The Friendly Frugaleers- Autumn is on its way !

[QuiteCleanBanditlovesdresses]

Hi Frugaleers
Sorry lame thread title

Corn on the cob is lovely, especially roast with butter lime and spices. Corn off the cob is the devil’s own toe-jam

Love a corn cob. I can demolish one in about 5 seconds.

unescorted do it! Advice (you did not ask for...) get a road bike. I really rate Liv bikes. They're lovely, and basically giants. Hopefully your bike2work will not force you to buy from Halfords (some do). If you go for an independent bike shop, bear in mind they only get 90% of the voucher value, so be kind when negotiating on price! Try to go clipped in with your pedals, speedplay are best, avoid looks.

I know your ds is a cyclist, so probably knows a lot more than me!

I have a Kuota Kryon. I adore it. Its shiny and black and pink.

Dp and I just chopped back my cute willow hedge, which is now a 10 foot monstrosity. Will weave in some, but most will get chopped and dried for the wood burner. Got eaten by midges and have retreated inside.

I've missed a lot today. Will try and catch up in a bit.

lonely I am thinking of the Sonder Camino Ti. I am attracted by the 50% discount I can get. My commute is off road and the other riding is going to be off road and quiet back lane bike packing. Nothing too technical. I had one on a borrow and like the geometry / relaxed ride. Thankfully I can use the voucher anywhere. I would rather do a walk commute than by a bike shaped object from Halfords.

Ooo unescorted that looks a lovely bit of kit! We sold a few lynskey ti bikes, titanium is quite special.

I was meant to be working tonight, but spent an hour in the bath instead. Oops.

Flappy Great idea. I think that would be corned beef mash - which is potato and corned beef and an onion. I always add a bit too much corned beef by mistake #carnivore.

cag so that means you stand for all their education? I'm impressed....

catcace came into the living room last night. Scared both dh and me. We were watching tv. She came I. Meowed her loudest meow. Then had a wander round and a good explore.

I’m in with ds today. I needed to sleep stretched out. Dm made the bed up in his room just in case he wouldn’t settle and one of us needed to sleep in with him. Dh is in here tonight. Two good sleeps for both of us should sort us out.

Ds has just woken up. I heard him moving in the cot (which is at the end of the bed) and looked up and he was stood up. He’s reached out for my feet. Thinks this is funny.

The children are both still asleep . This never happens.

I might just go and check they are breathing.

sea don't jinx it....... Enjoy the peace. 😀 I can hear all of my lot crashing about downstairs before they exit for the day, and it is raining so aI can't do the washing. Shame!

Hooray for sleeping DC seacow. 🤢🤢 for the weavils and the leak cleaning. Will DH help with the leak cleanup? Not what you want to come home to.

Yesterday's spends
£20 on 9 school lunches for DD1. Wish the free school meals didn't end after year 2. A couple of school meals a week will cost £80 per term

Start my new job later this week. I am now getting a bit nervous as it's been six months since I had a job which required using my brain. Also after the weirdness of my last job, (Jekyll and Hyde boss) I'm scared of what I've let myself in for!

Just read all the posts from thurs to today during the night & this morning
Spends since Thursday -
Returned expensive duvet €49.99 back into joint account
€6.98 homestore & more melon baller & lunchbox for ds starting school (sistema I love them)
€35 duvet from harry corry (had 40% sale)
€79.78 Aldi (see pic) this included sushi which I had for first time ever
Managed to lose €40 belonging to a friend so had to pay for her dds birthday cake myself
€6.50 deli lunch on fri as there was a guy onsite at work who dominates the conversation at lunch so we avoided him
Meal out friends ds treated us
Drinks €27 & taxibus home €5, I was treated to a few drinks as I drove and it was 45 mins away
Newspaper €1.60
Lunch with cake, friend paid she owed me from last week
€5.83 on dr.organic tea tree fungal nail treatment was €7.79 had loyalty disc & student discount applied
€10.50 in dealz on 1.35kg Heinz tomato ketchup, zoflora(going to make this up as cleaning spray), flash gel, and sweets for watching a movie last night, I curled up in my Jim Jams & saw only about 30 mins of it
€150 compo coming back from booking.com following our accommodation disaster.

Today will be a nsd I don't plan on going anywhere, tomorrow I'm off work

This was my first weekend ever being home alone since dd was born, I enjoyed it, missed dc but not overwhelmingly if that makes sense.

Forgot my charity shop bargain guess jeans in next size down €3.60 & a book €1

Today we need to buy school shoes, pe trainers and school trousers. Not one item from June still fits and school regulations are strict so bargains do not seem to be an option. Between rugby kit and school kit I must have spent 120 this month alone and I spent 135 last month on the mandatory logo stuff. I’ve upped my annual budget a bit to make sure there’s some saved for next year but as we had no annual budget previously (impossible to save anything when h lived here) there isn’t a real cushion this year that makes me feel comfortable spending that kind of money.
Regretting my boots spend yesterday even though everything was needed to replace things that are completely done/buy birthday presents on offer. I think I’ve done that usual thing of spending nothing until the last week in the month and being really tight and then getting fed up by the last week and going mad

Our two were up quite early but are finally at an age where they can go and watch tv for a while before we get up (we live in a bungalow so living room is opposite our bedroom for supervision purposes!). That said DH is working today again so I am up and about.

