The Ultimate Hard and Fast debt clearing mission

Lara44

Maybe I win the prize for best school uniform? i thought ours was pretty good really -



Been doing some spends today. I booked our flights home for a visit after Christmas and they were £170, which is £30 below budget. Plus I used my Mr Ts vouchers to get some Christmas presents for my nephews. I doubled up £10 to make £20 (Clubcard Exchange promotion), then got 3 for 2 on selected toys. So 3 Christmas presents and a birthday present for £13 delivered £27 saved! If I had had an extra 50p Clubcard points I could have got the whole lot for £3.

Now we can't rent out our house for the Olympics there's no rush to re-do the kitchen worktops (currently in very bad condition with lots of holes in). So I am using the remaining cash to get new glasses, as mine are so scratched. NUS Extra gives 30% off Vision Express, which I thought was okay, but I wanted to get the medium thin and light lenses which are so pricey. If I spend £150 on the frames I am still looking at £250 for the whole glasses with the discount. I'm so tempted to try these online places, but very worried. What if the glasses don't look good?! I know you can get a home trial thing, but that's hardly any choice. Anyone used the online places?

I enjoyed the welly banter I have a pair from Asda but they really rub on my (fat) calves so I had to cut the top off! They look pretty grim I must confess. Good job I work from home, I'm like Worzel Gummidge at the moment.... Roll on January - new clothes money!!

I like the idea of shading the OP posts a lot, but the green does look a bit weird.

wendz86

Loving the uniforms. We wore a green v neck jumper, shirt and tie and either black skirt or trousers .


My OH didn't wear a tie to school so i have to help him sometimes when he does wear one :rotfl:.

shrimpy_80

Lara, OH got some glasses online and they were great, his were prescription sunglasses though, I can't remember whether they only did sunglasses or not but can have a look for you? He had already tried the frames on beforehand though so knew what he wanted. You could try them on instore than search the frames online maybe?

GreenSaints

shrimpy_80 wrote: »

Lara, OH got some glasses online and they were great, his were prescription sunglasses though, I can't remember whether they only did sunglasses or not but can have a look for you? He had already tried the frames on beforehand though so knew what he wanted. You could try them on instore than search the frames online maybe?

You can glasses really cheap online. All you need is your prescription from the opticians. I hardly wear glasses (more of a lenses girl myself) but I do wear them around the house. When I'm due my next check up, I'm going to have a look online first. Not getting stung for £200 pair that I hardly use again!

Lara44

I know but isn't it weird not to try them on first? Mine will be on my face for the next two years - would dread getting something terrible. But great advice Shrimpy, thanks. Am going to go to (East)Westfield and try some on Saturday morning, see if I can find them cheaper online. Hooray!

rubywhatashmoo

Lara - some of the online optician places send you a choice of frames with plain lenses in and you can choose the ones you'd like "real" lenses put in and send the rest back - I think you have to pay a few quid for that, but could still work out cheaper than high street opticians - depending on the frames you want anyway

Everyone else - hello! First post out of lurkerdom

Tete_en_l'Air

Hi all and welcome Ruby - another Ruby, oh no!!

Very busy today but just popping on to say to Lara - I got some specs from Glasses Direct when Groupon had a voucher offer on about a year ago, I got two pairs for £13 I think... I wouldn't do it again I have to say. The prescription was fine and the glasses were as shown on the site but the fit on my face was all wrong and they kept slipping off my nose. Plus, they didn't really suit me. Yes you can probably get a trial pair as other people have said, and send them back and wait for your real pair to come but it's a lot of hassle and... Well, I virtually never buy shoes online because I think there's no substitute for trying them on in person and I think the same x100 with glasses - especially if you wear them every day like you do. Some things are worth investing in and I think specs are one of those things. Phew, sorry for the monologue - just my two penneth! Right off to some exciting meetings! x

Birdie85

Welcome Ruby Our other Ruby might have to be known as Eskimo now!

I think I'd only get glasses online if I'd found the frames and tried them in a real shop then found that exact pair, I'm forever seeing glasses that look really nice in a picture/on a stand but look terrible on me so I wouldn't risk it! I wear mine all day Sun-Fri (treat myself to contacts on Saturdays!) so they have to be right!

Went to MIL's last night and made the innards for my wheat bags with her help, they're a bit wobbly but I like to think that the wobbles show that they're handmade with love! I've basically got 2 long bags (still need to be filled and closed up) to go in each sleeve of my jumper, I need to leave one end open so the bag can be removed but I need it to fasten somehow when the bag is inside so it doesn't slide out, can't do buttonholes so any ideas? I also started on 2 little pouches for Kindles, one for my Mum as my Dad is getting her one for Christmas and one for me as I want one now after playing with MIL's! OH has been informed! I can't wait to finish them, I'm so proud of myself for making them by myself -ish... with a lot of help! I'm quite tickled that I'm going to be giving my Mum a cashmere Kindle holder as she's always going on about wanting someone to buy her a cashmere *something* and she'll finally have it, doubt that's what she meant though!

starnac

Well done Birdie. Sounds like you did well at your MIL last night. Re the closing of the sleeve - why don't you sew some pretty ribbons to both sides so you can tie it shut? Should be quite easy to do too.

I might do some sewing today too. You have inspired me. DD was telling me this morning how Sophie (her [STRIKE]doll[/STRIKE] sorry "baby") needs new school shoes so she can go to school now she's 4. Apparently it was Sophie's birthday yesterday *shrugs shoulders*. i know I've got some green fabric in the spare room so I may make Sophie a little school uniform to match DD's. not sure how I would do shoes though unless I can find some black doll shoes somewhere?

GreenSaints

Wow, listen to how crafty you all are! And by crafty I mean in the art of crafts, not being sneaky!

I'm getting the supplies for my home made Christmas presents - a Bantha and Wampa! Google them to see what they are!

I have a list of things I need to buy, and the only thing I have worked with on the list are pipe cleaners from when I was about 10! I have never done anything like this before! This is going to turn out all wrong!