The Friendly Frugaleers; joyfully saving through July

[Wolfcub]

New thread

Sadly my poor piano sits largely unplayed now Sunny apart from the odd burst of nursery rhymes or Xmas songs. No time to practise when the dcs are up and it would wake them up in the evening. I hope at least one of them will play it though and in the meantime it's a handy place to put things out of reach of the dts!

We're going to see incredibles 2 next week. My sister is civil service so gets a good discount at the cinema.

Ooo I spent many a teenage weekend knocking around Meadowhall!

Snuggly I hope you will have a lot of when in the future when it will hopefully see a lot of use again. With 3 little people, you must have lots of opportunities for fun there once they are old enough to notice it. Our piano was a bit dormant for a while, but now it is almost constantly in use. It's nice to have music again. I missed it in the days when we couldn't wake a sleeper or take our eyes off the roving non-sleeper.

Today's fun here was that my grade 3 clarinet book arrived and dh was trying to plough through the piano accompaniment to panis angelicus, while I tried to play the violin part from the clarinet music by transposing down a 2nd on the fly. It was scratchy but hilarious. That's the thing that I really like about clarinet music. It all really only works as a duet, and duets are very nice, even if played in flailing shambles.

Had a nice day today and a NSD to boot, spent the morning at home and found a local river where we could paddle in the afternoon.

Going to watch incredibles 2 tomos!

We took ds to the beach again for a sea swim. That boy loves the sea. No fear. He thought the waves were hilarious. The tide was up and we stood him on the slipway and let him “jump” off into the “super deep water” (foot and a half maybe...) he loved it. Then ddad took him for a swim - he held him under his arms and let him kick. And splash. And kick. And splash. And swallow most of the water (no worries about rising sea levels here....ds drinks it all).

Home and sweet potato falafel and wraps for dinner.

I put ds to bed at 745. He has only just dropped off to sleep. He stuck his finger up my nose though, had a good rummage and then fed me my bogeys. So that was fun.... 😂😩

Day off tomorrow. Vets with ds and catface. How I’m going to wrangle them both in the car I have no idea. May have to enlist help.

Not had time to post, bit full on here.

Mammy that’s such a stressful start to your holiday, I hope you enjoy it after all that

Cag I am so glad you are so giddy-happy in your new house! I hope you will all be incredibly happy there. Glad the stuff arrived, no worries about PMs - you could hardly have more on your plate! I also loved the watermelon coat (so much that I bought it in the next size too!). The cat stuff from Tu got a lot of wear here too...

Well, I am really pissed off. It took DH 6 hours yesterday to get the roof bars on the car. This evening (after s long day our at a friend’s) we tried to stick the roof box on top and it doesn’t fit! When it’s on we can’t open the boot. I am really annoyed that Roofbox.co.uk didn’t warn this may be an Issue - you put your car model in to ensure that the bars will fit so why not the box too? 😬😬😬😬. We were supposed to leave Tuesday morning. We can buy a new box at Halfords tomorrow but we need to return this one within 14 days and we won’t be here. £374. If we could somehow return it in time we’d still lose at least £50 return delivery charge, plus more as we bought the bars and Box as a package so they’d charge more for the bars we’re keeping. I am reeeeaaally annoyed. I don’t have time for this shit.

Christmas is there anyone who could handle the return for you? Parents or a friend maybe.

Yay 😁 at new place cag

Local rivers here are full of lush green foliage. NSD, didn’t leave the house today. Dogs have been eating the apples that have fallen already. Not ripe, trees are parched.

Wreck the shampoo was yes it's only one that doesn't strip my colour

Ah Christmas that's horrid

Sunny if you can transpose by sight then theory exams should hold no fear for you!

Sodding dcs are up early again. DH is up but I've been disturbed too much to go back to sleep. Nothing like a day at work after a 4.30 start! Roll on the dark winter mornings...

£15 planned spend today on a leaving collection at work and a staff social thing for next term.