Building up to maybe starting painting DS room today but it's raining so I will also have to take these two out somewhere to exercise them

Must try and get to Tesco to get some of the cashback app bargains before they expire too.

Im trying to use up some stuff out of the freezer this week, have defrosted some puff pastry and plans are to make a pie for tea with the kids. I normally make own shortcrust but we bought this last time we were in Iceland. Anyone know if you put puff pastry at the bottom of the pie too like with shortcrust? Or just put filling in a pie dish and top that? Clueless with puff lol. Happy sunday everyone

Tinkys just put it on top. Or you can use it as the bottom of an open tart baked on a baking sheet

Thanks wolf. I had written a message there and lost it - we have also decided to put aside money monthly for uniform as just spent over £200 on a child in p2 and a child in school attached nursery, and that's with DS using last year's school bag and lunch bag our nursery there is no option but to have hot meal, as they are teaching them to eat together, table manners, trying new things etc -I can see why of course but it's £15 a week -suspect DD will mostly be on packed lunches from p1 like DS with the odd hot meal on days they want it!

Morning everyone, I'm at my mums for a night or two, back and arm still sore. Realised Ystd that my plans of taking dd to the discount village for new shoes are looking increasingly unlikely. So annoying, being out of action costs money in lots of ways!

I think I might talk to my union as this is classed as a work related injury and I feel caused by their negligence. I know it's unlikely that I'd get any compensation but I'm already out of pocket to the tune of £250 so worth talking to the union maybe.

Dd is off doing the parkrun in the rain!

Ystd was a Nsd.

Just caught up from Thursday onwards.
So pleased for your dd and her results unescorted, it's such a relief isn't it?
just thanks for the tip re Betty's. Harlow Carr sounds perfect so that's what we are going to do. Mum has been there before but not for a long time, never to Betty's and she loved the garden when she went, so it's a winner all round.
sea glad you got back okay, sounds like you had an amazing few weeks. Hope you get rid of the weevils!
lonely it must feel so good to be in a position to spend some money on your dc now.
mammy it must be strange without your dc, but good to have some time to yourself.
Em any news on the house purchase, timescale etc?
Girlie hope the rest helps.

I've updated our spreadsheet and we've pulled our situation back a bit in August after a disastrous July. My increase in hours will mean that we can build up some savings with a view to possible uni funding in the fairly near future. We'll be in the same position as just in that the dc will get the minimum loan etc
Spent yesterday at cricket, more cricket tomorrow and today is an annual fun day at the cricket club so basically a cricket filled weekend. Did a food shop yesterday (£70). Spending today will just be drinks at the club.

Fortunately we have got away with £15 for 2 pairs of school trousers. DD has given all her logo-ed shirts to DS....they have the girls collar and arm stripe but he's is ok with that. If school pull him up on it he said he will identify as female for the day. He is well regarded by his peers so bullying should not be an issue.

Our big school spend is going to be DD's train fare.

I am lacking in motivation today...it may be a stay in bed and watch Netflix day.

north yes it is. She rang me at 10:03 so it was going to be better than she had hoped for or she had bombed & she wanted me to break the news to DH and my parents. Fortunately it was great news.

north were meant to be completing 5 October. I’ve just sent lawyers an email as I’m yet to receive engagement letter etc from them. So will hopefully find out more on Tuesday.

Mortgage application is in. And us borrowing less £430k (yikes!) means less stamp duty so less total costs. Phew. It’ll still be around the £13k total costs to buy but better than the almost £16k lawyers estimated. (Includes their fees, stamp duty, court fees, mortgage fees etc etc).

Am just taking 5 minutes. Today’s plans are - laundry (out things to dry outside!!!!), cupboard audit (Dm is a hoarder....dh reckons we could live here and feed ourselves without shopping for anything but fruit and milk for at least a month...) and maybe a blackberry walk with ds.

He’s napping now.

I’m having a tidy up of our room and trying to pare down my essential beauty products. Essentially I need to use shit up. Then only buy when I need more. And then only buy on offer. This week I’ve used up two moisturisers (one face, one hands). Am about three days away from using up a jo malone body moisturiser. And need to use up my open take the day off.

love good luck when you start your new job. I am certain once you start using your brain again you'll be flying and you will enjoy it. I had a Jekyll and Hyde manager before - I used to speculate which personality I was getting on my walk to work. Not exactly relaxing is it?

It is tipping down here and DS1 has a sniffle. Should be nsd.

Almost finished my uniform shopping here, but need one more pair of shoes #smug.

Enjoy blackberry picking em, I did it for the first time inspired by you! Tasty they were too.

Blowing a gale here, rainy too. So not sure what we'll do today. Only me and ds are up though (at 1115 ). Going to do a bit of work now.

I did rescue the 2 loads of washing off the line before the rain had got going, so they only need a quick tumble.