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August Always Adds Pocket Pressure, Frugal Friends Thrive Thriftily

996 replies

Wolfcub · 03/08/2020 17:44

New feed

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maddenlightfoot · 23/08/2020 08:08

Morning all and happy Sunday!

Oh wow the camp at the Zoo looks fab! Very glamp.

Snuggly I'm contemplating the return to school too. I always love this time of year, meeting new classes etc, but it is going to be so different this year. We're on holiday until Sunday 30th so I only have one day to get organised before going in for inset.

Girlie what a heartbreaking situation with your DD. As sing said earlier, the teen years seem heaped with difficulty. If exercising is particularly important to her is she still allowed to go on walks? Or gentle yoga? Or is it a complete ban?

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 23/08/2020 09:44

Mad she's allowed to go for walks but not do any of the cardio stuff she was doing like online work outs or running.

Ystd was a difficult day and I can feel my own mental health going down hill. I've got friends and family supporting me but tbh other than checking in with me there's not much anyone can do really.

Anyway today we're going into town, dd is meeting a friend later and my plan is to give her some money so she can buy stationary ready for school. We may attempt shoe shopping but will see what the queues are like!

ememem84 · 23/08/2020 15:05

This morning at the zoo.

Spends £12 breakfast at fave beach cafe
£36 zoo gift shop on stuffed animals for the kids. A lemur and an orangutan. Now it’s naptime.

August Always Adds Pocket Pressure, Frugal Friends Thrive Thriftily
August Always Adds Pocket Pressure, Frugal Friends Thrive Thriftily
August Always Adds Pocket Pressure, Frugal Friends Thrive Thriftily
Unescorted · 23/08/2020 15:57

Happy Birthday Howl - hope you are having a lovely day.

em that is very posh camping.

Sea glad you had a lovely time in Wales... and the microwave sounds as if it was on it's way out. Even a minute on empty shouldn't set things alight.

Wolf what did your DS bake? We are on our second New Mexico Apple Pie. I can recommend a cinnamon heavy Apple & Chilli pie.

We have finally bitten eh bullet and got faster broadband - traditional broadband is really rubbish in the village so we have got a 4G one. It has doubled the speed - I can now watch programmes without them buffering.

SnugglySnerd · 23/08/2020 16:26

I am so so tired. Had another bad night with one of the dcs. They have both just had danger naps in the car so I don't fancy my chances of an early night tonight either! Nsd though so that's good.

Wolfcub · 23/08/2020 16:57

Happy birthday Howl

Em that looks amazing

Unescorted, yesterday was Anzac biscuits. He now can't say he doesn't like coconut Grin

Snuggly I hope you manage to sleep tonight

Just finished painting again, been at it all day. Almost everything has its second coat of gloss now and 3/4 of the room has two coats of emulsion. But I have a couple of bubbling patches due to poor application of the original mist coat/allowing plaster to properly dry out by previous owners so I need to seal those with oil based paint and then emulsion those walls again. Angry feels slightly never-ending.

Had a shower as I'm mostly paint myself, including up my chest and one hip/flank Hmmnow having a cuppa and contemplating takeaway v cooking.

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Unescorted · 23/08/2020 17:01

mmmmmm ANZaCs. I have promised dd that I will post her biscuits.

SnugglySnerd · 23/08/2020 18:47

Oops sorry... happy birthday Howl

Lovemaltesers · 23/08/2020 18:55

Oooh that looks amazing em

Happy birthday howl

We’ve had a good wedding planning day. Went to the venue again, met with photographer and talked to PIL afterwards. We seem to have enough movement in the guidance to now be able to get a bit more out of our time at the venue and we might even be able to get away with a socially distanced glass of champagne there too! I think I slightly offended DP by saying I was actually excited about the wedding again now 😂 We seem to be ironing out all the niggles! We just need good weather as the best beautiful bits are outdoors (but can get married inside if it rains).

ChristmasSeacow · 23/08/2020 18:58

Poor you Snuggly - do they take ages to get to sleep or wake up in the night? It’s so exhausting!

Wolf I’m knackered just reading your decorating posts. What colour are you doing this room?

Mmm, biscuits. Not had time to get any post-holiday baking done today but I’ll do a bit this week. Might try a new biscuit recipe again. It’s a bit hit and miss but fun to try.

We’ve just had roast pork fillet wrapped in prosciutto, with roasted squash, buttery mash, carrots and peas. And Eton mess. I can’t move now.

