Managing Money Mindfully in March with the Friendly Frugaleers

[Happierwithouthim]

Last Thread

All welcome on this thread, we're a friendly bunch who like to get bang for our buck, and manage our money as well as we can.

Pet pics very welcome too

Happier great news on the separation being formalised. You've done a brilliant job of pushing it all through so quickly. Well done and congratulations. How are you feeling about it?

Making a frugal veggie curry for tea.

Better homeschooling day today. Only minor wars. Not sure what tomorrow will bring

North that's a fabulous thing you're doing

Lane hope you soon start to feel better you're having a rotten time of it

Wow happier. Big and emotional step.

Pleased you are on the mend happier.

It's all ups and downs at the minute. I bit the wall yesterday morning. And my team are one at a time as well. Such a worry.

Nsd today. My elderly neighbors needed help as their care package has stopped. He lost his teeth, they were in his mouth.
I've got a few bits to get them from a shop too. Powered milk.

What a day l have had hmm

This ream of text msgs from my SIL RE my Mum staying with Bob hmm

SIL ....Can’t say I am over impressed with your mums move Why??

ME : I think they both thought it was for the best J xx
SIL : Well what happens if you or your Dd1 go down with the virus no one from your household will be able to go to them .
It should have been disgust with us all as if above happens it falls on us

ME : No one expects you or MY Brother or your son to do anything for them XXX
It was not my decision it was Mum and Bob's

SIL : So who would see to them , I am sure if you had said to mum this is ridiculous she would have stayed and that road is Bad for YOUR Dd1 to be driving on . At least her being here we are on the doorstep if anyone in your household goes down with it.
I think they Bob and Mum are being very selfish expecting you to travel up there everyday

ME: I really don't mind J

SIL : Yes but not all the Bridges have been crossed I sought if she will come back now all this just an excuse she as deserted all who have been good to her NDN , her other Dd (my sister) she had plenty of company some poor buggers don’t see a soul for days she never mentioned a word to me when I wS up there Sunday probably because she knew how I would react her family all around her here . I have asked and asked for her to come out for lunch or coffee and cake over the months only once did she come and let me down last minute on other occasions saying she’s poorly now suddenly she can run a marathon so to speak . Your Brother been ringing all week no reply her mob and house I have rang I give up

ME : She can't hear the phones J. Nothing was said on Sunday about going up there. No one knew . My sister took all her stuff up to her there yesterday. It's their decision, both of them. Nothing to do with me. You can ring Bob's number it's ........... perhaps it would be better for you to talk to Mum to put your mind at rest J xxx
5:45 PM
SIL : I won’t be ringing thought she was so upset about YOUR Dad crying and telling me she goes into his room every night and morning didn’t won’t to leave the house because of the closeness of him being around her ect .And now beggars off with a virtual stranger I think she as lost her marbles she’s clearly put him before us all no thought for you either with the extra traveling ect madness

I haven't bothered to respond to the last point
I am so stressed over all what is going on . l feel like my chest is tight and l have CV

My mum got her hospital test done. Phew!

I finally snapped earlier though and sent a shitty email about my rota. All the other people with school age children have worked minimal hours this week and are being cancelled later this week. I’ve got to go in and send my children to school three days.

Mrs don’t let them get to you. These are such uncertain times that surely having your DM safe with Bob is all that matters for now. I am sure that your mum will have some sadness about leaving the house that she shared with your dad but that’s only natural it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to go. Don’t doubt yourself and try to relax ❤️ X

Love glad your mum got her test done and hope your email makes a difference. Surely it should be split evenly

Mrs D - your mum is happy with the arrangement, you are happy with the arrangement and your sister is happy with the arrangement. The only people who have an issue are your brother and his wife. And if your mother has been crying off from a tete a tete with your SIL I suspect your mother doesn't really care what her opinion is. Put your phone onto silent and ignore. If your brother calls explain it was your mothers choice, you don't have an issue and if he does the best person to call is your mother. And then don't answer his calls until it blows over.

Love that is poor rota management. Hopefully they sit up and take notice.

Today I have not left the house except for my early run & was rewarded with Mr Owl making a flying visit. There are worse places to be confined to, One of my colleagues doesn't even have a balcony and his local parks are closed - I offered to post him a line dried towel. He called me back in tears. He is really struggling.

Thank you Unescorted l will be saying those exact words, you are a life saver

Thank you Born so kind of you
l am feeling a bit better l did my stress breathing exercises , God l think there will be a lot of MH issues when this is all over

I may have thrown my toys out the pram at the wrong time. DD1 has a cold and feeling a bit warm

Hope your family get over it soon mrs

No MrsD - you are. Your Mum & Bob have been keeping us happy for weeks now.

