Safely into a frugal September saving as we go...

[northender]

New thread. Thought I needed to get back on track.

Fab day playground to ourselves

NSD

Em are you senior to the scruffy people? Is he thinking he needs to sort out the senior ones before he starts on the juniors?

Happier that's so hard I'm sure most of this is from missing au pair she's been part of his life for so long. Big hugs

Today's spends £60 Tesco delivery and £50 out for lunch 😱 Treated friend for her birthday.

Made chilli for dinner 2xdinners for two going in the freezer. Washing dried on the line. Small frugal wins in anotherwise expensive day

Used a reward voucher from work to buy a new turtle may you replace the one I won from Mumsnet about 12 years ago and which is now balding. Also bought two Charlie Brown and snoopy framed prints for the attic and an xmas bauble with the same voucher

I might be a lone voice here but if my boss asked me to smarten up then I just would. It’s only really out of order if it’s done to bully or belittle someone, and if it’s not equitablely enforced. I can’t speak for your manager Em but if I had words with any of my staff about something like that the others wouldn’t know about it (from me at least). Might you not be the only one he spoke to? I can imagine after months of working from home and very few client visits in the office the dress standards might have dropped a bit across the whole workforce. But then again dress standards have always been fairly high in most places I’ve worked and pushing the boundaries would be frowned on.

I would certainly use the elastic Life as I’m getting through loads of the stuff, but you never know, you might decide you want it after all! If you’re sure you don’t then I’d happily use it, very kind of you thanks.

Lonely hasn’t popped in for a while, hope she’s okay. Come and say hi!

I’m supposed to be having Zoom drinks tonight but I’m not really in the mood. Hoping the mood strikes me once we get going! I’m tired though, I’ve had only around 4 hours sleep for each of the last two nights (ds bed wetting again, and I was up very late last night trying to make the BFG out of fondant 😬) . It’s DS’s birthday on Tuesday but my sisters are coming over for the ‘party’ on Sunday so I need the cake done for then. It’s going to be a stupidly big and elaborate cake for 6 people but it’s always the birthday feature he’s most excited about... so huge cake it shall be!

I feel really rather behind with work but can’t really put in any extra hours until the birthday is passed, as I have quite a bit to do (cake, cooking, setting up the iPad, and cleaning the house for visitors - again). Next weekend we’re not entertaining anyone for the first time in a month and I CAN’T WAIT! I really want a lie in last 7am - that’s the dream!

Right, got to do DD stories and get dinner in the oven.

Hey sweeties.

happier would he respond to the Team Happier or Nothing To See Here Approach. The first being - we are going to get through this together because we are all awesome in our team. The latter Hey isn't this fun, I am soooo jealous the you are going to have such a fun day. In both he is so loved and you can't wait to see him at the end of the day ...it is such a bummer that you can't be together..

wolf you are an awesome parent.

sea just rest & enjoy your lie in... you are never sitting still.

Our dress code is "we trust you" - we can throw a shirt on if we need to for external Teams meetings. The rest of the time we are in jim jams. I suspect when we are let out again it will be full suits and boots for external meetings in person and jeans in the office. Having said that our brains are no less sharp with outfit changes & that is what we are employed for.

Just checking in, been reading but struggling to post properly as really busy with work and dcs.

Sorry some of you are having stressful times with dcs at the moment.

Em I'm not even sure what our dress code is at work. Officially it is business dress. Short skirts are frowned upon but not practical for teaching anyway, ditto anything low cut. Some staff wear suits, most wear a dress or trousers and smart top. A few wear trousers, t-shirt and a fleece!!

Tesco shop was only 10 , Mums was 25, l had to sort out her bank statement & tick everything off but it was absolutely spot on
Dd2 is looking for laminate flooring , grey of course everything is grey!

Pm me your address sea.
I would smarten up but I would also be watching for changes in the office too to make sure others did. I read it as no one else was spoken to but may be my skim reading

Wolf it must be the day for spending ££££ on floors! I bit the bullet and made a decision on the living room floor, have gone for an oak effect laminate £1000 😵 it will look lovely once done though. Paid £750 today, pay £250 on completion.

One wall painted and looks great, am having doubts over the colour for the other walls but will have another look/think tomorrow.

Dd had a Camhs appointment today, they're happy she's making progress, she has gained a small amount of weight so going in the right direction.

Also spent £30 on paint type supplies and paint.

That's good news about dd Girlie.

