Friendly Frugaleers Festive Preparations and Financial Accountability

[Wolfcub]

New Fred

Hey meadow just jump in from here.
Next time just ask for tap water. I always do.
Bless you sea. I've done other sick crazy things and I have nt children.

Last day before a week off. Thank fuck. Christmas lunch with my directorate today. Couple of £ for breakfast and one drink too

I echo the sentiment Life thank fk it's the last day.

Yay indeed, last day! Soldier on, people!

I’ve woken up with a sore throat. I fear this may be the beginnings of ds’ cold bug. Thanks kid.

I’m cancelling my team lunch today. I mean they’ll still go. I just won’t go with them. I’m
Seeing everyone tomorrow though as it’s out Christmas party. So not missing out!

Just a quiet day I think.

Last day of term! Hooray!!

Nice to see you Meadow.

School is out! Apart from my DC who have to do a normal school day

All done with school here too, though DD still has nursery on Monday. I’ve got to Feed DS, then pick DD up tonight: then as soon as DH gets back at 7ish I’ve got to head out to a friend’s milestone birthday party. It’s on the far side of London so it’ll take me around 1.5 hours each way. I’m not enthused about going out after very little sleep but I know it’ll be important to my friend so I’ll go and nap on the tube . Literally can’t wait till tomorrow when I have nothing particular to do

I'm done. Thank god. I'm already down 1 x glass of wine and I've thrown the towel in and ordered takeaway

I tried to get ds to go and buy his dad a Christmas card. He has refused and written one of his crappy ones I bought for school friends. There is nothing behind this other than laziness and I am really annoyed with him as I know his dad will be hurt

Happy holidays for everyone who finished today.

You will be pleased to know the shops are already chaotic... Aldi are doing 15p sprouts, carrots, red cabbage and spuds (Melody which are no good for roasties). Morrisons is doing Marris Pipers for 40p.

Tomorrow I start the Christmas cooking - red onion marmalade, spuds par boiled & frozen, sourdough crackers, biscotti and panforte. I might also crystallise some citrus slices. I am also thinking of an experimental drop of taste for the salmon, little balls of cucumber juice, dill vinegar and sugar set with agar.

Pottery throwdown 8th January Unescorted

You are fancy Unescorted! A few years back I tried lots of different recipes for candied orange slices. None even nearly approached the lovely properly crystalline versions sold by Fortnum and Mason, which was my goal... all were edible but still a bit too chewy. Have you foubd the secret?

I am 1/4 of the way to the pub, changing tubes now and frankly rather dreading this evening. I reeeeeeaaaally wanted to stay in. But I will see some lovely people. Sigh.

On glass no 2 of wine. Watching bohemian rhapsody. First time I’ve seen it. So. Bloody. Good.

Sea - I simmer them in water first until they are tender, then put them in the syrup. Then dry them out in a v. low oven (heat then crack & switch off) when they are nearly dry toss them in sugar if you want the crystals. I go for the leak version so just leave to dry.

Off to the pub...

That's shit about the job unescorted
Glad your door looks good Em. I'm still in love with mine 3 weeks on!
Things here have been chaotic, thank goodness school and college are both over now. Dd & ds are both working tomorrow so I'm going to try to get their wrapping done then. Dd is doing really well in her job & is being offered extra shifts as she is doing so well. She is lapping it up as it is something that none of us are involved with, unlike the cricket club. I'm so pleased for her and proud too.
Went shopping today & noticed in Debenhams they were selling Contigo insulated cups for £10 each. I had ordered 3 online for different people, total £74. So I bought 3 at Debenhams and have sent the others back. Even with a £3 postage charge I'm saving £40.Just waiting on 2 online orders now & then am all done.
Dh is super stressed at work & mil isn't well which is a bit of a worry.

Have a good weekend everyone

Morning.

Cancelled riding today as my shoulders and neck have tightened up. And are quite sore. Im a bit stressed I think! Dh have my shoulders a rub last night and commented on how tight and knotted they were. He thinks they’ve been like this for ages but I’ve only just realised it.

Anyway. Christmas party tonight. Looking forward to going out and seeing the team even though I still feel like shit. Thanks ds for spreading germs. It won’t be a late one - dparents are babysitting so we’ll need to be home by 11/1130.

Bil and sil have sent a box of gifts for the dc. So kind. I can’t wait to see the gifts - they always send such lovely things! We’ve also recieved a hamper from our local vineyard too.

Have emailed amazon about an order I placed. Ordered myself some jodhpurs. In November. They never arrived so they said they’d send another pair. Still not arrived. So last night I asked for the tracking details. They’ve refunded me £40. I don’t think they ever sent them.

