Frugal Frump to Fab/Winter Solstice

lessonlearned

Bitsy_Beans wrote: »

LL I don't use expensive creams or the like. Most of it feels like it sits in top of my skin rather than being absorbed. I just use Boots own brand Cucumber Daily one, it absorbs nicely, not too greasy for me and costs approx £1.50 I have a Vit E night cream from Boots but really I am going for wrinkles Joking aside I have Eva Frasers book, I shouldn't NEED fancy creams if I actually did the facial exercises

Thanks for those Bitsy - my sis works in Boots so will get her to pick them up. Discount;) The cucumber cream should be very soothing. Those Eva Fraser exercises are very good - she does look amazing.

Well I just had to come on here and brag about today's amazing bargains.:rotfl:

Started out at the YMCA - they have a clothing section which has a "Fill a bag for a £1" Picked up a beige cord heavily padded so really warm"Traffic" jacket - it is actually a man's coat but thought my sister might like it. She's a real country girl, into horses so it should be ideal for riding, pottering round the stables, walking the dog. A denim Miss Sixty dress for my 11 year old niece.

I don't know what they are called - they are for Pakistani ladies - trousers, tunics and scarves combos - about five sets - lovely rich colours and fabrics. The scarves I shall add to my scarves and pashmina collection , a couple of the tunics would make nice cover ups for the beach and the rest is earmarked for cushion covers. That little lot filled two bags, so that was £2 spent.

A length of pink and cream Catherine Kidson type fabric for shabby chic projects £1. Just as I was about to leave they wheeled out a brand new black leather office chair £20.

Well it would have been rude not to, especially as the leather on our our current chair is splitting and I've been wondering what to do with it.

Then I went to "Headway" (brain injury CS) and they were having an everything for half price day. Well what's a girl to do - buy four Per Una maxi skirts for £6-50, that's what.:) Will see if sis wants a couple.

So feeling really pleased - probably spent less on that little lot than some of my friends spend on one top from Next.

Feeling pretty good after my physio and pleased to say my tummy has settled down again.

Horrible wet day here - nearly dark already. Going to do some hand sewing tonight - make myself stay awake.

Hope you've all had a fab day - tomorrow is my facial:)

Bye for now x

fedupandskint

I'm feeling much better today as the virus is moving on somewhere else now. Exercise today was taking the dog for an hour and a quarter walk this afternoon in the grey drizzle then rain. Nice though but we were wet on our return! I think the fresh air I have made myself go out and get has blown the germs away instead of relying on paracetamol!

Treaty day tomorrow. Will have a mosey around the CS in town, drop off some of my stuff to go in there, then have a look in M+S and see if I can get anything good with 25% off as a reward for getting part of my dissertation through the first stage. Trying not to reward myself with treaty food although did have 2 treatsize chocolate bars when I found out!

verynewmoneysaver

Well one on your bargains LL. Glad you had a good day. Also well done for finding a good home for your OH. It sounds as though he'll be happy there. My Mum and Dad not too settled in their sheltered housing and sometimes say they want to come out. But they had a good day out yesterday in a local day centre, which the manager took all the residents to, and the hairdresser has done Mum's hair in a lovely modern style, so they were in good spirits today.

Molly41

I suffer badly from dry skin and sensitive skin and now use Elemis without any trouble. It is expensive but I usually get it for birthdays and use it very sparingly - although more now Im concentrating on my facial routine x

Willow92

Look what I got from Boots! btw the Jack Daniels and the hanging badger aren't mine... (not sure how to resize pics, sorry).

MrsWoolfe

Good Evening Ladies!

Hope you are all doing well and are warm and cosy in this dreary weather! Thanks for all the Diwali wishes! much fun but much work and am now so very tired! a night off for me i think!

Some lovely posts recently, lots of pretty dresses being bought :j and well done LL on your CS bargains! The name you are looking for for the indian suits is Shalwar Kameez well that's what it's called most places back in Mauritius they call it a ChunniDar.... as for talking too much about your DH...well i like hearing how you are doing, and because you're the one that started this whole thing kind of feel like it's part of this thread's backgroud ifswim? what you have been through is a large part of of what got you to frump and is now getting you back to fab, hope that makes sense. I think that's a big part of what this is all about- finding the time/energy/confidence/desire to look after ourselves despite the lumps and bumps so talking about each of our individual situations is part and parcel I think:D

Willow that looks like a pretty decent haul there! lots of new bits to play with

Sparkles Glad you are feeling better- hate being ill and feeling grotty so hope you are def on the mend now!

