Frugal Friends, planning, saving and considerate spending through July and August

[Wolfcubisthefemalenominal]

New Fred frugal friends

Oh bollocks. And £8.25 on practically my body weight (pre pregnancy) in local beautiful wonky shiny red sweeeeeet strawberries. For the tennis later. 😉

Oooooh and we sold our old bedframe yesterday. £40. Someone was looking for one on Fb. I said we had one we could let go for £50 but they’d need to collect. They’d arranged a van etc within 15 minutes so I had to get dh to stay in.

In the end they only had £40 with them so he just accepted it. It’s gone though which is what we wanted. Frees up a lot of space In our garage and someone got a bed frame they needed.

Madness were great last night, really good fun 😄 tired today though so kept it very quiet. Dd is knackered as well bless her.

Spent £20 ish on food and drink.

Out again later got another hen do so will try and have a quick nap before then.

Lap that is big news,for all the difficulties my dd has at secondary she does still enjoy the learning side of it and loves her teachers.

Lap that’s huge news and a real testament both to dd and all the work you’ve put in home schooling

£38 diesel. Three big bags of stuff to the charity shop including some really good quality winter coats

Em well done on the bed frame

Yes, big news Lap and good on her for giving it a go! I hope it works out.

Enjoy your brief rest Em!

Feeling a bit stressed about work - boss sent me an email yesterday saying he was concerned at lack of progress re. Two of my projects. I tried not to sound defensive but had to point out that I was brought in to recruit a new team of 10 people, and did not appreciate how difficult it was going to be to do that while being the sole person holding together the essential tasks of all of the missing people! Am feeling a bit pissed off actually. And no, they still haven’t paid me... 😡

Anyway, rant over. Busy few days - had my friend’s family over for dinner on Thursday (speedy after-school entertaining!) and then governors’ meeting. Friday was work, not as productive as usual because I have a head cold and feel a bit grots. Then schlepped across London last night for some friends’ joint 40th birthday party. They had quite a decent buffet so that was a pleasant surprise! I only had one glass of Prosecco as I couldn’t face much booze, so at least I felt okay today. Just done a top up shop for £11 for a newspaper and dinner bits for today, Ocado is coming tomorrow. We are off to a wedding tomorrow so need to get train tickets to Stratford upon Avon. Also need to buy a wedding gift - there was a list, hopefully it’s not all bought up! If so they also suggested they’d appreciate a nice bottle of wine so we might do that instead.

DH has just left to take ds to an after-hours birthday party in a play centre (has to be late for private hire). He’s never been out so late, hope there isn’t loads of sugar involved or we’ll never get him to sleep!

Is there a non-frugal corner I can sit in rocking and shaking my head? I let DH go to M&S and Go Outdoors unsupervised 😱 £££...

Ooh baked feta Wolf? A friend once served a baked feta with a huge widget of bread - so much better than other baked cheese! - but I've never tried it myself. How do you do yours? x

(I'm sure 'huge widget' is an oxymoron 🧐)

Oh Madden that sounds expensive.

Sea recruiting 10 people is a full time job in itself.

I have done a matrix of what people won't eat and realised there is now nothing all of the them will eat. I think I will start doing meals for one.

I’m quite partial to this one Madden, although I often just make it up along this sort of theme

www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegetarian/feta-baked-with-tomato-and-oregano/

Sea that’s really shitty of the boss. I have to say not uncommon, but shitty. We are all expected to spin gold out of mouldy straw

So we swapped tables and chairs with DH’s ex as she and DSD have moved to a much smaller space. Nicer looking chairs, bigger table that extends, so frugal win there.

However they smell of smoke. Like majorly. Any advice? The table is that sort of laminated wood stuff, was thinking of stripping it, sanding and painting a new colour and varnishing with the kids as a summer project. The chairs are mostly covered with fake leather I think? Like a sofa might be.

Thank you for all the kind words about DD. I go between being really nervous for her and being excited and very proud of her and what we’ve achieved in the last year especially. We are discussing what she’d like to fit in learning wise before she starts, and the first thing she said was Hamlet 😅😍

I’d give it a go over a few times with soapy woodwash and the chair fabric with leather wipes

Soda Bicarbonate - sprinkle on, leave and then vac off.

Wash with vinegar - the acidity cuts through the tar residue

Crushed charcoal in a bowl - leave the bowl(s) near the furniture overnight. If you can get activated so much the better

Sunlight …. haul it all outside on a sunny day.

Wolf how are you? I hope you have had a more settled week.

I had a nap and woke up at 330!

We’ve just got homely from dinner with Fil gf and Dhs had sister. Luckily they were in a rush to get to the next bar so dinner was very quick. Nice burger yay. Super garlicky bread. Mmm.

Dh has gone to the next bar with them. I meant to ask him not to have any more beers (although by the time I thought about it he’d already had 3 so can’t drive now if baby starts making an entrance today anyway).

I’d have gone with them but it’s a bar not a pub and they won’t let kids in after 7 so me and ds are home. One more fireman Sam before bedtime.

