Austere April continues with the Friendly Frugaleers! Join us as we discuss our direct debits, prattle about penny pinching and possibly babble about Brexit...

[Cagliostro]

All welcome!

Hello, would it be ok for me to join?

Firstly, I don't want to just interrupt mid-conversation so would like to give a virtual and to wolf. I don't have much experience with (I assume?) teenage boys but you sound like a lovely mum, trying your best in tough circumstances.

I used to be quite good at frugaleering but in recent years working full time, 3 kids inc toddler twins and my husbands job taking him further away from family life I have fallen into a habit of throwing money at problems and not considering the cost. I've had a bit of an epiphany in the past couple of weeks (amazing how easy good intentions are whilst not at work!!).

I've cancelled our cleaner and switched energy supplier which will already save £150pm and I haven't used the tumble dryer once (this may not sound so amazing as it's been lovely weather but I'm to admit that for the last two summers I've been such a frazzled and tired mess that I've tumble dried everything even on the sunniest of days )
I think I've got a lot to learn here!!

Welcome madden

Wolf I'm sorry you're having such a shit time. Your h has a lot to answer for

It's a toasty 24 degrees here. I need to go to aldi in a bit. Hopefully there'll be stuff on the shelf still.

£10 Waitrose on an egg for dsis and bil
£26.70 on brunch.

I haven't said welcome to any new people for ages. So welcome. Don't worry about interrupting mid convo as we chat loads.

How's the rest of the day going wolf?
You are amazing you know.

£18 English heritage tea shop and £3.40 in shop for a mil pressure as she is having a bad time at the minute.
In the A1 at the minute just past ferrybridge. In a queue.

Plants planted, lunch made (shakshuka and flatbreads) washing outside on the line.

Dh brought the small table from the front garden to the back garden and we ate outside. Ds is now absolutely covered in tomatoey sauce.

We’re off to garden centre in a bit. Dh wants to get some beans and peas and maybe a bbq.

wolfie you are amazing. You are important. You are strong. You are lovely.

Remember that.

Ds will come round.

Virtual hugs for you wolf. You are doing an amazing job & are just the person he can lash out at. Stay strong & know that he loves you.
Scorching here too. Have decided not to go to the football this afternoon as I've got a bit too much on my plate at the moment and something had to give. Am thinking I will clean the garden furniture and the patioths afternoon. It needs doing and isn'tgoing to be affected by the landscaping so won't be wasted effort.
Went to a friend's house last night as it was her 50th. Drank a bit too much wine, so suffering a bit today!

Thanks for the welcomes! Loving everyone's summery garden plans. We're in my mum's garden, kids are enjoying an ice-cream. I've retreated to the shade for fear of getting burnt!

Em what's Shakshuka? I've been trying to bookmark some new frugal recipes this week. Made colcannon using a Jack Munro recipe (with tinned potatoes!!) and it was gorgeous! Will definitely be doing that again.

www.bbc.com/food/recipes/shakshouka_74716

madden recipe above. I used the proper recipe once. Tend to just use it as a use up meal and chuck loads of stuff in. Today’s was tomatoes (fresh and canned) chickpeas, frozen peppers and spinach, onions and garlic. Then 6 eggs.

wolf sea is right. You are safe so he knows he can act out and you will still love him as much as if he sat really quietly next to you on the sofa.

Madden welcome.

I have had quite possibly the dullest day.... washing, and more sodding washing. I am too sore to dig in the garden today (am I the only one who thinks it is a cross between running and weightlifting?) Is it too early to sit in the garden and drink wine?

unescorted it’s never Too early to sit in the garden and drink wine. Unless it’s breakfast time. Then just chuck juice in the wine and have a Buck’s Fizz or a Bellini....!! Haha.

Have just had to pretend to be asleep so dh and ds leave me alone. They’ve gone to the shop now. So I can go downstairs and tidy the mess I made in the kitchen and get on with my fishy pie.

Eugh. Aldi didn't have anything it wouldn't be such a big deal if it wasn't so far away. So £47 Aldi £45 Tesco £30 fuel which is now £1.31/l even at Tesco. Blah. Got g&t though.

Meal plan:

F: chilli
S: hot dogs and salad
S: roast lamb with flat bread and a selection of salads (parents coming over as my dads birthday
M: hopefully left overs
T: oven food as first day back at work/school
W: bacon pasta
T: pizza

£10 Iceland, £57 Aldi. Both were shite. Need to go to Sainsbury tomorrow. In laws coming for tea.

Wolf, just echoing what everyone else has said, you are bloody amazing

Spends today
Costa £3.35 met my friend for coffee.
Did shopping, which included cleaning stuff £38.42.

