Friendly Frugaleers Festive Preparations and Financial Accountability

[Wolfcub]

New Fred

North I was wondering what a Christmas tree skirt was.

I forgot to tell you about my weekend spends.... £227 in Aldi and 88 in Morrisons. I was dazzled by the 12p fennel. I my defence it will last us until mid Jan less Christmas which my mum is paying for and vegetables & milk.

Still no news on the job... It is becoming farcical. When this restructure kicked off they said we would be finished by June. (2019).

Unescorted will you definitely have a job at the end of this?

Hi Happier 👋🏻

My mum and DH are watching the end of a tv series that they’ve been watching when I’m usually out on Tuesdays, so I’m relegated to the kitchen. I’m watching kirstie’s Christmas crafts on catch up and contemplating making /writing some Christmas cards. And probably doing even more last-minute shopping - I need to stop twitching!

I want to make a gingerbread house at the weekend. Anyone have a good recipe that doesn’t soften too quickly? The recipe I used most recently was a bit too soft for my preference.

Exciting news! Had a call just before I picked Ds up from nursery. Window people. They’re coming at 8 tomorrow morning to dismantle our front porch and put the new one in. Yippeeeeeee!!! New front door. so now I can get my wreath

Ds has a great time at nursery. They barely noticed his hacking cough. Apparently they’d kept an eye/ear out for it but he hadn’t done it once. Basically coughed himself inside out in the car though....

Bought some old school shake and vac today. As ds’ room was a bit smelly on the carpet front. No idea why. But it freshened things up.

Yeah good news on the windows

Being kept waiting is the worst unescorted.
I didn't get one of the jobs I went for. Failed at sift. Had a cry will be ok tomorrow.

£3.10 breakfast, £9 school liturgy.

I should have a job - but it is the not know what it is. My job has been split into 3 coupled with more people than jobs means that some of us will have significant changes. B/c I have been there a while I have had loads of jobs around and about so am a prime candidate for doing something totally different. We find out first thing tomorrow..... so at some time before Christmas if we have a following wind. If not a generous redundancy package will do me fine...

Sea try the King Arthur Flour website here Everything with 4 stars and above has been really good. Just remember that US butter has about 80% fat and European is between 82-86% so you have to reduce the butter and make up with water. So for 86% butter add 6% less and make up the weight with water. 94g butter & 6g water per 100g of recipe. Seems a small amount but it makes a difference.

I never knew there was a difference between our butters unescorted! I’ll have a look at that recipe, ta. Good luck today.

Last day in the office before Christmas, though I’m working on Friday (from home).

Morning all.

New porch day wahooo! It’ll be double glazed by the end of the day which should make a bit of a difference to the house.

We had the results of the energy efficiency survey the other day. Our house ranks as a “f” on the energy efficiency scale. Lowest being a “g” there were suggestions as to how we can improve this. Small changes such as LED bulbs and a jacket for our water tank and larger ones such as cavity wall insulation and solar water heating system.

The small ones we’ll do. The larger ones we need to think about.

Anyway. Am heading to charity shop today to drop some stuff and look to see if I can find a small cabinet/sideboard for our living room.

Morning all, it's flipping freezing 🥶 here!! We had freezing fog last night, looked like something out of a Dickens novel outside.

It's my last child free day off before Christmas so I should make the most of it, although at the moment staying under a blanket on the sofa sounds appealing!

Sent dd off to school with £5 for the Christmas dinner. Want to try and walk to a local garden centre later for a few stocking bits (must try not to twitch too much though 😬) May pop into town as realised I haven't bought dd a calendar which is something I always get her.

Can't believe Christmas is a week today!!

Morning all! unescorted that sounds stressful.
It’s our last full day in Wales today. We have been doing a lot of walking in the hills and a lot of eating very relaxing. DCat is with us which is nice and the cottage is so cosy.
It was our anniversary yesterday, we cooked a really lovely meal and watched Out of Africa which I had never seen. What a tear jerker!

£22 top up shop to get me through until Monday

Sounds like a lovely break plan

Cavity wall insulation isn't a massive job in terms of disruption, Em. I'm not sure how expensive it is as we got ours done for free in a government scheme a few years ago. They pretty much just drill a hole and squeeze the foam stuff in though.

Nsd. Have eaten far too much chocolate today. There's a lot of it about at school at this time of year!

Ah snuggly is it that stuff? I thought it involved walls coming down/plaster off.