My kitchen is a tip. It looked okay until we unloaded the car but now there’s stuff everywhere and nowhere to put it 🙄. I have loads of duplicate half-packets of things brought back from holiday, and stuff like sistema ‘tupperware’ for picnics that generally has nowhere to live and I might have made matters worse by buying some sundae dishes in Waitrose, inspired by Verdi’s this week Blush

Bit spendy today. Got my sewing machine back today, £45 to the chap for fixing and servicing it. £40 on a top up shop in Waitrose - sundae dishes on sale and also some bits for actual meals as I missed the cut-off for my Ocado offer before I’d finished meal planning (distracted by the microwave fire!). Also £120 on Boden - I had a decent discount code so I bought DS a new thick winter coat (the last one did two winters) and some bits for both DC. Might not keep it all. And bc am about to buy tickets for the Tower of London for this weekend, which is ££££. I think I can get a free ticket as DS’s career though 🤞🏻

I went through DS’s drawers this arvo. I think I’m almost done for uniform and back-to-school shopping except I might get more trousers and a couple of extra sweatshirts for DS - I think we’ll want totally clean stuff every day and I don’t always get washing done and dried within the week. Now to take up 5 pairs of trousers 🙄

More fun that that... I ordered some fabric while I was on holiday to make more masks for some friends and family and came home to it all yesterday. I’m really pleased how it looks IRL so might start cutting some out tonight. I needed something suitable for MIL (liberty florals) and another elderly friend, and also something for tweens. I fear this whole mask-making has awoken my joy of fabric - I keep finding stuff I love, and I have enough trouble with my knitting stash as it is!

(Speaking of which Lonely, how is your stash doing these days? I seem to remember you had a LOT of yarn).

I also washed and am blocking a scarf I knitted on holiday for a friend who is having treatment for breast cancer (prognosis good). She starts radiotherapy soon, hopefully that will nail it. I bought some lovely hand dyed yarn in her favourite colour and it’s turned out quite well. She’s not a knitter so may not really understand the work involved but I think she will like it anyway. I’ll post it to her in a couple of days once it’s dry, I am really looking forward to giving it to her!

Right, need to clean up the kitchen while DH does DC baths.

SnugglySnerd · 23/08/2020 19:03

Waking in the night sea. She goes back to sleep easily enough (in my bed) but it often takes me ages to get back to sleep and last night she woke me about 3 times before finally getting up for the day at 5.30. Plus she kicks me in the night!

Wolfcub · 23/08/2020 19:13

Unescorted can you send me biscuits too? Or curry pastes basically any sort of food based care package Grin

Love glad you've had a great planning day

Sea it's white, I'm painting the attic and office the exact same shade I did the living room two years ago - Frosted Dawn. The stairs/hall will be done in a different brighter shade of white, probably Absolute White, but same make of paint (dulux light and space) as there is no natural light in the hall stairs - the decorator is doing that though, I'm not. I don't think it would have taken as long if it wasn't in such a state to start with, there has been a lot of sanding, filling, sealing and priming to do. If I'd just been able to slap two coats of emulsion on and walk away....and there is so much bloody woodwork!

Sea worth trying these cookies www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chocolate-fudge-crinkle-biscuits/amp there is a lemon version too

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maddenlightfoot · 23/08/2020 19:38

Wolf we got a decorator for our stairs too. It was two guys, they were so quick! Well worth the money.

Oh love 💕 wedding planning! It all sounds wonderful.

Snuggly 💤 sending you all the good sleep vibes.

Sea dh once set fire to a sticky toffee pudding in the microwave. It was acrid and the smell hung around for days!! Microwave survived though!

NSD today. Had a lovely sunny beach day with picnic. I've swum in the sea a lot and now the youngest dds are almost 4, it's all just a bit more relaxing being on holiday (rather than the same tantrums/poor sleep/constant supervision just different location that holidays with children have been up until now. I've even finished a book and had an afternoon nap).

I've worked out that we've spent about £500 in 10 days. £10pp per day. And that includes the new coats. I think we usually spend a lot more on eating out when on holiday but after months of lockdown have naturally fallen into the habit of picnics and the two times we have eaten out we've benefitted from Eat Out to Help Out. Some friends are joining us this week so spends may increase.

SnugglySnerd · 23/08/2020 19:50

Thanks Madden. We also got a decorator for the stairs, it was a scaffolding job. It took him 3 days because it needed repapering first with backing paper, then painting then doing all the banisters. It was money well-spent, we could never have managed that job with the dcs toddling around!

