? The rubberised John Lewis thermal lining is very good. Not sure.

Washing is also tricky because so many need dry cleaned. I have some wonderful curtains that I made 20 years ago from very heavy cotton fabric that wash like a dream and never fade in the sunlight, but some others that didn't last one wash and that fade really badly, in spite of costing an arm and leg.

Lonely what do you think about curtains? You seem like a really successful DIY-er.

Laska5772 · 25/01/2018 20:15

Sunny I got this lampshade for the main light the other day . A good reduction I thought ..

We still need to paint the walls, will probably be a very pale grey ( its a south /west facing room.

Sofa is pale-ish teal and i have also got teal lampshade for table lamp.. ( we also have a couple of 'sea scape' pictures already so it should pick up the colours) .

But yes once you start decorating .....

I am now looking sternly at the other furniture.... Hmm . We have an old chart cabinet ( dark oak.. but not at all valuable it was an office cabinet I rescued from the dump at a place I used to work in ) that I may sand down and paint .. also the old dark teak nest of tables I got from a charity shop some years ago ..

Floor is pale wood veneer so thats ok , luckily

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Laska5772 · 25/01/2018 20:19

I have ( had) some thermal liners you just attached to the curtains with hooks in one of our old houses.. they were good ..

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SunnyLikeThursday · 25/01/2018 20:25

That sounds nice laska.

lifelongfrugaleer · 25/01/2018 20:30

I love the curtains laksa.

Loveabaconsandwich · 25/01/2018 20:34

I was the other sofa buyer laska

Thank you so much for the package seacow. Will have to find some time to work out how to use it! Lovely note too Smile

Been a couple of stressful days at work. Although my member of staff did something so daft today it really lightened the mood. Think ordering an excessive amount of a highly perishable item Grin

We also went to the pub for lunch as my colleagues are fed up at the moment so £6.49 there.

Generally been LSD as have no energy to shop at the moment so good there. Still have this cold and feel rubbish.

My dad has his pre-op appointment tomorrow

Mummycatface · 25/01/2018 20:43

Hello. Just checking in.

Am exhausted. Three house viewings, post office, boots shop collected dsis consoled parents pulled down from the ceiling (dsis has been off loading on them and they in turn on me). I’m feeling like no one has time for me other than to ask me to help them.

Am also annoyed at myself. Had pizza and garlic bread for tea. Ate it too quickly and not sitting down properly. Then Had an activia yoghurt and washed it down with a Diet Coke. Should learn not to do this. Tummy has gone wierd. Sigh.

On the plus side nsd.

needastrongone · 25/01/2018 20:56

Evening.

love I'm pleased to hear good news about your DF, I know he's still poorly but a relief for you guys anyway, I'm glad.

adora any news on your DFIL? Xx

shirt glad the envelope system is working, your MIL sounds fab.

Good luck seacow, hope it goes well. You need your sleep, it's so important for your MH. I was always pretty touch with mine at night for this reason. I really struggle without sleep so was a better parent for it for sure. Good luck. X

sunny hope you feel better soon with your flu. You are doing brilliantly to even post, DH had it over Christmas and could hardly lift his head from the pillow for days.

laska I love your curtains, we have similar tastes in colour, there's tons of this colour scheme in my house, this is one side of the kitchen, colours are identical to yours. I like certain colours to run through a house, it flows nicely then from room to room.

I spent 5k on curtains when we moved in. I saved and budgeted for it, DH thought I was mad. I knew how many windows we were going to have and how big some of them were. I got them made. 2 sets came with us from the old house, one set were made into blinds as they were pretty new. I love big thick, lined, full curtains, they make a room. All upstairs have blackout lining. They still look fab as I chose timeless patterns. I'll get another 10 years from most of them, so probably 20 years, but a big initial outlay. It's one of those strange choices, spend a lot but lasts for ages or less and change more often. No right answer.

Mushroom bourguignon tonight, who needs meat?!

NSD.

First Frugalling month of 2018 almost done , so Forging forward into Feb we go
First Frugalling month of 2018 almost done , so Forging forward into Feb we go
needastrongone · 25/01/2018 20:59

*tough.

And that figure did include shutters in one room with bay windows, which are mad expensive but I adore anyway. And obviously last forever, being wood!

Loveabaconsandwich · 25/01/2018 21:01

Sending good sleep vibes your way seacow

Sorry to hear about the no to working from home meadow. But your LM does seem to be trying to accommodate within what he can though. He sounds like a good boss!

needastrongone · 25/01/2018 21:01

And we had a whole new build house to curtain, and put poles and track onto etc. I feel I need to justify that large outlay!!

LonelyOversharer · 25/01/2018 21:03

catface reading that just made me exhausted! Were any of the houses any good? Family stuff is just the most almighty headache isn't it. Can you have a super quiet day tomorrow?

I'm not very good with curtains! Dd1 and the living room has them, dd2/3 and ds blackout blinds. The rest of the windows and doors are bare. Including a huge conservatory. It's very chilly downstairs! On my to do list. My plan is to make pretty curtains, and have thermal liners (bought about 4 years ago Blush) sewn behind. Washing not an issue...I don't wash curtains! Or the windows behind. On my to do list!

Very embarrassingly I cannot get to my bedroom window. Totally on my list.

LonelyOversharer · 25/01/2018 21:04

Oh seacow I hope you are hanging in there. I don't for a minute think tonight will be easy Flowers

needastrongone · 25/01/2018 21:06

lonely despite being a clean freak I don't wash mine either. They get vacuumed and febreezed but that's it.

needastrongone · 25/01/2018 21:13

fluffy no deal, however fucking amazing, would ever tempt me back to BT, such is the bad experience I have had in the past with them. I honestly mean this, even if it meant I was out of pocket. Never have I dealt with a more arrogant company who genuinely do not give one shit about its customers.

Mummycatface · 25/01/2018 21:15

Nope. Three more viewings tomorrow. We live middle of island. First one is east. Second one west. Third one east. At 9,10and 11.

Neither viewing today was great. House 1 was a beautiful granite cottage. Three huge bedrooms (one en suite). Attic gallery space. Exposed beams. South facing garden. £625k. The place looked tired and needed a lot of work. Both bathrooms smelled damp. New carpets new kitchen etc. No storage. Not worth it for almost too budgrt.

Second one - was so unbelievably cluttered but good ground floor space. The owners hadn’t made use of any of the storage and the kitchen was just wrong. The layout wasn’t suitable for cooking. Just didn’t flow. Seperate utility room stuffed full of clutter (which would go) but no washing machine. Just tumbley fridge freezer. Washing machine in garage. And dead mice in the bedroom (three cats that I saw...) two double bedrooms no storage. One box.

Hopefully tomorrow are better. One has an orangery. Fancy!?

Laska5772 · 25/01/2018 21:18

Nice need I like the cushions ! We now have the Orla Keily leaf ones in teal/cream as well as the ones that match the curtains... I agree on buying as best you can for household things and making them last ..

We are not great re-decorators,and are now just replacing stuff bought a long time ago some over 20 years .(and quite lot of it was secondhand then..) . A couple of my SIL's, though , seem to be constantly redecorating/re changing soft furnishings...

(and, Need.. we can just see you in the mirror!!)

catface ( i keep wanting to call you by your old name) . families can be like that with serial offloading and its hard when you have stresses yourself also .. Were any of the houses good? Hope you feel at bit better now.. Is Dsis getting a hard time from her ex?

Love fingers crossed for your dad tomorrow

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