VNMS- glad to hear your parents had a good day- must be hard but it will probably take a while for things to settle hang in therex

Molly- Go you with the dress (waggles eyebrows) always nice to get that reaction lol!

Lizzie- I can't advise as I haven't been there, but it does sound like you are realising that things aren't right- here's a little virtual pompom action for you recognising and dealing with it:D

Lolly- I would be just as mad about the shoes- i do think because Clarks has a good rep they can take advantage of that a bit but there is no excuse for that kind of behaviour! hope you get some sorted soon!

to anyone I've misses Hello and I hope you are well!

well been an interesting couple of days- i majorly underestimated how long it would take me to get the cakes finished and delivered- not helped by getting stuck in traffic:mad: managed to leave the electric tea lights my colleague kindly picked for me at work:mad:and then had a major issue trying to find the fresh flowers for the prayer T*sco:mad:they are doing a re-fit so everything is all over the place....

BUT it got done, cakes were delivered- the idea here is that sweets are very symbolic in our prayers, they represent "sweet" moment and joy and blessings so by sharing the sweets with your friends/neighbours/loved ones you are "sharing the sweet things"...that's what it's all about for me and as I managed that I'm happy:D

I also had a few friends over for dinner and a natter - food went down a storm all veggie but I made a few unusual things- a kidney bean and aubergine curry, black chickpeas, etc and they really enjoyed it. Had a little :j moment as when they came in and we were saying hello how are you etc, one of the girls did a double take and kept exclaiming over my weight loss - i've not seen them since start of sept- then one of the boys mentioned it later on and we were chatting about low GI etc....you know you've lost weight when a BOY notices!:D so Happy Mrs Woolfe at the moment.

I have done MORE shopping:o ordered some boots from the shoe tailor decided i may as well as I really do live in my comfy boots from sept-april and sometimes longer...and then I spotted some nice looking ankle boots reduced to £8....so I HAD to get them too:o:D

I have a little list of bits and pieces I want to get- been looking at decent primers for oily eyelids as I'm enjoying experimenting more with eyeshadow and have a couple of nice ones for daytime wear- but by lunch they have slipped and disappeard:mad: the ELF one has had some good reviews and at that price I'm happy to try it (£1.50) so i think I'll order that tonight and have also been researching away for a good "setting/finishing" powder, just to give things a bit more staying power and came accross an oil blocker powder that has had some really positive reviews, my skin at the moment seems a bit all over the place and I seem to be getting oily half-way through they day- but I haven't been very good this last week skin care wise so must get that back under control!

right off to order more goodies...can you tell I've reconciled myself with treating myself with some of my bonus???:D:D:D

hope you are all having a lovely evening!

MrsWoolfe

tru

Oooooh Willow, what's the brand and colour of the nail varnish on the left? I used to have one by Maybelline that looks the same (though I realise that depending on the colour settings on my computer screen, it might look completely different in real life) but it was discontinued. I'd love to find that colour again

Miss tru rang me at work today, to tell me that my rebounder had arrived - not bad, considering delivery was supposed to be anytime between monday and wednesday next week. She asked if she could put it together and (bear in mind, she's 20) play on it, lol. She thinks it's wonderful. I haven't had a chance with it yet, I've given up for today and will go on it in the morning

Bitsy_Beans

Oh let us know how you get on Tru

LL am v v v v v jealous of your most excellent CS. Mine are totally rubbish.

Willow like your make up booty

Mrs Wolfe well done on the compliments

lolly101

Hey Everyone,

Well I've had a pretty 'fab' day today . I went to Boots too Willow! Your pic reminded me that I must dye my hair, it is looking a bit of a mess at the mo! I love the little shimmery pots, are they eye shadows? I may have to invest, as when I go out I love to really do my eyes up. I've always followed the rule of 'focus on eyes or lips, not both' and always go for the eyes as I'm always told that I have nice eyes... but don't have great lips, lol!

Anyways, I took advantage of the shopping event in boots and bought loads of xmas presents, plus a new perfume as I'm running low on my old one. My local store also had a load of No 7 'hampers' on offer, they had basically taken a load of products off the shelves, wrapped them up and put them on sale, I now have £81 worth of No 7 goodies for £41 :T A lot of them are things that I buy anyway so I'm really pleased that I could get them cheaply, and everything else can be used for xmas pressies - I'm making my mum a hamper for Xmas filled with lots of beauty bits that she loves (rather than a shop bought one where she will only use a few things out of it), and my sister loves No 7 stuff as much as I do but can't afford it, so she will be really pleased with her pressies this year!

