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

[northender]

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

Happy belated birthday em that cake is beautiful!! Hope you feel better soon.

Weather here is also awful, it's rained all day. We took the dog out for a nice walk in our wellies and coats along the river. Popped into pets at home and stocked up on cat and dog food, remembered my nhs discount which gave me a fiver off £45.

It's nice to have a quieter wend and not to be painting anything!!

Hi everyone!

Today has been busy, mostly with dropping off dc to various places, and then picking them up!

Went to the market early this morning, spent £100 on laurel hedging and the guy gave me this lovely bunch of lilies which was really nice.

Recently the weather has been awful, it's so wet that the river behind out house has burst it's banks and the flood water is making the bridge over it impassable.

Dd2 is a dancer and she just started at a new dance school today, she struggles with school because she really isn't academic and someone in her class has commented on it which has really upset her, however she is a fantastic dancer and it really boosts her confidence, so today I've paid £78 for a months fees and £152 for shoes and uniform

Took dd1 to the hairdressers and waited in the car for her to finish - Covid rules now mean I can't sit in there, that was £33.50.

Hope everyone else has managed to have a good weekend so far in this grim weather.

€15 flu vaccine
€8 makeup for dd & her friend
Dc spent their pocket money & more so they owe me that back
€17.40 in Aldi
€11.50 on birthday card & the cash inside it for party ds went to.

Hello!

Tayto be kind to yourself, I reckon that’s a hard thing to do.

Camden glad the dancing does DD good. Can’t put a price on confidence (And anyway, no one needs to be good at everything!). Good luck to her.

I’ve shuffled my pay check around and paid off my credit cards in full, as I do each month. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to save anything up front this month as last month was spendy - DS’s birthday (including iPad), my new glasses, lots of entertaining (which really added up), some Christmas shopping, including fabric for DS’s Christmas quilt (not cheap). Am hoping to finish Christmas shopping this month and thereafter save a bit more.

I am completely knackered today - lovely Spanish meal out with my friend last night (no booze as I fear a migraine!), home by 10.15pm, but then Ds woke in the night and was awake for hours, just talking to himself (and, once, crying - I went in to him then, the rest of the time I was just in alert). Basically though, after just 2 hrs sleep I was wide awake and that was it. I got up at 5.30am as I was awake anyway, and had a lot to do sorting DC’s lunches and packing up for our day at friends’ house after DD’s ballet class. Rushed off to that at 8.15am in the pouring rain, had a hurried coffee afterward and then off to our friends’. My friend (the cook) is quite a lavish host but not one for advance prep - we finally had lunch at almost 4pm! He made Georgian food (as in, from Georgia) which was quite interesting but not the most flavoursome of world cuisines. We had a chunky flatbread filled with cheese and eggs cracked on top that set in the residual heat, a sort of boiled beef dumpling with sour cream, a beef and walnut stew thing and some aubergine wrapped around a walnut paste. And then a sort of filo and custard thing with syrup (baklava meets custard tart). Quite a meal!

Just home and dumped DCs in bed. I’m about to cut some panels out for my quilt but not have a late night. mustn’t get sucked in

Tayto bless you sweetheart that sounds so tough l am so sorry ❤️
You are so brave doing this all by yourself 💐

Sea Omg you have been so busy, well done on the money sorting out and the Christmas prep 😁👏

Sea - I tend to do the shuffling of finances each month, feels so good to be organised and get everything upto date, but then I always feel a bit meh when I check the bank balance and see that most of the money has gone.

