Spring shenanigans, frugal mischief, Maypole antics, garden faffing, bargain binges, picnic pandemonium, Spaniel loving and Bank Holiday mayhem 😁

[DirtyGertiefromno30]

Welcome everyone, new and old to our lovely supportive frugal thread .

I love the NT shop at Christmas @Frugal25 their tree decorations are fantastic, l bought an Elizabethan one yonks ago and it's in pride of place on the tree . Aw thank you sweetheart that's so kind of you ❤️.
Hope you are having a wonderful time in Sussex sounds like you are 🤗❤️.

I am the proud owner of an electric pump after I nearly passed out blowing up a paddling pool. Last year I reached new heights taking the pump on holiday to blow up pool floats! 😂

Love NT shops - we are sadly no longer members. But I do love a visit to Beamish museum at Christmas and their Christmas decorations are gorgeous.

Just B&M today
£69.55 for greenhouse, weedkiller and some composite decking panels.
£18.46 for toiletries.

Also £9.30 Tik Tok shop. DD birthday.

Birthday outing for DD to the seaside - cat cafe and train tickets already bought, lunch £3.99 TGTG sandwiches plus £5.95 drinks and crisps. DD wanted a water bottle as a souvenir, £10.
Japanese food for tea/bubble tea to drink was £37.50.
I also notice £60 for an annual subscription to a writing website for DS came out today.

Happy birthday to your DD @drspouse
❤️👏💐🥳🎉😁. Sounds like you had a fab day with her ❤️
Lovely stuff for the garden @Lockin26
Well done on your admission to the pool pump party 😂👏🥳

£74.61 on a meal out this weekend with my DH, cousin and their wife. That was it - my cousin is a real foodie and we had gorgeous meals all weekend! 😋Back home today to DD's where DH helped Sonil with building their new shed - we finished off with the first BBQ of the season cooked/charred by yours truly!! Off to Costco tomorrow with a friend - that could be expensive!!

Steady on bab
There are a few other checks we need to carry out first.
Do your cups MATCH?
Do you have a "guest" towel?

Can't say it has to be honest I'm currently awake feeling pretty unwell and I'm up in two hours for work. Whoop whoop.

Afternoon everyone 😊
Beautiful day , hope everyone has this weather 😁
Been shopping to Aldi £53 , Tesco £43 and Home Bargains £19 and B&M £5. Home now having some Cheese rolls and coleslaw and a nice cuppa 😋☕.
Blooming busy on the roads and in the shops we went early to avoid the crowds hahaha yeah right 🤣
29C outside 😱🤣
Salads for the next few days here 😁.
Mum fine thankfully
Hope everyone is ok and having a lovely day 🤗
Sorry you are not great @DeepFriedCreamEgg l hope you are ok in work bless you ❤️
What a lovely time you had @Rainbow1961 yay to your clever cooking cousin it all sounds delicious 😋 😁

Oohhh now that's holiday bliss @Lockin26 taking the pump with you. Must remember to pack mine!

It's 38 here apparently. OH hates it and has spent his time putting shades up to block the sunshine. Ha! I found a spot he missed and took my book out to enjoy it.
Went for a 2 hour walk at another NT today. Was a bit too much in this heat and was too long for DD but we did it.
NSD for me today.

Oohhh I adore cheese and coleslaw sarnies. Must add this to my meal plan for lunches next week.

@DeepFriedCreamEgg
Cups. I do have a set. Which people see. The rest don't, which I see.
A guest towel. No. But I do put out the white fluffy one for people lol.
Do I pass?
How was work sweetie? How are you feeling now? Xx

Hope you feel a bit better @DeepFriedCreamEgg and work is done...

@DirtyGertiefromno30 pleased DM is good.

38° jeez! @Frugal25 lol at your DH putting shades up.

