February faffing, wig mischieving, pancake stuffing, bargain gymnastics and looking forward to Spring Shenanigans ❤️

[DirtyGertiefromno30]

Welcome to our new thread everyone 🤗. All are welcome to our supportive, kind , frugal thread .

@DirtyGertiefromno30 I am obsessed with Yellowstone - we started watching it on the flight to my cruise (on the iPad) and had finished season one by the time we got home. I’m now knee deep in season three…..

Well done on advocating for your mum ❤️

Thank you @chimichangaz 😁 l was going to go all the way if the SW was insistent on Mum being assessed and try to move her . I was thinking of contacting Mums MP and all sorts 🤣.
ATM l am obsessed with The Mentalist and am bingeing it every day lol .
Yellowstone is next 🤗

Spent a round £10 today. Met up with Flakey and we had lunch. It was nice to have a chat as we haven’t been out for a while.

Sorry about your mother @Lockin26. I hope she is on the mend.

Hope you’re doing OK @NursieBernard. Work proved a welcome distraction for me.

Glad your mum is ok @DirtyGertiefromno30. And that she can stay where she is. That must be a relief for you and I hope that stress isn’t being replaced with another. X I rather like the Mentalist too. Maybe I’ll watch it again.

Seems like magnesium is the thing to try. I will look up ashwaganda thank you for mentioning it @needastrongone.

Whatever you decide re the interview @Alwaysploddingon don’t be too hard on yourself. Job applications/searching can be brutal.

Looking forward to a day off tomorrow. Think I need to tackle the chairdrobe and dining table.

Thank you for all the welcome back posts, I have missed you all!

@DirtyGertiefromno30 good work on advocating for your mum, you know what's best for her.

Today's spends were on a McDonalds for me and DW (£13) and a wingstop for DS (a whopping £20). We needed a treat but I regret the wasted money on food that wasn't particularly great. Chose McDonalds as it was cheapest. DW is having a crisis at work and has worked through the night since 10pm last night and has only left her desk now to come downstairs, she's dead on her feet bless her, and I couldn't face cooking.

£40 in Waitrose today, mostly on stuff for my mum, who was taken to A&E last night after feeling nauseous and actually vomiting. The ambulance was with her inside 30 minutes. My brother met her there and sat with her, very heroically. Lots of blood tests, an IV drip and checking of various parameters, and happily they concluded it is a viral infection, just avoid dairy, hydrate thoroughly and rest up at home. I took her Dioralyte, plain roast chicken breasts, fizzy water, peppermint tea, hummous, sourdough crackers, grapes, crisps and hot cross buns! Also some cheery yellow tulips and a newspaper. She was in good nick and i left her in the middle of her visit from the podiatrist.

£24 in dry cleaners.

£31 on ESTA for US trip. Have begun to put together a loose itinerary and have so far booked a ticket for the Library of Congress (Jefferson building). Will book more museum entries tomorrow and see if I can flush out some evening venues.

I have started on the magnesium today! I imagine the effect is cumulative ? I also take progesterone at night , which is a sédative. Think I will head that way now. Sleep tight comrades, sweet dreams!

@Alwaysploddingon hope you made your decision and got the PP done. At least it's an interesting topic and good luck if you decide to go for it!

I'm always in Lidl, it's next to a roundabout I use most days so v handy!

Loved Yellowstone. Just watched Under Salt Marsh with the same actress, I didn't realise she was British!

@DirtyGertiefromno30 that's an awful lot to deal with but sounds like the right course of action for your DM. Stressful though! Good for you for sticking to your guns!

Thanks for the kind wishes about my DM. They've admitted her to get the UTI and stoma issues under control. Just taking one step at a time. I'm going to visit tomorrow after work. @DirtyGertiefromno30 thats exactly the case with DB. In fact if he didn't live there and creates such a barrier to us helping then this could have been prevented and managed at home. You can imagine he doesn't keep an eye on her diet, although she has carers he undermines them. Also the carers had been asking for a urine sample to go to the GP since Thursday for the UTI. She does have a social worker so we are asking for a full assessment before she goes home, if she goes home.