I'm sure a friend would be around for pick up sea. I would for my friends. It's a pain though.

Oh no snuggly. Early risers are the worst.

WFH today so no spend.
Went into Matalan yesterday and started buying uniform. £22, Asda £20 odd, £133 is Sainsbury's but waiting for 25% off that when it starts. Got cash back on them and will download my cash back too.
A trip to pradamark is required to. Also order euros.

Haha mammy I meant in general!

Em will you start ds with swimming lessons?

Seacow that's so frustrating I would phone the company and ask them to extend the return, I'm sure they will.

Last day of work for six weeks!!! Obviously I'll be at the shop instead but still...

wreck absolutely. Swimming is an absolute must. As is beach safety/water safety. Annoyingly swimming lessons for babies are in the mornings. On a week day. Which is a pain. But we’ll find something for him.

For the moment we play in the water and make it fun. I don’t want him to be afraid (like dsis is). So it has to be fun. I was tutted yesterday because he didn’t have any sort of floatie on. But he was safe. Either with me or dh or ddad in the water at all times. One of us was holding him. If at all possible I want to get him swimming without floaties. I never used them (although ddad was of the “throw her in and she’ll swim” school of swimming lessons...as a result I’m a good swimmer but swim like a splashy dog! Zero points for style).

Vets today.

Early swimming is about splashing around and getting your face wet anyway. Certainly at that age. With some holding and kicking.

Swimming was a non negotiable for us too.

We never bothered with any flotation devices either. Woggles/swimming noodles are the best thing once they're older I think. Life is right it's more about getting them comfortable in the water which ds definitely is! I think they have to be 4 in our area to have lessons without a parent in the pool with them.

Well ds is great at splashing! And getting water in his face.

He was super aggro last night. No idea what’s up. But it took an hour or so for him to calm down to get to sleep, he was awake at 11. And wouldn’t settle so I had him in bed with me.

He woke up at 2 (and subsequently woke me up by picking my nose....) and again at 5. Dh came to rescue me at 630.

I’m up and showered now and ready Tod rip dh into work and then come home wrestle catface into the box and take her to the vets.

I’ve drafted in ddad to come with me. I’m sure I could take the three of us to the vets by myself. But I’m tired. So could do with an extra pair of hands. Monday’s is my parents usual day to have ds too and as Dm is away ddad didn’t feel happy having him alone. So this way I’ll get some help and he’ll still get to see his best boy.

Might it have been the salt water Em? My ds didn't do well with eating/drinking a lot of salt at that age.

Snuggly thanks, that makes me feel very encouraged. The thing I need to get a grip of is the different key signatures and all the business about adding a perfect 5th or a 12th and knowing which sharps and flats are in each. I think a lot of it is memorising stuff, but I'm not really in a place to just blitz through that just now. I think I might take my time a bit. There are some nice videos online so I have been watching them. Thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate it.

I have a trip to the dentist in a minute and am otherwise trying to put my feet up before the summer "Holidays" come to get me.

Giddy is exactly it seacow I wonder how long before the "omg we live here" wears off :o

I have woken up with epic pain flare. It was inevitable TBH and I'm not upset as I expected it and I'm just happy to be here knowing the worst bit of the work is over. Annoying as it is a day for cleaning up the old place a bit more and I am now at home with the baby instead. Having said that I wouldn't have been so productive today anyway due to baby wrangling (neighbor friend watched her for a couple of hours yesterday so we could get more done). So am just staying with the baby and resting as much as possible while catching up on laundry etc when I can.

The others have a huge list to get at wilko, stuff like door handles that need replacing and wood paint for a bit of detail work just to spruce the old place up a bit.

Could be sunny although there is part of me that’s “aaaaaah it’s chickenpox!”

He is so grouchy today. But he’s tired (and is really fighting napping). He just won’t go down. I’m losing my cool a bit if I’m honest. I’m so tired.

We’ve done the vets which is fine. £35. Catface was brave.

