A Year of Living Frugabulously

Cheery_Daff

ooh, what a lovely day that sounds like! Skating and tea and books and cheeriness - what fun!

I wasn't allowed to go ice skating when I was a kid - my mum always said I'd fall over and break something, or have my fingers sliced off by another skater. When I was 18 and she couldn't stop me any more (I probably could have sneaked off earlier but I was a very obedient teenager ), I went - and within the first 5 minutes fell on my backside and broke my arm... :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: How she never said "I told you so" when I rang from A&E I will never know :rotfl: :rotfl:

Didn't go again for a few years, then decided I needed to get over it (although goodness knows why - ice skating isn't something one comes across and has to do in everyday life...), I booked in for a few lessons. I had 5, I think, and was terrified at the beginning, and by the end twirling round in circles as graceful as a swan (kind of :rotfl:) Never went again after that - liked the lessons cos there weren't many people there, didn't fancy whizzing round in circles with masses of folk!

Have 'fun' investigating where your ERF should live

se999

Hi,

Just finished catching up, all 32 pages!!!

You've definitely been seeing the ups and downs, I hope the ups stay on top now

Your clothes freedom days have definitely got me trained, and I think Frugabulous might be a new buzz word for me too, mines just a slightly different variant, but the same basic of getting the clothes you really want as cheaply as you can

Your foxglove nail polish looks like a deep amethyst one I used to wear years ago, I'm wanting to try nail polishes, so will look out for that one, thanks for mentioning it.

Good luck with the "Fit & Fabulous by Frugal means".

Ice skating sounds like you both had a really good time.

The downside of reading your thread, is the mention of ebay clothes, not bought anything from there for ages, but I'm now watching 2 items, but they are REALLY cheap, and REALLY nice

Lula-Hula

I felt a bit mueanghhhh after work & the weather was cold, gloomy & wet so I really couldn't summon the enthusiasm to do a walk.

I probably should have done, but I'm really low on fuel, don't get paid until next Tuesday & the walk would have added another 2 miles to my journey, so I've pledged to do a Davina superfit workout tonight instead :eek:

DD arrived home in a right huff; it turns out that her lunch account is completely messed up; it was showing a balance of just 55p so all she had for lunch was a piece of bread.

It turns out that she tried to call me & then realised she had no credit on her phone so couldn't. I'm cross about the lunch account & have emailed the school expressing my disappointment in their system.

I will also have to give DD cash to take in so that she can top up the account herself as I don't have much faith in the problem being resolved that quickly. Annoying :mad:.

I'm very unimpressed about her having used up the £10 phone credit in just 2 weeks again. I had a bit of moan as this is the 3 rd time recently & the phone is really meant to be so that she can contact myself or her sister if necessary, rather than for sending pointless texts & photos to friends.

Feeling a bit grumpy & pointed out that if it happens again then she'll need to choose to lose either some pocket money each month or 'her' channels. The tv channels are becoming a bit of bugbear anyway, now that she has her own laptop I do kind of resent having to pay for the extra channels when she's usually on the laptop at the same time

I have a bit of a sense of foreboding about work at the moment & feel it's a good time to start jettisoning unnecessary living expenses. I keep debating whether we need a home phone; the only people who call the home phone are my dad, rellies living abroad ( both sporadically) & the rest are bluddy sales calls :mad:.

Need to do some intense scrutiny of the essential living budget & measure it against the 'unnecessary but quite nice to have these extras' budget.

I shall return, hopefully in better humour.

fedupandskint

Lula-Hula wrote: »

Fedupandskint - thank you for your advice & encouragement on the weight / inch loss .

I really admire how you've tackled your weight loss & fitness. How you have managed it alongside making all that delicious food really baffled me, but then through regularly reading your diary, I've come to realise that regular exercise is the key :T with a lot of persistence & acceptance that a long term lifestyle change is required & most importantly, all that takes time to take effect.

That's right - exercise is the key - getting active, physically active. More walking, less car use, longer dog walks after work and at weekends and also running. Really though, whatever you like to do for exercise, do it and enjoy it!

Also stopping eating crisps, chips, lots of cheese, olive oil, bars of chocolate were the things that had to go and be replaced with bundles of fruit and veg and salad in the summer. Also ready meals were banned in the main. And that worked, alongside eating more fish and less meat. But the main thing that helps was taking all the food I need to work with me and sticking to it instead of nipping to the shops at lunchtime.

I still have treats though and they fit in well - a fudge and little bits of choccy and the very occasional piece of cake or a bun

Hope your Davina workout went well, and I went for a run after work so legs a little achy now.

Good luck with it all and I'm not being preachy, I'm just letting you know what I changed and what worked. Keep active, that is the key!

Cheery_Daff

((lula))))))))))) sounds like you need a hug! Pah to school and the lunch money What utter nonsense. Does sound rather like DD needs to spend her own money on the phone! Perhaps you could give her £10 a month and tell her it can go on the phone, or on something else, but she's not getting any more for the phone... (difficult though if you want her to be able to contact you! Hmm - do they make phones where you can only ring one number?! Sounds like an ideal market for young teenagers!)

Karmacat

I think they do, Cheery, I think they do. And it sounds like you need one, Lula!

Not like you to have forebodings, either. I hope it all resolves.

vasseur

Lula-Hula wrote: »

DD arrived home in a right huff; it turns out that her lunch account is completely messed up; it was showing a balance of just 55p so all she had for lunch was a piece of bread.

I would have been in a huff too. That's awful that all she could have was bread. Surely they could have given her a couple of quid so she could get something decent and debited it from her account (especially as it would seem it's their system that caused all the confusion).

