Frugal Frump To Fabulous Summer Solstice to Autumn Equinox

podperson

Hi all,

LL - hope you're feeling a bit better now. It is odd how ailments can randomly appear, maybe it's the change in house etc?

Bitsy - hope the moving is all going well. Don't worry about the fabbing, am sure once you get settled and into a new routine it will come back again. Must be nice to have everyone under the same roof at least

evilsquid - London sounds fun, hope the new contract all goes well. Am thinking I might bite the bullet and get my hair done, usually do it myself and it's not bad but never quite as good as the professionals :rotfl:

teacher - go you with the gym routine, I think I need to get into that frame of mind, I'll always thinking that I don't have the time but it probably works out more productive in health benefits etc.

Anyway, I'm feeling quite positive at the moment. Benefits have finally come through :jso that's a huge relief and I'm actually going to be better off each month then when I was working full time! I'm not really working any less hours, just get to spend more of them on my own things now so am really happy with how it's working out. Got lots on with the writing at the moment, had a wedding on last Saturday at St Andrews. Was shooting in the ruins of an old cathedral, really cool location and then if anyone is into golf we went to the 'old course' clubhouse for the reception and did some more shots at the Swilcan Bridge. Fun day and thankfully the weather didn't listen to the forecasts and stayed dry!
Hope everyone is doing well - Lizzie how are your business plans coming along?

Bitsy_Beans

Hurrah I have broadband. iPad how I have missed thee :rotfl:

Pod nice to see you posting, glad you're feeling so positive :T wedding at St Andrews sounds wonderful

Teacher good on you for enjoying the gym. It's never really been my thing but I agree that exercise has so many benefits beyond fitness. Now if I could just pin myself down to get stuck into Zumba and yoga I'd be a happy bunny.
Had the crappiest day ever today so I've looked less than fabulous thanks to eyes looking like pee holes in the snow still tomorrow is a new day and hopefully in 10 years I will look back on this and laugh.

Hugs and high fives all round xx

lizzie157

(((hugs))) Bitsy You're bound to have rough days you've had a big upheaval but I'm sure you will look back and perhaps not laugh but feel proud of how you coped.

PP- The business plans aren't going at all atm . I was hoping to get away without paying for advertising but am not sure it's going to be enough. The freebie cards/leaflets haven't resulted in any work, the sites I registered on ditto. I am in a catch 22 situation where because I have no qualifications for either business I need a customer to recommend me. I'm not giving up though I'll sort a website/facebook page shortly and take it from there.

My OU Creative writing course starts soon so I have to fit that in too. Not feeling too good though (family problems) I haven't got time to go into it just now but H's toxic family who we have had no contact with for yrs have decided to raise their heads and rather than tread carefully they've jumped right back in to badmouth me to my older kids. I haven't missed them and I don't want them in my life :mad::(.

Off to clear my head with a walk, have a good day all. x

podperson

Hi all,

Bitsy - hope you're ok hun *hugs* it can only get better

Lizzie - that sounds frustrating with the businesses I'm not sure whereabouts you are (I know you've told me before but I have a memory like a sieve these days!) but I get quite a few jobs from Gumtree. I sometimes do the paid ads at the top but the majority of the time just go for the free ones and do tend to get quite a few contacts from it. Also, have you thought about maybe approaching some 'related' businesses and seeing if they would be interested in you doing maybe some joint offers or recommendations. So, for the dog walking for example could try dog groomers or maybe independent pet shops - so if the dog groomer refers someone to you then they maybe get a small discount, a free session, a special offer or something and vice versa. Hope you get something soon and the family issues work out. Hopefully your kids will know what they are like and just ignore them.

Anyway, I spoke too soon on the benefits! :rotfl:Got a letter today saying the tax credits have been cancelled. I have a feeling it might be because they haven't got the renewal back but I have asked for them to resend it to me twice! Will give them a ring tomorrow and hopefully will be able to sort out. Trying not to stress over it yet.
On with plans at the moment for promo on the new book, which is out exactly a month today! Trying to get blog hops, etc sorted and hoping to start on a book trailer this week. Have Friday off so if it stays dry will go searching spooky locations with the camera Should hear back on a competition I ended and another publisher sub by the end of the month so am trying not to constantly inbox stalk

Hope everyone is having a good day x

Willow92

Just put some makeup on even though I'm not even leaving the house today

lessonlearned

Hello Everyone

Sorry I have been awol for a while - life is just crazy busy at the moment.

I have just had a nice long soak in the bath and have breakfasted with croissants and home made blackberry jam.... Yummy but oh so naughty!!! Went blackberrying the other day and picked heaps in half an hour. Mother nature is really generously abundant this year - we have trees loaded with apples, pears and damsons.