Dh has promised he won’t be back late but knowing Fil and gf they’ll be having a late one. I’ll have the must be capable of driving talk with dh tomorrow morning.

Apparently we’re also heading over to fils early doors tomorrow to say bye to Bil and sil. Their flight leaves here at 9 so they’ll need to be there by 8 so Fil will leave at 745. So no idea how early dh thinks we’ll be getting up...

must also check he’s renewed his driving licence

I am going to be super smug... I have managed to make a hand formed sour dough that has kept its height. It looks as if I bought it. I love Your Tube....

em it is as well you had an afternoon nap.

Be proud lap. You DD is a testament to you. As are the others of course.
That's an early start em.
Sea I would be posted off at that email too. Project and recruiting are 2 full time jobs. I would defo tell the boss you are currently working for free too.

Spendy day £75 birthday presents, £69 Sainsbury's but incudes cards and wrap add my go to market stall has closed

£35 pony, £5 coffee, ££ more but I've forgotten.

Spends today
£1.50 bus fare
£19.95 hair cut
£50.70 Primark, shoes, dress, top and socks for me. Socks and vests for dd2 and a sloth hot water bottle for her for Christmas. And some new coathangers, I want to have all the same, to hopefully streamline my wardrobe.
£15.44 in Lidl on cat food, a new water bottle for dd and 5 pairs of school trousers for dd, they were £1.75 each!
£7.99 on a new toaster
£5.70 morrisons

Aw thanks.

I was frugal today and returned some non fitting trousers for a refund rather than exchanging. Arguably I could still do with more clothes (I hate shopping so I rarely buy anything and don’t have much at home) but can’t afford it at the moment! That was the same amount refunded as I ended up spending on Cagletini’s shoes as she outgrew hers. £13 in Next (not the sale sadly, there was bugger all left). Boys’ shoes again! But they are cute.

Tesco substituted my shave gel with antiperspirant spray I sent it back in the interest of frugality!

FFS mumsnet I don’t want a link on the word “trousers” 🙄

lap so cute!!!! 😍😍

I bought C some brown sandals from next yesterday. He thinks they’re funny because he can see his toes. I thought he wouldn’t be able to take them off either. But nope. He’s like Houdini. Can get any shoe off in the car. 🙄

He’s just woken up. Dh has popped over to fils to say goodbye to Bil and sil. They fly out at 9 so will be heading to the airport soon. Dh went over at 7 or so his text says. Both ds and I were asleep. I’m sad I don’t get to say a proper goodbye. But so grateful Dh didn’t wake me up.

Rough sleep last night. Had to pee 4 times. Ffs.

Today though is a chill day.

There is laundry to do and things to be tidied. There is cricket to watch and tennis and ds is going swimming. Then Dm is making some lamb couscous thing.

Morning all

Laputa she is so cute. I love her trousers

Hoping for a reasonably chilled day today but ds has contact for the first time in four weeks and to say I’m nervous about how it will affect him is an understatement

Need to pick up M&S order and try to persuade ds to try on the uniform bits I’ve bought and new jammies as he’s a bit of an odd duck size wise

Looking forward to the tennis although will need to miss a bit to pick him up and it clashes with the Grand Prix so I’m a little torn. I reckon Djokovic has got this one in the bag. Mind you after yesterday’s game nothing is certain

We need a cute child alert between the Caglets and MiniEm. You are all very welcome to post pics of littlies now mine have turned into Kevins. I need reminding that there are decent human beings in there that don't require 24/7 plug in to social media.

I am going to do a really quick blitz on the bathroom, knock up some soup that my matrix tells me should be of no interest to anyone in the family except me.... and then watch Le Tour.

Ahem.

This was a few weeks ago. But. Still cute.

So far this morning he’s helped me out laundry in the machine and hang some outside.

We had a floor picnic breakfast in the living room because I was too tired to have a fight about going in his high chair

He’s just wandered off out the front dragging the empty laundry basket with him. Dh is following. He’s probably off to the village green (just sort of opposite our house) with it. I gave dh the choice. Follow him or fold laundry.....

My goals for leave this time unescorted is to:

• take better care of myself physically and mentally - this means taking time out for me, gym/exercise when I can, eating better
• asking for help
• embracing help when it’s offered
• less screen time for me - tv is on to a certain extent but I’m more concerned about my phone useage so will cut this down starting tomorrow.
• more water
• multi vitamin every day
• moisturise every day.
• spend less money on myself. I have enough “things”. Will spend on me for a gym membership and get back with my trainer once I’m allowed. Have money saved for this. Will just have to work out how to do it with 2 littlies.

(Serious almost frugal post from me for once!)

Afternoon all, hen do Ystd was fun, spent £16 ish in total that includes dinner which really isn't bad, the joys of not drinking alcohol!

Spent £6 today on plant food.

My dad treated us to a roast dinner today which was lovely and I'm stuffed now. We're looking after their dog for a couple of weeks which will be good practice for us!!