I think you are right about the MH - I know I am really lucky, my exercise playground is the moorland around us. I have a garden, full cupboards, fridge & freezer, job security & understanding employer and a chilled out pragmatic family. Yet today my head was having a proper wobble. I was so angry and stressed about things that make no difference & I can't change anyway. I recovered later by weeding part of the front garden.

Unescorted it's the not knowing l find the worst.

yep - I guess that is why all the shops were stripped bare and there is so much outrage against people not behaving exactly as one would. It gives people the sense that they are planning sensibly - if it differs it is not because there is more than one way to skin a cat, but because the person expressing outrage is validating their own planning skills. It is a coping mechanism.

Yes the problem being we don't trust what we were being told re the replenishment of the goods on the shelves. Also if we have to self isolate an dnot go iut for up to 14 days it meant we had to get stuff in just in case. Yet today our supermarkets were chockablock of stuff. The only thing we couldn't get was hand gel. At least that worry has gone

Evening all,

Families huh Mrs, nightmare. Fwiw you're right and sil is wrong!

Lane the bug I had left a vile taste in my mouth for ages (even now a bit) I'm not convinced it was CV as my mum didn't get it which surely she would have?!

I went to Aldi this morning, it was really well stocked bar loo roll 🙄 we're down to 4 rolls now, hopefully they should get some in by next week. Spent £82 😳 but have bought enough for a good two weeks or more plus needed cleaning stuff.

Spent ages in the garden and it looks loads better for it, dd seems more relaxed and is chatting to me a bit more which is nice. In some ways this will be a nice opportunity to spend some quality time with her.

Your family are wrong Mrs. As long as mum and Bob are ok. That's all that matters.

There will be good and bad days. I'm not braving a shop until next week but it's good to hear they are well stocked

Ocado's website seems to have sorted itself out for anyone who is an ocado shopper already - still not sure if they are accepting new customers.

My parents are getting an order today from a restaurant supplier I put them on to so if that's any good I may set up an order with them for dairy and veg. Df os going to the supermarket for them and for dgm today. I have said I will go for them, I do not want them in a supermarket but he will not listen

Morning everyone! We're now self -isolating due to poorly dd. Staying in is highlighting just how much we spend on being 'out'! I think we might actually reach the end of the month with money to spare. Isolation has been ok so far. Trying to stick to a general routine and being out in the garden as much as possible. We did invest in Disney+ yesterday (£60 for the year) but will get hours of entertainment out of it.

mrsmadevans Your SIL has some valid points about you travelling (but you're happy to), but not once does she see that maybe Bob makes your mum happy, your mum shouldn't and doesn't have a duty of care to those NDN's, she has a responsibility to herself to be happy! Saying on the one hand she's tried and tried to get through to your Mum by telephone and then when you offer her a way of getting in touch she gets in a huff and refuses to use it. Why fight with your Mum at this stage of her life?

Spends €154.33 including 5 Easter Eggs(€18.50) 40 sachets of dogfood (€10, 12 cost €5 usually so great offer) and laundry capsules €13. Happy with this as I've only done 2 grocery shops in March but top up shops have made it expensive because I don't have much fridge/freezer space, but this is a short term problem. Total still 25% less than last years monthly spend.

Doing the grocery shop was eerie, everyone is wary of everyone else, wearing gloves and masks, I normally watch my spending, yesterday I just made sure I had enough so that I won't have to revisit the shops for a while. Got the Easter Eggs just in case too.

wolf thanks, it's been a bit of an anti climax really to be honest. He still wants to proceed to divorce as soon as we're eligible so I guess I'll be a divorcee for Christmas. I need to stay working to draw down my mortgage so hopefully that will be the case.

madden it definitely highlights where the unnecessary spending is Hope yours and born's dd's get well soon

Just tried to log onto occado 91081 in front of me. Hour to Q to get on site

In A&E with ds. He tripped running about indoors and cut his head open on the corner of the wardrobe.

em hope they'll be very nice to him and he'll be put back together quickly
life wow!

Oh no Em, hope he's ok and they can glue him back together

It’s so difficult to know girlie isn’t it. My plan for the foreseeable is, any illness is treated as if it’s CV at the time (ie self isolate), but afterwards treated like it wasn’t (ie don’t get complacent that we are fine because we’ve had it)

Oh gosh em not what you need right now 😭 hope he’s ok, poor thing 💕