Ruby thank you for your kind message.
Welcome madden

Welcome new posters!

Spends today:
£9 chocolate shop on Easter chocolate for DM, and maybe a couple of sneaky chocolates for me .
Lovely lunch out (delish seafood pizza) but DH paid, and leftovers home for this evening.

Spent some time today sorting out DD's room, pleased with the result.

Fishy pie looked awful. Too much sauce not enough mash to cover it. But tasted yum. First time I’ve made one too. Wooop. And all frozen fish used, so relatively frugal.

In bed now. Dh started watching goodfellas which I’ve never seen (we have a list of “must see” films and were ticking them off the other day. Dh is appalled that I’ve never seen some of the “classics”

So far this year I’ve been introduced to top gun, the matrix and now goodfellas.

Pleased to be ending my first day joining Team Frugal as a NSD 🙌

Em have you seen the fifth element? It's my all time favourite film.

Just heard to cuckoo for the first time this year.

Dh is working today so I need to referee the dc and prep some food for tomorrow. I'm going to make the coleslaw and chickpea salad today but I think the rest will need to be done tomorrow.

em I love fishy pie - but my family don't Most of the supermarkets do a bag of mixed fish bits in the freezer department for buttons money.

Top Gun is dreadful. I get irrational rage whenever I see Tom "the smug idiot" Cruise. Even before he did the whole jump over the sofa on Oprah. I hope you have Once Were Warriors on your list (the NZ one) and Ladybird, Ladybird on your list.

Yesterday I went through the bathroom cabinets and did an inventory. We have enough to open a rival to Boots.

Today is more garden fettling I think … I have more seed planting and weeding to do.

Fifth element added to list.

I’m not sure I have seen once we were warriors. Have heard of it though. Never heard of ladybird ladybird though. Will add them.

Ds woke up at 430. Two days of normal poops and now he’s back to funny tummy. Two nappy changes in an hour. Hm. Dh took him downstairs to play (as he otherwise seems fine in himself) and Ive been trying to sleep. They’ve just come back up and he’s done another poop. So maybe nursery were right maybe it is a bug.

I’m feeling a bit wobbly tummy now too. Although suspect it’s all in my head.

Told dh to try and make sure ds avoids dairy and just bland food today. And lots of water.

I also know Dm has had a funny tummy so am not surprised. Just annoyed she only told me on Thursday evening. Apparently she’s had it all week...

Anyway. Should be nsd today. No plans. Just chill. Even more so if ds isn’t “well” I can hear him tearing about downstairs.

Sainsbury's shop today. I need to have a sort through summer stuff. See what fits and find something for DS communion.
Pony club and footy £30
Washing, lots of washing.
Mil coming for tea and we are at an Easter panto. Which feels wrong some how

Haha to Easter Panto! We bizarrely had Christmas crackers with a bbq yesterday . My dm has seen some Easter ones but in true frugal style remembered she had some left over from December!!

We're out at a 'locked in a room' this morning so will need to pay for parking (did look at trains but think it will be more ££) Have never done one before and am feeling nervous we won't get out!! x

Spent only £8 yesterday on flowers for DH’s cousin but had a lovely filled day! A relaxed morning with DS in the garden 😎then off to visit friends we hadn’t seen in a few years, followed by Passover dinner with DH’s family. Given that it finished at 11ish DS was very well behaved & I've found out I quite like Sholer grape juice. Wondering if I can somehow turn it into a virgin sangria 🤔

DS is with MIL today so I’m going to chuck a wash on & do some baking (fresh bread which I haven’t made in ages & pineapple cake). Unfortunately I don’t have the majority of the ingredients in so going to Sainsbury’s. Today will be a bit spendy but I REALLY feel like baking. Just wish my Monzo app would stop telling me I’m going to run out of money this month.

Happy thank you for reminding me. It is Saturday and therefore I need to pick up a loaf of sourdough. I also need to cycle to the next town to get something in for dinner. I am not sure what something is yet. All ideas welcomed.

I’ve not quite managed to keep up... hope you are feeling better today Wolf and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

I didn’t finish my shoristibv the other night because after doing one job’s worth I realised HR hadn’t ‘closed’ the other two on the system so I couldn’t score them. They’ve done it now so I’ll have to do some work over the weekend to catch up. Probably Monday night!

We all got up early today and went for a walk in a bluebell wood very near to us. It’s 22C here this afternoon, apparently, in fact the whole weekend looks to be very warm and sunny! Here’s a quick iPhone pic of the woods, I took some on my proper camera too which should come out better.

I’m being pestered to read ‘Meg’s Veg’ now...

Love a blue bell wood
£72 Sainsbury's including some clothes