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!

Hahaha you’re all so right!!! When I find one thing I love I find it so hard not to buy it in all colours!

Quick update- my mum has a lung infection and I got to take her home from hospital an hour ago. I had to go round to see my dad to tell him I was bringing her home as he couldn’t hear me at all on the phone.

After I dropped her home, I stopped in at M&S for pudding. I stalked the lady doing the reductions for my 36p cream cakes

And relax.

unescorted small world eh? How funny!
love glad your mum is home. How is she doing?
Em hope the spots come to nothing.
Girlie glad the first couple of days have gone okay. I'm sure you'll soon settle to the new routine.
2 busy days in work & now I've got 2 days off as dh & I are going to a concert tomorrow night (nothing major, a folk duo we love) and we decided to stay over. Haven't booked anywhere yet & rooms seem to be thin on the ground!
Very little spending so far this week, just £10 on petrol yesterday.
Frugal wins over the past few days:
Getting all washing done and line dried
No heating on since before Easter
Meals planned & stuck to
Got restarted with my quilting & so far using all fabrics I have in my stash (I'll post a pic later)

Love I'm pleased your mum is home

Girlie I hope you continue to enjoy it. It's always scary starting a new role, I get anxious just going back after school holidays!

I spent £3 on fruit today as we had run out.

Love hope she is Ok. I would have blatantly stalked in your shoes. It is not as if they could keep them another day. You were doing them a favour by giving them 36 p for their cakes.

Em hope it isn't chook pox. Although having them early is less painful than when they are older so maybe it isn't a bad thing. We went through bucket loads of bicarb with dd when she had it. Ds weirdly hasn't had it despite all his friends and classmates getting it.

north I am looking forward to seeing your quilt.

My mum seems ok. Her only complaint is they woke her up every 4 hours to put antibiotics in her arm. Apart from that, she seems to have spent all her days in hospital sat in a chair, reading a book, looking at the view of the Purbecks. She even liked the hospital food 😂

My dad was so happy when I told him she was coming home. It was lovely to see how much they missed each other really.

Glad to hear about your mum love

northender have you tried Airbnb for a last minute place to stay?

Bit of a mixed time here, we have an old family friend (old as in, been friends with DP's family for many a long year, and also he is 100!) dying by inches in hospital he's already said that he's very very tired and wants to go, but of course we are all incredibly sad.

It's my DM's birthday in about six weeks and I've been thinking what to get for her - but it's my birthday next week and she hasn't been in touch to ask me what I'd like - don't know if I'm being a bit petty, but she didn't get me anything for Christmas either, maybe it's made me over sensitive! We're not really close but do get on; I'd bought, wrapped and posted all my family's Christmas presents nice and early last year (they live about 5 hours' drive away, hence I post them) - she received hers over a week before Christmas and still didn't send (or even offer to send) anything. Mid January she asked me what I'd like for me and the DTs, sent the DTs something completely different to what I'd asked for and me..... nothing. In total she probably spent £10 on us and I spent around £40 just on her. I've already bought a few bits for her birthday but no idea whether she'll send me anything.

Sorry, I needed to get that off my chest!! Bit of a spendy day for me, £50 ish in Asda on bits for DP's lunches and plenty of veg. Hopefully that will keep us going for a while!

life I’m hoping not. Although if he gets it he gets it.

Apparently slap cheek is also doing the rounds here.

Em if it’s slap cheek please do be careful yourself and speak to the midwife

Not kept up. Working late again but off to bed now. I’ll read back tomorrow!

I have a very ominous sore throat...

Urgh despite my long day yesterday no sleep last night and one bugger of a nose bleed at 4am. This cold is a pain

Love I’m glad to hear your mum is home.

wolf will do. I’ve had chicken pox so from research on dr google I should be ok. But id never really heard of slapped cheek until a couple of years ago. Hoping it’s nothing other than a few spots. But absolutely will call midwife and/or dr if it turns into a something.

He seems full of beans this morning so fingers crossed. That said I haven’t done the morning nappy and pj change yet. So haven’t inspected him for more spots. I popped him out of his cot as he was fussing at 6 but couldn’t see much!

