A Year of Living Frugabulously

Lula-Hula

Bike ordered

just a cheap one for £100, with CC cashback, Quidco cashback, earned a £10 off my next order voucher too & it will be delivered on Monday :j.

Have to stay in all day on Monday anyway as washing marvel is doing concorde impersonations so engineer due to visit.

Poleslaot - we have a network of tow paths to ride along here as well as various other paths & it is good fun. Just cannot face the thought of riding DD1s old mens one that's in the shed - suffice to say that I think it would make an excellent contraceptive device :eek: you wouldn't want anyone near your personals after half an hour on that instrument of torture :rotfl:

Rather excited now

taxi73

All sounding good where you are and bike rides along the canal path sound woderful.I'm so glad that your DD is now settled in her new house and that you have more room in your house win/win situation

Lula-Hula

G'morning all,

rather typically, now that the school hols have started, the weather has turned, grey skies & pretty coolish out there. Pah !

Trip to the cinema was fairly cheap; tickets, parking & food came to just £22. DD was not in the mood for shopping so we just went straight to the cinema - stopping briefly to ogle F1 car ... I wasn't allowed to sit in it ( they were probably scared my derriere would get stuck :rotfl:) & DD refused to be photographed next to it so we admired briefly & moved on.

The Hunger Games was fab, it certainly kept the audience enthralled as the place was silent apart from the muffled sounds of choking from the woman in the back row who had a peanut M&M stuck in her throat :whistle:.

We also picked up some loyalty cards so we get our tenth trip to the cinema free . Cashier only handed them over after we'd paid though - she could do with attending Boots customer service training - ladies in there always do their best to help you save money .

It seems that cinema before 5pm is much cheaper than after, now just need to find a way of getting cheap parking & it will be a very cheap bit of entertainment.

Washing in the machine & DD left her PE kit at school so it's the final load of the week. Must get the grass cut today as it's due to rain :jon Tuesday & tomorrow we're invited round to DD1 for a [STRIKE]poisoning [/STRIKE] roast lunch .

I'm meant to be decorating DDs room during these hols, but still struggling with motivation & can't help feeling it would be so much easier to do when she's away on her camping trip; can then lump all furniture in the middle of the room & cover with dust sheets & not have to worry about her needing to get in there again at night.

I know I can't get it all done in one day, just shifting the furniture about & rubbing down walls will take me all day & she gets so antsy about me touching her stuff, I'd really rather she just wasn't here & if I wait til she's away camping, I would then have 5 days to get it done & when it suits me ie can eat when I like & stay up all night painting if necessary.

I just feel bad putting it off again, but my energy & tolerance levels are not what they used to be. I went to donate some blood on Thursday & was rejected for having low iron / haemoglobiny stuff. New rules mean I'm off the donation register for a whole year now ! Was questioned on my diet & although assured nurse that I eat very well, she's advised me to go to the doctor to be checked out.

Another chore to be fitted in - I haven't been to the doctors since I took myself off anti depressants & that was nearly 4 years ago, so maybe I should have a general check up :think:. I'm so rarely ill other than brief weird virusy things it came as quite a shock to be told to got to the doctor. Last week when I had the sore throat & swollen glands it wasn't until DD1 asked if I had any paracetamol that I remembered the meds basket & took a couple of nurofen which worked within an hour & seemed to cure the problem.

Enough rabbit, I only came on to share the news about my juicy quidco payment of £48.48 which has boosted the holiday funds back up to £514.84 :j. No idea where to go & have to work my hol around the childminder & can't remember when she's away, but it will be nice to have some money should an opportunity arise.

Dammit, must get DDs passport renewed, or we won't be going anywhere exotic.

Off to do something proudctive, bye for now
xx

Karmacat

Afternoon! Lula, it amazes me, sincerely, that with all the financial issues and work issues rearing their heads, you manage to live as well as you do, over and over again I am just bowled over by the skill with which you manage it all

vasseur

Which bike did you go for Lula? I have had a slight bit of good financial fortune so will put it to good use and get a bike.

Are you able to post a link?

museumworker

Hello lady, just popping in to say hello. Sounds like you're really enjoying being debt free, and life with DD.

You've done well going 4 years without seeing a doctor - I seem to be up there every 5 minutes at the minute! I also have low iron/haemowotsit at the minute, probably due to pregnancy. I eat loads of dark green veg and homecooked balanced meals anyway, so am using floradix as a supplement.

I'd definitely say wait til DD away to do her room (unless she can camp on couch/at friend's house for a night or two?).

Lula-Hula

polesalot wrote: »

Which bike did you go for Lula? I have had a slight bit of good financial fortune so will put it to good use and get a bike.

