May Making Money Go Frugally Further

[Wolfcub]

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Yay, so this time next week you will be getting ready for your last day meadow. Great that you’ve got the annual leave to use too. Do you think you will go back to that job?

Top up shops are bad and i’m trying to ignore the treats when I do. Fortunately I try my hardest just to buy milk and bread from our Tesco express because the fruit is normally dated that day so I refuse to buy it.

On Shopmium you can get a “free” milkybar wowsome. DD1 scoffed it quickly so must have been ok.

😂 at the thongs

£50 haircut
£4 on two fajita kits as I prepped dinner but was missing all the crucial ingredients

lonely good idea! No one mentioned that! Such a great tip!

Right, I called MIL and left a message as she was out (duty done though).

And I found a Cleaner. £50 for 4 hours. Ouch. But I really can’t scrub baths etc for a good few weeks. It was just swirling bath water to mix it up that got me into this state so I’m going to have to be very cautious!

So, some progress but... I haven’t tidied the house. Or called the Tree man. Sunny I’d love magnolia advice but I’m not sure what to photograph! It’s a very big mature tree, must be at least 30 years old. It seems to be pretty sick. We had smaller leaves than normal last year after a ‘normal’ blooming but then this spring we had hardly any blossoms and the leaves are very small again and incredibly sparse. Previously if you stood underneath it you’d not see the sky for the leaves; now it’s such a sparse canopy it’s mostly sky. Lots of branches haven’t leafed at all so they appear to have died. There does appear to be a rusty coloured streak down one side of the bark, don’t know what that means. I haven’t had a close up look at any leaves, I’ll try to get out tomorrow and take some pics. I think it must be diseased. I’m really sad about it, it’s one of the reasons we loved the house.

Top up shops are the bane of my life. I walk past a Tesco metro, Coop, 3 bakeries. Butchers etc every day. And I have food hoarding issues. The very idea of running down the cupboards is . But I do try to be careful with the fresh stuff so as not to throw too much away. Still need to do much better!

Meadow your box is packed up and ready - I just need to weigh it and drop it off at the parcel place (a friend will do that bit for me as she’s going at the weekend anyway). I enjoyed sorting it, it was a fun job! I really need to let go of my baby stuff (which I find hard unless I’m giving it to someone I like), and you will use it, so win-win. I can’t believe you’re about ready to stop work. It’s come round so quickly. I’m also shocked to realise that DD is one next month. Thats gone really quickly too. She is absolutely at peak gorgeousness right now - so funny and affectionate and curious, and learning so fast. You have so much to look forward to!

Right, I am going to attempt to stir fry. DH has done all the washing up again .

Lovely evening here. I met Dfriend (dh’s friend and our best man and ds’ godfather to be) after work and he came home with us. He and dh entertained ds I did laundry. Dfriend asked what we were having for dinner then told me to go to the gym and he’s cook. I came back to bacon mac n cheese salad and a beer. Healthy after the gym! Dfriend had also Shamed Dh and they’d tidied and cleaned. Love. Him.

I’ve just had a shower. And it was unbelievably relaxing. Currently lying on bed in towel listening to Paul Simon (me and Julio)

Dfriend is reading to ds. He’s reading the tiger who came to tea. He’s with me that it’s not really about a tiger but more about the man mummy’s boffing on the side and persuades sophie to lie to daddy....

Oooh and I may be in Laaaaaaaahhhhhnnnndaaaahhhhhn (London) for two days next week. Woop. Annoyingly two separate days and have to come home invetween. Trying to see if I can squish all my meetings into one day. Or whether we do spread them out and enjoy the niceties with our clients instead. These being: lunch at the Dorchester (squuueeeeeeee!!! I’ve been here for tea before and it was insanely good!) and a private tour of the Tate modern. (Client is a descendent of a famous artist - but has recently donated big bucks to the Tate modern).

Should note that although I’ll pay for my flights and travel but can expense it all back. Boss will pay for lunch.

Also means I can grab some duty free gin at the airport. Woop.

Duty free make up too em!

That too wreck or just sit in the lounge and drink free bubbly...

#businesstriplife #itsnotallglam #firstflightouastflightback

Sounds horrible em but i’m sure you will struggle through

I don’t suppose anyone has a spare 20% off code for M&S they could pm me please? Apparently some people have been sent codes and DP needs new grandadslippers for his birthday next month he’s so cool

I hoard food to sea. Empty cupboards never happen here. I blame being poor as a child and having empty cupboards

I've managed another Nsd, I think Nsd are possible but you have to manage with running out of stuff!! Keeping things like bread and milk well stocked in the freezer helps.

I'm knackered, end of a busy week and have to stay up til dds coach gets back at 10 pm ish 😴 she has text to say they have had a brilliant time 😊

sunny letting go of our kids is hard but obviously the end goal is to produce confident, happy, secure young people who will make their own way in the world.... I don't think you ever stop worrying about them though!!

Thank you for the tips, I will keep attempting a NSD then! To be fair today I only spent £3 on bread, milk and a cold drink so not bad.

Ds has just been sick 😪😥 I am not good with this am a bit panicky now. Ahhh!

However. I’ve made a note of the time. And have popped him back to sleep. After changing his sheets (one fo you suggested layering mattress protector sheet mattress protector sheet... thank you! Although now I’m on the bottom one what do I do if it happens again? Swaddle cloths and towels until I can put a wash on?! )

Am paranoid he has a bug now. Ffs.

The ffs was at myself. Not him. If he has a bug he can’t help it. It’s more my anxiety. Ffs.