The meal sounds interesting and like it would take a lot of time and great enormous amounts of washing up

Camden beautiful flowers ❤️
Bless your DD l think you are doing the right thing in encouraging her 👏
Happier good you got your flu jab done 😀 Sparrows must be in seventh heaven with you and Kenwood mixers are so good , Dd2 went for pretty in pink instead of usefulness l am afraid 😂
Girlie & Camden it's rained so much the river is up like hell here 😱
Em well done on sorting all the DH clothes . Hope your neck is better 💐 how much is left of that beautiful cake ? There wouldn't be a lot here 😀👏
North sounds like a very busy & successful day. I am drooling at the sound of your DD cake 😍
Wolf great job well done 😀👏
Pumpkin well done on the Christmas shopping and thank you for the mixer love 😀👏
Madden sounds like you have made some great decisions am wishing you the very best of luck 😀👏
Born have just had a curry and then l read your uncomfortable night and wish l had eaten earlier now 😱
Tayto one of our favourite programs, the repair shop and l always cry 😊 l am worrying about my neighbour. It's a massive house and she is going blind it's heartbreaking 😭. Her one daughter has stayed with her all this week l haven't been to see her but l have told her if there is anything we can do then she must ring us straight away for anything. So sad.
This is what old age brings . I hope she will sell up and the daughters will build an annex on their house for her . Fingers crossed 🤞.
I have been busy again today with Dd2 house she has bought a microwave and installed it. Washer dryer and fridge freezer done it's getting there 🤞❤️😁
Spent 23 in Lidl had a fiver off on the app too 😊 which. Reminds me l haven't done the scratch card , will do it now and tell you . I am a winner 🏆😀 25p off my next shop 😁 DH is being early but every little helps 🤣

Early = early 🤣

EARLY MEANS SARKY DAMN AUTOCORRECT

Hi all, I hope you’re all well. I’m awake watching Ben and holly with DD as she’s had a nightmare so I thought I would post. I wasn’t on much today as we’ve been very busy. I wanted to stay off my phone as much as possible and spend some time with the DC, we had an indoor picnic, made some play dough figures and made cakes (pics attached). I’ve completely finished my isolation booklets for the students, plus a small booklet to do over October half term if anyone wants to catch up on some work. I feel much more together and prepared. Oh also, m&s have released their Christmas food and it looks amazing!.

em I’ve been really stressed about Christmas shopping with everything going on so thought I’d put my mind and ease. I’ll probably get a few more bits and bobs as the DC will no doubt see more things they want.

Welcome back madden, good luck with the house sale!.

happier I’m going to have to find somewhere to store it all! Mine are too little to really do lists, DD gives it a go but DS doesn’t know what he wants. Smyths had some decent deals on when I was shopping, you might be able to get some things cheap.

Thanks born!, sorry about the heartburn. I get it if I lie on my back or if I nap in the day, tbh I get it whenever but it’s worse when I do certain things. Bloody horrible isn’t it!.

tayto thank you, they do love the rain bless them. I’ve had Christmas lists done for about a month now, I find I get excited when I see the new toys and buy for myself more than the DC so I have to stick to the list. Good luck with the skip and getting rid of unwanted things! It’s great to have a good sort out. I generally use Hobbycraft for crafts, but baker Ross does some Halloween ribbon, also has some stuff you might like. Be kind to yourself when getting rid of ex’s things❤️

Oh gosh wolf I dread to think what’s between my floorboards.

That cake sounds gorgeous north I might give it a go!. Good luck to DD tomorrow!

The lilies are beautiful! camden, completely off topic but DD was going to be called Lily if she hadn’t been called her name. Bless your DD2, that isn’t nice of that person to say such things to her. Being academic isn’t everything! It sounds like she’s a very talented dancer, it’s lovely you’re supporting that!.

sea you’ve been very busy! Well done on getting your finances sorted, I need to have a look at mine again and budget. The food sounds lovely I am very jealous!

Thanks mrs! I hope all goes well for your neighbour, are her children the kind who will have her live with them?. Bless her she’s been through a lot lately from what you say. Sounds like DD’s house is getting there slowly but surely. It’ll be a lovely home for her, she’s got some lovely bits and bobs for the house going off the pics you share

And a couple more

You're chatting loads so picking back up from here.

Wedding was ace.
£20 on way home for food.
£44 h&m emergency wedding clothes ds
£15 super drug
£35 lunch

Need food today

Big hugs tayto, well done for doing the sorting

Glad the wedding went well life . For some reason I’d thought you weren’t able to go?

I’m in awe of you getting Christmas sorted pumpkin

We were very lazy here yesterday, the DC were tired and grouchy. Poured with rain all day. Today we have loads of chores to do that we should have started yesterday. I must sort through DD1s clothes as one of her drawers won’t close.

