Frugal the flip to make the festivities fun

[lifelongfrugaleer]

Wasn’t going to be flip but decided to be polite
46 days or so

don’t panic frugaleers

Curls grief can be so exhausting. Take care of yourself
Weight that is shit about the car.
Em hope the exam went well. When do you get the results?.

Cute doggo. Big.

I finally remembered the crimbo ducks. 2@ £8 each. Ds was not impressed.... He had been holding out for fillet beef boot.

The car is booked in for a heater fix next week.... I hate to think how much that is. But I love my garage.... When I was booking it in they were asking me to do all low / no cost DIY fixes first.

The post has delivered the latest mortgage increase... Joy.

Thanks for the weight loss link.... I will join you over there. After today's gym session. 😁

That’s good news about the excess weight, I suspect you will need to change the car seats as standard. Our ones had to be changed (and they were just the booster type) and DC weren’t in the car either. I had to buy new ones and insurance reimbursed me once I sent in the receipt. But yes, you are really not having a good time at the moment. Hope the DC feel better soon.

I’ve driven back and forth to places all morning. Lots of different places to be at certain times, feels like I’ve been driving round in circles!

But the weekend is almost here! 🎉

I’m hopping back on to the thread after a period away and can see that I’ve rejoined at a good point in the discussion 😂
mrs that’s happened to me in the cold before (and other times), having 3 babies and a bad tear hasn’t helped. Good advice about getting advice if it continues, I worry about it getting worse with age. Caffeine is a big culprit apparently as it gives you an irritable bladder.
had an expensive month again and just been paid so as usual I’m hoping to reset! Got to take the car for a service though so that will set me back. Paying for Xmas with saved pot of money though so that’s good.
been a tricky week personally as DDad was in hospital with sepsis, thankfully now home. DMum is pretty run down and I think pretty fed up with looking after him. He is often really unpleasant with his dementia which is difficult for everyone. They are about to move house and I’m really hoping that will take the pressure off a bit. DSis is up there this weekend and we’ve both recognised we need to visit more .
also shenanigans with DS1 16 who’s not been attending college properly or doing all his work - got to go for a meeting next week.
Great to see you are on the mend decaff and sorry curls for your loss.
hope the exam went ok em I guess maybe the man didn’t have anywhere else to go?
have a good Friday evening everyone

*Thats a lot of family life to deal with Martha. *Elderly parents and teenagers, not easy! Think you are right about the caffeine, I'll bear that in mind when planning a run or gym trip!

I also have to have the car looked at (again 🙄) the blowers are temperamental and I can't have that in the dark and wet. It's a v old micra so hopefully a wire. Booked in for two weeks time.

Spendy day:
M&S pizza meal deal and a few bits £18
Primark bedding and Snuddies £72
Amazon bedsheets £28

Bedding is an early Christmas present from PIL and Snuddies in Christmas budget.

M&S not particularly frugal but nice start to the weekend. I'm having a weekend off cooking. DH at work so living on soup and sandwiches.

Not sure what all that bold was about! 😊😊

Seeing the love for the primark bedding, I shall have to try and hold myself back!!

Kessie Sorry about work, hope you're ok?

Not heard anything from insurers about the car seats today and we haven't had a chance to call them yet. Courtesy car dropped off today though, and also garage called DH about our car and said it would be a couple of weeks at least til ours is back which is a pain. The courtesy car is alright but definitely not something we'd choose, it's significantly smaller with an absolutely tiny boot, not very practical for us with all the kids' prams and stuff etc and DH can barely fit in the driver's seat as he's quite tall!

Martha Hope you're ok too

Spent about £5 in Tesco on groceries. Deposited expenses cheque for job no.1. £2 bus home from work, driver didn't give me a ticket which I didn't think anything of until I remembered later I needed one to claim it back as a travel expense for this job, d'oh. So that's gone. The rest of today's spends will all be claimed back as expenses for job 2, eventually.

My DM has been in A&E for about 13hrs now and is still waiting review by a doctor. She has cancer and she is unwell currently of unknown origin.

Oh no weight fingers crossed for your DM. I was worried about that scenario for my dad, think we were just very lucky.

Weight ❤️

results on 20 dec while we’re away. So fingers crossed.

I get my new glasses today which is good.

we have a busy one today and DH wants to busy it up more by going into town. im riding then going to the zoo to see the sloth.

DH won’t go tomorrow. Or in the week when he’s actually in town for work. Has to be today. I’m preventing him from being able to buy clothes apparently.