Morning all, busy week here and not really kept up sorry!

Dd finished school Ystd and has been ill ever since, had a really high temp over night and very sore throat. Whenever she gets ill it takes me back to when she ended up in hospital so I'm feeling anxious about it.

Don't think I've spent much money and have managed to avoid twitching, will need to do a food shop for the Christmas veg etc, will get it from Aldi.

Can't believe how quickly it's come round!

unescorted really sorry to hear this. DP was made redundant in September and it was super stressful and worrying. He now has a new job for January and things look much more positive, but it was absolutely terrible at the time.
We are off to Rome tomorrow, I had booked it before he lost his job on lastminute.com, got a great deal. We are there over Christmas itself as it’s our first Christmas together - last year we were only together a few weeks before Christmas so we went to diff places to see family. Really looking forward to it as Rome is one of my favourite places and DP has never been!

Dd has the coldy bug too. She’s all sorts of mucousy. And this means she throws up some of her bottle. Which she’s just done. All over dh.

Dh seems to be a bit incapable of dealing with kiddos today. Ds is being crazy and wanting all the food. Dh was moaning about how ds always does this for him. He never does it for me. Probably because I actually give him breakfast. Not just give him a banana. Then a yoghurt 20 minutes later. Then something else later.

Also dh doesn’t seem to understand I feel like shite. But apparently I’m not able to get a break. Ffs. #annoyedmuch

My last post was Tues so there's no way I'll catch up so I'll post yesterday's spends & carry on from this. I'm on holidays now for two whole weeks
I love my job but glad of the break

Yesterday's spends €7.10 on sweets for mid journey stop on my way to my parents with dc

€88.09 Dunnes Stores using €10 off €40 on groceries. Dm asked me to pick up cheesecake for today's family Christmas dinner, if she had said it to me earlier than 12pm yesterday I'd have made one
So I decided to get €30 more stuff to use €10 off, got Christmas crackers & 4pk of monster & snacks for dc etc plus remainder was present for df, uncle, dh's gf, photo frames for myself & boyf, little cash purse for myself(reduced to €2) perfect for just sliding into jeans pocket when out.

And the big news I got mortgage approval in principle €120k which means I can purchase a house of up to approx €160k depending on how the divvying up of sale goes. This was very important to me because they use average of last 3 years overtime & in that was 6 months of less overtime for me & if it wasn't approved until next year there would be 18 months of less overtime resulting in a smaller mortgage

Sale still not sorted but this gives me hope for 2020

Em at your dh, small children's eating is far more structured than ours, mine have moved on to the stage now that they could tolerate what your dh has done with ds but they wouldn't at that age.
You need rest if you're going to get to go out tonight

Placina enjoy holiday & congrats to your dh on getting a job so now ye've cheaper rent than before & two incomes #winning

Girlie I'd flashbacks like that last Sunday too, ds needed nebuliser after 3 years without it & his heart was racing & I was imagining this week spent in hospital with him he's not better but he's much improved, currently sleeping on my shoulder

North great saving on the contigo cups

How was party seacow

Wolf boys just don't care

Welcome back meadow

That's great news about the mortgage Happier!

I forget who suggested wrapping gifts at the ironing board but THANK YOU! It is so much easier and kinder on my back and neck

Hope poorly dcs get well soon.

Amazing re mortgage happier

I’ve told dh he needs to be more structured with ds and food. He tends to give in when he wants something and then ds won’t eat dinner etc. Which irritates me.

At nursery ds has breakfast snack lunch snack dinner. When he comes home he has a small snack with his bedtime milk. It’s routine. He doesn’t play up for me (or my mum and dad) when we follow this.

I’m trying to rest. Have just tidied downstairs and done some laundry. Need to fold the dry stuff and put it away. Dh has taken ds out somewhere. Dd is napping. She’ll be due another bottle soon so better get that set up!

Gws poorly people.

Great news happier.

It was me with the ironing board wrapping. Total game changer isn't it.

£32 food, more bloody food, locus kids.
£25 pony, £5 footy.
Need to order a new kitchen cupboard but the company I used is no more. The lovely Howdens bloke used to work for them and put me in touch with an ex colleague who set up on her own. She should be able to get me the same range of cupboard. Woohoo.
£1019 refund from AO.
Oven parts from Amazon ££

I always wrap on the floor, must try ironing board sometime

Thanks for all the congrats

At garage getting lock nuts replaced on my alloys because I lost the key for taking them off

Friendly regular reminder to check your tire pressures and screw wash 🧼

Fab news Happier. Life I must have missed what happened with the oven

Hope the poorly people feel better soon