Nst; fearless february

mothernerd

lilt glad you are enjoying the diet of frogs.

Synonymous think you just have to ignore internet baddies and break any contact (I don't really do dating advice - foreign country to me).

thriftylass hope you had a good night's sleep.

WelshKitty sorry you have been feeling under the weather.

MagicCat hope you enjoy your brother's visit.

Apple muncher I think next week's challenge may be the best - need to refine it a bit, had an idea the other day and was just trying to scribble down all the random bits pouring out of my head before I forgot them.
Goliath frogs indeed.

Debtdrowninglondongirl sorry to hear about the lack of a start date - can you look at what you have in the house and see how many meals you can put together (I find it makes me feel safer).

Well I feel like a bad leader today. Spent money,failed the chocolate challenge and didn't get the e-mail sent. Started well.I asked DS3 to carry the bag of library books downstairs last night so just had to write the card, pack some of the books in my rucksack and take them back.

Put the laptop on as I wasn't sure the glue on the card was completely dry (they can get stuck inside the envelope). An e-mail from the energy company - well I don't know where to start. The false reading was entered when they were moving my account to 'a different platform'. There is an admission that I haven't received the best service from them and an offer to give me back a £100 of my own money as a goodwill gesture as the credit on my account is not really a credit, it's just an amount that I have overpaid.

The correct readings still aren't on my bill and their suggested solution is that I collude with them - I should accept the false figures and give a reading each month adding just one unit until the figures catch up.Which is not only ridiculous as I've only used 50 units over the worst two winter months so it would take probably to the end of the year to use up the 170+ units discrepancy. Added to which I am due to change supplier soon at which point futility can pocket their ill-gotten gains and the new supplier would have the burden of supplying me with no revenue to show for it (conspiracy to commit fraud anyone).

I sat fuming, any benefit from the work I did yesterday wiped out. I played music to calm me down but seething continued. Ate a fish - it helped but not enough.

Took card and books to library and had a little look round - the lady who has been bringing my books came to find me to thank me for my card (a home-made embroidered one) and the things I had said. It's going on their noticeboard. Carried on to buy chocolate. Put them away in drawer but got them out again later. Spent three hours in front of the screen this afternoon trying to work out where to start (a few other items I mentioned haven't been addressed) but gave up, for now. Have done several small admin tasks.

So diagnosis is I am short on sleep (struggling with calculations, spellings and common English phrases sounding weird), deficient in calcium, iron and probably vitamin d for starters.May be better to sleep and try again when well rested. Also maybe cut short my visit to mum's tomorrow (got shouted at last week as soon as I walked through the door - her partner had been driving her up the wall). Feeling guilty about the carrot mountain - was working my way through it in between other cooking jobs yesterday.Have eaten quite a few yesterday and today but left the rest in a mixing bowl covered over.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible'

Today I am grateful for libraries and librarians, for Terry Pratchett and for chocolate (sorry for caving turtles).

Fmess

Thrifty yay to the sales!

Mothernerd and others I can't believe how badly this comany have treat you! I unfortunately have just joined them but am keen to leave as they do seem to get even the simplest things wrong.

Today was SFD number 10 and took lunch to work. Going to have a spendy weekend (birthday drinks for a friend, necessary beauty appointment and X factor live on Sunday!!!)

I will try to eat a frog this wknd - either paperwork, review my bills from f utility or hoover upstairs, hmmmm

apple_muncher

mothernerd, what a slap in the face for you. So sorry you have to deal with 'them'. However, you are NOT a bad leader, so please remove the label from your thinking. And don't let the boogers grind you down. Hope today is more peaceful - sending you many gentle hugs x

Bobarella

Mothernerd - what they are doing is illegal. I think there are circumstances where the ombudsman will step in earlier than usual. Maybe try pushing for a response there?

thriftylass

Good morning!

Horrible the stuff some of you have to deal with with your energy suppliers. Touch wood, all good so far with my EDF.

Today won't be an SFD as I'll need to do a small grocery shop at lunch and then a bigger one tomorrow when I have the car.

Not much planned for the weekend.

MagicCat

Hooray, it's Friday!

A SFD yesterday for me yesterday, and today should be as well, so my total is creeping up. Need to improve on the exercise and 15 mins of meditation though.

Mothernerd - so sorry to hear about all the hassles with your utility company, hope it all gets sorted soon. You are in no way a bad leader though! Take care of your self, your wellbeing is the most important thing.

DebtdrowningLondongirl - so sorry to hear your job start is delayed, it must be really difficult - as calling14 says, what do they expect you to live on?! Hope you get a start date soon.

Thrifty :jfor ebay sales.

Fmess and applemuncher - good luck with the frogs.

