May Making Money Go Frugally Further

[Wolfcub]

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You’ve all been through a lot though and he probably feels more secure with you and his gp. Your the ones who didn’t leave.

The checkoutsmart offers are rubbish. Free meatballs on cos and I think there’s cheap sausages on clicksnap but they’re low fat and low salt aka a plate of bitter disappointment.

sunny love those shorts! Might get some...#unfrugal

Fil has money because of a number of reasons really. Firstly he owns the house. Mil was never on the deeds (fil had been married before and his first wife screwed him over). Secondly, when they split mil took x amount of money from the bank accounts. Thirdly fil had a better lawyer than mil. And saw right through her trying to get his pension (when hers was better than his and she never paid into the social security system here or paid tax - fil was paying all that on her behalf) trying to get the house and everything. They had two properties in nz. Fil agreed to sign them over. Mil (eventually sold them). When she left him instead of renting she bought a flat and lost money on it when she left and sold it. Also she spent a fortune doing it up and buying furniture which she then dumped.

The nz houses she sold and used the money to buy a plot of land and build a place. It was meant to be finished two years ago. Still at foundation stage. She’s paid all the money per the contract. Dh told her to stop as the work had stopped. But she didn’t. So the money has gone and it’s my understanding that there are issues with building permissions on said land. The house may never get finished. I looked at the contract. She sent it to dh who sent it to me. I’m not qualified in nz law but a contracts a contract. I’d never have advised her to sign it. No recourse to the builders if anything goes wrong or if there are delays. Penalties if she didn’t pay on time...

Dh said mil was twitchy because I’m “controlling the day” today. He asked how. Apparently because I wasn’t there that’s controlling. Sigh. Can’t win. If I’d been there it would have been so unbelievably obvious I didn’t want to be there.

Ds had a whale of a time. Dh took him down to the sea and sat him on the shore line. Apparently he thought the waves coming to get him were hilarious!!! Loved the water swooshing over him. He ate sand. Had a good roll around etc. Came home and he was more sand than boy. So I have a sandy happy baby. Yay! We’ll be finding sand in his chunky leg rolls for weeks....must buy some talc for the beach.

Em it sounds like ds had a great day. Ds also came home covered in sand. The beach is such great free fun

Gosh that really sucks for your mil Em. She's really in a hole isn't she? taking careful notes not to do the same kinds of things myself.

We have two nests with baby birds in them at the moment and it's really quite exciting. There's a blackbird nest in the honeysuckle and when I sit on the bench nearby I can see the little heads pop up and the beaks opening when the parents come home. Very cute.

Then we also have a great tit nest. Ds made a bird box for a beaver badge last year, and I just plonked it on a pile of bricks outside of the French windows because nothing had ever nested in the three other boxes that I'd put up properly.

Well anyway, for no sensible reason, we've now got a nest in this box just sitting on bricks outside the window. And for a couple of weeks I've been watching the parents go back and forward. Then today I went out and the box had fallen on the ground, hole down. I quickly put it back up on the bricks and frantic cheeping noises came from inside, but there were no parent birds any more.

I thought I was going to be spoon feeding baby birds, but fortunately the parents came back after about 20 minutes. Phew!

That was my little update on bird activity, which is my current frugal entertainment. Thank you for listening.

Ah cute. We have a blackbird in the budlia that desperately needs cutting. Love birdies.

At least dh is experiencing the no win on his own em.

I love watching and listening to the birds in our garden and the field behind. The sparrows have been doing some cool hovering manoeuvres to land on some tall grass stems.
Very early start this morning. Nearly in the big smoke but feel like I need a week of sleep!
Elec and gas bill arrived this morning after submitting readings at the weekend. Still in winter debit. I am sure I’ve normally clawed it back by this time of year. It may be increased use from more working at home though and the late cold snap. Need to keep an eye on use after the summer to make sure I don’t get myself in financial hot water over the next winter period

We're having a lazy day today. I need to add some money to the childcare account. I'm so angry with myself as dd got s but burnt yesterday where I missed the cream, just a small bit where her shoulder strap was. Proves the cream works though...

I love watching the birds too. We have a robin nest and the robins are busy until quite late at night gathering bugs in our garden.
Unfortunately we also have a magpie nest. I very much hope they don't discover the robins.
Frugal food for today is lentil dhal for lunch with pitta bread I found in the freezer. Pasta with JO 7 veg sauce for tea. Luckily I cooked and froze loads of it a couple of weeks ago. I think that will be more than one meal this week.

Morning (especially wreckcat, he is glorious!).

Came down this morning and I'd forgotten I'd moved the living room around! It looks a lot better as it is now, still loads to put away though.

I might have to shop a bit today, just for food. The cupboards are getting very bare. No meat in the freezer in the kitchen, but will go and rummage in the chest one.

And some posting, two (tiny) ebay sales, and some knitting. I will tag on a photo.

