Frugal Frump to Fab/Winter Solstice

lessonlearned

Oo-er missus - got myself all fired up there. Maybe I should check my blood pressure.:rotfl:

Anyway off to get cracking - that sunshine (and the skip) beckon.

Time for a cup of coffee and a sit out in the garden first.

I'm getting really excited at the idea of my "Pay It Forward" declutter.

Woke up this morning, looking at the house with a fresh pair of eyes. "That can go, yep that's on the way out".............

Apparently the Japenese have a concept where they only have a couple of items on display at any one time, they simply change their displays and put things away for a while.

Just one beautiful object or plant on a shelf or alcove, artfully displayed to its best advantage so that it can be admired for its simplicity and beauty. Very Zen.

Sounds good - less dusting too.

Bye for now................

lizzie157

Mr and Mrs W- hope you had a good night last night.

Tru- hope you're hips feeling abit better today. I have afriend who thinks the same about yoga :)each to their own.

Bitsy- you perhaps won't see this but hope you have a great hol!

Mrs W-what agreat post about confidence. This is my problem I am more confident as i've grown older but still come away from situations thinking - why did I do/say that bet thet think I'm a right d**khead when in fact they probably haven't given it a second thought. As I'v maybe mentioned before my partner does nothing to help unfortunately. I will keep trying though to build mt self esteem. Perhaps this is why I have few friends maybe I don't feel as if I'm good enough. Idon't know but its made me think.

LL- so true about the brainwashing etc of our younger folk. I come across this all the time, when dealing with school, my kids go to and its very apparent in the way a young relative who has recently become a teacher talks. Fortunately in my area that kind of thinking just doesn't wash . As for politics -don't get me started a bunch of up themselves, out for all they can get w**kers the lot of em!

wish I use the japenese philosophy I do try but am not very good at it as my home will testify. I do give things away though that I no longer need - to charity shops etc


Well there's good news and bad here, my daughter has got another job (lets hope this employer's abit more understanding), but unfortunately the celebration was marred by the passing away of her guinea pig. We took it to vets and they did try and treat it but to no avail so £80 later:eek: she was going to be PTS but died before.
At least we tried.

On the fab front - got rid of my tache last night with something like the silkymit but smaller.
Decided to dispense with the peels - seems to be having no effect other than really drying my skin- m trying derma roller instead.
no exercise or healthy eating this week apart from usuall dog walking which I keep forgetting counts.

take care
lizzie

Buffythedebtslayer

(What's a silkymit?)

LL - completely agree with your assessment of the brainwashing of a generation.I too wrote essays that had to include and often agree with either the marxist or femminist viewpoints (which to me seemed SO extreme and had few links with what I was actually writing about it was bonkers). I do think life is a great deal more simple then the political ideologies make out.

I used to show Pay it forward to my RE classes years ago, it is a lovely film, very hard to watch in parts but a good lesson to learn. In a similar way to you LL I am giving away stuff this week- things I was keeping for a some day time and all my old (but still in ok condition) pet cages to rescue place.

I am not doing very well re pampering, I can only seem to do one thing at a time (decluttering and even that is going slowly) and my skin is awful. I did take off my old chipped nail varnish from my toes which is a start I guess. I have a proper strop on today as well. Grrr!

hope everyone has a good day
xx

lessonlearned

Hi Evryone

Just having a rest - I'm filthy, smelly, my nails are ripped to shreds - I've wasted 4 hours, got nowhere and totally wasted £120 (skip hire) into the bargain. I could spit I am so frustrated.

I am so so stupid at times. That blasted skip is not only too small but I haven't a clue how to make the best use of the available space. My spatial awareness has always been way off - can never park a car or reverse properly.

Anyway I started to fill it - with much swearing and cursing and was just about to give up in despair. To cut a long story short my neighbour has told me to empty it again and he will help me load it tomorrow.

It will mean taking several items to pieces to get them to fit in. If I had taken them to pieces in the first place I could have got them all in the car and taken them to the tip myself. OK it would have taken several trips but the petrol would not have cost £120. How dumb is that. :mad::mad:

Eee but, as they say "ooop north".

Lizzie - great news about your daughter's new job - fingers crossed all goes well. Sorry to hear about the guinea pig. Very upsetting.