Ah Weight your poor DM, hope better news come in since you posted. 🙏

I'm fine about work, certain individuals are just annoying and controlling at times. Seen a job on the same grade in another area, going to ring on Monday. Its based in the opposite end of the county I live in . But it could be travelling all over the whole county and WFH which is manageable now DC are in secondary / FE college. Will see, I do need a change 🤔

Good luck with the exam results Em

Just reduced DHs car insurance from a quote of £432 to £306 and a saving of £5pm on installments. Small frugal win.

Off to church fair, DD is helping out. Will give her £10 to spend as we are missing ice-skating which is more than that.

Can he go on his own em?

returned a sweaty Betty order £72
£22 laundries for ds duvet after dog vom
there is 20% off women and men clothes in Sainsbury’s so when I picked ip
my c&c (50$) I popped in and spent another $50
I’m going to use my nectar points for Christmas sweets and cupboards stuff but need a list
£11 heron as near laundry

maybe spends if I take dd for her main Christmas present of doc martens

Thank you for your kind thoughts. We plod on day by day!

Weight, sending love. My Mil was in A&E yesterday after a fall for 11 hours, but all is okay thankfully, poor you.

Had some friends round last night and spent approx £50 on pizza, nibbles and wine. Out tonight again (!), but it's their turn to pay I'm pretty sure.

Had some spending to do this month towards Christmas.
£65 M&S on the freezable stuff, pigs in blankets, bacon, stuffing etc, plus post crisps and some of the above £50 included here.
£65 dog groomers (not Christmas related)
£49 hair cut and highlights.
£45 Black Friday a dash cam for DS for Christmas, seemed sensible.

Going to get to the end of the month I think okay, we've loads of food in and no further spends that are not budgeted for are planned.

Menu plan (some for lunches as we've a busy week)
Masala frittata
Roast chicken dinner
Gnocchi with pesto and roast veg
Autumn pilau
Mushroom pilau
Carrot halloumi and mint fritters.
Courgette fritters from the freezer
Bhaji burgers
Sweet potato, pepper and feta frittata
Roast stuffed fennel and mushrooms
Harissa glazed cauliflower fennel and garlic bake
Chickpeas with tamarind, kale and ginger.
Store cupboard pasta bake.

Plenty there for ten days or so at least.

Missed the saving on the insurance kessie, nice one!

Em at soft play toilets

That’s a cool soft play happier
hope mil is on the mend need
and dm too weight

spend day but dd is done for Christmas bar. Stocking fillers
£153 on some dms I she has wanted for ages and I promised her last year when her feet stopped growing, £29 super drug, same boots

Oh and £15 Asda
the retail park was chocca block

It's at an indoor trampoline place, got here at 1, no spaces until 5, couldn't prebook for 4 children so ended up doing mini golf €45 unplanned, all other spends planned

€16 local bakery only opens thurs fri sat, last went there in August

€9.70 drinks
€78 diesel
€40 trampoline
€40 KFC

Collected my iPhone charger I left behind me at hotel last weekend €2.70 parking vs €30 new charging cable

The queuing for retail park where kfc was was crazy, I think I'll cancel Christmas

I detest shopping & traffic

£18 Tesco on a food top up (stuff I couldn't get in Aldi), a new bedsheet (ours was so worn it got a tear in it!) and chocolates and a birthday card for DH's friend who came round for lunch today.

£37 at pottery painting place - took DS to paint something for his great granny's Christmas present (£15 candle holder) and he really wanted to paint a tractor (£22) so I'm hoping he'll have forgotten about that by the time it's ready to pick up and I can include it in his Christmas presents!

Had DH's friend and partner round for lunch and did afternoon tea, then DBIL and wife round for dinner (fajitas) so those extra bits pushed the food shop price up a bit. Will probably go over budget on it again this week. Struggling to keep it under at the moment even though I put the budget up a few weeks ago. Lovely day though and not too expensive for a day of entertainment for DS, he loves having guests.

Love it!!!!

Obligatory zoo trip picture. This is a gentle lemur. How cute is it?! Although apparently they’re biscuits as hell.

also saw the new addition to the zoo - sloths! So cute!

£14 on coffees. Don’t mind this so much as we pay for membership. £180 for the year for all of us. Instead of £60 a time!

When I went to a large retail centre yesterday, it was heaving. And that was Friday lunchtime! Monday I have click and collect from Boots...hope its calmed down by then!

Super cute em

Low spends this week, DH has been away on business. I’ve spent £2 on coffee locally. Had heavy weather earlier this week so I stayed home. DH paid for pub lunch today. £40-ish. It was late so no need for dinner tonight. Food was fab and generous portions.

I’ll catch up later.