Oh em poor DS :( and poor you, it’s horrible when they’re poorly, I flipping HATE sick as well. Probably is the bug going round at nursery but he’ll most likely get over it quickly. BRAT diet in the meantime I guess, and water in small sips, I guess that dioralyte stuff too but mine were never sick that young so not sure what the rules are. Hope he’s better soon and doesn’t pass it on to mummy and daddy (and friend, who is totally right about the tiger who came to tea - although I also like the slightly more innocent theory that it’s purely made up because mummy couldn’t be arsed to cook and wanted an excuse to go out for dinner. Story of my life.)

I have spent on textbooks (English, history and geography) and a new gym leotard for DD. She won the progress award at her class too, so she has a new medal, woop ⭐️😍

And back...it has been such a long day.
I am now paranoid about DD's name Skye shhhhh. She is called either pi or fluffy. I hope that doesn't put her in the quinoa or apple territory.

Sea take it easy eh? It really doesn't matter if you leave the bath to stew for a few weeks. We have yet to catch anything that can be passed on and therefore so much hair on the bath ring Wayne Rooney turned up thinking it was his hair replacement clinic.You have been and are still going through a really difficult patch. It is ok to wallow.

Em it is horrible when they do the pukey thing. Good news is that they seem to get over it as quickly as they come down with it. Towels or turn the dirty sheet 180 degrees..so long as it can be tucked In. Swaddling cloth I would worry they could get tangled if it isn't secured. Plenty of fluids and you can be a barely functioning wreck and he will be the tomorrow.

Seed growing...it is an advantage of being in the country.

Em if it’s just the once then feed as normal. If he vomits several times and struggles to keep anything down (ie has a proper vomiting bug) then I’d give sips of water little and often (like every 10-15 mins - but don’t let him gulp lots at once!) and then try something dry like a rice cake or biscuit. When he can tolerate that then offer the normal range of food, though you may find he’s picky for a bit.

DS had a couple of nasty vomiting bugs when he started nursery and I remember it well!

Girlie hope dd had a brilliant time

Christmas Those symptoms on your Magnolia really really sound like a fungal infection to me. The rusty streak in particular sounds like the fruiting bodies of a rust fungus that's probably inside the stem. What you do about it is another question. We used to be able to buy systemic fungicides but I think they are all banned now.

Does this web page help any?
gardenerdy.com/magnolia-tree-diseases

Sunny that’s what I feared .

So the next question is: who do I call to help? There are lots of tree surgeons round here, I guess they should know this stuff? Given how sad the tree looks I am not sure it can be saved. It’s ridiculous to say it in my present circumstances (with much more serious problems!) but the loss of this tree will be devastating. I will be completely gutted.

do tracey anderson online for free.

free pizza with pizza express if you download the app. also same at starbucks and greigs you get a free coffee.

lemon/orange/cucumber slices in water, are healthier than squash and cheaper

Oats for breakfast
Lentils/beans in a million forms
make your own hummus- cheaper and less fat omit tahini
use sliced courgette instead of lasagna pasta for less refined carbs
Coconut oil for mositurizer, eye make up remover, night cream and intensive hair/skin treatments/ with salt scrubs in the bath instead of exfoliators/use old coffee granuals
make your own plant milk from oats/rice using youtube is healthier (maybe than milk) and cheaper and not that hard
bananas on offer, peeled and frozen makes a great healthier ice cream alternative.
stop using baby wipes, instead cut up an old t shirt/whatever you have, put it in a tupperware with some dettol, water.
mediatation is free/breath work can get you high- youtube transformational breath/ also old school stuff research says is helpful: Bird watching, knitting, sewing, all the granny past times chil you out. Who knew?
exercise on youtube and community classes are free and good for well being
Embrace minimalism, it's chic. You don't need all that crap :) Tell yourself this again. Goodluck

Em we used to layer up with bin bags! Hope ds is ok it's horrible when they're sick. I'm like cag and can't deal with sick.

Today will be spendy as I'm going to do the food shopping and meeting an old colleague for lunch. I can't really afford it but I haven't seen her in ages.

Who the fuck knows today. Supposed to be a nsd but I might treat myself to a scone

I've woken up with a really painful back (nothing compared to sea!) but I can't move a certain way as it's too painful

Christmas this page says remove the dead bits and put copper fungicide on the cut surfaces.

homeguides.sfgate.com/treatments-magnolia-trees-45926.html

I think a three surgeon might help, but they are more for cutting bits off than for healing trees, I would think. I wonder if you have a really capable gardening bod near you. Actually, screw that, why don't you phone the RHS helpline and ask their advice?

You would need to join up, but you can do that with tesco tokens just now if that helps any. I think they might be able to put you in touch with right person for the job, especially as you are near-ish London?

This is the helpline page:

www.rhs.org.uk/membership/rhs-gardening-advice

btw, I told my dh about your troubles this week and he said "At least her back stopped her in her tracks before her mind packed up from sheer exhaustion" dh casts wry look in direction of self I hope your back gets better quicker than the 4 years I've been on the road to recovery. for you, and just this one time also for me. Zzzzz

Morning. I think ds is ok. Sick just the once (as far as I can tell - dh is getting him up) I managed to get a bit of sleep which is good. Will see how he is for breakfast. He’s going to dparents today anyway so he’ll be fine there. I’m not convinced it’s a bug but he’s not a sicky baby and Nursery did say there’s one hanging about. So....

Anyway. Have appointment at the bank today to open him an account.

It could just be a one off em as in he's got a bit of the bug but fought it off before it took hold.