Frugally Forward To Autumn

[Wolfcub]

New fred

,Swimming so "free" as members. Think we are down to about £125 a visit now...

Yay! Getting there .. 😀

I remember it ,😳

We used our National Trust membership today, AND bought a picnic, AND avoided buying coffee and ice creams.

And avoided getting a takeaway on the way home!

I missed the pelvic floor device but remember need getting told off for darling to sell the horse box and make a profit on it 😂

And avoided getting a takeaway on the way home!

I got told off for far more than that!! 😂😂

It’s weird No was thinking about PIQ a while ago. Wondered what she was up to. Then wondered whether she was still on mn.

Great frugalling there Wombat. I need to consistently remember to take biscuits or something with me, I often remember the drinks but not snacks

I didn’t actually think that poster was trying to get a reaction - she seemed completely unable to understand social norms and cues. I thought there were lots of red flags for asd, actually (for her and her DS). And as she had quite different ideas about life, values, child-rearing etc than most of us, but no sensitivity about how to navigate that, it was all rather painful. Quite sorry I don’t remember the pelvic floor business though!

Collie I’m sorry to hear about your MS. Has that been diagnosed since you were last on the thread? I don’t remember that and I think it would ring a bell. That must be a lot to deal with, practically
and emotionally - I hope it’s well controlled and you have a good prognosis.

I ran out of steam today. Didn’t do half of what was on my afternoon list but I did gloat over my line-dried laundry 😉. Tonight I have embraced the return of Quizzy Monday. Work tomorrow and my anxiety is really bad. I’ve never been like this before but the combination of awful things at work and perimenopause is just ghastly. My DS is also being really challenging - he has asd and minimal
language. Since last Wednesday he’s been screaming a lot all through the day - he loves school but I think he’s anxious about the transition to his new teacher etc, and that’s his outlet. It is jangling my every nerve, scaring DD and is generally very wearing indeed. It will improve when term gets going but it’s going to be a loooong last week of the holidays… argh

Hi everyone just checking in but I can’t keep up! Want to keep posting though so I can try to stay up to date with everyone and also to keep myself accountable on the frugal front. I managed to stay strong and resist all the 20% off clothing offers I’ve been sent over the bank holiday.

thanks for all the encouragement about the sofa, I wince when I think of the money but you’re all right and it will totally be worth it when it arrives in a few weeks! @ememem84 we went for the Zinc corner sofa from DFS which I know is owned by every man and his dog but it was the only one that fit the very specifically sized gap 😂

haven’t managed to totally catch up on the thread but @ThisisCollie2022 i saw you have an interview on Friday, wishing you lots of luck!

hope everyone has had a good day. Very nearly a NSD here bar £1 for some milk and another 60p on some bread for the ducks. I know they theoretically prefer peas/oats etc but the ones near us are clearly common and turn their noses up at anything other than Tesco thick sliced white! We took DDs down to one of the bigger parks nearby and had a picnic and a walk and then this afternoon I made the most of the oven being on and made some more bloody apple cake!

have finally worked out a strategy for my monthly meal planning which I will try to remember to come back and share tomorrow. I’m back at work after 9 days off so might struggle to keep up with the thread but will try my best.

@HalfWomanHalfChocolate sorry to read you’re feeling anxious I totally relate to that. My eldest also has ASD and it can be so hard sometimes and the holidays don’t help as they are out of their usual routine. Happy to chat over PM if you ever want to chat to someone who understands.

tired don't worry about not posting regularly & not keeping up, just post when you can. There is no right or wrong way to use the thread.

Morning all.

@tiredandstripey just don't do what we did. Bought new sofas after saving for 5 years. Love them. Enjoyed admiring them for a few weeks.
Then we got a puppy and now sit in the small, messy, undecorated playroom leaving our beautiful new sofas in our lovely decorated sitting room 😂🤣

Really proud of DD yesterday. We're trying to teach our kids to save, spend and give their money. So after she chose some tat in Claire's we went and got a few small things for the food bank. Had a lovely lunch out with the bonus that kids eat free and I hadn't realised!!

Back to work today. I also struggle with anxiety @HalfWomanHalfChocolate I'm sure it was Covid that brought it on as it's only something I've encountered in my 40's!

@lifelongfrugaleer i made your flapjacks yesterday. Absolute winner!!! Thank you. Made them with plums and apples. Think they might work with blackberries too.

should be a NSD for me here. Kids in already paid for holiday club.

have a good day all

@tiredandstripey thank you :) drove by yesterday and saw they were part of a firm I dealt with in my last job. So they already know me. If I get it - it'll be a lot of fun because they're hilarious!!

@HalfWomanHalfChocolate I was diagnosed in 2019 but I was definitely having symptoms the last time I was on the thread. I was very tired, had muscle weakness and funny turns. It was all a bit of a shock but apart from the meds giving me awful side effects - I think I'm managing OK. Still run 5km, still swim lots. When I have a relapse, I'm very very poorly and thankfully it's only happened twice.

LSD here but we are going into town. Payday tomorrow and it can't come quick enough!

