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!

em or anyone do you have a look fantastic referral code. I'm about to order something and have seen they do it

Sorry life never used look fantastic.

Beef pad Thai for dinner. Ds not keen.

Brilliant photo em

I feel exhausted today. Sorted through DS’ clothes, deep cleaner the kitchen and generally run around. Thankfully SUL has turned up to give DS a bath and put him to bed so I’m putting my feet up

Thank you for all your kind words and thoughts

My mum is due to have an investigative procedure tomorrow or Wednesday so they can try and find out what it is. The more I think about it, the more I worry about what ‘it’ might be.

Still concerned about my dad too as he seems so frail since his cancer op. He seems so lost without her at home, but he would hate to not be at their home and we’d be at work all day anyway. My mum seems more worried about my dad being alone, than she is about herself.

I never thought i’d be worrying about elderly parents, whilst still having young children too.

NSD

Oh love sending good thoughts your way. Take care of you xx

Dhs keys are still missing. He’s left them somewhere and is blaming me/ds/anyone but himself.

Since we’ve moved in here he’s left them in the front door twice and the other night left them in the car door. Ffs.

I’m not helping him look anymore. I’m in bed. I’ve dine enough today and am thoroughly exhausted.

He’s asked to borrow my keys tomorrow. I’ve said no. He can’t be trusted not to lose them.

Cinema was good, film very silly but dd loved it.

Macdonalds was about a tenner.

Nice last day of the holidays 😊

I've planted out my sweet peas, some in a hanging basket and some in pots. I planted out marigolds and some other flowers into pots, I lost one lot of seedlings as they were too small/fragile ☹️

Am wondering what fruit/ veg to have a go at growing? Will get some strawberry plants, maybe peppers and some salad bits.

Em we have this slide which the DC also use for shade in the garden!

www.very.co.uk/little-tikes-twin-tunnel-slide-climber/898973163.prd?sku=sku19808645&cm_mmc=google--PLA+-+Generic--Toys+-+Outdoor+Play+Equipment+-+Activity+Centres--PRODUCT_GROUP_p33748416504&utm_campaign=Generic_Seasonal+-+Toys+-+Outdoor+Play+Equipment+-+Activity+Centres&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_term=PRODUCT_GROUP&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrbTqkeDk4QIVbZPtCh2IwApwEAQYASABEgIz3_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Could you get a Bluetooth tracker or a Tile for your DH's keys? I'm pretty good with mine but have one attached anyway. I was going to have a really productive day in the kitchen and garden but DP sulked that he wanted to mow the lawn and couldn't do it with the DC anywhere near, which meant I had to take them out for 1.5 hours. Then he left all the grass clippings everywhere and moaned we'd come back too early

Girlie have you tried tomatoes? They tend to be easy to grow and you get lots off them. Or sunflowers or pumpkins if you want something to appeal to small DC?

Sending you at a tough time love x

Hey all!

Busy couple of days here with family descending yesterday and then flat out today doing chores and making a cake for friend (I went with buttercream, not my best idea in this heat!) . Somehow a whole 4-day weekend has been and gone and I’ve not managed to pick up my book or my knitting. I’ve been in the kitchen a lot though...

Love I’m really sorry to hear about your DM. It really is tough worrying about them and trying to do your best for them, and often tough for parents to accept help from their DC too. I hope DM gets home soon and they can get on with things in their own way together.

My DH is utterly hopeless at DIY. In this house either I do it, or I find someone else to do it. DH evidently thinks this is done sort of magic .

My DM seems a lot better thanks Life - she arrived yesterday for Easter lunch and stayed over as she’d have to come back tonight to look after the DC tomorrow anyway, so not worth going home. She says she’s okay to look after them but we’ll see how tomorrow goes. Unfortunately DS has been ill today - unspecified as he can’t tell us what’s wrong but we had to wake him up at 8.30am this morning (he’s never ever slept beyond 7am before!) and he’s been listless and off his food all day. And he asked for a blanket to have a lie down this afternoon. He’s supposed to be back to school tomorrow but we’ll have to see how he is tomorrow. I’m up and out v early so it’ll be DH’s call. If DS is off then DM will have both kids so I might need to come home early if she’s not quite up to full power.

