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 .

Morning.

Hope everyone remembered the clock change and if so, isn’t too tired.

That’s great news @Lockin26, such a relief, the waiting without knowing is the tricky bit.

I’m useless re these classic threads too!

@NursieBernard - grief is your grief - it has no time frame and is so personal. I find it hits in waves. ❤️

Well done on the bonus for your DW @MuddlingLong and for her recognising she needs a bit of space.

Spending has been minimal so far, and just really grocery shopping. Couple of bits from Amazon in the form of bulk buys of deodorant and boring bits like that. Like @lifelongfrugaleer I’d like to garden, but it’s too bloody cold. We generally hunker down when the schools are off anyway as everywhere is too busy!

DD officially left home yesterday and I spend most of the afternoon carting her stuff over to her boyfriends. She was there half the time anyway. Feels a bit odd and sad but absolutely the way of things.

Standard chicken dhansak for supper. Bloody hell, haven’t food costs increased already?!

Good morning everyone 😊
I am having trouble posting, l hope you can all see this. Nothing wrong with me at all just MN is really playing up for me unfortunately.
Hope everyone is ok 🤗

Been a mix of NSDs and spendy days - it happens when re-decorating and kitting out a bedroom.
Annoyingly in the interests of saving money we decided to leave the curtain track in situ, only to find that very few stores stock pencil pleated curtains and have mostly gone over to eyelet curtains only. However, a trip to Dunelm yesterday evening and I found some on offer. I just need to see if they co-ordinate okay with everything else and then iron them before hanging.
We did splash out on some lovely bedside lights with not a lampshade in sight in B&Q. So painting is done, new electrical sockets added and others smartened up with new stainless steel sockets/usb plugs. New carpet has been laid and new bed installed. It all feels very minimalist as we are still waiting for wardrobe and bedside units to be delivered. Thankfully, we are not buildlng it - all included in the price.
Had KFC last night - shouldn't have bothered - neither of us particularly enjoyed it. Off out to day for a matinee performance with DD, GD and other family members so eating before we go. Have a lovely day everyone.

Under no circumstances add the famous pistachio spread to the red velvet hot cross buns. Do not do it to yourself. 🐷 but you TOTALLY should.

Is anyone else having problems with posting here ? I think it's the android app it's doing my head in 🙄
I will have to go on the laptop l think 🤔

@ChipshopPickledEgg l hope the thread hurries up l can't wait for your Easter name change 🤣

I can post but it's not showing me what I'm posting. Which is helpful!
But so glad you're ok @DirtyGertiefromno30

@ChipshopPickledEggooohhhh you had me at pistachio..... I must do this! Where are you buying them from?

@Rainbow1901oh my goodness Dunelm does everything and imho is the answer to everything. So glad you found them.
@needastrongonehow are you today with your lovely DD having moved out? Hope you're ok.

£10 today on tea and cake at Tesco cafe. I wanted to go out but it was just too nasty weather wise.
Another dump run and then cleared up garage some more. I'm going to sell 2 of the 4 suitcases. I don't need 4! And I have a bag for charity too. So impressed with myself.
I do need some more garden chairs but I shall have a look around for a good deal and take my time.

Dinner tonight was roasted veg and prawns for OH, vegan sausage for DD and a vegan pie for me. Delicious.

The red velvet hot cross buns are from marksies and the pistachio is from Aldi. Who needs sex when you can have THAT and a cup of Yorkshire tea?!

Well you know where I'm off to tomorrow then!!! Esp as I have an m&s and Aldi next to each other here....
I'll get OH packing as soon as he has brewed me a tea....

Wise choice Frugs nice choice.

Wondering whether I could get him to pick up the essentials from Aldi and m&s first too!!! Ha ha ha

Thank you for the tip off about the Brian from Hull thread. I was crying wit laughter in the airport - ‘£80 for a fingering! I used to get them for nothing at the school disco’ had me in stitches. DH more than ever convinced that MN is a strange corner of the universe.

We’re back, obvs, unpacked and washing sorted. Ddog collected yesterday to much joy on either side. DS fine (has an interview this week 🤞) and house all good. Planned maintenance of recent high step count crumbled in the face of nasty chill wind and rain, so I will do a workout before roast chicken dinner.

non-holiday spends: £25 in Waitrose; £7 on dog treats in park shop; £24 in Sainsbury’s (that was DH, horrified to discover that the rinse aid that costs 95pence in ALDI costs £4.95 in Sainsbury’s); £160 at dog kennelling. Dog kennelling much cheaper than the animal health certificates required to take DDog with us to Europe.

this week brings: organising mum’s birthday (low key- probably just going for lunch with her and DB), sorting Easter (again, low key- DS away so just me and DH), sorting out our gift for niece’s birthday, spring cleaning the garden, and plodding on with the admin for licensing the flat.

DS very happy with his t shirt from the cool store in the sketchy neighbourhood! I have come home with about £200 left in my travel/guilt free spends pot, but I have to renew my passport which will account for about half of that. And fund aforementioned birthdays. So actually, I will very likely spend all of it.

Been a bit of a spendy day. Am having a set of coasters made and I bought another travel book. This one was just over £45. It has (I hope) lots of maps in so it should save in the long run. Spent £6.77 in Asda. I got there a bit too early and it was still single yellow sticker time and not double sticker time.

