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!

We’ve had toast and grapes and tea. Dh is still in bed.

Dh is doing a good shop today at coop. I need to pop to M&S for fruit and to grab some deodourant from boots as I’ve got a few sprays left.

mrsg if you are craving trainers have you checked sports direct? Or eBay? I bought my trainers from eBay. Brand new.

430 here with a nightmare. Back over though.

That would be amazing moimichme thank you! He started complaining to my parents that I’m the only one in my family who doesn’t cook. I’m hugely interested in cooking, I just lack the skills & confidence.

Ive given up dressing smartly for work now em. I work in sales so while the men have to wear suits, the ladies can get away with much more. It’s a very young environment- I’m quite old in my office at 30!

Ruby I’ve got very funny feet - narrow but long. So I can be 4/4.5/5 depending on the style/shop. So I tend to avoid buying shoes online. I can’t be bothered to go shopping though so maybe needs must. I’ll check out Asda.

Those are very cute Life. Is it weird that I like these ones?? www.matalan.co.uk/product/detail/s2712869_c359/animal-print-studded-trainers-white

for your mum & dad Lovemaltesers

Hoping today will be a NSD if I can avoid buying some trainers . DH is working so it’s just me and DS. After a busy few days we are staying in. I’ve got to go throw DS’s wardrobe and see what clothes are too small and decide what to keep for impending DS2. Kitchen needs a good clean but builders are supposed to be turning up today so I don’t know if I can be bothered cleaning it when they will just mess it up again. We’ve had building work pretty much non-stop for 18 months now. I’m so tired of it all.

mrsg we’re business casual in our office so I can get away with black or navy jeans and a blouse or similar. Except for when clients come in. Then it’s business smarter. Not necessarily suited and booted. But the smart side of smart casual.

Ds has just cuddled in to me on the couch. He’s almost asleep. We’re risking it and watching game of thrones. He won’t be traumatised by it....#recklessparenting

mrsg I love the trainers!!!! I’m partial to a bit of leopard print. Get them. #enablingmuch

love sorry to hear about your mum. Hopefully it is a short stay in hospital. Parents are difficult at times … the old "because I say so" line isn't quite as effective. I love them but they do my nut in.

Today has the potential to be spendy - bike ride with mates with café / pub stops planned. Before then I need to put the onions and more beans in. I lead a high life me....

Today will be getting ready for school and work.
Last bit of washing to do and a bit of ironing.
Me and Dd2 will be going to our friends house so she can play with her DCs for a bit and me for her support.
Love, sending get well wishes soon, for your mum.
Hoping for a NSD.

And Jam, where is Jam, I forgot her in my roll call of missing frugaleers last night.

I’m loving th leopard print at the moment but I haven’t taken the plunge yet em. I’m trying to put aside some money so that when I have DS2 & hopefully back in shape I can go proper clothes shopping. Gives me about 10 years to save knowing my weight gain 😂

I’ve sorted DS’ clothes but they are just left in piles on his floor - he demanded I come downstairs before I could bag it all up. Looks a proper tip 🙈

That’s my plan too mrsg just saving a bit her and there so I can get myself some new clothes after. Most of the stuff I already have is still good. But nothing like new things as a treat.

Have asked dh to get me vouchers for our local dept stores for my birthday in Oct so I can buy new post baby bras. And will ask dparents for vouchers too.

I bought a couple of nice things for work (in my usual size) a while back. Hopefully they still fit after...!

Love hope your mum makes a speedy recovery. Dh & I have been talking about this recently, how just as our dc are growing up and becoming independent, our parents need us more.
unescorted you were not alone in forgetting chocolate Easter items for teen offspring! I have just been to Booths and made amends with reduced priced eggs (very frugal, maybe this is the way to do it in the future?!)
The weekend has been completely cricket filled, until today. I felt yesterday was a bit wasted as we both ended up staying at the cricket all day as ds was captain and dd was scoring. We both went as my parents were going to come too, but then decided against. Anyway it was good to support ds who did well as captain and the team won so he was pleased.
Today is going to be making up for yesterday & getting things done. Ds is revising, dd getting ready for back to school tomorrow. Dh has raided his "it'll come in useful for something one day" stash in the garage and managed to replace the handle of the slow cooker lid. His next job is to put up the new light fitting in the dining end ofthe kitchen.
I am going to meal plan for the week, do some tidying and cleaning and hopefully get some quilting done. I haven't done any for ages and I am supposed to be entering it for the Harrogate quilt show in late summer. It is a few days after my mum's 80th birthday and so we have decided that me, dd and mum will all enter a quilt (none of us have ever done that before) to mark her birthday as she has inspired both me & dd.
I'd love to be out in the garden, but it seems pretty pointless as we're hoping the landscaping will start very soon. I scrubbed the patio on Friday & cleaned the furniture & we had a lovely pre cricket breakfast out there yesterday.

Just received my “refer a friend” reward from booking.com for my last hotel break which I had forgotten all about so that’s £32 extra until the end of the month. Result! App is still telling me it looks like I’ll run out of money. It has no faith in me at all 😡

North your DH sounds very handy! My DH is awful at DIY. He recently bought a pot of filler & seems to think it is the answer to all problems. He’s so funny

£13 M&S on fruit and sausage rolls and tortillas for our garden picnic lunch. 😀 £18 boots - sunscreen for ds (£10!!!!! That was the boots own soltan one and was the cheapest!) deodorant for me and toothpaste and a new toothbrush for ds.