We've been to the coast - I drive down most weeks for DDs hobby so I'm familiar with the area. Parked up in Morrisons to walk to the sea front as it was only 25° as opposed to 30° inland. Got fish and chips by the sea front, tried to get ice cream but the queue was huge so we got Magnums at the coop on the way home!

Also went to the local shopping mall this morning with DD, DN and DSIL.

£55.60 fish and chips
£22.85 cafe this morning
£19.98 Amazon - 2 x sun umbrellas for me and DD. Like @Frugal25 DH I prefer the shade 😂
Also a subscription has come out of Amazon - need to have a subscription overhaul this month as I have a few!

Hope everyone else is okay.

38 @Frugal25 😱🥵🥵🥵🥵
omg your poor DH .
The rolls were lovely , the coleslaw is so refreshing 😋 just had a frozen lamb moussaka ready meal from Tesco for tea. I don't really eat Lamb but it was lovely 😋
I was supposed to be starting on the salads today but that looked so nice l succumbed 🤣

Love moussaka. Delicious.
I saw a lovely coleslaw recipe in Waitrose magazine this month so may try that.
Can't beat a magnum tbh!
I did subscription overhaul last month and was quite surprised by what I had. I didn't know half of them. Gone now.

I'm pretty pleased with myself - DD and I sorted out the kids books and boxed up £45 worth to sell!
DH has taken DD to skateboarding and DS and I are having salad and garlic bread. We nipped to Sainsbury's local and got that plus a couple more bits and I had £5 on Nectar too so only £2.50! Go me!

What a lovely day @Lockin26, and much cooler by the sea too! Fish and chips on the front is a must! Good shout getting Magnums too 😋
I’m with you and Frugal Dh on preferring the shade 😂. Hope you’ve got your feet up now 😁
My Dd2 went to Barry and it was packed she sent me this picture 🤣
Well done @drspousegreat job on the books and Sainsbury you had a lovely day from the sound of it 😁👍
I like Moussaka too @frugal25 l couldn't resist it tonight 😁😋

I'm all for packet ice-cream 😆 I sometimes feel a little mean I make her go to Iceland instead of an ice cream van but C'MON.

Think I lost 5lb from sweating today - will drink my rum and coke and make up for lost calories. In the name of science... Obviously.

Nothing wrong with Iceland ice cream. A 99 now costs £5.

A spendy day here.
£2 on a ride in one of those bus toy things in the high street. For DD not for me
£6 on picnic bits that we had under a tree in the park in between climbing trees. (DD. Not me)
£6 for a gift for DM as she is very unhappy at the mo. Her car has broken and although being fixed it's costing a packet. And her house sale fell through for the third time.
£4.50 on a dancing larma toy. For DD not me.
£5.50 on a vintage Gordon the gopher toy as i had one as a child and had forgotten about it til I saw one in a charity shop, that and a hair clip with pink and purple fake hair attached. For DD not me.
Think that's it.....
Oh. £1.90. on sending a parcel for friend for her birthday. Gift was free as it was a lovely brand new cosmetics bag I grabbed from neighbour as she was chucking it out. Still has tags on never used.
No yoga tonight as DD has dentist at 4 and then we are driving back home to Essex and I'll just want to flop and have dinner.
Back to work tomorrow and gosh, just the thought of that thrills me. Ahem. Roll on Friday.

Just done some stretching before bed. Did weights this morning before it got too hot and walked very slowly to the supermarket to buy drumsticks for the bbq . All meals are being cooked outside to avoid further heating the house. Also we have small flies in the kitchen and I am setting traps and cleaning every surface and cranny.

looking forward to cooler weather tomorrow. Frugality going ok, mostly- DS landed a surprise request for £150 to cover his renewed Apple Care policy. I have stumped up, but a further talk about budgeting, planning, keeping track of shit and generally being more proactive and responsible with money is on the cards.

i confess I am not wildly in love with parts of my family at present: mum permanently depressed but won’t acknowledge it and I dread seeing her, but can’t avoid it. Dad really would be better off just sleeping away peacefully one night soon, he’s not much more than a bag of bones dressed and washed and wheeled around each day. My poor mother feels an obligation to visit him and resents it. DS seems to be regressing to grumpy adolescence and I feel horribly stuck and isolated. DH is cross with DS’ apparent lack of maturity- ‘we can’t even rely on him to water the plants! We’re going to worry all the time we’re on holiday!’ I don’t disagree but he needs to bloody step up and help me parent rather than simply eye-rolling and maintaining his ironic, poised distance! Even the dog is stupidly needy ATM!