I need to find time to dig out my summer work clothes. And find things for DD to wear. 2-3 is still huge on her but 18-24m won’t see the summer out - this one seems to be a big jump in clothes size.

Morning all... and a special and ⏰ to everyone returning to the daily grind today!!

One of my littlies wandered off with my keys in the park last week. No-one realised they were lost until we got back home and me and DH had to make a mad dash back and scour every inch of the play area. Took us about half an hour but luckily did find them in the end, phew!

We had a fab last day of the holidays yesterday but did have some spends (and another lesson in where the frittering lies!). We had a gorgeous zero cost afternoon at NT, lots of sunbathing and tree climbing, but then decided to stop off for a drink and ice-creams in our way home. Eating/drinking out is our major downfall but also a source of great enjoyment so really need to strike a balance next month.

A tile you say? I’ll look into it.

Still no keys.

Dh honestly does my head in with stuff like this. He’s all “it’s ok for you - you have a bag to put everything in” and “you must have moved them...” because yes I take delight in hiding your things and causing stress for myself.

Anyway. They’ll turn up.

Back to work today. Boooo. But I’m also strangely excited about it.

Best get up....

Food is my downfall too foot. Maybe I just find it easier to justify to myself at the time - well we’ve all got to eat haven’t we?!

Saw a lady wearing a leopard print maxi skirt, cute black ankle boots & light leather jacket waiting on my platform this morning. She looked so effortlessly chic as I waddled past in my maternity leggings 😡 I really hope I have the time/inclination/willpower to get myself back into shape once DS2 is here.

You could always suggest DH gets a Man Bag... like Joey :o

I need to get cash out today and probably a birthday present for DS’ friend, party this afternoon. I may wander down to John Lewis while he’s there as there’s one in the town and I need to check out the bra situation.

We are the same with eating while out madden we spend proportionately way too much on it! Need to hop on board the picnic train now the weather is looking up.

Dang it. No lingerie section as it’s just At Home JL. Guess I’ll stick to bravissimo then. They have a sale online but I’m not risking anything I’ve not tried on!

Probably for the best, I realised a load more transactions haven’t actually come out of my account yet, so not as good a bank balance as I thought really! 😳

I’ve ordered trainers!!!!!! They even have a touch of leopard print 😳 The 4 was too small so I’ve got them in a 5 coming to my house tomorrow. The leopard print is more vibrant IRL. I REALLY hope they fit. I’m a little bit in love with them 😍

www.office.co.uk/view/product/office_catalog/2,20/2693706790

I also bought a really cute baggy t-shirt from Topshop which I can get away with now & for maybe another month, but will look really cute when I’ve lost the bump.

m.topshop.com/en/tsuk/product/clothing-427/t-shirts-6864659/tiger-boxy-t-shirt-8598747

Love I hope your dparents are both okay.

happy dm me and I'll send you a book that has some easy vegan recipes you could try.

em If you want 2 brand new miosolo nappies, let me know / pm me. They were a gift for ds but DH has refused to use them as he wouldn't consider washing them in the machine. Despite being vegan in part due to environmental reasons.

I'm feeling a bit annoyed today after a lovely relaxed weekend, looking around at the huge mess that needs tidying. DH is terrible for just leaving things in random places and it does my nut in sometimes. Work doesn't re-start until tomorrow, for some reason, so I've been operating on a 'one touch' rule to put things away, although I hardly feel like I've made a dent so far. Must keep going.

Killer 9.5 hour day at work today. 15 hour day tomorrow including travelling. Trying to make sure I can finish at 3 on Thursday to take ds to the cinema.

Trying to decide what to wear for work tomorrow, don’t want to boil and the weather seems to be on the turn.

£25 ordering flowers for friend’s bday but will get 2/3 of that back from other friends.

Frugal win dried a load of towels on the line so they can go straight away and did a little bit of weeding.