Enjoy your day off @RumBananaSundae

Aw no hope DW's work settles down soon @MuddlingLong Maccies always hits the spot I
think.

Today was £13.60 Lidl 😂 £3.75 coop and also spent £25 of vouchers in M&S foodhall.

Yellowstone is Def one of the best series I've watched in a while. And the prequels too. Wasn't it 1883 and 1923? Something like that.... Highly recommended too. I'm waiting for the last series to drop for me as I refuse to pay to watch it where it is currently!!
£10 as colleague is leaving so added to his collection.
I probably won't go to yoga tomorrow to make up the money and also I feel unwell so a night in won't kill me.

Well done to everyone looking after their mummies. @BigSkies2022@DirtyGertiefromno30 and @Lockin26. You're all so lovely and I bet your mummies absolutely adore having you nearby to keep an eye.

Hope you get some rest today big x

How is everyone and their loved ones today? I hope all are well...

My builders have finally gone. Not that I ever mind this company being in my house. Professional and friendly. Kitchen ceiling looks amazing. A really good job.
We were going to go on the bus to get feet measured and to the library but I didn't want to miss saying goodbye to the builders as they left. So we stayed in and played today. We shall do the buss trip on Thursday maybe.
Gorgeous day here. Washing on the line blowing about.
NSD here. I went to pre school with DD and spent the morning there in the run up for mother's day and painted pictures etc with her. So much fun.
Just about to make menu plan and shopping list for next week so shall use all yours as inspirationt

Afternoon everyone 😊
@RumBananaSundae glad you had a nice lunch with Flakey 😁. Thank you re my Mum it was a huge relief tbh 🙏. Hope you are enjoying your day off 😊 .
@MuddlingLong aw bless your poor wife, that's awful she had such a bad time in work.
Good to see you back with us and well again sweetheart.
Thank you re my Mum, we are so relieved 😊.
@BigSkies2022 oh your poor Mum and you! Bless you both . It's horrible when they are unwell and have to go to hospital , thank God she is ok 🤗.
@Lockin26 l am so sorry about your Mum being so poorly and the situation with your brother . It sounds absolutely horrendous and having an alcoholic brother myself l understand the frustration, sadness , despair and hopelessness you might feel. Honestly it's absolutely heartbreaking and l really feel for you 💐
Thank you re my Mum l am just so happy her future is guaranteed at least for another year. 😊

Sounds like a lovely day overal @Frugal25 🤗
Probably wise to skip yoga and recover , l hope you are feeling better today sweetheart 😘
Nice that you went to pre school with DD and did the Mother’s Day activities . I bet she loved that. Aw bless you staying to say goodbye to the builders, that's so sweet of you,especially as they’ve done such a great job with the kitchen ceiling. They sound like lovely people.
Thursday’s bus trip for feet measuring and the library will be something nice to look forward to for you both .
Mine used to have theirs measured at Clarks then picked pretty canvas sandals and smart patent leather school shoes AHH that takes me back 😍.
Nothing better than washing blowing on the line on a sunny day l love that 😊.
Been to Tesco for fruit ,hot cross buns and trifles for Mum. Popped to the outdoor market and the library .
Bought Garibaldi bisks, and 2 pots of honey.
Picked up a Georgette Hayer book .
£13 Tesco
£14 local market

I wanted today to be a NSD but DS needed a HDMI splitter for his room so that was £13 on amazon.

Tomorrow I need to go and buy a Mother's Day card! I'm going to put £30 in her account instead of a present because a) I haven't been organised and b) she can hit the charity shops.

Spent £6 off a Marks and Spencer gift card and £48 on a Sainsbury gift card. Am hoping that and the cash in my purse will see me until the end of the month.

How is your mother today @BigSkies2022? I hope she on the mend and enjoying hot cross buns.