Oh @BigSkies2022 that's the sandwich generation in real time! It absolutely wears me down at times. Roll on your next holiday and I hope you can switch off, it certainly sounds like you deserve that break. Give DS a talking to before you go (hoping your DH will join in), repeat it will be fine and go enjoy yourselves. One of my ex colleagues used to say he only liked his dog at home, but even your ddog is playing up!

Supported DBIL and DSIL with a trip to his divorce solicitors. I wasn't really needed but DH was at work and it's really stressful for them - we went for a cafe lunch and DBIL paid. So other than £2 parking it was a NSD!

Hope you're all doing okay in the heat 🥵

In the past couple of days I have been shopping at Costco £137 (but am owed back some money from DD and NDN) £20 in Iceland and £50.22 in Sainsbury but this did include an Orchid and birthday card for NDN.
Today, the cat is due at the vet for her annual MOT but that is free as it is included in her insurance. My neighbour also has another hospital appointment today and DH and I are off to watch a play at the theatre tonight (which was paid for with a christmas gift voucher) No overnight stay this time as I have an audiology appointment tomorrow, plus we have GCs all day. Bowling/Mini Golf already booked and paid for in the afternoon, GS then has his weekly football session and then both GCs are with us overnight and all day Friday.

Good morning everyone 🌞
I have been to the doctors for my annual checkup, blood pressure , wee dip, loads of bloods , weight everything seems okay , bp was 127 over 80 which l was pleased with , just waiting for my blood results now. Fingers crossed 🤞 😁. Up with Mum now she's flat out here bless her , so l will wait for her to wake up . Hope everyone is ok and enjoying this lovely weather 😊
Bought Mum a ragdoll from Vinted and it's one today cost me £4.85 in all and it's lovely fair dos . No plans to spend anything else today .

@Frugal25 are you sure that Gordon and the feathered hair clip is for your Dd 🤩😁
Sorry your Mum is not very good ATM sweetheart. I agree Iceland lollies and ice cream are A ok 👍😁.
Sounds like you had a lovely day hope work is ok for you today 💐🤞
Sorry the world his wife and the dog are getting to you @BigSkies2022💐
Hugs @DeepFriedCreamEgg🤞 you are feeling better today sweetheart 🤗.
Lunch sounded lovely
@Lockin26 that's so kind of you to help the Bil and Sil at the solicitors bless you sweetheart 🤩.

Costco soon adds up @Rainbow1961 🙄. That Orchid sounds lovely, lucky NDN 🌸.Glad the cat’s MOT is covered by insurance too vets bills are so high these days . Hopefully she forgives you afterwards 🤣. The theatre tonight sounds a real treat. And aw , busy but gorgeous days with the GC ❤️
Hope you are ok @RumBananaSundae and @lifelongfrugaleernot heard from you lately but thinking of you 💐

It's not so hot here today but I haven't made lunch yet this week so am off to nip for a sandwich - I have a really boring but attention-consuming task so I stocked up on a pastry/coffee at 11 and am not too hungry yet.

@Frugal25
I don't believe the shopping centre ride (whoever invented them 😡) was for your DD I am taking it as for you after you realised it would provide decent air con whilst on the ride.

🤣 l suspected as much myself @DeepFriedCreamEgg 🤣

It's 1 degree cooler here @drspouse 😡 What's 1 degree between friends 🤣🥵👏😂