Frugal Frump to Fab - 2015

Polkadotsandrainbows

Good for you Miss rarr! This is your time to relax and enjoy yourself not for them to trap you to work for free! I turn off work phone when i'm on leave (even if i'm not going anywhere and just staying at home). If there is a real emergency they can always reach me from my personal phone ;-)
I really understand being worked up believe me, when someone tries to use my free time to make me do their work i feel so angry, i obviously politely decline but sometimes my seniors do it and i can't say no and at night i lay in bed and think about the ways i could have declined sad i know... Rant over, sorry :P

MissRarr wrote: »

What's everyone else up to today?

I'm gonna try to walk a bit after work, done absolutely nothing with my face but i keep a few sample size lotions at my desk drawer and a few makeup bits so might go and fab up a bit during lunch break

MissRarr

Polkadots - great idea! Love the idea of fabbing it up on lunches. I think the hint has been taken at work as my laptop has stopped making alert noises.

Ellsbel - I know how you feel. Why is it that when you're at your most tired, you wake up so damn early?! That happened to me although I got a bit more sleep than you. Hope tonight is better.

Maman - glad you're happy with your hair. I desperately need to get a cut. I have a bit of an aversion to hair salons which doesn't help! You know you've got issues when the guy who sweeps cuttings and puts you in a smock gives you anxiety / inferiority issues (maybe I went to the wrong salon :rotfl:)

Remembered I can't go out yet as I'm waiting for a delivery from Sainsburys. Just topping up the basics - quinoa, lentils, dried beans and cooking basics, so I can make the most of the garden produce with lots of 'foundation' ingredients. Sainsburys sent an offer on a discount on first delivery order so it seemed like a very MSE thing to do. After that I am off out somewhere!

The good news is that I think the diet might be paying off. I'm in my newest jeans which felt, frankly, uncomfortable last week. They're still tight but I feel much better in them so something must be working! Just as well because I woke up starving yesterday and when I'm off I'm always tempted to bake bread...must take this as an incentive to avoid it! Think I'll walk down to our local butchers later and treat us as we've been largely very good and quite vegetarian recently.

As you can probably tell, I like to cook - this is half of the problem weight wise!! :rotfl:

Floss

Miss Rarr could I suggest that if you are on leave, you turn off your works laptop & phone so that you get the time away from work? As you say, if its a real emergency then they can contact you on your personal phone.

The NHS Trust I work for has an unwritten policy in the Chief Execs office (my team), whereby we all leave our laptop plugged in on our desk when going on leave, otherwise the temptation to "just pop on & check my emails" is too much to avoid!

MissRarr

Floss - I know the feeling too well! Problem is I'm in a role which has odd shift patterns and which requires forward planning, so I sort of feel that I could put my foot down totally and refuse to plan ahead, but then I'm making a rod for my own back when I'm back at work and potentially with a rush of last-minute planning - not something that sits well with my anxious nature and not something I want to repeat after a colleague's behaviour put me in jus that position last week!

But I am being strict with myself, I've popped out into the town and visited the local butcher and greengrocer for some ingredients for dinner, and picked up some tomato and pea plants reduced in the garden centre, so I can spend the evening in the garden and the afternoon in the kitchen while it's so warm outside. Stuff work!! :rotfl:

greenbee

MissRarr wrote: »

I'm on a day off after a horribly stressful week and all I'm doing is fielding emails from work. "Can you just..." - er, hello, this is the third day off in the last fortnight that I've spent doing work stuff and I'm getting neither paid nor the time back. Nor, seemingly, any blimmin' respect for it.

Have put my foot down and informed them that I'm off out now and won't be on emails. Now to find somewhere to go and something to do :rotfl:

I ended up working one full day of my holiday last week because I hadn't got what I needed to done before I left. But it was raining... Did have to field a few emails to stop idiots doing idiotic things, and like you felt cross and resentful.

I need to go back to turning everything off when i'm not available. None of us is indispensable (despite what we'd like to think...) and I'm sure if they have to they'll cope without you.