He’s started with a cold now. Super snotty. Yuk. But I think over the worst whatever he had. Very grouchy today though. Nothing is pleasing his royal highness.

Dh is ok a diy. It’s more the fact he buys things to diy with and then proclaims it’s a “weekend job” I’ve stopped asking which weekend.

What usually happens is he decides to diy on a Saturday morning doesn’t get going until 3pm. Then has to go to b&q to get stuff. Then starts again on Sunday. Then runs out of time.

This weekend his jobs were: trim curtain pole in our room and put the blobby thing back on the end (had to move it because of the wardrobe fitting), put stuff in the loft, paint charity shop wardrobe which is in the garage and move this to ds’ room.

None of these things have been done. Because ds is here/he can’t get anything done/ this weekend is for relaxing/ etc. Which is fine. But I’m so close to asking someone else to do it.

He moaned yesterday that the drawers in ds’ room are too full if the wardrobe was in the room with its rail then I could hang a lot of it up I just said “wardrobe” and he shut up.

I have 2 parts of my garden wall that need tlc…. I tried myself, but stone walls are evidently not my forte. So for the past 3 years I have moaned at dh.

I am off for my bike ride - the bike at least is a frugal Frankenstein from the bits of bike we have hanging about and a hand me down frame. The only problem is that is has loads of stickers on from really hard core bike races ds & DH have done.... I am going to be such a fraud when I park up outside the pub.

Hi all, can't believe this weather its suddenly like the middle of summer!

We went to a car boot for a mooch about this morning, dd loves anything like that and has a natural eye for treasure! She found two bags of very old coins for £1 I was impressed.

I picked up a plant and a dvd £2.20, it was £2 to get in and £4 ice creams.

Home now, beans on toast for lunch.

Going to the cinema later to watch Shazam which dd has been asking to see for a while, I had vouchers so used them and will take easter eggs to munch so a good free activity. May get a MacDonalds for tea though...

Can't believe its back to school/work tomorrow have loved this Easter.

Clearing up and gardening for a bit now.

Em supermarket own suncream is much cheaper and often has better uvb protection than some of the branded stuff. I picked up clear suncream for dd and I, factor 30 and 5 uvb starts for £3 in Aldi.

We use ultrasun sun cream. Pricey but doesn't aggregate DD's eczema, doesn't run into dh's eyes when he's at work and lasts all day (even in New Zealand). I'm just in the garden working on my tan making most of the last day off.

Dh is very handy being a builder. It does mean nothing ever gets finished though....

I’ll ask dh to have a look at the coop ones when he goes. I’d heard great things about Aldi’s one but no Aldi here sadly. 😭

Although dparents are off to France tomorrow. Maybe I’ll see if they can grab me some.

Ds is down for a nap.

Dh is doing nothing but moaning about how he can’t go out because he’s lost his car keys and sunnies. I’ve suggested he look for them. But nope. It’s because he doesn’t have a place to keep them allegedly (except he has a basket on our dresser in the bedroom which is empty because all of his stuff is on top of said dresser - I also have a basket. My stuff is all inside it. Or on a drawer. But somehow I’m the messy one....haven’t left my keys anywhere or lost my sunnies recently though...!)

Have seen a paddling pool on amazon which looks like a shark. Tempted to get it for ds. Will add it to the wish list and have a think.

Have just bid on reuseable nappies on amazon. £15 for 4 bambino miosolo ones. Will see what happens.

Have also bought a couple of wet bags from amazon. I’m sick of using disposable nappy bags when out and about. And they can be used for wet/dirty clothes and swim stuff too. So even if we don’t end up getting on with the reuseable nappies the bags will be handy.

North what a fab idea. A lady, whom I call auntie, has exhibited there a few times. It’s fantastic.

£28 Sainsbury’s. Have planted up four pots with some sacrificial marigolds, I’m planning to plant my plug plants around then when they arrive.

Unescorted you can do dry stone walking courses, sometimes for free. My dad is pretty nifty at that stuff and has rewalled for many of his friends. Guess whose dry stone wall needs doing and he won’t do it though. Yes you guessed it, mine. I probably should just learn myself.

One lot of washing washed and dried outside. Half a book read. Trip out with ds. Chilling now as I feel rubbish cold-wise and carrying pots has not agreed with Mr Spine and his component parts

What is it about men being unable to get up and just get on with something Em. H was like that and I’ve realised over the weekend that ds has inherited the same trait. shark paddling pool sounds amazing

Dh is very handy with diy stuff. His dad was a shipwright which is a mix of electrics, plumbing & joinery from what I can gather, so he taught dh well. New light fitting looks good.
We use Ultrasun products too & find them really good, pricey, but they work well.
Finished cleaing the patio this morning & it looks great (should've done before & after pics).
Em we had reusable nappies for our dc & found them good, but I'm sure they've come on even more since then. Being used to cloth, I really hated the gel feel of a "wet" disposable.

Since my last post I’ve ordered both shark pool and a wigwam for ds.

Dh said no little tikes slide/climbing frame. (Which ds would love because it’s a bigger version of the toy one which was dsis’ which is at dparents house). He also said no to a slide. And a sand box.

I figure a wigwam is coooool. And also a sun shade. Also the shark thing is superb. You get in its mouth. It’s covered over. And ds can do this (the attached pic is dh at kelly tarltons in Auckland a few years back. Most people were standing next to it having pictures....this is why, as much as he infuriates me a big, I love dh)

They were my first choice but none in-store in my size.
Love