Frugaleers dripping their way through a wet January...

[SneakyGremlins]

Hang on, that makes us sound like alcoholics

Ugh my anxiety is horrendous atm. Been talking about my birth trauma/debrief etc with some of my 'mum friends' and one of my other friends so just in a permanent state of anxiety now. It's a difficult balance between benefiting from getting it out but also being stuck permanently dwelling on it and feeling awful.

Haha, I actually don't mind trains as long as they're not too busy. Although they are always bloody late in this country.

Girlie Aw, I hope your DD is ok. How old is she again, I always forget? I am agonising over the working mum thing already and I haven't even gone back to work yet!!

Life Ah, I have family in Sunderland!

Today may well be an NSD. Although I need to speak to DB as I want to stock up on formula in case of Brexit-related issues obtaining it. I spoke to DH about this about 2 months ago and then we both forgot about it and then I saw in Parenting a thread about it and now am panicking a bit so deffo want to sort it out. DB works in a pharmacy so might ask him to order in like half of what we need to last us til June (as she'll be moving to cows milk then anyway) cos he drives so he can bring it home with him easily. And then may gradually buy up the rest from local shops. I'm waiting for DH to get back to me with the calcs on how much we would need to last that long as I have no clue and can't do maths anyway .

Also have had an e-mail from a recruitment agent saying she has a potential opportunity for me! Am going to DM's later so will call her while I'm there so DM can watch DD for it. The vary rare times I chance a phone call of any sort whilst DD is asleep, she has always woken up crying soon after I've started the call, she has a sense for it! Also have been shortlisted for one of the solicitor training contracts I applied for so I have been invited to do a video interview for them, eek. Never done one before and am dreading it.

Well donemeadow stay positive, you can do this
em are you keeping the sex of your baby a secret? Wow parking is expensive where you live.

wolf hope session tonight
£47 lidl, sainsburys next!

green yep. “They” are trying to get more people to rely on cars less. However there are no incentives or alternatives to do this. Busses are rubbish and expensive (itd cost dh and I more or less the same to get a bus into and home from work every day as a days parking if we paid by the day (around £8)). There are hardly any bike parking facilities etc etc.

We’re lucky we are renting this space really.

I don’t think we will keep it secret. When we go for the 20 week scan if we can find out we will and will tell people (but no gender reveal thing). I’ll be too excited to buy stuff and show it off etc so I’d let it slip anyway...with ds it was so bloody obvious. He was in there like “ta da!!! Here’s my bits!” 😂

That’s great Meadow. Fingers crossed for the interviews.
Em glad the scan went better and I think that parking isn’t that bad to be honest. It’s £13-16 a day in our city and £10 a day at the station (I drive 5 miles further to pay £10 less in station parking fees. In the city it’s £20 a day). Luckily parking at the office is free on the rare occasions I go but that’s out of the city centre

She has had a better day today thank you meadow got a corker of a bruise on her forehead though bless her, she is nearly 13yo now 😰. I think you are doing so well getting out to the baby groups and keeping going. I've suffered with anxiety on and off for a long time and sometimes just have to take the anxiety with me iykwim, it's annoying but the more you can tell yourself it's 'just' anxiety, it's feels horrible but it is actually harmless the better ime.

Pay day tomorrow am so excited 😂 need to go careful I don't have a splurge after being so good all January! !

Nsd.

Agree you are doing so well meadow. I think I went to about 3 baby groups (found one I returned to) for both DDs as I just felt so awkward at them. Good news on the job possibilities too

DD2 had her first swimming lesson today. She was so excited and loved it.

Haven't got very far with my assignment. I had a nap instead

Your parking space sounds worthwhile em. And below nursery will be even more useful when you have two DC to hustle back and forth from the car.

Nsd

love that’s what I said to dh who wanted to give the space up....

I found out today that topshop sell maternity clothes. And...they deliver here!!! Wooooooo!!

Where I live we have 2 hr limit on parking outside the house, which is a pain. Especially when you get home with your supermarket shop and there's no space. Council carpark 60 p an hour! Small northern town!!

love I always felt so hot at swimming lessons, but it was a good opportunity for a quick snooze!

The nearest small town to us has the first two hours parking free then 40p an hour thereafter it's only a small place though think Tesco express, boots, Costa and a few independents. Where I work there's free parking (drs surgery) never any issues even if the patient carpark is full there's plenty in the staff one. I expect the fact that there's no train station makes a bit of a difference as no chance of commuters parking anywhere nearby.

sneaky was your meeting with support worker today? Hope it went OK if it was.

NSD. Might nip out/send dh out for a treat though. I'm knackered and have to do some work. I need something to keep me going!

NSD both yesterday and today, apart from rent today which I don't want to count as it's an essential spend!

You are all making me think again about the possibility of buying a car, if petrol and parking and insurance and repairs add up so much (and are often unpredictable). Hmm. Well, the main savings priority is still clearly a house down payment. Depending on where we end up, we may not need a car.

Most of our meals this week haven't been very exciting, but at least we've been frugal and eaten at home. Thai coconut curry tonight courtesy of DH's impressive cooking, mmm.

Hope everyone is well.

P.S. Thanks again for the 2 cake tin, Unescorted, which arrived safely and will be great for ds's birthday in 2 weeks, before we pass it on!

Tagliatelle carbonara tonight.

Just ordered custom curtains for living room. £1250. Two huge double doors. Thermal lined. Without lining would be £800. I debated buying lining and lining myself but figured I’d never get round to it. So we’ve done it. We have money left from the sale of our apartment and buying here which is what it was for. So it’s not a massive struggle.

Sounds like money well spent em.
£26 Matalan school tights and polo

moi cars don't have to be too expensive, I got myself a Toyota aygo, it costs nothing in tax, is very efficient in petrol, cheap insurance and touch wood is a reliable car. I don't have any parking costs either, parking at work is free, I'm meant to have a carers permit which is a tenner but I've not bothered as I don't really need one.

I found out today I have got may half term off, think will book a few days away somewhere 😊

Love that the 2 cake tin has started doing the rounds.
Girlie it's hard enough parenting as a couple so I take my hat off to all of you on this thread doing it on your own. Absolute respect.
I've felt quite stressed today. Think it's a combination of work, worrying about my exam result, worrying about ds who is still off college and generally having too much to do at work, home and cricket club. I have lots of lists on the go which are helping and I think next week will be better.
No spends today.

Em yesbebe Facebook group yesbebebabble did a live about cloth nappies last night if you want to look at it.

Spends yesterday €2 on fitness bread in Polish shop €3 each on DC's basketball but ds's €3 was refunded to me as he had a gigantic tantrum before it even started & didn't participate at all. It lasted two hours both he & I were emotionally exhausted after it.

Today will be dog walker , exercise class and Tescos.. Mind you probably forgotten something. There is always something.

Good shopping today. Probably. Maybe. Having a heating survey done this morning so unless they come early I won't have time to go and be back for the school run

North fingers crossed for the exam result
Happier bigs hugs for your and ds

Spends today will be £95 alarm service. But first I must clean the house so the alarm service guy doesn’t think I’m slack

Em those lined curtains will reduce your heating bills anyway so money well spent. I wish we'd done that. Our big living room window makes the room really cold. We're thinking of having it replaced actually because the seal is old and it keeps steaming up. Hopefully a new one would be better at keeping us warm!