2012 Frugal Living Challenge (Part 1)

freedom2011

hello, so long since I have been on. New slate for me too, would welcome any support.x

slowlyfading

:hello: and welcome back! I'm afraid the thread is very quiet I'll try and post a bit more on here - September is going to be a pretty tight month for us so I need to reign in the spending and get back to my very frugal ways!

SandraScarlett

Hallo all!:) I had a lookie-see on here, and it's good to see so many friends still posting. On the positive front DH is now going to a "club" 3 times a week, for ............... wait for it ........... 5 and a half hours each time! :T:T:T

He's also said that the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages and I'm so pleased that he is content to go there. It's wonderful that I can sit at home reading, or chatting to friends on the phone, and I meet mates locally for coffee or lunch every week.

Although the dementia is deriorating rapidly, and he gets very distressed and angry, at least I know I have a break, and, so far, I'm staying reasonably sane!

But isn't it funny how the saying "when things get tough, you find out who your mates are" is proved to be accurate, time and time again. One of my mates has ensured that she meets me for coffee or lunch weekly, even though she has a busy life herself, others text or phone regularly, and give me tremendous support, yet another, who I thought was a real friend, has dropped me like a hot potato!!!!!

Now that I'm reluctant to venture far, for example, I won't go to London for the day, because if there was a signal failure (a frequent event on the Tube) and I was late to collect DH, and underground, and unable to get a signal to call the club, it would be a catastrophe. So I haven't been getting tickets for shows or going out window shoppinbg in the West End etc, and she seemed irritated when I said I couldn't take the risk of being stranded.

It's very hurtful, especially as I've accompanied her in the past to visit her Mum, who, like DH, has Alzheimers, and I'm no longer worth a phone call. I've called a couple of times and left a message, which hasn't been returned, or when I've actually spoken to her, she's said she'd call back, but hasn't.

But every cloud has a silver lining, so I've told DH we will both go to London every few weeks, to see a matinee, whilst he is still able to appreciate it, and he's happy with that. We both love Les Mis, so that's first on our agenda.

I'm unashamedly a Frugal Failure, as I have everything delivered, and get DH whatever he wants, as although his appetite has decreased, he still enjoys his meals. I'm mega excited because DD and DGD are taking me to the Paralympics next week and my heroic and saintly DSIL is having a day's holiday to look after DH. :T:j:T:j:T

Hope everyone is well.

xx

slowlyfading

Sandra - how lovely to hear from you! I'm glad to see that your DH can go somewhere and give you a break - it sounds like it's doing you both a lot of good I'm sorry to hear about your friend - it's often in times like this when you realise who your real friends are unfortunately and how exciting about your trip to London - I love Les Mis and have never seen it live, so am very jealous!

dizzy_lizzie

SandraScarlett wrote: »

... yet another, who I thought was a real friend, has dropped me like a hot potato!!!!!
xx

Oh Sandra, as they say 'there's nowt as queer as folk' At least you know who your true friends are. Really pleased that DH is having some quality time to himself and that you are too, but my word you've been through the mill to get it.

“Friendship," said Christopher Robin, "is a very comforting thing to have.”
― A.A. Milne

Take care.
x

Hi Slowly. I'm going to join you and Tumpty on the reigning in the spending for this next month.
We've been spending willy nilly on days out with OH which have been lovely but need to get organised now for going back to work next week.
Had a couple of health issues in these Summer holidays so OH and I ended up on days out rather than a holiday. But things looking better now, thank goodness.
Start of a new month tomorrow so onwards and upwards
x

[Deleted User]

Welcome back to Sandra, tumpty and freedom. All the best with your frugal plans for September.

tumptyteapot

thanks for the warm welcome everyone. its nice to see familiar and new faces but I do wish none of us had to be here, here's hoping for freak windfalls of money for all of us very soon

natnat13

Morning all and a special hello to Sandra x

Solicitors went well on Thursday, things are very much in my favour, so now I need to decide what to do. He said I wasn't getting enough maintenance and suggested I phone the CSA but I might try and talk to my ex first.

I have decided Sept is going to be a very frugal month, I am going to go back to writing down all spends as this has slipped.

Also got to get my electric key meter taken out, going to apply for free school meals for the kids (not sure if I'll get this as I'm working part time?), but going to try and get all I can.

Also started picking up bits for xmas. Off to get a portable DVD player and a couple of DVDs for the kids this morning from someone advertising on fb.

Have a good weekend everyone xx

optimistic-mummy

we've been doing ok on the frugal front the last few weeks but i want to try harder and do better. i want to get more paid off the credit card asap and get littlewoods cleared, cant wait till i see a balance of £0.00 so im going to try my absolute hardest for the rest of the year, xx
i forgot to say ... i got 3 pairs of shoes and 2 large carrier bags full of clothes the other day for £8 ... bargain

tumptyteapot

plan for today:
soup is on made from unfrozen squash, other sad vegis and some lentils and spices.
Lunch will be home made bread (still got dough left from pizzas on Friday) and humous.
Taking a flask out to meet a friend to go on a steam boat, £5 for me £3 for sprog unless I can get them to charge me for concession instead and that will be £3. Taking £2 to buy sprog some chips and a flask of coffee for me.
Have to buy 3 gig tickets but will claim money back from friends instead of being generous as usual.
Dinner will be soup for me and maybe pizza for sprog, or I have some defrosted pastry, maybe it will be pasties for each of us.
I'm not buying food until Tuesday so it's going to get boring until then!
I have enough pasta for 2 meals, a couple of potatos, gnocchi for one meal and the means to make bread for carbs.No rice sadly.
A freezer full of fish hooray
Some veg (sprog doesn't eat veg anyway despite constant battles)
Lots of cheese.
Milk and 8 eggs.
This would be easy just for me but he has a really limited diet, mostly fish, potatos, pasta and cheese and now is not the time to do battle with him, I need him to be relaxed ready for a new school year. (He has a diagnosis of extreme anxiety so it's been hard work getting him calm)