Frugally Forward To Autumn

[Wolfcub]

New fred

£4.85 in local shop like Poundland, tooth brushes and clothes pegs.
£3 in coffee shop.

@Timetoswitch . Same here. 200 mile round trip every week

thesky ok, now you have made me incredibly grateful that Dmum is only 15 mins down the road.

200 miles every week is a massive commitment!

We have been driving 2 hours each way to see MIL - now she’s in hospital and they still restrict visits because of covid (?!?!?) so we can’t go as often as we want if their rules don’t match with work. She refuses to move closer to us but whines about being lonely … 😬
very non frugal day - bought a skirt £24 and two pairs of work trousers £25 each. All needed though. Feeling nervous about my surgery which this time next week will be over!
wolf big hugs, I hope you’re ok xx

It’s not nice when your plans are not your own anymore time

Collie have you looked at local authority jobs? Similar to CS, well it was in my day, so decent pensions/sick leave/holidays and I got day release to do my degree. Paid day off every week, a weeks study leave before exams, all books bought for me. I got promoted twice while I was doing it and I think that was down to me doing the degree so it was an absolute bargain. They were also really good when I needed time off for children e.g booked a week off for son's operation, he caught a cold so I went into work and they just changed the week for me.

I hope you find something you like soon.

gen good luck with your surgery, not nice to have it hanging over you
DS2 back to school today - he’s my only one left at school now which is odd
DS1 still isn’t keen on college but is getting himself up - I thought I’d have to be dragging him out of bed.
Rubbish day firefighting problems at work today. But a lovely early tea with an ex colleague who retired last year. I’ve been feeling really guilty I hadn’t been in touch and we had a lovely catch up. Around £14 on food and drink which was well worth it. Looks like we are about £500 in credit on fuel too which were certainly going to need. Not holding out too much hope for tomorrows announcement.
our blue light card arrived today which was very exciting!
sounds like everyone is feeling the same back to routine slump, it feels really tiring getting back into it doesn’t it?

200miles a week?! I drive that in a month! But then the island is only 45sq miles (approx).

today was rushed. DH did drop off this morning. Dm picked me and dd up. Dropped me into work. DH went to Pilates. I had a seminar at 12 which I’d forgotten about. Interesting but no lunch provided (sigh). Work stupidly busy as catching up on things from my week off plus covering colleague whose on leave. Home. Dinner (itsu brand gyozas and noodles - yum!!! We had the Korean been ones. So so yum. Also have the teriyaki chicken ones in freezer. Got them In Waitrose so if you see them buy buy buy!!)
kids in bed. Pilates.

gym in the morning tomorrow before work because I’m a sucker for punishment.

Just £5 in Asda today on nappies and sanpro.

We are going away for a few days tomorrow so it will be a ££££ few days. Probably not so much for me though as DH will do most the paying on his credit card. Don't worry, as per ML he pays it off IN FULL. every month ;)

We were looking at solar panels last night but don't think it would be that much worth it. DH estimated it would take about 15 years for it to even break even. Not sure we would even live here that long or not.

Also, surveyor came today and pointed out none of our bedrooms have escape windows. Which I know about their need but just for some reason never really noticed or occurred to me. So that needs sorting ASAP...not sure how on earth we will finance that though...presuming window companies do finance options I guess?

non of our bedroom’s have escape windows as they are that old. When we replace the windows we will put them in next year,

have a good few days away weight

in at the gym at 0615 Tomorrow em. Earliest ever but meeting a work bud,

few bits while working in town yesterday &4 body care, 85p glass, $4 lunch, few other bits
Need to meal plan and go to Aldi Saturday
and buy for fund raising for stables too

Thanks for the good wishes. It's appreciated. Half, it's our own business so it's imperative it still succeeds, but I can at least be flexible re hours.

So sorry to others who are suffering with general life crap.

Yesterday I spent £25 in Lidl, used the £10 off but that's it for a week as we've so much veg etc to use. £6 TGTG, £3 parking. £9 Vinted on a skirt for work for winter.

Nothing planned re spends today.