Today was another nsd. There have definitely been more of those since I went back to work! We are sending less in food now too now the dcs are all being fed at school or nursery. Supermarket shop is about £30 cheaper!

Great news girlie

Good news girlie
Seacow I look forward to another impressive cake pic
Feeling thoroughly fed up about the new restrictions coming in here. Planning a day in the Lakes on Sunday, feel like we all need some fresh air & space.

Our dress code officially per staff handbook is business casual. No trainers or things more suited to the beach. Suits and formal business when meeting new new clients. Or when meeting clients for first time. Unless otherwise agreed.

But business casual can apprently be interpreted in different ways.

I’m hoping he was either having a bad day, or is trying to smarted us up from seniors down (yes I am more senior than some of the scruffies). But still. Not happy I was singled out and I made it known.

Accupuncture now after a nightmare of a morning trying to get everyone (including dh) out of the house and where they’re meant to be.

Also - off to the next sale after Accupuncture. Hoping that by going at 1030 on a week day on the first day I’ll be ok and it won’t be too mobbed. Buying for Dd for next summer and for ds for the next year (tshirts trousers etc for nursery).

We are exempt from the North East measures due to council set up.

£6 screwfix, £15 breakfast for me and friend, £25 new laptop riser. We are back in strict lockdown on Tuesday, we've only been out of it for two weeks. I'm so fed up. Looks like my short break is in jeopardy and I won't be able to go for coffee or a pint with my bestie anymore. I notice the big majority white city isn't going into lockdown despite rising levels but our more ethnically diverse surrounding towns are taking the hit again

Good news DD is doing better girlie

Hope everyone in the areas with restrictions tightening are doing ok .

Spent loads of ££s on wedding food and drinks today. Disposable cutlery proved tricky to find! Reception has moved location and I’ve had lots of extras to sort now it’s not at PILs house. It’s been rather stressful

Anyway, we had our last date today at lunchtime. We went to KFC 😂 . We’d originally planned somewhere nicer but had too much to do and not enough time

DP is currently snoring on the sofa. I don’t really want to wake him up as he’s had such a busy week and woke himself up in the night by choking and didn’t go back to sleep 💤 I’ll wake him up to do school pick up.

About to do some housework in my new heels as I forgot to wear them in 😂

Hi everyone,

I've been busy clearing out the sitting room to prepare it for painting and then painting it. We settled on a cerise colour although it looks more purple now that it's actually on the walls. I like it though and it makes a nice change. The first coat looked awful - really patchy. I was having a bit of a panicky "What have I done?" moment. But the second coat made a big difference. Phew! One wall is still a little patchy (DD did this one) so I'll give it a third coat in the morning and then hopefully I can move everything back into the room on Sunday.
The poor cats are confused because they've been banished from the sitting room . I've my eye on a grey suite of furniture although I won't be able to afford it until sometime next year. I just might manage to buy it in the New Year sales - depends on how much it's reduced by.

I have the painting bug now so I want to paint my bedroom a teal colour and paint the downstairs bathroom a pale yellow colour. They both have strips of wallpaper and I think this will have to be steamed off the wall before I can paint? My sister-in-law is good at DIY so I'll consult with her before I do anything.

After the suite of furniture, my next house goals are:-

Laminate wooden floor for the hall - the kitties have wrecked my hall carpet
New floor tiles for the kitchen/dining room - it's open plan
New dining table and chairs for the dining room. The old dining table/chairs are about 18 years old and one of the chairs is wonky.

I think I need to buy a lotto ticket!

So, I have some really good news - my bank has approved my application to take over the mortgage . Everything was delayed because of Covid and then the bank took ages to respond, but I finally have the green light.

Covid cases have been escalating here especially in Dublin, so it looks like Dublin is heading for some form of lockdown. Luckily I don't live in the capital.

DD has settled back at school but is moaning that she's getting a lot of homework. The school will be closed for two days this month. One day was already in the school calendar and the other day is to allow the staff to train in the use of ICT for blended learning - I guess they're anticipating school closure at some point.

Onto your news

Wolf I'm really impressed with your DIY skills. I'm so proud of painting one room and you seem to have painted your entire house as well as lots of other DIY jobs like plastering and sanding etc. Happy touring with your camper van. When all this is over, you can hop across the Irish sea and visit me and Happier. Annoying about your camera eyepiece. Even more annoying about the lockdown .

