So here's to you, Mrs R....

40somethingmum

Ah , found you.:T

I am going to enjoy reading your diary. Another one to add to my list:) . I have subscribed ... now just need to catch up.

I must go and get ready ( still here in pjs:o) as I have to venture up to London this afternoon for work:(

Catch you later . Have a good day.

Love
40SMxx

In_my_dreams

Glad to hear everything is going well - hope it's good news about the redundancy. Is he confident of getting another job?

I dread school shoes, try and go to the Clarks Discount shop instead and save quite a bit as my kids demand high quality shoes or they fall apart!

mrs_robinson_3

Gah! Just did long post and lost it!! Now in frustration corner.....

So, in nutshell, thanks for your post IMD. Yes we too go to a Clark's outlet but it was still £65 and that was just two of the three junior R's......and Mr R feels ure he'll work, and he also has a small business which he could really do something with if he had time, so we've that in reserve too....we are lucky I know....

In my lost post, expounded at length on state of my own a/c (healthy!) and joint a/c (poorly!), so can't be bothered to repeat......but all OK really. Small confession - spent £28 on clothes - non work ones for non-work lifestyle....feeling teensy bit guilty but still within my budget - well, you've got to live, and am no good at deprivation.....

Couldn't get round to eBay's free listing weekend, but going to try to pop couple of things on today whilst have time.....and sold another book on Green Metropolis, though really at a loss, as discounted it, silly me - but it's all less clutter anyway, and someone will enjoy it.....

Brilliant supper of left over homemade chilli/chickpea soup (more of a stew really) and left over mashed potato with savoy cabbage last night - warming and so very frugal.....

Found my motivation and made a start on my freelance work too......

Right, off to walk pup and do eBay photos....

That's me up to date, another box ticked.....

Mrs R

mrs_robinson_3

Great MSE day for Mrs R today. As follows:

1. Used 20% off voucher in Sainsbury's on a food shop, reducing total from £72 ish to £60 ish.....should keep baying hoards of hungry males in this house going til...ooh, maybe Saturday night? Sneaked in a long sleeved T shirt for me too....v basic but in lovely sludgy mossy colour...bargain at £3, as clothes have 20% off......

2. Stayed strong in face of temptation and eschwed gorgeous pair of wellies - also in Sainsbury, but v similar to the lovely and costly Joules ones. A fantastic taupe colour with cream spots.....they are 20% off so only £9! But would have had to pay for them myself as not fair to sneak those in under joint a/c radar, and as am waiting for my Egg transfer to go through, of which more below, decided could not have. V good girl. On other hand, I neeeeeeed them, as it KEEPS ON RAINING and have a DOG TO WALK. But the 20% saving is on until Monday, so suspect this is merely a deferred purchase. Ah, but then they will come from next month's budget, which is fine. Yes, Mrs R, person of iron will.

3. Thifty fifty in her diary tipped me off about free Clarins samples - been v poor show by me of late on freebies. So visited counter and bagged myself 6 samples, decent sized, and perfect for my April trip to Paris. And now have plans to visit the other two counters near me and repeat the exercise tomorrow.......Even better, girl on counter was v flattering about my lack of need for anti-ageing products! Probably sales tactic but music to my ears nonetheless!

4. Ordered free copy of Moneywise - had them before but keep getting emails about other freebies.

5. Signed up for Dermalogica emails and samples, ditto some Olay stuff and also now aware of opportunity for free sample of ID Bare Minerals from Debenhams, which use anyway, so planning to sort that out tomorrow.....

6. Sold another book via GM and and posted it and in process found my main PO has had a makeover and is now in 21st century and therefore not so scary a place to be.....now up to a massive £7 sales on GM.....

Think that was it on the MSE front, but was also good wife and attended to Mr R's passport renewal, took forms into school, picked up school play tickets etc. All part of my campaign to be permanent SAHM/WILF/!!!!!!!

In other money news, moved money from my Egg a/c yesterday (for the first time) to my normal a/c, from my redundancy payment, in lieu of "salary", as am keeping it all "normal" for now, but it takes 3/4 days to get from Egg. Luckily it's Feb, so none of my DDs will come out til 1st, which is Monday, and the payment should hit my a/c by then at the very latest....but just goes to show how you have to keep on top of this stuff.