Maman - meant to say glad that your daughter has overcome the jitters about her house purchase, thought she would in the end. It is a big step but I'm sure she'll have great fun "nesting".

Just had some lunch - have abandoned the skip for now - just too hot. My back is killing me so off to have a sulk in the bath and try and do something with my appearance before I visit OH.

Damn those academic feminist know it alls - I'm going to wear something pretty, put on some slap and smell gorgeous. For me (and OH too of course).

Laters ................

PS Going to stop off at CS on the way and actually drop off some bags for a change. I will not be buying anything.:rotfl:

vasseur

Buffythedebtslayer wrote: »

(What's a silkymit?)

It's like a very fine sandpaper for smoothing off facial hair

vasseur

lessonlearned wrote: »

Hi Evryone

Just having a rest - I'm filthy, smelly, my nails are ripped to shreds - I've wasted 4 hours, got nowhere and totally wasted £120 (skip hire) into the bargain. I could spit I am so frustrated.

I am so so stupid at times. That blasted skip is not only too small but I haven't a clue how to make the best use of the available space. My spatial awareness has always been way off - can never park a car or reverse properly.

Anyway I started to fill it - with much swearing and cursing and was just about to give up in despair. To cut a long story short my neighbour has told me to empty it again and he will help me load it tomorrow.

It will mean taking several items to pieces to get them to fit in. If I had taken them to pieces in the first place I could have got them all in the car and taken them to the tip myself. OK it would have taken several trips but the petrol would not have cost £120. How dumb is that. :mad::mad:

Eee but, as they say "ooop north".

How annoying...still live and learn and as my Dad says, "all experience is good experience even if it doesn't feel like it at the time". You'll gain something from this I'm sure

Go on, treat yourself in the CS.....:D

MrsWoolfe

Hello Ladies!

Thanks for all the well-wishes! we had a lovely quiet night in together just talking and eating popcorn etc, nothing exciting perhaps but nice to just take the time to just be together.

LL- we all have days like that- treat it as your work-out for the day:D and I love your idea for giving back!

Buffy- a start is a start you know the mantra here- baby steps all the way!

Lizzie- yay for your DD! hope she enjoys her new home!

Maman and LL and others- re the feminism thing, it confuses me I must say. As far as I understand things feminism is all about having choices surely? the option and the power to make those choices for ourselves.

In my opinion - all the focus on women not being "feminine" (because that's just anti-feminist you know "rolls eyes") has done more damage than good it allows people to dismiss what it should be all about....

It just reminds of being at uni and certain people who would dress really bizarrely (ok yes I know that my purple hair and baggy jeans can be seen the same way?!) insisting that it was because they were "refusing to pander to masculine insecurity" I mean eh???? Ok dress however you want to - whatever works for you but I don't get dressing as a protest unless you are flinging off a burkha and that's a completely different discussion!

DO we really think that men give each other a hard time for using a "masculine" trait to get ahead? bit of banter/male posturing etc? I don't.

If dressing a certain way makes you more confident, happier and generally makes life more positive (i.e. the way that people treat/react to you has a lot to do with the signals YOU send out) then how does this make you "anit-feminist"?. Surely in this way YOU are doing it for YOURSELF right? And is this not the essence of feminism?????

Ok rant over.....(takes a deep breath and internally sings the "Happy Happy Joy Joy" song)

back to positive things, talking last night gave us time to go over things and we got to talking about being positive, actively doing positive things for ourselves rather than just passively going along for the ride...

DH said he thought that since I've been doing this it's like I'm slowly getting back to the girl he first met:D and we talked about other things we could do too.

We have always vaguely day-dreamed about going to certain place- malaysia, bali, machu picchu, hong kong (though DH has been before) and we had once dreamed of going to Bali on honeymoon....

So we looked at our budgets and realistically what we can save with our MSE ways....and managed to plan and cost out 2 weeks in an amazing villa in Bali for a price we can actually acheive if we are careful with our budgets for the next 9mths...so we are going to do it!!! I know it's ages away (trying for next June) but it looks so wonderful! I can't wait to visit the ancient Hindu temples and see all the things I've dreamed of!!!