So switch your laptop and work phone OFF and go for a nice walk in the sunshine while you can (and leave early tomorrow/thursday/friday telling them you're having to do the stuff you couldn't get done on your days off due to interruptions - I had a similar conversation with my boss re. TOIL for weekends/evenings travelling pointing out that laundry/dry cleaning/housework/shopping/cooking then need to be done when I'm back home, and that weekends in hotels in random countries are NOT the same as holidays!)

MissRarr

Greenbee - you're entirely right. I'd love to see the look on my boss's face if I told him he can stuff it because he owes me some hours. I might just have to try it because the laugh will keep me happy on the whole commute home!

Ellsbel

Morning fabbers.
Slept a bit longer last night but this could due to having a couple of glasses of wine - not so good as I try not to drink during the week and have slid off that wagon a couple of times lately - might have to head back to the Giving up/cutting down...thread to keep on track!
Shopping delivered and put away (grocery budgeting has been failing horrendously lately - something else I need to sort out!)
Out with friends later for lunch so trying to find something smart/casual that doesn't look too awful.
Healthy eating isn't going too well this week, I've got to be honest; too much snacking still.
Positives: remembering to moisturise face and neck daily.
Have a good day, all x

MissRarr

Have a nice lunch Ellsbel.

Made a good start with a healthy breakfast and vowed to give myself a day off work emails and enjoyed some Sanctuary Spa products that have been kicking around unloved in the bathroom for ages.

Then went to check my email for any personal ones and find a work crisis one. I've contributed what I can and am resisting the guilty voice in the back of my head that's saying "maybe you should go in".

Had promised myself a day of house and garden fabbing, though. Too much clutter in the garage, and the house for that matter, and yesterday I'd been musing the idea of treating myself and the garden to a potting shed, so I need to get rid of a load of stuff. Is garage fabbing a thing?

Inspired by all of the downscaling going on, off I go. That and the house needs a damn good clean. If you ever need motivation for house keeping, i once worked as a cleaner over my summer break at college for four mornings a week. I lost nearly two dress sizes!!

maddiemay

MissRarr - I think any improvements to our immediate surroundings that contribute to our well being must count as fabbing:)

Further to previous "chats" about healthy eating, I regularly read the blog of a lady known on MSE as memorygirl, she blogs as mortgagefreeinthree and regularly posts yummy frugal recipes, often healthy ones too. A recent one dicussed those times when we need to eat, but are too tired or just cannot be bothered to cook. I have just made her "better than toast soup" for a quick lunch before yet another hospital appointment and it is delish.

maman

Have a good time at lunch ellsbel and do tell us which outfit you choose.


I wouldn't worry about the wine too much. We've been having a discussion on cutting-down and how alcohol free days are not the only way. They feel good and are easy to account for but some people find it easier just to spread the units over time, so sort of little and often IYSWIM. Personally I'd find that hard as if I have a glass I know I might want more but it's a thought.


Boo!! to the email MissRarr:mad: I do hope you just got included on the list automatically rather than specifically asked to help when you're off work. I think when you return you need to have a discussion with your line manager. It's one thing to be responsible and professional but you need time to relax too. Perhaps if you have official 'permission' to not be expected to help when you're not there you'll be stricter with yourself.


I like the idea of a potting shed. We have a big, old garage that's full of junk which we have to have removed. We can't really use it for a car as when our house was built (almost 100 years ago) cars were tiny (think Austin 7) so the driveway at the side of the house is too narrow for anything but something small. The plan is to replace it with a shed and (although DH doesn't know this yet) I'm going to make sure it's easy on the eye. I've seen pictures of ones that look like beach huts or summer houses. So, I'd go for it if I were you.


I've read more of the Kon-Marie book so that's going well. I think most people personalise it but the ideas are basically sound. Another thing I did was to check my holiday wardrobe list. I always make a list before packing and then review it when I get back before putting the sunshine clothes away:(. I've noted what I used/didn't use and what I'd be on the look out for next year.