ChristmasSeacow · 23/08/2020 20:24

I love painting walls, hate woodwork, Wolf! If you’d doing so much making good as well
As painting it’s going to make loads of difference from where you started. Very satisfying. Hope you took some ‘before’ shots! (And thanks for the cookie link, Ds will love those)

Snuggly that sucks. Would you try any tough love sleep training?

Love is it 3 weeks till the big day? I’ve lost track of time - glad you are looking forward to it though.

SnugglySnerd · 23/08/2020 20:34

The thing is Sea it isn't every night, it is maybe every 3rd night or 2 nights out of a week. So she can sleep all night but sometimes she doesn't. Not sure why! If we leave her for a few mins sometimes she settles or sometimes she doesn't but sometimes she wakes up ds (they share a room) and then nobody gets any sleep so it is easier to just bring her into our bed. Usually she doesn't wake until about 3.30/4am so we've usually had a good stretch before she wakes. Last night was particularly bad as she woke at midnight and then was unsettled all night. She has only just gone to sleep after her power nap so it'll be interesting to see what happens tonight...

Unescorted · 23/08/2020 21:12

Wolf any time Grin I love baking / cooking but hate my self control - so a perfect scenario is that I can send it out to other people.

ememem84 · 23/08/2020 21:36

Both kids asleep. Fingers crossed they stay sleeping.

Tomorrow is dhs birthday. No real plans but must buy a cake. I was toying with not getting one but that’s mean. The only reason I wouldn’t is because I never get a cake for my birthday. But if I didn’t it’s only spoil it for ds. He loves a cake with candles. Yay. Might let him choose it.

Tomorrow is day one of my annual leave. I’m not doing any of my planned things. Saving that for Tuesday.

Tuesday is garage clear out day. Cannot. Wait.

ChristmasSeacow · 24/08/2020 00:53

Grim alert.... checked on DD on our way to bed and found that she’d thrown up all over herself and her bed, and then crawled onto the chair to sleep. We’ve had to bath her, wash her hair, scrub and strip everything.... poor girl was a wreck. No temperature though, she just seemed really upset at having to be bathed. I hope it was a one-off. I need to sleep but I’m wired on Adrenalin now!

Wolfcub · 24/08/2020 06:53

Oh no Sea poor dd, hopefully she feels better this morning

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ememem84 · 24/08/2020 06:54

Oh sea poor Dd (and you). Hopefully it was an unexplained one off and she’s ok now. Hope you had a restful night.

Dd has us up at 530. So we’re doing tea in bed until ds wakes up.

Not sure what today will bring. But hopefully a nice chill one.

SnugglySnerd · 24/08/2020 07:29

Oh no Sea! I hope you all get some sleep and that she feels better today.

Dd slept better than I expected last night but she was up a bit in the night and she is a wreck this morning, very teary and out of sorts.

maddenlightfoot · 24/08/2020 07:37

Oh no sea, hope dd is ok. I'm always amazed by children's ability to sleep through vomiting (especially when every other little thing can have them up and down through the night!). Snuggly glad your night was better. I agree that it's often the not being able to drop back off again rather than the wake up itself that's the killer.

And for Em......Brew

I've started my post-holiday Tesco delivery and it's full of healthy food and herbal tea - starting to feel the effects of good food and wine and ice cream!

northender · 24/08/2020 08:01

Oh no sea, hope Dd is ok today. I know exactly what you mean about your friend not realising how much effort has gone into the scarf, however my friends who I made the stars quilt for were totally overwhelmed by it, hope you get the same response, I'm sure you will. I hear your fabric addiction! I am on a Christmas scrap quilt at the moment to use up a pile of bits to then allow me to buy more!
unescorted I do the same with baking, give away, give away, give away!
wolf well done on the decorating
girlie take care of yourself. Dealing with dc with mental health problems absolutely affects yours too.

It was dm's 81st birthday yesterday. We went out for breakfast which dad paid for & it was lovely. It's great to see her doing some more normal things now. Ds had a bit of an upset last night after an emotional conversation with a friend of mine who has ME too. She was very sporty and still does a lot but struggles as a result. Anyway there were tears when we got home but I think it was a needed outburst. Emotionally draining though.
Day off today. I need to clean & tidy.

ememem84 · 24/08/2020 08:09

Ds awake. He Rushed dh through presents and we’re now watching fireman Sam waiting for croissants to heat up.

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