The site is playing up for me too @DirtyGertiefromno30. I’m on an iPad. It’s very irritating. Hope you are doing OK.

You’ve been very busy @Rainbow1901. I bet it looks great.

Good job with all the clearing out @Frugal25.

Hope you’re all enjoying hot cross buns. I did notice Marks and Spencer had a big pistachio chocolate bar and I am considering that. But I’m not that much of a chocolate fan so I’ll spend the money and wish I hadn’t.

@RumBananaSundae I got a TGTG bag because of your post last night! Spontaneous use of £3 got me 2 caesar salads, a chicken tikka ready meal that DS loves, strawberries, and a protein Starbucks coffee drink. So thanks! Just had the salads with some salmon for dinner.

Ah I hate a disappointing takeaway @Rainbow1901 although they do make life easier

@needastrongone can imagine the mixed emotions re DD moving out but what a milestone! Proud moment too.

Did think you were quiet @DirtyGertiefromno30

£29 Asda although £20 of that was a Coinstar voucher of a load of coins DM gave me. I bought back Easter Eggs for DC from her plus ingredients for Easter baking next week.
£10.50 M&S - £5 of that was a voucher I won on the Postcode Lottery! Bought red velvet got cross buns so will try one later.
£17.93 Lidl top up.

Made keema mince with sweet potatoes and peas in the slow cooker from a spice mix I'd picked up ages ago. Nice.

Old wood was collected from the garden for free. Cleared out two kitchen drawers with all the tins, condiments, spices and baking stuff.

Hey £80 there's a COL crisis it's at least £125 now.

Thank you everyone, sorry l can't mention anyone individually, it is a right mess 🤣
I can't see what l am writing and it's making me stress eat 🤣

Evening all (anyone else think of policemen when they hear that?!)

Friday I worked most of the day and went shopping to Tesco in the evening. £59 but that included a few Easter eggs and house stuff so only £36 on groceries. Also booked another 10 PT sessions £350.

Yesterday was a coffee from Starbucks with a friend but we had it in our ‘coffee’ pot anyway.

Have ordered a new loo seat today but remembered my discount app and got 6% off. Also topped up my lottery account by a fiver on Friday and won a fiver last night plus a free lucky dip 😊

Have cut down on alcohol and struggling to find a decent non alcoholic wine so I think I’ll have posh cordial instead.

Today I’ve spent about £14 out with friends. No big spends planned this week although I’ve just remembered I’m out on weds night so that might change!!

They are No decent alcohol free wines imo but Hendricks and whilely hill gins are decent. Even my gin loving pal rated them

is a hilarious thread isn’t it Sound like a lovely trip
passport going up 1 April by 8%. Over £100 for the first time apparently. I’m leaving mine to run out as no abroad planned this year

how you feeling need. Is DS still home? I forget sorry

plumber and decorator starting today. Need to find my Stanley knife to take to the carpet
sorry I’ve forgotten loads

Afternoon everyone 😁.
Seems to be ok ish today in the app, fingers crossed 🤞
Mum was marvellous today thank God. NSD for me but am eyeing up insurance quotes for 2 cars and home insurance.

Hope everyone is ok 🤗 and having this lovely weather too 🤗

How old is your daughter, need? DS would love to set up home with GF, or even just share with a mate, but he's still job-hunting, and then it will take a while for him to save up for a deposit for a rental and build an emergency buffer. So congratulations to your daughter for managing to launch, and commiserations on the mixed feelings. Has she moved far away?

Feel like I am back in the saddle! Cleaning floors, organising lunches and dinner, and my mum was on the phone this morning, needs to be taken to a proper, clinic-based podiatrist to sort out her painful feet and then we need to sort out some suitable footwear for her. So that's my Thursday taken care of.

Comrades, if you have bunions, funny claw toes, crossed pied-doigts, weird nails or callouses, I beg you, sort them out now, do the bloody strength and stretching exercises, get surgery if need be, and just do what you can to avoid crap old-lady feet (actual clinical term). Because the day will come when you can't get your bloody shoes on, and won't you regret it then.

£10 in Sainsbury's. Lots of steps to library to collect next book group novel.

Some peaches in Aldi and something in Waitrose but I can’t remember what. Not too bad but still not a no spend day.

That sounds like a whopper of a TGTG @MuddlingLong. It’s great when you get a good one isn’t it.

Can’t believe passports are going up @lifelongfrugaleer. I’m good until 2028 but hate to think how much it will cost me then.

Oh yes @BigSkies2022. Very wise words. I see a podiatrist and it’s money well spent. I’ve been meaning to book my next appointment.

Glad your mum is ok @DirtyGertiefromno30. Sounds like it might be a painful month re insurance.

Quiet day today. I’m now waiting for Mr Amazon. And waiting for the long weekend to arrive.

Same were getting the emails of doom coming through for our renewal too. We had travel insurance last month. Luckily our home renewals are September.

Ah thank you @RumBananaSundae yes a very painful month to be sure here 🙄
I bet you are looking forward to this weekend l hope it's beautiful weather for everyone 😊
Oh it's a helluva lot of money @ChipshopPickledEgg a necessary evil though 🙄

Oh definitely grown up existence is shit sometimes I just want the splash the money on inappropriate outfits in toppers and go down the town with the girls spend about £3.50 and get trollied. Being back the early 00s!