First day back at work today, and tbh, I was really glad for the distraction.
NSD too!

I can see all my pending transactions on my bank account and the Tesco pay at pump only has £1 pending. I think this is a bit naughty really as I could easily spend the £30 I put in thinking that it's been taken out of my available balance. Tesco groceries and Aldi for the same day are showing pending for the correct amount so I don't see why they don't take the fuel straight away

Link for the trainers doesn’t seem to be working 🤔

Thank you moimichme I’ve PM’d you. When my house gets that messy I focus on one area at a time. So I’d completely blitz the kitchen surfaces or the dining table so every time I walk in there I can see an improvement.

I think it’s supposed to be raining most of this week where I am now Wolf. Such a come down after a gorgeous weekend - I’m ready for summer!

I HATE pending transactions Wreck. It makes a mockery of my available balance. One thing I really like about Monzo (I started using it at the start of this month) & it’s that all payments are immediate & you get a notification on your phone every time you spend.

Obviously not a NSD for me. As well as the trainers & top, I picked up berries from M&S so I can have them with my breakfast for the rest of the week. Really enjoying porridge, honey roasted pumpkin seeds & blueberries at the moment. That was £6.80.

Back at work here too. It was a struggle, but went out at lunch & had my hair cut - £5 at the Toni & Guy training salon. The lass who did it has worked wonders. I nearly cried. It was her final assessment after 2 years training so a bit of a bargain really.

Wolf it is a retaining wall so needs liberal amounts of cement to stop the whole thing sliding down the garden. My ability to co-ordinate cement and stones is sadly lacking.

Em that photo is cool & I can't wait to see you DS recreating it in the shark paddling pool.

I went on a planning ride yesterday with my co-conspirators for the C2C ride in June & realised one of them posts on here. You would have been impressed with how bargainiferous our trip away is panning out - accommodation for 4 nights away B&B is about £40 pp using discounts accrued via work (not mine), train tickets £15 each with a F&F pass, cake stops at friends houses & offices (we are really cheap!) Which leaves plenty in the budget to eat out, saving on carrying stoves & tents.

Trainer envy.

Moi that’d be fab. I’ll pm you xx

mrsg breakfast sounds nice. I get the love of fresh berries but being frugal have you tried frozen? Just as yum in my opinion.

Gym after work. Woop. Jacket potato and veg chilli for dinner.

Ds has learned a new game. It’s essentially push mummy over when she’s sitting on the floor and when she’s lying down about “oh dear” then he falls over himself “oh dear” we’ve played that for about half hour before bedtime. Haha.

Catface went outside when we got home. It’s raining. She didn’t like it much. Pranced about a bit then came trotting in. Wanted to sit on my lap then was initially afraid of the towel I got to dry her but seemed to like it after a while.

Any sign of the keys em?! DP thinks of himself as incredibly organised and the rest of us as people who just cause clutter. Funnily enough him leaving crap everywhere doesn't count as clutter..... he had an absolute temper tantrum the other day as he thought someone had moved his tablets. As it happens he'd turned the box round and didn't recognise the label any more

In case it's useful, Cheeky Wipes have 25% off at the moment - brilliant reusable wipes and other similar products: www.cheekywipes.com/ - wish I'd used them ages ago and saved £££ on the Boots single use ones!

I would second the frozen berries, much cheaper, and actually better to use in cooking (I use them a lot for baked oats, muffins etc).

Unescorted your frugal trip sounds grand! I've always thought about doing an activity holiday, maybe when the DC are a bit older though. And how lovely about your hair, much happiness for very little ££. I'm getting mine done on Saturday, it's six months since the last time but I needed to save some pennies; I was paying £99 for a keratin treatment plus cut, which was quite reasonable for a while, but the last time I went I was charged £111 with no explanation why this time I've got it for £40 through Groupon, fingers crossed it's as good as the last place!

Oh fab news about the hair cut.
Ooo intriguing unescorted. Have you worked out who it is. Don't need to reveal though. Fabulous bargain biking.
Nsd today.
Back to work though. Boo