Would I July to you August Frugaleers

[Unescorted]

Follow on from the last one

Happy Friday everyone!!

Not much going on today, I'm sitting in the car outside Aldi waiting for it to open, eager this morning!

Wow - unescorted - you are amazing for doing that, 8 hours is mind blowing! Thank goodness they haven't eaten any of the out of date food, I'm not really one to go by dates, but I'd draw the line at 2019!

Wolf - I hope it's good weather for the window refit, it's one of those jobs that's a total ball ache, but once it's done you don't have to worry about for years and years

Sing - good luck with the job application, good to hear you are enjoying the tutoring too.

Mrs - certainly feels like Autumn here, the sky is grey and it's quite chilly but dry, I was walking the dog with dh last night and we both said that it feels like summer is over already, I miss the long hot summers of my childhood in the 80's. It seems like the school holidays always bring miserable weather.

Is everyone looking forward to the weekend?

@ememem84

£20 pub last night with dfriend. First time in a while we’ve been out just us two. Usually it’s us plus 4 kids. So nice.

Off to gym now. Two huge glasses of rose last night and I’m feeling a bit wonky.

Oops

Em I went to the pub for the first time in ages the other night and also felt a bit wobbly after 2 glasses of wine. I'm not used to it any more!

Nice you got out em
Take it easy wolf. Will totally be worth it though
Good luck sing
I hate food waste though we have been doing far too much. Going to unpack some stuff and do proper eating for a while now can restock cupboards
It’s definitely autumnal but still time for a surge. September is usually nice
That’s a lot of cleaning unescorted and eugh

unescorted oh man that sounds awful. Good on you. I agree try and get a housekeeper if you can.

Unescorted that sounds horrendous and a lot like when we cleared out dgm's fridge and cupboards. A cleaner sounds like a very good investment for your sanity and db's

I've just upended ds's bed (still not envy). I am very tempted just to not everything in his room. He's broken the floor of his wardrobe by standing on it so the drawers underneath don't shut anymore. He is so deliberately careless it's depressing. The skirting boards are scribbled neon pink where he's deliberately coloured them in with highlighter pen. It's depressing

£64 cleaners yesterday.

£77 Clark’s on shoes for the kiddos. Ds needed feet measuring and dd needed shoes too.

£7.50 coffee shop. Two apple juices, a huge cookie and an even bigger lovely strong flat white.

Blimey I absolutely take my hat off to all the carers on here. You’re doing an amazing job. Especially when not all the recipients are that grateful 🥲
Just holding on here and crossing fingers that none of us get ill between now and next fri when we are meant to be going on much awaited extended family holiday to wales. We said we’d self isolate from sat to make it more likely. Between that and the fact that I’ve been working/ DS2 was isolating so we couldn’t do much when I was off, I don’t feel the kids have had much of a holiday yet! I think I’m also struggling a bit with the fact that they no longer want entertainment from me in the same way - that’s great in some ways I feel like I don’t quite know what my role is yet iyswim?
Frugal news is for the first time in ages I will not have overspend the food budget, hooray! Though that’s partly because the last week of the month is accounted for by holiday spends…
wolf that sounds really hard work with your DS and I feel for you. Not much useful I can add but I’m sure you’re doing a great job in the circumstances, especially with a demanding job as well

@Bornlazy

Oops fell off the thread. Just caught up now.

Mrs I was a little surprised to hear that mumbob are capable of getting in the car and driving places. You do so much for them maybe they could do a little more for themselves if you weren't so kind and doing it all for them. I'd be furious if I'd made them food only for them to throw it out and the go to the chip shop.

Gen surely the fridge in the toilet wouldn't pass any kind of rental inspections. That is just grim, grim, grim.

Lots of spends here too although hopefully less than last month. Three birthdays in the last week.

Born l know it seems an anomaly but honestly it is due to Bobbo's brilliant driving skills. He was a Taxi driver for 50 years and knows the roads around here like the back of his hand , he also has an automatic car . Mum uses a wheelchair to get around when they go out , she can only stagger from the toilet, to the sofa, to the bed, to the car to the commode , all the while holding onto the furniture and us ! It is actually an art form! Bobbo is 90 and so marvellous for his age he is physically amazing , his mental health isn't the best though. My Mum is as sharp as a tack still , so they complete one another It works like this , Bobbo drives them around , they go to the chip shop, he parks right outside with the window open ,Mum barks her orders to the chip shop assistant, Mum doles out the money , Bobbo goes in to the shop and comes out with the chips , Job done I kid you not it is a huge song and dance

Hmm having realised what a mess ds has made of his room I've ordered decorating supplies. I have neither time nor energy for decorating but it's such a mess. There's holes in the walls, graffiti on the walls etc. Urgh.

Oh Noo Wolf that is such a disappointment/lot of work for you , l am sorry lovely

Thank you Martha
It's a gradual change in our roles as Mum l think , as they get older we are not 'needed' like we were l know , sometimes it's difficult to let go at least l found it difficult. I had to bite my tongue on times and allow them freedom to go places without us , it's not easy but we made sure they always let me know when they had arrived somewhere and when they got home if they were staying with their friends. I made sure they knew if there was any trouble at all they were to phone us and we would pick them up no matter what . It seems to have worked at least l think it has but it is hard to let go but we have to for them to become functioning adults , My Dd2 drove from Cardiff to Edinburgh and back on holiday this year she's 25 and l was worried about her on the roads but she was fine and loved it thank God

Unescorted l know how you feel , not much comfort for you but you did a really great job of cleaning the muck up, it's so good of you to do this for them and for it to be so filthy is vile. I am sorry lovely

Em & Humbug that sounds fabulous l would love to go to the pub, we can go from tomorrow here in Wales , l think l will have a word with Dh

Life Yes at least you can restock your larder now ! l agree still time for a surge , fingers crossed
@CamdenLurker Definitely feeling Autumnal now, l don't dislike it but it doesn't seem like we have had much of a Summer really imho.
l am looking forward to the weekend, think we are going to the Pub !

