The Friendly Frugaleers - Furtively planning Christmas, as August arrives

[StoogingOn]

Welcome one and all!

It's difficult em because he probably knows that you wouldn't leave the packing until Thursday so if he doesn't do it you will. But then he can say he was going to do it but you had to have it done your way so did it yourself... Its so frustrating. My DH sometime does this as he doesn't like me "telling him what to do" if he had even a tiny bit of common sense any initiative I wouldn't have to.

He’s crashed about and sworn a lot. So hopefully some packings been done. I’m not checking.

Anyhoo.

I’m pinteresting new bedroom ideas.

My DH is the opposite. If we were to move.. we'd be living surrounded by boxes, wearing the same clothes and and eating out of a camping picnic set for weeks beforehand!

Found the diagram. It’s ace. Sorry dh is being a dick again!

So whats your house like em (i know we've seen a picture!) but is it pretty much done up? Garden? Conservatory? Will you need new kitchen / bathroom, carpets?

em fab house.
Lonely well pleased for you. That is such good news.
Sea great news about the chat from DD. I can understand the coming back to an empty house. That must be hard. Would it be possible to get one of her neighbours to pop round or have flowers delivered so she knows you are thinking of her.
Cag & scandi those are seriously cute baby pictures.
Wreck or was it quite cheap meals in this house with the fridge fossicking list you gave... Puy lentil kedgeree (sp?) - fry (3) leek in butter, add curry powder to taste, add lentils, salt pepper and stock (or water) cook until tender. During the meanwhilst soft boil the eggs (4 and a half minutes). When the lentils are soft flake over a packet of (£1.45 from Aldi) smoked fish. Add parsley if you have some in the garden - if not it works without. Serve with the eggscut in half.

Chorizo - fry with garlic and onion. Deglaze the pan with vinegar, add a tin or 2 of white beans and a tin of tomatoes. S&p to season and a touch of sugar. Simmer until scrumptious, add parsley if you have some. Serve with cous cous, rice, pasta or some bread.

Other cheap meals - felicity cloakes carbonara ( just use 1 cheese). Lemon, parmesan and basil pasta. Anchovy, basil & tomato on pasta, Are you feeling a theme?

Just caught up.

Christmas for you and your mum, I'm sorry, it must be so hard.

Lonely great news on the contract.

Em Congratulations on the house. Men eh?. My house drawings always have a windy path too.

Quite Did you like the lidl coffee?.

Lonely Well done, I hope that it's given you a boost. You were made for that job.

£18 sains, top up of mayo, squash, milk. 3 tops £3 each. Dh laughed at the velour tracky top with ruffles. 2 bra tops for 75p (if you see a pale pink/lilac set it's scanning for £1) 1 bra top for £3. £5 on socks but they can be worn to work as well as at home.

£7 coffee. Ordered organic beans off that firm unescorted recommends. Guatemalan bourbon beans. I figured I don't drink any more so I might as well have a nice coffee in the morning. I only drink one a day.

Em those movies must have been once in a lifetime showings seeing as they took priority over packing before your imminent move! Guess he's pulling a few all nighters!
I'm a procrastinator so I can see it from both your sides

fluffy I hope like them. I drink the Italian blend - dark chocolatey roast. My single favourite moment is when I open a new bag. The smell is beautiful. And the beans have that lovely oily look and feel of freshly roasted ones. I may be guilty of crunching a few beans just as they are. They are better than peas straight from the garden.

Spends today £7 in local shop.

Oh em men are such a*holes sometimes,mine included .
It always takes way longer than you think and its stressful enough without him being dickish .
I just call DH on it now .

Havent tried it yet fluffy
I have to finish the open bag 😇

DH and I have had a row tonight and the air is frosty. I anbu but possibly overreacting slightly . But because he left a glass of water on the floor next to a pile of DDs board books in the bedroom, and she found it, we now have a pile of soaked and ruined board books. I am quite attached to some of them as they were DS’s so I have been really peed off about it

It has become incredibly windy here. Our cottage is a newly converted barn so new double glazing etc but the wind is whistling through all the cracks and it’s really noisy! We are on quite an exposed hill with wind coming from the sea. I am finding it quite exciting, I like a bit of weather. It was unusually lovely for the whole week Mum was here and turned just this morning. I think DM might be a witch.