Fab the builders have finished @Frugal25. And glad you’re pleased with the ceiling. Sounds like you had a lovely day too.

I remember picking black patent leather shoes for school @DirtyGertiefromno30 they had satin ribbons to tie in a bow. Wouldn’t mind a pair like that now.

Managed to clear the chair of clothes today but didn’t touch the dining table or look at the sleeping supplements. Had physio. I might be good to go in three weeks. That set my poor anxious self into orbit so now I’m worrying about falling over/down though I haven’t for a while. Trying to think about how I could use my Tuesdays. Would like to visit Salisbury so will look at that. Maybe job hunting too.

@BigSkies2022 think we.cross posted last night. I hope your DM is okay, sounds like you kitted her out perfectly.

@DirtyGertiefromno30 thank you for your kind words and understanding. What is it with these alcoholic DBs! Your DM is in a safe place 🩷 mine sadly is not. I did insist on him presenting homeless to the LA when he lost his home but this was poo-pooed by the other siblings. They said my DM was fine to look after him, even though she was five years into a cancer diagnosis and barely able to care for herself. Anyway what's done is done - just waiting to see what social care do now but she can't return home under the present situation.

@Frugal25 what a good job the builders have done, sounds well worth it.

@MuddlingLong I bet your DM will like that, if she likes charity shops she can get some treasures!

@RumBananaSundae roll those jobs over, at least you cleared a chair. You've done more than me today! 😊

Today was £3.08 in Lidl (got a free chocolate bar 🍫 😋) and £14.88 Amazon as DDs school bag broke (again!).

@MuddlingLong that's a great idea l would love to have that from my Dds . I would spend it in TKMaxx in the clearance section 🤣.
@RumBananaSundae oh those shoes sound gorgeous.
Marks ought to make them for grown ups ❤️
That sounds brilliant news from the Physio well done 👏.
Good luck with the job hunting too 😁🍀🤞.
Oh my God my heart bleeds for all of you @Lockin26. I would be so worried about my mother if she was in your Mums situation. It's so dangerous for her bless you 🤗
If your DM is anything like mine, she would defend my brother to the enth degree.
Problem is they are enabling them not helping them. It's all so sad . Hopefully Social care will be able to sort this out .
In the meantime l hope your DM is feeling better and you look after yourself too . 💐

I am jealous of free chocolate from Lidl! We don't have one in our town. 2 Aldis, 2 Asdas and 2 Tescos though!

Payday yesterday so I have been distributing payments to various pots and organising expenditure for the month ahead. Rather tragically, this is the best bit of the month for me! Well, not really but you know what I mean, frugaleers!

Allocations to travel/guilt free spends will be generous this month as we’re going away. A lot of what I want to see is free, but I will have to pay for every cup of coffee and bite to eat over 5 days.

Anyway, spends:
£112 for eyebrows and lashes tint and lift. Booked for next week, with the intention of looking better without make up while away. New departure for me, will let you know how I get on.
£71 John Lewis. Clothes steamer (again, holiday grooming) and lipstick.
£18 Sainsbury’s.

Errands today: pharmacy, Lidl, batch cooking for freezer, dry cleaners, walk dog, try to organise some outfits for trip without panic buying new stuff.

DM feeling better, thankfully. I’m afraid I don’t deserve the ‘lovely person ‘ accolade. I am often cross about the lack of planning for their dependent old years that my parents under took, and I often feel that my brother and I have been bamboozled into taking this on, and they had a very long time and ample opportunity to notice their decline and take measures themselves. But that horse has bolted, that frog has been boiled and I try not to be an arsehole about it.

I got ‘paid’ yesterday from my main pension so I need to sit and move the money around into my various pots at some point. Busy couple of days looking after my granddog who’s now gone off to daycare. He’s such a good boy 🥰

Posted a NSD yesterday and hopefully on track to post another today. Got to fit in 10 hours of work for the rest of this week and I don’t really feel like doing any, so I’m pulling on my big girl pants, reminding myself that is a first world problem and also that this money goes into my holiday pot rather than paying my everyday bills. There - that’s told me 🤣

I no longer have my parents but I am so sorry your all having parenting troubles there is honestly nothing harder. Sending love and light to all that needs it.