Just so my joy is not unbounded though, today our front door lock broke and £136 later we have a new one..... and an oil radiator has sprung a leak on a fairly newly waxed floor.....but still, it's a wonderful life

Mrs R

BEAT_THE_DEBT

OOOO Paris in spring! Lucky.xx

BEAT_THE_DEBT

Thanks for kind words on mine mrs r i needed it!!xx

mrs_robinson_3

BTD, you're welcome!

And more Clarins swag today for me!

Re the broken lock, had to buy another 6 keys for DSs and assorted relatives at £24, so the whole she-bang has been £160 for such a dull but oh-so-essential item - gah!

And another £24.99 on a replacement kettle, with more spend to come to replace the radiator......this is some of the dullest spending we've had to do of late, for sure. I WANT NICE THINGS NOT UTILITIES!!

Hope anyone reading has a great weekend and that the sun shines for us all!

Mrs R

beanielou

Lucky u on Clarins swag.
Benefits of not living in the sticks I guess:rotfl:

mrs_robinson_3

Well, know normally sound pretty chipper in these posts, and generally am, as have so much to be grateful for, but today, am one FED UP MUTHA!

Just sick of squabbling children, everyone's incessant demands, the endless rain and the consequent mud and therefore the never ending washing that everyone's sporting activities cause and the overwhelming expense of our lifestyle. We've had the broken lock epsidoe, the leaking radiator, a broken kettle and 3 trips to IKEA in seven days which is enough to try anyone's patience, am sure.......all in all, we;ve been spending a fortune jointly but generally on very dull and almost unavoidable stuff, and it's just getting me down.....

We have a French exchange partner arriving for DS2 on Tursday, and can't tell you how much am dreading it......that's the reason behind the IKEA trips, as we've decorated DS2s room in readiness for the visit, and been kitting it out. Nothing too extravgant (though we did buy a sofa which turned out to be too big, hence one of the return visits) but it all adds up....well, you've just GOT to but the meatballs and the pack of tealights, haven't you? We've dug into one of our school fees funds to cover it, and even so some has ended up on Mr R's CC.....which we can clear soon enough, if his redundancy pans out, but it all just feels too much for me at present.......

Mr R and I have had an ongoing war of attrition this w/e, starting yesterday morning, when we decided to spend the evening out we'd arranged for MIL to babysit for by going back to IKEA, as one of the blinds we'd bought also turned out to be the wrong size (not our fault, huge pile of them labelled incorrectly) and thought we'd go for a curry or something afterwards, but as just couldn't bear the idea of sitting across a table from him at that point, suggested a takeaway instead. Mr R. for some reason, always rails against the idea of a takeaway (but then he's not the cook, is he?) - which know is good, as is not v MSE, but still - so we neded up getting one of those supermarket bags of curry slurry......ugh. And he said it was nice.

Then when we got up this morning, the puppy had pooped in the kitchen (tiled floor so not a disaster) but Mr R went wild as DSs had been up a while but watching Match of Day so not bothered to clean up......and am starting to wonder if this puppy will ever be properly house trained....

We've trained him to wee and poo on newspaper, which he does v well, but as we don't have a dog flap, he can't just get into the garden at will...and calling the double glazing people about installing a flap was on Mr R's jobs list last week, but he didn't do it, which is frustrating as surely having a flap is the only way the pooch is ever going to be really in control of where he goes? Advice welcome on that btw, as is my first dog.....

Think am just sick of the overwhelming boy-ness of my life. As you might have gathered, am quite a girly type myself and am constantly surrounded by boy stuff, boy sports, boy interests and boys themselves...even the dog is a boy......and endlessly cooking....seems no sooner is one meal done than another has to be prepared......woe is Mrs R today

Sorry, am ranting I know, but still....

Also lost my phone, but am luring siren sound of shops shouting at me ("BUY A NEW ONE WITH APPS") as can manage with a hand me down from one of the two DSs that are of phone bearing age....and am thinking, am I not a woman of subsatnce, is mad not to have a decent phone.....but know must resists, as don't need anything with bells and whistles (or apps) as my life whilst not working is simple, nad can always get one later, at least when RBS is cleared...but....you know how it is. Trying to stick to a budget is just hard, isn't it?

Also bought those damn wellies today but they've turned to to be all wrong too!

MRs R

honeybear_2

Oh Mrs R, that all sounds rather pants

I'm afraid I've no ideas on the dog as I've never had one

Can you take an hour out this evening to have a bath or hide away with a good book or something? Just to reclaim a little bit of metime & sanity

In the meantime, these are for you:



Hope they help a bit