I bet winters up here are quite something.

I tried Tesco own brand mayo tonight. Revolting.

sea you are right Tesco's mayo tastes like old tyres, melted with too much salt.

The books are words. Those words are no more or less after being drowned. If they are rare out of print versions with art work that is unique I can understand you being upset at the loss of a piece of art. If they aren't you can still capture the words that your DS heard and give them to your DD without the water washing them away. Hopefully that makes sense.

If it is any consolation my dh and children have all gone to bed because I told them they can make their own dinners. Apparently when I am at work I need to cook and clear up. It is also my job when the roles are reversed. It is giving me great pleasure to not conform to that view.

And wind and rattling windows sets me on edge too.

Mind you I'm no mayo expert... Should I try something else that I may like even more?! I don't use it much.

Today has been a bit shit. But frugal as I couldn't go anywhere.

Christmas it was brewing a bit already from the comment about him doing everything with dc, hopefully ye'll have cleared the air, holidays are intense being in each other's company non stop without the usual breaks from each other that normal life provides

H included me in dinner when he was cooking this evening, he doesn't do this at all, but dm is staying so obviously he's painting himself in a good light!
I went to a meeting tonight so took a dinner to work with me this morning & out for dinner tomo night

£25 extra work done tonight. Took me just over 3 hours, so pulling minimum wage. For the home-working stuff that is no mean feat. Most costs out at £5/hr

em humph. Your dh doesn't do stress well does he?

cag you need to try the newish Heinz mayo. It's called "really insanley good" or something. It is epic and worth the extra for it (or stock up when on offer). Makes Helmans taste like watery yuck.

So dp makes tea now. And washes up too. It's not always my favourites, but it's lovely not to have to do it.

I have filled an online asda trolley. £198 so far and I've forgotten ice cream and fairy liquid. I'm aiming for a month of dry goods, pet food and cleaning stuff. So we only need to buy fresh fruit and veg, milk and meat. Will save me the 45min car journey, hour instore and 45 mins home too. But I'm silly scared of checking out, as I don't do the online thing (bar once, and that was only dog food).

Lonely would it not be worth your while to start doing your shopping online if it’s a 45 min drive away? You would surely be more in petrol than a delivery pass would cost. It takes a bit of getting used to but the more you do it the easier it gets.

DSs back at school today glad and sad at the same time. I don’t do changes well.

Dd2 decided at 5 am that it was morning I'm tired....

Lonely I was going to say exactly the same thing as Born. Once my physio gave me “permission” to online shop because the supermarket is not good for me (the option was shop online or go to the store three times a week because you can’t use a big trolley) I found it amazingly liberating

Still haven’t been into the kitchen.

mammy yes they must have been one off showings never to be repeated!!

laksa nothing needs doing immediately to the house. In time the downstairs bathroom could do with replacing. And the upstairs. Kitchen isn’t exactly to my taste but it’s white, dark counter tops and functional. The doors are a bit froufrou and decorative for me. But we could just change them if we didn’t want to change the whole thing. But I suspect we’ll juat leave it as is.

Living room and bedrooms are painted very neutrally. And grey carpets. Wood floors. Wood burner (space for in the fireplace). We’ll put that in next year. Double glazing. Front and back gardens. Washing machine and tumble dryer in garage.

Things we will do:

• replace loft insulation.
• buy a chest freezer
• buy a really good washer and dryer (as with freezer dependant on them taking these with them)
• curtains
• storage for bedrooms. I can’t remember if the master had fitted wardrobes. This can be done in stages. If it had freestanding and they don’t leave them then we can either buy cheap wardrobes or just get clothes rails for a bit to tide us over until next year.

It used to take me that long to do a big shop too and It's so much nicer to have it delivered. It's not exactly an exciting way to spend 3 hrs.

I've started buying the things I don't buy from waitrose in 3's. Toothpaste, cleaning stuff etc.

Lonely go for it, you'll wonder why you waited so long. You cut out all the impulse buys, food while ye are out shopping, the putting into trolley, out of trolley, back into trolley, into car, out of car & put away down to just put away! It's brilliant!

3 hours at least down to approx an hour including ordering & scanning in.

Em house sounds brilliant & you sound like it's already home in your mind