Afternoon everyone 🤗
Been shopping today so spent a lot unfortunately.
Petrol £55 @ 136.9 a litre
Cheapest we could find at Tesco .
£97 Tesco
£12 Lidl
Home bargains £42
Asda £22
Farm foods £12
All so expensive but l went around them all to get the cheapest l could find .
Sunny here now but been cloudy but dry all day still ha 3 managed to dry 2 lots of washing on the line.
Mum had her COVID and RSV jabs today so she's a bit sleepy but she's ok 😊
It's so strange how the jabs knock us out like that 😱
I like Lidl too @MuddlingLong wish we had one by us too 😊
Omg @BigSkies2022 you have been so busy. Hope you have a lovely time away .
I am so glad your DM is ok 🤗.
I think what you say about lack of planning is true for a lot of our elderly parents unfortunately.
Good girl @chimichangaz get those pants hitched right up and do the deed sweetheart 🤗
Your grand dog sounds lovely 😍
Ah thank you so much @ChipshopPickledEgg that's so kind of you 🤗
The saying 'it is what it is ', fits a multitude of things and the care of our parents is definitely one of them .
Hope everyone is ok and having a good day 😁

Life's a bitch is another relevant phrase I find x

Oh yes indeed 🤣🤣🤣

£111 at costco. I'm annoyed at myself but it's all good things that will be eaten/drunk. Except £30 LED lights for DS, I find it so hard to resist and say no to him for things. Even though the trolley was full of things for him! I wish I could get a job at Costco but they don't ever seem to be advertising there!

I don't envy all of you with caring responsibilities. I'm well aware I've got it in my not too distant future and it worries me, with DWs parents and 91 year old grandma, who makes me promise every weekend that I see her that I won't put her in a home and I'll take care of her. It's why we moved to Scotland though, to be here to help everyone.

@RumBananaSundae I want those shoes!!! I wonder if I can Google and find a pair similar....
Def do the other jobs another day. Glad the chair is done.
Salisbury is beautiful. Went for a day (not long enough by a long shot) a few years back and would Def go back for longer.
I bet you are stedier than you think you are.
@Lockin26 what did you do to get free chocolate at Lidl?! Asking for a friend who may be going tomorrow. Ahem.
@MuddlingLongi may ask for the same for mother's day. What a great idea. Bet your lovely mum loves that!

I love allocation pay day too @BigSkies2022. Not tragic. It's freeing! You are lovely, I refuse to be budged in this decision of mine. Parents are trying and the lack of prep that they didn't do also makes me very cross with mine too. But, we see it and plan better. Love a lash tint and lift. Used to have them all the time. You'll be addicted I'm sure.
I bet @chimichangazhe is a gorgeous boy too! Def give yourself a chat about work. I do most days.
@ChipshopPickledEggsorry to hear you no longer have your parents sweetie. You're made of strong stuff xxx
@DirtyGertiefromno30 can I ask how you compare the prices of all the shops? It's something I should do tbh but just go to Lidl. My washing dried too today, so nice to see it on the line and it's smells gorgeous doesn't it. So glad your mum had her jabs.
Life is Def a bitch I find.
You're so amazing @MuddlingLong and a 91 grandma, you are lucky. I wish everyone lived to a grand age to see more generations. Xx

NSD here. Still unwell so WFH today and didn't spend a penny. OH got me a vegan sausage roll from Greg's on way home to cheer me up. It Def did the job!
Tomorrow is Lidl weekly shop. A soft play for DD and possibly grass cutting.

@Frugal25
Thanks Frugal it isn't easy but I am thankful for the years I had with them. I'm blessed by my DH parents too although not the easiest people and we have very differing views they are salt of the earth.