Slept awfully last night. Probably because ds and the phantom pox was on my mind.

Off to work today. Dh has tomorrow off with ds because dparents are in France this week. They come back tomorrow evening.

Best drag self out of bed. Sigh.

Hope it's not anything em.
Tbh. I don't think I would by a present in that situation, send a card.
Gws wolf.
Waves at sea as she dashes through.

Pilates today or I could remember my purse and get what I want in town today instead of Saturday.

There was a child at the school I went to on Tuesday with slapped cheek. You'd know if he had that and once you're past 20 weeks advice is not to worry.

Last day at work for the week. I'm enjoying this three day week suits me much better

Done a literal spot check. No new ones. So it’s off to nursery.

We have had to do an “emergency” bath though...after his funny tummy this weekend nursery said he might be a bit backed up. Apparently not anymore....

30 quilt squares done

Oh Love, so glad your mum is home. And so cute how happy it’s made your dad.

Girlie well done on your first day in the new job - it is rather stressful being new and not knowing the dynamics of the team but you’ll ace it!

North those colours are gorgeous. What’s /who is it for?

I am so tired today and I feel as though everything I swallow is made of broken glass. Nevertheless, I went to a big shopping centre this morning with another mum and her dd (my DD’s age - they were very cute together) as we wanted to get the kids’ feet measured. I suspected dd had gone up a size and she had so I bought her some trainer things in a cow hide print from Clark’s and some crocs for the garden. She hasn’t actually got any proper leather shoes that fit properly now but I thought I’d see how the weather goes as I’m not sure she’d get much wear from them before autumn, by which time her feet will probably have grown again.

Also got a hoodie for DS - I put his ‘last autumn’ one on him today for school as it was too warm for a coat and it looked ridiculously short - his teacher actually commented on it . I think he needs shoes too but I have to catch him in a good mood and bribe him with chocolate to be allowed to measure his feet.

Due to being out a while I got DD lunch in John Lewis, £3 for pasta and meatballs which she devoured! I had a mint tea as nothing was diet-friendly. Very hungry now but DD has fallen asleep on me and is snoring away. I have 25 min before the school run and it’s too rare a joy these days to cuddle my sleeping baby so I’m savouring it. And making do with a banana.

Great that your DM is home with your DF @Lovemaltesers.

Spends yesterday:
£5 coffee (and catch up) with friend
£12 swimming

Spends today:
£38 Aldi, stocked up on nappies and a few other things I like from there.
£9 lunch out with DS.

Have spent quite a bit on my week off work, I need to bear that in mind for planning future time off, especially with school holidays to plan for in future.. I'm also planning a strict budget for May that I am going to make a big effort to stick to.

School holidays are so expensive! I know there's always threads about all the free things you can do but you still have to factor in fuel, parking, additional food. Plus it's a bit boring only doing the free things (not much round here). I've already got money put aside for May half term. Not sure how I'll fund the summer holidays yet!

Wolf & Sea hope you feel better soo.

Love love your M&D still miss each other.

North that is beautiful.

wreck I know what you mean. re the incidental expenses when doing free things.

Is anyone else getting these mad rain storms. I got soaked through tonight. A good excuse to tuck up on the sofa, while I wait for the family to get home.

Hi all

Love the quilt.
Ah your parents are lovely.
YY to mad, very heavy rain showers.
£10 on a birthday present, £28 Sainsbury's,

Have ordered loads of tips do need a try on and return miss fits

Hi happier was wondering how you were getting on?

We've been having massive down pours here as well, the ward I was on today actually sprung a leak 😮

I've had a busy evening, been trying to sort a Moonpig card for a friends 40th and it took ages sorting the pics etc, hope she appreciates the effort 😉 cost £4.50.

No other spends.

Pay day tomorrow and it's a good one as lots of millage coming my way plus some overtime!

Spendy cinema evening. Cinema paid for last month but £16 cinema snacks/drinks and £33 dinner

Girlie been really busy with dds birthday party, bank holiday weekend,work & getting house ready for auctioneer to take photos, all sorted now & my house is so clean I dread dc coming home

Loads happening here on thread I really need to catch up properly