So I’m not at the gym. Shocker of a night with dd. She says her ear hurts and has been crying a lot. So I’m making her an appointment with the dr for after I finish work. The kids are with dparents today as schools are off for the air display.

so that’ll be £40 for the dr.

short day for me today. My first day where I finish at 2. Should be good.

gran I have literally just applied for a CS job! Pension 27% contributions! Best I've ever had is 3%... wow! It was a weird application though. Didn't want my CV, and didn't ask that many questions.

It was the first time I've ever ticked the disability box. I usually don't bother but I found that other interview difficult.

NSD, another quiet empty house. Hopefully walking with my friend at lunch time if the rain stops.

The cat has been getting so wet in the grass he comes in looking like Gnasher with spikey furr and a crazy face

gran there are so many Local Authority jobs, I want them all 🤣 they're all wfh and fully flexible. Love it! I guess I'm going to be busy today as the STAR method is torturous

My car insurance renewal quote is over £100 more expensive than last year. Ffs

Hi all,

apologies for not being around, I’ve not been in the best head space. Don’t want to go into detail on here as it’s not my story to tell but I’m very worried for a friend who is very ill at the moment. Thankfully I got to go see her the other day but she’s all I can think about at the moment.

DS1 is back from Canada today! Lots of washing for me then , woohoo.

Still coughing away with my back to school bug. Weekly shop was a good £20 under but there’s been one less of us here so. I also meal planned for DS1 returning yesterday so we freezer dove last night and I’ve got a meal in the bank next week ready to go.

Sorry to hear that curls . You sound like a great friend

ffs Indeed wolf

gws em dd

Good luck with interview prep, Collie.

Raining here and Ddog is getting on my nerves. About to do Aldi and Sainsbury's run to escape his clinginess and moaning. £80 transfer and see how it goes. DS (who seems to divide time between gym, games console and football) requires special peanut butter, particular apples, won't eat many greens beyond broccoli (not tenderstem or sprouting). I am pleased to report however that he has begun buying whole chickens, getting a chef-y housemate to joint them, and then freezing portions to cook and eat as needed. Progress!

Keeping fingers crossed for your applications Collie
Your friend will really appreciate your concern & support curls
No back to school here, but dd was back to college yesterday. She's old enough to sort herself out though & I'm not driving at the moment, so she has a monopoly on the car.
DS is enjoying work so far which makes me happy.
I know it's been discussed before, but what airfryer or multicooker (with air fryer) do people have & are you happy with it? I was doing some paperwork sorting yesterday & have 2 one4all cards that need using so am thinking I'll put them towards an airfryer/multi cooker

£50 in Aldi (still barely any frozen fish), £20 in Sainsbury's. Planning to try that spinach and chick pea curry posted upthread tonight. Forgot naan breads though! Will ask DH to pick some up.

Tried to press DS into service taking Ddog for a walk earlier. Ddog rebelled, and refused to go any further than the end of the road. He holds out for being taken in the car, because he knows a much nicer walk is available at the end of the journey. Now he is pretending to be asleep, but if I move from this position, he'll be up and attempting to bully me into my shoes and out the door with him.

Good luck Collie, I loved my local authority job but back then working from home would have been unthinkable. I should have stayed really, I'd have a much better pension but I was off on maternity leave and applied for a promotion for going back to work. Not sure if I really wanted to be home with baby or if the new authority I went to wasn't as good but I never really settled there and then we moved and I did something totally different.

I'm the last of the big spenders today, spent 39p on carrots I forgot to get yesterday.

I got my blood results, all very confusing everything is either too high or too low and I've got to have more tests and some xrays. I'm suddenly an old crock.

£20 on petrol this morning plus a bit more for Oat Milk which has become a bit of a guilty pleasure.
Have been running a lot this week which has saved on petrol to the swimming pool overall and which is a cheap hobby anyway.
£3.50 on a mocha yesterday after a run.
Cold and wet so will make rhubarb and apple crumble with fruit from the allotment. Planted lettuce some time ago and that has bulked up our salads.
I've been trying to make a salad every day for work this week which I've done. Have also lost a pound in weight so the two may be related....

Well the role I interviewed for last week said I didn't get the role because I had too much experience.

Bit confused but nevermind. I've applied for a few CS and Local Authority roles today. I find the worst bit of being unemployed is the loneliness.

So I guess not getting the job is a frugal fail 🤪

How frustrating. Hopefully that ideal LA job is sitting waiting for you.