Oh wolf not what you need
Caring is such hard work and we don’t do half as much as others

In non frugal news offer accepted on —an—other house

Omg Life yay! Fingers , NO everything crossed good luck lovely 🙏

Sorry it's such a state Wolf, I hope he looks after it once redecorated.

Enjoy the pub Mrs!

@Wolfcub

Hmm having realised what a mess ds has made of his room I've ordered decorating supplies. I have neither time nor energy for decorating but it's such a mess. There's holes in the walls, graffiti on the walls etc. Urgh.

Wolf will he respect it if you do redecorate?

Martha It was the same as Mrs - gradually they became competent adults. They both still ask for my input when they are unsure, but the day to day things they happily just do. I take that as a win.... not a smooth ride at times, but we got there.

Wolf I have no advice, but I do have a good supply of cake.

I am in need of a smoothie maker..... does anyone have any recommendations? It may just be needed for for a couple of smoothies so I am looking cheap & effective. However it might be the golden bullet to getting weight onto my dad.

Also your favourite smoothie recipes ...

On reading about out of date food when carpenter was working on my kitchen this week he found bovril out of date in 2007 unescorted was smell of fridge not shocking?

Mrsmad I would be very upset by that throwing out of dinner, couldn't they have said actually we'll go to chipper x day so don't make us anything?

Meadow hope finger is getting better

Wolf when I read about so much money left at end of month I'm glad for weekly pay.

Gen that's disgusting about fridge, surely there's another space. In college accommodation we had freezer in dining room, which was a little different but ok.

Em great saving on childcare hope ds is ok

Mrsmadevans I was considering PAX for utility extension

Love IKEA spend sounds good.

There was hot choc spilt in my car not envy, got dc to scrub it, still, put bicarbonate of soda down, used carpet cleaner & my friends steam cleaner, smell gone phew. Been messaging mini valet people this morning to see if I can get car done today.

Going to try keep up again. I was on a lot last week because I was off.

Work is busy, we're now starting at 7am. I've advertised for someone to come into house to mind dc in the morning before school when they start back. When I was starting at 7:30 this was an hour 4 morns a week so I was thinking €50. Now it'll be 1.5 hours each day so maybe €75. I was paying €10 per week for subsidised breakfast club but this means me getting at 5:30 & dc at 6am, and driving 22km/30 mins before starting work in the morning. If I get someone in it'll be 6am alarm for me & 7:30am for dc. I've continued to put away €130(au pairs wage) since she left which I then used to make an emergency fund so the money is in my budget anyhow, there will be bus charge too maybe €35. And then twice a month €30 for an afternoon of childcare. Just hope I can get someone.

It was fairly fragrant - thankfully most of the really grim things were in sealed packs. Recycling went out the window... No way in this world was I opening some of the packs to rinse and split the packaging.

I may have been a little unfair on my bro - my Mum keeps is just as bad for not putting things away. She leaves them on the bench because they will be needed later to make something for my dad. It is like DMum & DBro need to be seen to be caring for him & it has become a competition between them. They constantly peck his head about eating every 2 seconds - and they make him eat those grim high calories, chemically flavoured drinks. He hates them, but loves ice cream, liked the idea of homemade milk shakes, eyes lit up at the idea of savoury version (cooking smells kill his appetite so soups are a only on a good day).... hence me asking about the blender advice.

Sounds like they compliment each other perfectly Mrs 😀 You are a saint to do all that you do on a daily basis.

Unescorted that’s a hard shift you’ve put in. Well done. Hope it’s easier to keep on top of now. My soup maker is a smoothie maker too. It’s not cheap but would they use the soup making part to make it worthwhile?

Martha I struggle with my changing role as my dc grow up On the one hand it’s great to have less to do for them but I can’t help but feel a bit redundant and look back with rose tinted glasses on to days gone by and all the stressful days out spending a fortune with at least one person crying fun we used to have.

Life I’m keeping everything crossed that this one goes through for you 🤞🏼

Wolf my ds sounds similar to yours only he’s a few years older. He broke his wardrobe shelf mysteriously- totally denies standing on it 🤔 would randomly scribble things on the paintwork, and through sheer carelessness broke so many things. I’d say he’s marginally better now but still far from perfect. The thing that bothers me most is he doesn’t seem to care.

Spends yesterday - £50 out for lunch with friend and £32 M&S.

Is filling the holes and patching up the furniture an option wolf? Not sure I’d redecorate until he showed more care. It’s depressing for you as you have worked so hard on your home

Sorry Unescorted totally missed your update about the soup.

born you have hit the nail on the head, it’s not being needed in the same way. Which is good, as others have said. But strange!
life I’m so wishing this one works out, it must be beyond stressful
unescorted I just bought an Asda soup maker which was highly recommended by which. It does smoothies as well though you can’t use frozen stuff, that’s a disadvantage for me as I use frozen berries. It doesn’t smell while cooking. I also have a kenwood blender which does the job fine, was about £35 I think, don’t know if that’s within budget?