Excited (and a bit scared) of the mini-challenge next week - eating frogs has been a really good focus for me, so thank you mothernerd :A

SFD: 10/15
Groceries: £209.80/£200 + 8.99 superdrug
Dentist/optician £5/£20
Petrol and travel: £51.05/£110
Birthdays: £25.76/£30
Social: 0/£40
Food bank donation - done
15 mins/day - this will be decluttering or mindfulness meditation 7/28
Exercise 10/25

Debtdrowninglondongirl

mothernerd you are a fabulous leader don't think otherwise for a second and I agree with bob you need to see if the ombudsman can get involved in this! It's not fair.

Thanks for all your support guys! I have some cash left over from last month and if this delay continues any longer I may see if I can get job seekers allowance.

I have worked all my life so believe I am eligible and it's what I pY my taxes for but hoping to get my start date later today and then I can start looking at getting paid soon.

Thank god I have been living on a shoestring for a few months. Unfortunately I work in the world where everyone has a disposable income - I don't think my employer imagines any employee to not have an emergency fund for such an occasion.

Just hoping March will be easier. Another SFD today and also sold a jacket on eBay.

Have a good Friday all!

Calling14

Mothernerd agree with Bob get onto the ombudsman, 100 pounds I would try to get more out of them if possible for all the time wasted and sleepless nights caused you.
Mothernerd not a bad leader at all, cast those thoughts out of your head now.
Debtdrowning you seem to be a real trooper I would be in major panic mode with no income. Must try and build up my EF.

Well today I was going to venture out and part with pennies for doggy bags, sawdust. Will rummage around my coat pockets probably got a stack in there, sawdust got enough for weekend. So day is a SFD 12/15

Looking forward to a chill out weekend hopefully little spending or none would be even better.
Have fun folks.

liltdiddylilt

Hi all

Sorry I have spent the last 2 nights in bed asleep from early evening. But I have also added 2 SFD's! Today may be another one. It is dependent on whether bread was bought or not Either way it is either a SFD today or tomorrow. Then begins a few spendy days as friend will be here with her new baby from Sunday - Tues. Expect at least one meal out but budgeted it into miscellaneous even though it contradicts the rules this month mothernerd... forgive me?

Will hopefully masnage to stay awake for more than an hour after I get home tonight and be able to update you. My last spend day was a day trip to Canterbury but I have also had £30.82, plus another £54, plus £17.44 of money in that I wasn't expecting so I am 100% in credit there

Love to all... drowning.. I hope your job gets a start date soon. I gave myself 6 weeks after moving 250 miles with barely any money to either find a job or run home with my tail between my legs. It came close.. I got the job in July, didn't start until after the summer holidays had finished and so many employees were back from their holidays in order to train me. I was eating fumes hope you get sorted soon and definitely check on jobseekers, it takes ages to get an appointment, follow up with another and eventually get paid after that one... but you are definitely entitled if you have been out of work for more than 6 weeks! x

Synonymous

Hey everyone, hope everyone is well. Good luck londongirl until your wage comes - as you say you have the advantage of knowing plenty of tips and tricks for frugal living to help you get by which is such an important skill. Must be so many people who suddenly loose a job and have no idea how to go on without maintaining their current lifestyle.

Hugs to mothernerd, you've been a great leader and very inspirational this month as always. No one is perfect, and if you were we would be a bit suspicious of your faultless ways remember that beautiful rainbow lady you are to us!

Everyone is doing well with the frogs, I'm struggling to define a frog, what is big enough, what is too trivial. Maybe excuses about frogs are my frog and I need to just get on with everything!

Thanks for all your comments regarding the online dating - Fmess I'm also at a loss as to why anyone would bother being confrontational in that context - at that point the battle is totally lost and your just shouting to hear the sound of your own voice. I've has a few people message me to tell me that they don't agree with what I've put as preferences in a partner (all reasonable generic things), and they have other qualities and they are amazing and I am just being so unfair excluding them (waah! waah! it's all about me!) I think some of these are those pampered princes we were talking about before who can't believe it when you don't idolise them as much as their mum. (Sorry, now I sound like a man-hater, but it's grating on me now!) There are also some very lovely people on there, which makes it worth sticking at it

Since Sunday I've had mostly spend-free days, had to get a gas safety check done ready for a new housemate moving in at the weekend, but that's from a different budget and seems reasonable at £50. Going for a meal tonight for a friend's birthday but will be cheap and fun, and have loads of cleaning to do before Sunday's arrival that's a frog that has to be eaten!) The other frog is probably buying the new bike, as someone has suggested shopping around but if I don't just do it, it will never happen, so might just go buy the budget one on Sunday.

Bobarella and any other cyclists - any advice on helmets? I want to get one but am aware that I might misguidedly pay too much in the name of safety. Do they all meet a certain standard anyway? My commuting is very suburban so perhaps not as high risk as in the city. Any advice would be much appreciated

Hugs to everyone x