We (me and DS1) also had a 'pamper night', we used a peel off face mask, which he thought was hilarious, lol. We then moisturised all over, and I silky mitted my legs and ped egged my feet. I also did 6.5 km on the exercise bike - I really need to start doing more exercise, and am starting to actually want to do it... which is a good sign!

Molly - That dress is lovely! I have a few like that. I never used to wear pretty dresses, but now I've started, I wear nothing but, lol!

Sparkles - Good to hear that you're feeling better today, and congratulations on being able to buy dresses like that! :T There are so many clothes that I love but think, 'I can't get away with that yet', lol, so can't wait until I can just go out and buy them, knowing that they will look good!

LL - It's lovely to hear how well your OH is settling in to the care home, and so reassuring for you to know that the staff are treating him so well Ooh, and congratulations on the great CS finds!!! :T

Mrs W - Definitely a positive sign when a boy notices your weight loss!!! :T

Bitsy - Not heard of Eva Fraser so am off to google her now!

lessonlearned

Hello Everyone

Some great posts again.

Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better now Sparkles. Totally agree with the "walking therapy" when you have cold/fluey type lurgy - a bit of fresh air does seem to help.

Great haul from Boots Willow - you're all stocked up now for plenty of fabbing.:)

Meant to say Mrs W :T:T on the weight loss.

VNMS - sorry to hear that you're parents are struggling to come to terms with the sheltered housing. I've tried and tried to get my mum and dad to make the move but they are adamant. God only knows what the future holds for them. It worries me very much.

Still you know the old saying - you can take a horse to water ...........

When OH was first ill and I had to give up full time work I decided to get a little part time job as a relief manager at a sheltered housing complex - Anchor Trust. It's a nationwide charity.

Well I was very impressed - all residents had their own private accommodation either one bed flats or studio apartments. Residents could socialise or not - it was up to them. They had their own resident's committee etc and were all very independent and there was safety and protection for the more vulnerable - usually older - residents.

Whilst I was there one elderly lady came to live - at first she was a nervous wreck, very fragile and timid. Within a couple of weeks she had completely blossomed. She told me how much she loved it and how she wished she'd done it years ago - that did seem to be the general consensus of most of our residents.

Anyway - perhaps they'll settle in a while - meanwhile things like the days out will really help them.

Bitsy - sorry to hear that your chazza shops aren't that great. I think they can all be a bit hit and miss - I just happened to strike gold yesterday.

We are very blessed here - we have 9 within a two mile radius of where we live plus at least half a dozen in Derby itself which is about 3 miles or so.

I live in what I suppose is a typical "middle England" surburb, once a small village now a large bustling suburb between city and countryside. We have one CS - Dr Barnardos. A bit pricey but always "good" makes and in immaculate condition. A Per Una skirt or pair of trousers/jeans would be around £5 - not the cheapest but always in pristine as new condition so I think that's pretty good.

The other 8 are all in a couple of "less affluent" areas - excellent shopping centres though - Wilkos, Farmfoods, nice greengrocers, weekly market etc - not to mention the numerous takeaways, "caffs", bargain booze places, and betting shops.:rotfl: That's where Scope is where I volunteer sometimes.

Competition is stiff and the prices are lower - there is a lot of dross though.:rotfl: You tend to have to rummage around.

The one thing I would say about CS shopping is it does require both patience and an open mind. It's no good thinking today I will buy a pair of black trousers. You might have to visit several shops, several times before you find a pair.

The thing to do is visit them regularly - the ladies at the YMCA know me now and often make suggestions - especially if they've had a nice piece of glassware or ceramics they think I might be interested in.

Don't worry if you spot something and haven't got enough money with you. They will happily put something on one side for you for a few days.

One piece of advice - some of you may not agree - but it is considered "bad form" to haggle over prices. I noticed the YMCA now have a notice asking people not to ask for discounts. It is also extremely bad form to steal from charity shops although it does happen. One day when I was in Scope a very well dressed. well spoken woman waltzed off with two skirts before I realised what was happening. No wonder she could afford to be well dressed:eek:

Anyway - enough of my prattle.

Had a lovely facial and even walked to the salon and back. Double fabness.:)

OH home tomorrow - one of the nurses collared me today and said how well I looked saying "I can tell you've managed to get some sleep".

Gawd I must have looked terrible before.:eek:

It's been a lovely day here but temps starting to fall. Time to close all the curtains and wrap up the house to keep it warm. I do like my house to be nice and cosy - like something out of Beatrix Potter.:D

Have a great weekend - Happy Fabbing x