Are you able to post a link?

Ooooh poles - Congratulations on your good fortune :j

I'm an absolute cheapskate when it comes to bikes so I bought this one.

Not because it's a fabby purpley pink colour either I was going to go for the silver one with mudguards & carrier ( reading the brief decription - I don't think the one I bought has those) but I thought the tyres looked a bit thin for towpathing & I want one of those old style wicker baskets that hang on the front & am a fair weather biker so mudguards really unnecessary .

I can't let you know what it's like because it wasn't delivered yesterday :mad: However, a quick phone call this morning & conversation with very lovely & apologetic lady has resulted in a refunded delivery charge :j.

I bought DDs bike from there last year for not much more money & it's great although a Raleigh so maybe a bit more sturdy. Neither of them have the quick release front wheel which is a bit of pain & about the only thing DD1s old one had going for it, as it's so easy to take off & it then fitted into the back of my little car with the back seats down ... but we'll mainly cycle around here so not an issue.

At least my plans of cycling to museum/gallery in town are one step closer; although it may be quite some time before I'm ready to do the whole 35 mile length of the canal :eek::rotfl:

Will let you know what the bike is actually like when it eventually arrives ...

Karma - our life is really not very exciting at all; we're simple creatures really & I purposely under-stimulated DD when growing up so that she thinks a trip to the co op is an event :rotfl:Not really , but we both get bored with shopping after about 2 hours & only do trips to local theme parks when we have bogoff deals ( of which we currently have 4 as when Guide leader asked if anyone wanted some DD was quick enough to say "yes please".

Funny how at a theme park you're an adult ticket price at aged 12 & yet she can't buy me a tasty G&T to keep me hydrated while we're queuing up :mad:. Aaaah yes, we don't do queuing either so anything
that involves more than 20 minutes in a queue is out. Does make life much simpler .

As to the buying of stuff; I've been a bit cunning as due to the rent overpayment, I knew I had 4 weeks of not having to pay any so did my naughty CCCCC purchasing secure in the knowledge that I could pay it all back before having to pay rent again, which starts up in 2 weeks.

It was meant to be 3, but they keep harassing me to pay by direct debit as it apparently can take 3 days for them to actually receive the rent. Not true according to my bank, but to keep them happy & ensure I stick with the weekly payment rather than the monthly or 4 weekly they like, I've started it a week early so I'll always be in credit & therefore not an issue if it does take 3 days for them to receive the rent.

I'm a stubborn mare & the more they hassle me about paying by direct debit, the less I want to. They say it saves money; hmmmm by making some poor person redundant ?

In other news, I have grudgingly complete 3 surveys this morning & am now within 400 points of getting my yougov payout :j. I'll be cancelling that as soon as done.

I'm really really tired of doing surveys & as my gift & christmas savings plans are actually working now that I don't have to pay the debt each month, I think I may cancel most of them once I've reached the next payout level. I'll keep up with the secret fircone one as it pays me in paypal money which funds my ebay habit, but lightspeed & ipsos are seriously boring me now.

The incinerator had it's maiden burn up last night & I can safely say it's very effective. I was unprepared for quite how much smoke some of the stuff would make & some hasty apologies were made to neighbours.

The grass has had it's first cut of the year & the veg plot is patiently awaiting the predicted rainfall ... yeh, right !

Washing machine was thankfully fixed by replacing new bearings & I suspect that I would have been charged rather more for call out, parts & labour than the £43 I paid for a years breakdown cover. Neighbours no longer thinking I have a runway in my kitchen ( more apologies given) The machine is quite old now though ( nearly 8) so I'll probably look to replace it within the next couple of years ... more saving to be done.

I may or may not manage a payment to the ERF fund this month as I'm hastily repaying the CC spends. Of course, if I stay within my weekly spends allowance then I will definitely have something to put in ... or we may just spend it on something fabulous

Crikey I can waffle, best go do something, like read another chapter of the book I found at the library ( errr one of the 3 actually :whistle:)

I know but I cannot face another Jame Patterson right now & the chunkier ones will be much better for autumn ...

This one is very pertinent anyway : 'The money-less man' A year of freeconomic living by Mark Boyle. Not sure I could do it as I do like my smellies & fennel seeds are just not going to cut it as tooth cleaning for me, but this site has had a mention & it's very interesting reading so I'll carry on with it.

Bye for now
xx

taxi73

Sounds very interesting Lula...hope you're having a fab day and enjoy your holidays x

vasseur

Love the bike Lula - hope it's delivered soon. i have asked a friend who races bikes for some help and recommendations, am terrified of being ripped off.

short_bird

Have you tried the cinema on Orange Wednesdays?