Girlie congrats. on passing your assignment. You and em are both studying as well as working and raising DC - that's some achievement! Good news also re: DD.

Adora to hear about your SIL's abusive boyfriend. Is she claiming that he's just a friend?

em your spa day sounds blissful. I haven't worn a slip since I was about eight years old! I guess your boss has the right to ensure that everyone complies with the company dress code. What you were wearing sounded fine for smart casual though.

Mrs I know everyone has said it already but you do so much for your Mum and now Bob. You said something recently about how you can't have holidays because of your caring commitments and that really opened my eyes to how much of a sacrifice you make each and every day. You're an amazing daughter and a very supportive and caring DM to your own DC! Hope you had a nice day in Newport. Wishing your DD every happiness in her new home.

Seacow that was a frugal win on the green tomatoes but not such good timing in terms of the weather. Can't wait to see photos of the BFG cake. I love that movie!

orange I'm not sure if you're a new poster or an old poster with a new name?

Unescorted I laughed when I read about your minimalist DD buying vast quantities of supplies from IKEA and Amazon . Has she actually started college yet? Will she be living far away from home?

life sorry you'r experiencing a lot of stress atm .

Love hope your earache has eased now. Earache and wedding planning is a bad combination. How many days to go now?

Happier that's really great news about the GP visit card - that will mean a big saving. Not such good news about the house - it's hardly unheard of for a house to have a septic tank! Hopefully that gets sorted soon.

Snuggly good to see you're making a small savings on groceries. As the Tesco slogan goes, every little helps.

Wolf and Girlie enjoy your new floors.

£241 in next sale. However. This included 4 shorts for dh some Tshirts for dh. Tshirts for ds (maybe 20?) some shorts a couple of hoody’s. And shorts tops dresses for Dd. Mostly for next summer for Dd. But some things for now. Ds’ stuff is all age 3-4 so will fit him now until next year. Happy woth the haul. Nothing for me as a) I didn’t need it and b) there was nothing I really liked enough.

Home now and changed ds’ bed from a cot to a “big boy” bed at his insistance. Whether he sleeps in it is another matter.....!!!

Great news on the morthgage Tayto and the decorating. It's Unescorted who's the master of plastering but the sanding and filling prowess I'm happy to claim

Great news that dd is improving Girlie, your flooring sounds lovely

Love I like the idea of doing cleaning in your wedding shoes. I hope you have an amazing day tomorrow. 👰 🎩 is this our first frugal wedding?

Good luck with the big boy bed Em

Made myself two little desks today. Really just attaching Ikea legs to some pre-cut mdf from b&q but with different screws as Ikea ones too long. Sounds far more impressive to say I made two desks though. I will now be working in my new office from Monday even though it's still full of exes furniture it feels like an achievement. (Will have to move everything out for carpet fitting in a few weeks but I'm going to enjoy it in the interim).

Ordered a new laptop riser, a desk mat and some nice new candles. La la la. Whoops. Need to stop spending money now.

Tightened a loose window handle and screwed my over door storage in the en-suite into the top of the door as one of the hooks had broken.

Cleaned downstairs windows (did upstairs yesterday), cleaned bathroom. Vaccumed.

Wolf you’re making me feel tired!

Is it the big day tomorrow Love? And are you now in a covid secure venue so you can have your 30 guests? I hope you have the most wonderful day ❤️. I don’t think this is quite the first frugal wedding Wolf - I seem to remember Wreck getting married, though I might have been a lurker then. It was a good few years ago now.

Great result on the mortgage Tayto

Just spent £295 on an eye test and first reading glasses. I would have gone cheaper on the glasses but I’ve got a really small face and had to buy from a special range and still not many fitted me. The optician measured my face and said it was the smallest adult face he’d measured in a very long time - I had no idea I was such a freak an outlier! Unfortunately the rest of my body doesn’t match

Other than that I’ve been to Pilates today and achieved very little else. I need to bake DS’s sponge today and make buttercream. I’ll assemble and decorate it tomorrow.

Yes, it’s tomorrow 😬👰

Our wedding venue offered us a really good deal to extend the time there for a reception. And as it’s outside, except the eating bit, it’s probably the best way to have a wedding right now. The weather is looking good too 🌤

I think wreck got married first, but that was before my frugal time!

That’s really tricky on the childcare happier.. Are numbers likely to pick up soon or will it only be your DC for the foreseeable future as other children might help?