Door is done and looks fab - u - lous

At this point I am half woman, half lindor truffle (and heading towards spherical myself). Seriously draining day at work, I am knackered and have a crushing headache!

Day off with DD tomorrow. She is my sunshine at the moment, just really lovely company. DS has also cheered up a lot now his school play is over - no more rehearsals disrupting his routine and hence his equilibrium! I’m really looking forward to having a couple of weeks off with them over Christmas. Roll on Saturday!

No em. Lots of noisy drilling on the day but it's all outside. We got a grant for it too years ago.

Kept ds off of nursery today. He’d been awake coughing for a bit last night and then was coughing in his sleep keeping me up. Dd seems to be very snuffly too.

I’ve enlisted the help of Dm this morning. She came round and stayed with both kiddos while I popped into town for the stocking filler bits.

She’s now taken ds off to her house so he can play or help her put her tree up.

I’m exhausted. Like could go to bed and sleep for weeks exhausted.

Quiet afternoon I think. Once the window guy leaves. He’s just finishing the cat flap.

Well yesterday was shite.... I am to be interviewed for a job. So over Christmas I have to fill out a "statement of suitability". Apparently because there are more people than jobs (which we knew) but some people who are currently doing the same job as me have been slotted in to the jobs for which I am going to be considered for. Also we have been told there are 15 of us and 15 jobs...… which contradicts the letter stating why we are being interviewed. It sucks and makes no sense at all.

That's shit unescorted. Happy bloody Christmas.

Sorry to hear thatUnescorted, that's really rubbish.

Should be nsd today, it has been so far! Going to wrap some pressies tonight.

Yeah... considering they rushed the letters out before Christmas so people wouldn't have to deal with the stress over the holidays.... except us 15

That is shit unescorted

A family member got made unexpectedly redundant last week. Why do they do these things to people?!

I’ve been productive today. Tidied up our shithole house . Took stuff to the dump. Went round the hellish bigger supermarket. Wrapped presents for work and DP, and written last minute cards.

I love your description of turning into a truffle sea . I have eaten so much this week at work, as well as the nice box of biscuits my boss and I were given to share. As I’m at home today I’m avoiding bad food until the DC get home.

Have a rest if you can em 😴

Unescorted can you challenge with the hrbp? If not everyone is in the pool and jobs are equivalent then surely process is not being properly followed. Either everyone in the pool or no one. It's shit timing ours absolutely will not let us for RRR over Xmas.

Actually reading back I agree with wolf. How have some been slotted in but others not especially when there are the same jobs as people. Unless they are cutting jobs but the letter doesn't say that.
Sounds like a fuck up.

There is an appeals process. I don't know why there are some slotted - unless they are on performance improvement measures. We have a weird thing that they get protected in any reshape / restructure. I think that one of the jobs would not have got very many people applying, but instead of saying they will increase the pay of the position to attract people they are putting us all through this shit process.

I will do a half hearted attempt at the statement and then turn up for the interview with my kevin hat on & hope they give me VR. I will buy a lottery ticket and tap up my mates in the wider sector as a back up plan.

Hi all! Hope you're all well?

Unescorted Sorry to hear about the shitty job situ stress . I hope it all turns out ok for you.

Em Nice on the double-glazing front!

Not sure what to report as obv haven't been here for ages. I keep meaning to get back into it but I just feel So Busy. Which I know is ridiculous when I compare my life to some of yours! Makes me feel embarrassed.

On the spends front, today I spent...soft play for DD I think was £5.50 or thereabouts. Then another £1.40 on a bottle of water at soft play which was sort of a waste of money but I was thirsty and they are v strict about no food or drink from outside. Her first time at soft play. She enjoyed it but then screamed for most of the 30 min bus ride home. She has started hating buses (i.e., screaming on them) which is becoming v difficult and stressful for me as I don't drive, and there aren't really any 'indoor' things to do in walking distance except the library and one play café, and it rains all the time here.

That sounds very stressful Unescorted. I know how it feels, I hope it all works out .

Hey Meadow, nice to have you back.

I was having a bit of a late night doing Christmas cards (once I realised the last posting day is tomorrow - first class so not frugal ). And then I realised that Ocado didn’t deliver the Rice Krispies I’d ordered and we have literally none. And they are DS’s standard breakfast. That was going to ruin everyone’s day (DH gives the Dc their breakfast) as DS would have a certain meltdown over the lack. So I’ve just driven to 24-hr Tesco’s to get some. The life of an ASD mum! I’m working tomorrow and it’s going to be a struggle. Up in 4.5 hours.