Here. Hope you don't mind. I get no sounding board for my things. I tried a "show us your makes" thread on mn, but I was judged as braggy and trying to flog my stuff, which wasn't the case at all!

Anyway, it will be help with the end of the month a lot. May really has been an expensive one. And we still owe the garage for the little car's mot/rear end rebuild.

OMG lonely the octopus!! MN can be a strange place sometimes that's why I like our little thread!

Those are amazing Lonely. DD1 would love an octopus. I'd love to order one from you if you let me know how.

They're beautiful lonely.

I want a mermaid ! Lonely Can you pm me your email for paypal?

Wondered where the cat was...the cupboard door was shut so no idea how he got in here!

They are great Lonely! I like your Scheepjes plan too - especially the top sweater as I like the pattern round the yoke. I had so many projects in mind but have completely lost my knitting mojo since dad got really ill. I hope it comes back soon .

Wreck did your day work out okay yesterday? Did you make it to Stratford?

I was very bad last night and bought quite a lot of stuff for myself online. I bought 3 pairs of red shoes - I am still searching for a pair for the funerals, I’ll only keep one - and a little formal cardigan to wear over my dresses. I also bought a few casual bits from Next (they have fabulous colourful t shirts for £5, or 3 for £13) and Laura Ashley, of all places. They had 40% off so I bought a top and a cardigan with pineapples on it. Don’t know what I’ll keep yet. I could do with a skirt or two and some non-jeans for bottoms. I’ve realised that my old thin wardrobe doesn’t fit and nor does last summer’s big maternity stuff so I really do need a few things. It’s far too hot for jeans right now.

Dd only has a cold but is really not well at all. She was sick in the night and is very sneezy, snotty and hot today. I can hardly put the poor girl down. She’s sleeping quite a lot but pings awake the minute I set her down

Hi Frugaleers. I've just started washing some stuff for baby coming, I have some blankets knitted by friends & family that I've been told I need to wash first, but everyone's telling me a) I need special washing liquid to wash baby stuff and b) I did notice my Persil non-bio says not to use on wool. Is a) actually true? I can't understand why it would be, I mean surely non-bio is non-bio...? My DM insisted I had to use Fairy non-bio instead of Persil and when I was expressing my doubts about it being much different she said it must be for babies because the logo is a baby fair . Then I got home and realised there's a picture of a baby on the front of my Persil so can't wait to point that out to her . And anyway even if a) is not true, what shall I use to wash the wool blankets? Preferably the cheapest available option as we are so skint.

Sunny Those shorts are lovely and I wouldn't say they were 'short shorts'. I was also expecting like hot pants not that there's owt wrong with hot pants, people should just wear what they want/feel comfortable in. I am missing wearing shorts as I never got around to buying maternity ones and obviously don't fit in my old ones. And with due date being so soon I can't really justify buying any more maternity clothes .

Any non- bio will be fine meadow. It's all about the lack of enzymes that might irritate baby. If in doubt just put half the amount of detergent as they won't be dirty clothes anyway.
I always wash wool in normal detergent too. But then I have nothing pure wool. I would say again just use a small amount of detergent.

Love the octopuses

Any non bio is fine then once they're older bio is fine. Hmm not sure about wool. I would use it anyway but hand wash it 🤷‍♀️

Seacow yes we did! It was really hot though so the dc weren't so keen on all the walking. They also didn't like the playground

Meadow
If its actual wool from a sheep use a drop of baby shampoo in handwarm water,dont scrub or agitate as it will felt.
Rinse in same temp and gently roll on a towel to get rid of excess.
If its Acrylic "wool" you can wash as anything else as its indestructable so whatever you normally use is fine.

meadow are they pure wool? Or wool as in yarn iyswim. Most "baby" yarns have some acrylic in, as they need to be washed a lot. I only make baby gifts in acrylic or cotton, as both can be washed and dried (though acrylic gradually gets bigger and softer the more it's washed). For pure wool I would wash in the sink with a wee squirt of baby shampoo! Honestly it works. Then condition. Rinse well, sqeeze out and dry over a radiator. Trouble with pure wool knitting yarn is it will felt and shrink in the machine, however you treat it.

I have never used anything but my normal bio washing powder. But we are blessed with no eczema here. I always at the contradiction of only using non bio for baby clothes, then soaking the vests in bleach to get the poo off!

X-post quiteclean ... great minds!

I have no idea re: wool/acrylic ...but from what you all say I guess it's more likely to be acrylic. I will handwash first time then with just a tiny bit of washing liquid to be on the safe side. Thanks everyone! Tbh I read a thing recently about the whole non-bio thing probably not being relevant to most people even if they do have sensitive skin. I mean my parents always used non-bio and me and my brother both have eczema. I do think most of this stuff re: allergies etc is down to genetics.

Lonely
Does it squeak if you rub it through your fingers Meadow ? if so likely acrylic