Am currently back with the boys - DS1 is off next week so we are cracking ahead with getting quotes etc. and making a start on some of the outside jobs whilst the weather holds. (Forecast is grim for tomorrow but hopefully not too bad for next week). I will try and make some chutneys, jams etc with all the fruit.

Electrician came yesterday and the good news is we don't have to rewire as I had feared. Phew that is such a relief. This is a very large house spread over three floors and it would have been cost a small fortune. The roof repairs are going to be bad enough.:rotfl:

I now have a date for my bungalow. I get the keys on Sept 23rd. OH is all beams and smiles. He had his follow up Continuing Care Assessment yesterday and they have decided that he still qualifies so that is a big weight off my mind because I will no longer have to contribute towards his care home fees. I shall be a bit better off as a result.

I have finally managed to get wheelchair services to provide a new all singing all dancing wheelchair, with head and lateral supports. He currently has to spend an awful lot of time in bed because his wheelchair does not support him enough. Once we get the new wheelchair and some access organised he will be able to spend time with me in the bungalow.

I have started buying myself some winter clothes, sweaters, woolly tights and a proper builder's fleece bodywarmer for when I'm "on site". All I need now is a hard hat (I already have a high vis vest) and then I will look like a proper professional.

Other than that not much news. Chest still a bit troublesome but getting better slowly.

Sorry if this is all a bit me,me, me.

Hope you are all well and still keeping up the fabbing.

It will soon be the Autumn Equinox - are we going to forge ahead through to the Winter Solstice.

Are we going to be December Dazzlers.:rotfl:

lizzie157

you sound really busy LL - I'm glad things are going well for you.

Been a bit down all week due to the re- emergence of H's mum . I just can't get the feeling out of my stomach that she will try to cause trouble between my children and me. She is very manipulative and good at making others feel sorry for her so that she isn't seen as trying to cause trouble even though she is. I have invested time building a good relationship with my DIL and I don't want her trying to destroy it all. I feel very bruised by it all -when she never bothered with my kids for 10 yrs i thought she was out of our lives for good.

anyway off for a soak - i need a pamper session

Bitsy_Beans

Gosh 5 days since anyone posted :eek: where are we all? Surely not going out having a "life"

Really not much fabbing to speak of. I bought a couple of shirts, cardi and a lovely kilt type skirt from sainsburys. I could do with some more jeans but don't want to break the bank, especially as kids also need new winter clothes. It's never ending this spending money lark :eek:

I am not doing any extra exercise but dog walking and some walks to school help. Back has been tetchy this week and so stiff and painful even yoga was out of the question. I am going to knuckle down and do just 15 mins a day. I have 15 mins each day I can fit into.

Days are whizzing by so fast. Can't believe we are over half way through September! Am enjoying the onset of autumn though, can't wait for foggy mornings :cool:

Not much to say other than sticking to the basics.
Hope you're all well

Lizzie hope you're ok after reappearance of the MIL. doesn't sound too difficult to see where H gets his charming personality from eh? Hugs xx

Hugs and high fives all round xx

castlelough

Thanks for the welcome back ladies! :j
Sorry to hear that some of you are facing tough times - sending you hugs! And hope you can be kind to yourselves. xxx

I am going to have to get stern with myself. Fabbing has been positively left on the back burner for far too long.
I did go on a shopping spree last weekend and splurged €270 on clothes. :eek: I hadn't shopped in YEARS, not properly - the odd dress for a special occasion, but nothing else.

My day-to-day wardrobe was in a terrible state.
Now it has been rescued - not by anything expensive. But I bought a lot of basics, and everything mixes and matches. I have something to wear that makes me feel good when I get up each morning. It was worth the splurge!

Next mission is a haircut and highlights - neither of which have been budgetted for...and neither of which I have had done since March 14th!!!! (just checked my diary!):eek: :eek::eek:
Anyway I'll have to have a little fiddle around with my budget.

I'm mostly a long hair tied up kind of girl, though I like to wear it down for going out, or sometimes down but clipped back from my face... (yes, boring!)
Which would you have done first? If I had one done in September and one done in October? Which would be more effective?

HAIRCUT or HIGHLIGHTS?????

Right, I'm off to hop in the shower - and I will use some body lotion afterwards [STRIKE]for a change![/STRIKE]

floss2

castlelough wrote: »

...Which would you have done first? If I had one done in September and one done in October? Which would be more effective?

HAIRCUT or HIGHLIGHTS?????...

Highlights first, but I bet if you had both done together it won't be the same cost as highlights + cut...