I’m really struggling with the rushing here and there that going back to proper school life has brought. The slower pace of June/July really suited us 🙁

Morning everyone 😀
Yes Life we have been talking a lot l blame the rain 😀
Pumpkin beautiful pics of your DC, it's things like cooking with Mummy they remember at least my 2 do. Thank you for the encouragement re Dd2 home it is coming on 😀
Will post pics when it's done 😊
Hoping for a NSD today , have a great day everyone 😀

Glad you enjoyed the wedding life.
pumpkin it sounds like you've had a lovely day with your dc. Sorry you ended up with a middle of the night get up.
Tayto well done on the sorting. It must be tough, but worthwhile.

Morning all! £7 spent yesterday on a bottle of wine. Popped to a friend's house for a quick cuppa yesterday afternoon and didn't get home until 9pm and a bit worse for wear as tea turned into booze 😅!

We were supposed to be going to IL's today for lunch. They live about an hour away but they've asked us not to make the drive in the atrocious weather. I'm secretly pleased as it means I can stay in bed a bit longer and, like you love, I can catch up on all the jobs I should have done yesterday. I'm currently part way through sorting all the kallax boxes in the playroom. Also going to do a couple of house bits - some paint touching up and we have a cupboard that needs painting (it was put in 6 years ago and is still in its mdf glory 😂)

Pumpkin and Mrs you've inspired me to do some baking with the girls today! And an indoor picnic sounds fab too!

North I hope rugby for your dd goes well and it's not too rainy and muddy!

mrs there’s about a third of the cake left. It’s very rich. Moist chocolate sponge and I think italian buttercream frosting. With oodles of salted caramel.

pumpkin I’ve started a list for Christmas. I need to get things for my nephews in nz so these have to be posted out by the end of November. But I’ll just get them done ASAP. And may do the rest too. I’m paranoid that we won’t be able to have Christmas this year or that things will run out so am going to buy things early. The big thing for me is that we might not be able to get a tree (a real tree has been dh’s and my tradition since we started living together - neither of our parents had real trees)

For dnephews I’m buying: pjs, chocolate, some books, and some toys not sure what yet.

For mil I’ve had baubles made with dnaphews and Dds face on them. She already has ds’ face on a bauble. Need to post these out.

Dh told me he wanted something the other day and I can’t remember what it was.

Morning all...

Sea I don't know how you don't break. I could not function on any less than 6 hours of sleep.

Wolf floorboard cleaning sounds soooooo grim.

Tayto I don't know how you and wolf have been so measured in packing up and sending back all the clutter. My way would have been a skip and the local scouts group.

We are just finishing up packing DD's bits for the trip to Oxford. 30 minutes and we will be off. I am leaving Dh , DS and DD to say their goodbyes.

Frugal news.... DH & I are doing Stoptober. It is quite frightening how much of a saving it is. Weirdly I keep waking up with a mild headache... I need to drink more water.

Tayto it's not easy closing the door on what you thought was your past present & future. And the fury of knowing they just walked out without a backwards glance. Wolf & I are on the end of a pm if you want to vent.

I filled out my affidavit of means last night & have everything ready to be signed by a solicitor or commissioner of oaths now.
Another step in cutting ties with ex

Bf has gotten a job which may lead to a permanent job in same place as me, it's probably 30 years since he was an employee

Em how on earth have you so much left ? 😂😂😂
Very restrained of you l must say it would have been devoured here 😂😋😋😋

Happier good work well done ✅😊 good luck to your BF too 🍀🌠🤞

Unescorted excellent idea l will join you in it too 😊🤞

Madden that is brilliant hope you and your DC have a lovely time 😋😋😋😊😊

I took dc to Smyths yesterday with a view to see what they'd ask Santa for.
Ds fell in love with this but they weren't drawn to anything really. Ex had them writing their letters last night I'm cautious because I'm afraid they'll just ask for stuff for the sake of writing a letter

Pumpkin your dc are beautiful, baking is a great activity, mess, fun and yummy treats as a result