I think having a shared goal like this will add a positive element to the daily grind- we are working towards something we both want and is up there on the list of big life experiences for both of us...

So although not strictly part of the Frump to Fab Journey it IS a huge positive for me- I just feel like we are back thinking the same way and it's so lovely to see DH being positive like this.....

Hope everyone is having a good day!

heads off to moon over pics of Bali again...

MrsWoolfe

lessonlearned

MrsWoolfe wrote: »

Hello Ladies!


DO we really think that men give each other a hard time for using a "masculine" trait to get ahead? bit of banter/male posturing etc? I don't.

Of course not, they treat each other like one of "the good old boys"

If dressing a certain way makes you more confident, happier and generally makes life more positive (i.e. the way that people treat/react to you has a lot to do with the signals YOU send out) then how does this make you "anit-feminist"?. Surely in this way YOU are doing it for YOURSELF right? And is this not the essence of feminism?????

Right on sister rotfl::rotfl:

DH said he thought that since I've been doing this it's like I'm slowly getting back to the girl he first met:D and we talked about other things we could do too.

Lovely.

So we looked at our budgets and realistically what we can save with our MSE ways....and managed to plan and cost out 2 weeks in an amazing villa in Bali for a price we can actually acheive if we are careful with our budgets for the next 9mths...so we are going to do it!!! I know it's ages away (trying for next June) but it looks so wonderful! I can't wait to visit the ancient Hindu temples and see all the things I've dreamed of!!!

Fantastic, Fab, Fab, Fab.

So although not strictly part of the Frump to Fab Journey it IS a huge positive for me- I just feel like we are back thinking the same way and it's so lovely to see DH being positive like this.....

Of course it's part of Frump to Fab. Having good times is all part of the Master Plan


Sorry I had to highlight my comments - I mucked up the quoty thing. It's not that I think my comments are more important than anyone else's - honest.


I'm so glad that OH and I managed to travel etc - he is simply too ill now.

When we discussed our dream destinations - it was shall we save hard, pay off the mortgage and travel when we are retired or shall we do it now.

Thank God we did it then.

We did China for OH, Egypt for me, Med Cruises and holidays for the family and America for the boys.

The boys came along on all of them - we figured it was part of their education - you learn far more travelling than you could ever learn stuck in a classroom.

Now of course it's no longer an option for us.

Anyway OH well and happy, told me I looked lovely - bless him he always does. I could wear a potato sack and he wouldn't care.

Anyway off to cook dinner, then have another bash at that blasted skip.

I will not let it beat me.;)

Bye all

Maisie_M

not had a chance to catch up since the weekend as I have been ultra busy. DS1 went back to school on Tuesday and have been trying to get into a routine so that the three of us are washed dressed breakfasted and out the house by 0845 for walking to school. Have managed it for the past two days so off to a good start!!

Have also managed to give myself a manicure but haven't managed to put any polish on yet as I am always aware that I may need to pick DS2 up and feed him at any moment. With him only being 7 weeks old we aren't quite in a routine yet for feeds etc as its on demand. I have however been using my perfume every day and have just finished off a bottle so am treating myself to a new one from my stash tomorrow.

I also bout the essentials magazine as I had read about it on here and it sounded interesting. Had a quick flick through and it looks good so looking foward to reading it properly.

My next aim is to start a evening skin care routine as DS2 is normally asleep for about half an hour before I go to bed so will aim to use that time to cleanse and moisturise.

lizzie157

just a quick pop in.

LL-sounds like kind of thing I'd do with the skip. Did you manage to sort it? You're right about the holidays being part of education - we have to use this tack when asking for time off from school for kids to take a hol (we simply can't afford to go during school holidays), and although so far we've only managed hols in uk,(again budget just won't stretch to anything else), we have been to many places I'v never been before and seen some lovely parts of the uk.
Maise-Ahhh I remember those days when I rushed up the road after overseeing the getting up and dressing of three kids and a baby, and then would get home to realise that I'd not combed my hair
You'l get there - sounds as if you are doing really well already.

Well off to make some burgers for later when my mate arrives, a quick tidy and dust, and then I'm in the bath, shave legs and underarms, salt scrub and face polish cloth and seeing as I'm not walking dog today - so can't attract the wasps - a bit of perfume.:)