Dad has gone to do his Stuff. And I’ve lowered ds’ cot down. He can sit himself up unaided now and is pulling himself up. So it’s a bit more risky. I’m all for taking risks (safely. Cautiously) and not being an overprotective parent but I don’t want him falling out. Haha! So I put him on the bed surrounded by pillows (in the hopes he’s sleep! Ha!) and took the Allen key to the cot. 15 minutes. And it’s lpwered. He’s back in and it screaming his head off.

I’m going in with calpol.

Good luck there Em. I know that feeling of wondering whether there's a bug brewing. I hope it turns out to be something much nicer.

I just went to the dentist and got a temporary filling put back. #exciting.

I'm being sensible and sitting in bed now. Got a letter from the child development centre about ds, offering to do helpful things, which is nice.

Bottle. And a smidge of calpol and he’s asleep.

Hoorah.

Now I can relax get on with the rest of the chores

Is it time for my occasional check in? It is! I read through a lot of the previous thread and caught up but then everything moved on!

The good news is this is the second month in a row (since January) where I haven’t had to transfer money from my credit card and no weekly shops have gone on my credit card. I am two days away from DH’s standing order going into my account and I have just reached the limit on my extended overdraft. So quite good. I only found this out as my card was declined on Amazon when I tried to get a same day delivery for my dad’s birthday. Which is today. Not so good.
DH had a tax rebate and is now paying less tax. Is getting to lots of interviews but no further. To compensate on his lower salary he is working lots of overtime so barely sees me or the DC – but there’s nothing we can do about this. I am waiting for an email to come through from my other credit card telling me I have an interest offer on balance transfers. I had forgotten all about this option and typically I haven’t had an email from them like they seem to send every other month! The interest on my Halifax card is awful and they are upping my minimum payments in September. Today I am not so positive but I keep telling myself that things are heading in the right direction. And DH will eventually get a new job, one where he gets to spend time with us and earns the money he was on before. Then I won’t be so constantly worried, no panic when using a cashpoint, no skipping meals.

I hope everyone is enjoying the lovely weather! (I am too hot!)

He’s been asleep for over an hour. In that time I’ve eaten beans on toast (saved some beans for ds), have hoovered and have half changed the bed. I put the sheet on and am now lying on it.

Catface is hiding under ds’ cot.

It’s our wedding anniversary today. Dh bought me a wool blanket (7 years is copper or wool). It was meant to be a lovely mustard yellow colour but as a happy accident has turned out more coppery. It’s lovely. From the tartan blanket co. He must have spent a fair bit on it.

Also. Ds’ passport has arrived. I think. I asked for it to be sent to dparents (as there’s usually someone in...) and ddad called up to see how ds was and told me that something from the home office addressed to ds has arrived. So that must be it. He’s too young for jury duty....! Haha.

I can remember getting to the 'just go the fuck to sleep' point with dd at that age em , when they're tired and you're tired and everyone needs a nap but they fight it!! Drives you mad. There's a funny sketch on YouTube where Samuel L Jackson reads a kids story called 'go the fuck to sleep' 😂 sums it up perfectly.

Spendy morning here as been to town.

Spends.
£2.40 parking
£20 primark clothes for dd, got her a t.Shirt dress, shorts and a bikini for that!

£9 subway for lunch
£15 peacocks on two tops for dd
£7 wilkos got hamster stuff, sweets and cleaning wipes.

Going to drive to a cheaper cinema to watch the incredibles later, it's a 20 mins drive but tickets are half the price of our local one so reckon it still saves money.

NSD so far....

Took the Ds1 and 2 out for a long walk. They groaned at the thought of it. We picked some blackberries, ran though a scary, deserted underpass, got caught in the rain and had to shelter under a tree then we called in to see DM who bought us chippy chips. It killed a couple of hours though. As an added bonus we had fresh air, exercise and laughed a fair bit. I also didn't spend anything.

I am trying hard to make it sound like an adventure, aren't I?

DS1 is worried the school holidays are going to be long and boring....so am I to be honest.