Good luck to those going back to work today. Don’t worry about keeping up just post as you can, it all goes here

spend day today as last school bits and dd needs new joddies, there is a discount outlet I will try if the outdoor shop doesn’t have a sale,

I haven’t used them but this site is getting a lot of love on the Christmas thread for bargain clothes
thrift.plus

@flowerycurtain ahahha I know what you mean exactly… in our “new” (2 years since moving) house we have a separate lounge and then a kitchen/diner/family area and we were going to have a nice posh sofa in the lounge to keep separate from the kids and then just have a small 2 seater in the family area for the kids to be feral on. Lo and behold we almost never sit in the lounge! So now we are putting a sofa bed in there so that we can use it for guests (as the room can be shut off separately) and then getting a big corner sofa for the playroom as it’s where we always end up having us all crammed into. So the plus side is that it will definitely get daily use but the downside is that it will almost certainly be trashed before we have even paid it off 😂

On the frugal side though we paid a 30% deposit but then took 3 years 0-% credit for the rest. We could have paid cash but it helps buffer the emergency fund which is getting a miserable 1.5% interest at the moment but better than nothing I guess!

Hope anyone else at work has a good day today. I’m full of back to school vibes and hoping to keep more on top of stuff at work so that it doesn’t feel so chaotic. I’ve packed my lunch already so should be able to avoid spending any money at the coffee shop!

if you’re still on school hols then hope you have a great time and enjoy the last of the sunshine this week :-)

@lifelongfrugaleer I have bought a couple of things from Thrift+ this summer on ebay without realising it was a ' circular fashion movement ' company.. They were both good and in excellent condition and you can return them, so even better .. Really recommend..

I am pretty pleased with myself for having an almost empty fridge today and having had negligible food waste after the last two weeks of catering for visitors, especially as the last lot were vegetarians who bizarrely are very picky about exactly what vegetables they will eat!
We did end up with a surplus of aubergines because they didn't like them ( they did last time , but no longer, it seemed... Aaargh ) so yesterday I made a ( reduced meat ) lamb and aubergine curry, some of which will go in the freezer.

I am now planning our holiday campervan trip ( 3 weeks in Scotland ) food buying as we go next week so need to be really rigorous in menu planning this week as Ill need to leave a properly empty fridge.

On the energy front.. has anyone got solar panels ? Am thinking maybe we should look into them .. We are fortunate to have a huge garden and am wondering ( as our roof is a difficult shape) about whether its possible to have a bank installed there..

Was supposed to be a LSD but DS needed new glasses and I paid £20 for the extra blue coating. The rest is free thanks NHS. On the bus now which was £3.

We're perilously close to payday and an overdraft. Feeling a little worried.

Laska Martin Lewis has a really good article on solar panels.

Stripey just post as you like, don't worry about keeping up we don't stand on ceremony. I'm posting lots this week as I'm off work and therefore not stressed out of my gourd (Half I completely hear you on the work anxiety) but next week when I'm back I'll be a lot less sociable and won't keep up with people's news so well

Shopping list written for lidl and ocado shop edited for tomorrow. Thank god it's payday at midnight I really am down to pennies in all accounts today had to do a bit of £2 juggling between accounts to to avoid ending up in overdraft - I don't want to move money from savings (again) this month as it'll just disappear with it being school hols. I had a bit of a moment this morning when df asked me to order something for him and I was trying to work out if I could make the payment before he pinged the money over to me.

Good luck with the shopping Life, we are done now as dparents bought school shoes without my knowledge and paid which was lovely

Morning everyone. I'm feeling a bit of sofa envy. Mine is 22 years old, it has been remarkably resilient through the end of my youngest children's childhoods and my older GC and the whole life of much missed dog but the last couple of years it has started to show it's age.

I really want a redo of the lounge but having a dispute with DH who doesn't want to get rid of the old dark cupboards which we have had for about 35 years. I really want a change and want to throw everything out and start again, he's fine with new decorating and sofas but keeping cupboards and probably carpet. The jury is out on the curtains. I have suggested stripping the cupboards down and painting them a lighter colour but he hasn't commented on that, I think it is a fair compromise but we will see next spring which is when we are thinking of doing it if we can agree what "it" is. I'm feeling a bit stubborn about it and don't want to do half a job.

I'm off to The Food Warehouse to get the 10% Tuesday discount for over 60s, stocking up on tins/cleaning stuff etc and hoping it helps with the inflation we are going through.

So meal plan : I just need to buy the veg, some apples, milk , feta cheese and eggs, I think for this, rest is in freezer or cupboards...

Lamb curry, rice ( already made, other half to go in freezer,)
Prawn , chorizo and tomato pasta,
Beaney cheesey Stuffed mushrooms
Courgette and red pepper Frittata,
Salmon noodle and veg stirfry,
Chicken kebabs, sausages, bread , Salad ( when my dad and bro visit on Saturday)
Leftovers from Saturday on Sunday, with more salad , maybe add tuna , egg or cheese, depending
Monday another pasta thing to use up anything left in fridge) or pizza
Tuesday.....off on our travels

DH makes bread and has oats and fruit for breakfast, I usually have egg ...

Thanks @Wolfcub , ill look that up ...
We want to move in a couple of years, and downsize , so its more of a case of whether it will add value to our present house or if its ( which I think is most likely) something to consider for our next....

Great meal plan Laska. You've just reminded me that that's the other thing I've done this morning. No days assigned and veg components variable depending on what's in the box