Today is another day Lula

Horace

Pah to bad weather, bad vibes at work etc.

I would be inclined to ditch the extra tv channels and DD has £10 a month to spend on phone or something else but she can't expect you to keep topping up the phone for her. Thankfully there were no mobiles when I was growing up and my parents gave me a phone card to use in emergencies - I still have it somewhere:D

Everything is frugal here although I did have a present from a fairy godmother at Christmas in the form of £15 to use in tatco. Things have come to a head and divorce papers have been printed off and I need to get a letter from the jobcentre to say that I am on the dole (I sent the letter off to the council but they have never returned it) - that way I don't have to pay. I don;t want his nibs paying because he will delay and not get the absolute in 6 weeks and will make me wait 3 months (he is spiteful like that).

My parents have been looking for a small house that they will buy (it will be in their name) that I can live in so right now I am trying to work out how much gas will cost as the house that I am keen on has gas central heating. I am having a second viewing tomorrow afternoon and the agents have started using the trick "oh we have someone else interested" as a way of applying pressure. My parents have yet to see it but already they know what they will offer for it. The house has the one thing that I am after - a proper pantry, it also has a garden for growing veggies. You will laugh at me - bearing in mind the universe hasn't delivered a house yet - I was in a charity shop and bought a pair of long curtains for £15 (brand new as the packaging said £125.99) and a pair of short curtains for £7.50.

Very stressy here - I am under the care of a health trainer now thanks to my GP, he will sort out my food issues as I can go for days without eating and I need to lose weight (mum keeps nagging me about this). Jobhunting sucks but yesterday I was contacted by R*ndstadt as they had seen my CV on caterer.com and they had some jobs that they wanted to put me forward for...I have a meeting with them tomorrow at 10am.

Things will pick up I am sure - you are a battler Lula.

EssexHebridean

Just popping my head in....with the phone, if she's going to use it for texting to friends etc anyway (which it sounds like she will) then is a compromise that might suit both parties for you to agree with her that you'll give her a set amount per month on the basis that she can use it as she likes, but that she MUSTN'T let it go below an agreed balance, which is to be there to make calls in emergency? Might it be worth investigating the various PAYG options for text bundles etc, as well? (My Tesco PAYG deal trebles my credit when it's topped up, and that free credit lasts a month, so this might be a way of stretching what you put on there?)

Horace - a phone card - Wow, your parents were generous - mine taught me how to make a reverse charge call and then told me that if I EVER did it in anything less than a life & death situation I'd be moving out! :rotfl:;)

The situation with the school and the lunch account is appalling - after all the hoops they make parents jump through regarding suitable and unsuitable foods for lunchboxes, leaving a child with nothing more than a bit of bread for lunch is unforgiveable.

Lula-Hula

Oooh I do love it when I come in & lots of lovely peeps have been in for a natter, makes it seem all cosy & lived in .

Fedupandskint - thank you sweetie, I know you're not nagging & the way you've shared your own weight loss & health / exercise increase has been an inspiration to me. I think what you've achieved for yourself is fantastic :T:A:j.

I know I will get there,in my own good time, little steps make all the difference.

The last 2 days I've not had any snacks between my meals & I've been drinking more as well. I did do the Davina Superfit workout last night - it nearly slayed me, but I had a lovely soak in the bath with a book after


Cheery & Karma - thanks for the hugs - always welcome

Polesalot - Yes, you would think they could have done something like that, but I think the entire payment system has crashed, at least that's what DD & her friend told me today. It is a pain, but I might have to just give her coins, or at least make sure she always has an emergency £3 with her. Hah, that'll go the same way as the emergency £2 credit on her phone I expect :rotfl:

Horace - lovely to see you here old bean, really pleased to hear that your divorce is going through, that you will soon be having a little house all of your own & that it will have a pantry & garden. no more beans on the balcony for you. I have plenty of seeds that I'll be happy to send your way once you're extablished - very excited for you & hope it all happens soon

EssexHebridean - hello & welcome to the mystical magical world of Frugabulosity, & all manner of other made up words :rotfl:how lovely to see you here :j I will investigate text bundles, if we can stretch the credit, that would be fab, thank you :T.



Right, I think that's todays register done, no absences; now who's going to take it to the office for me ? No fighting, everyone can have a turn.


Today has been a better day, not weather wise because it's nasty out there, not financially because I've had to spend money, & not work-wise because the result of the meeting with client did not bring forth the work we need, but it's still been a better day.

It just feels better & that'll do.

I topped up DDs phone with £15 of credit & told her very firmly that will have to last until the end of next month.
She gets £7 pocket money a week & buys family & her friends presents out of her pocket money, & has offered me money back for the extra credit.

I originally said I would supply £10 of phone credit each month, but I know that being on payg is not as cheap as contract for texts etc. She'd like a Blackberry as many of her friends have them & they get free messaging or something, & I do intend to put her on a contract, but not until her next birthday, which is October, as her current phone is only a few months old.


Anyway, work was mainly dull & slow but Goblin is quite cheerful at the moment which helps. DD and her friend arrived home & texted as agreed. They were later than planned, but apparently there was huge queue in the co op when they went to buy doughnuts with the £3 I'd given her for a sandwich :rotfl:.

The fuel gauge in the car was under an eighth of a tank this morning & no way will that last me til next monday, I've also not pumped the tyres for ages so after work I zipped off to Sainsbugs & filled the car up for £47.66 & the tyres for free :j no more 50ps for Tatco .

I keep getting distracted by Fat Fighters - love the idea of a stilletto workout ( started this post an hour ago) & have a cup of peppermint tea to drink so I'll just end by saying that I've now read one of my 16 books

Bye for now
xx