Frump to Fab 2018 - Fabulous Dahhhhlings

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Chanie, great news about you taking redundancy. I hope you find employment that you will really enjoy

I have not been feeling too great. I am so fatigued even though I am having more than 8 hours sleep. I had to go and check on my brother H who has far more health issues than I do on Wednesday morning as his elder daughter had called me on Tuesday evening worried about her Father. He was having a few bad days, so he was really happy to see me and I was able to reassure his daughter and the rest of my family that he was as okay as he could be. He had no electricity or gas, so I had to go back out in the rain and top up his prepayment key and card from my own money. My sister H and his daughter also put money into his bank account to ensure he will be able to pay his other bills and have good quality food to eat rather than the cheap food he can usually afford to buy

I went to my local Odeon to see Molly's Game on Thursday. It was a Silver Screen showing so very affordable for me and I got my free cup of tea. I really enjoyed the film. I would give it a 9.5/10

moneyistooshorttomention

lessonlearned wrote: »

Money. Sometimes supermarkets like Asda and Sainsbury!!!8217;s have pretty decent basics. I think Sainsbury!!!8217;s have one of their 25% off promotions at the moment.

Thanks for the thought.

I can't actually think just how far away the nearest Asda and Sainsbury are to me now - other than "It's quite some distance".

I've got a sliding scale in my mind of what I think is reasonable to spend on clothes per se - and it always used to be "what Marks & Spencer charge for whatever-it-is". I've realised that they don't charge an equivalent price to what they used to charge actually - as their clothes are much cheaper in real terms than they used to be (and much worse quality with it).

I've "put my prices up" to be the same as they used to be in real terms. So I reckon that now means a dress, for instance, being £50-£80 or a pair of basic sheepskin slippers - well I bought some from elsewhere recently at a sale price of around £40.

My sliding scale goes:
- at current weight - up to £10 for a dress (ie as I wouldnt expect to have it for long)
- at proper weight - £50-£80 for a dress (I would expect a reasonable amount of wear from it)
- maximum price I'd pay for a dress (at my proper weight) = well...if it was one I liked a lot/thought I'd get really good wear from = £200.

Coats:
- current weight - I bought one from a charity shop for around £10 plus the cost of having it drycleaned
- proper weight - I'd expect to pay around £200 for it
- maximum price ditto ditto = £400

Guess we've all got our "price levels" we work according to. It will be based on how much money we've got & what we think is reasonable (which may or may not match each other).

We've all got different spending priorities obviously and I can see ITRW eyebrows raised at how much I'll pay for some things - but then I'm aware they often spend on things I don't (eg running a car/eating meat/spending on grandchildren/rent or mortgage still being paid even in my agegroup of 50 plus/etc).

lessonlearned

Money.....I gather you now live in a fairly rural location and that shoppping for clothes can be a bit difficult, especially as you do not drive.

Have you tried internet shopping. The trick is to find a manufacturer who you are happy with and that you can trust their sizing. That way you can avoid having to keep faffing around and returning things that either do not fit or that disappoint you.

One of my favourite websites is https://www.justlastseason.co.uk. They sell Jacques Verte, Eastex, Dash, And Pr!cis. They have all sorts of offers and as the name suggests they are usually last seasons styles. But as they are all fairly classic styles I find that does not really matter.

I like the Jacques Verte dresses in particular because they seem to suit my shape. I know I can order them online and they will fit. I also know that the fabric will be good quality, never flimsy and the dresses are lined......a must for me.

I tend to dress fairly simply, no frills or flounces, no gathered waistbands, no empire lines (my bosom is quite prominent enough without drawing attention to it:rotfl:).

The JV dresses I choose tend to be quite simple classic styles a la Jackie Kennedy/Onassis, often a fitted shift, sometimes with a matching coat or jacket. I find I can dress them up or down to suit the occasion. They can take me from a posh wedding to a simple restaurant dinner, just by changing how I accessorise them, with the jacket or coat for formal occasions or with a cardigan or pashmina when I want to be a bit more casual. They are very versatile and make really good wardrobe basics.

Price wise they start at around £29 and can go up to £££s depending on the offers. The most I have paid on that site is £50 and that was for a gorgeous full length lace knock em dead evening dress (the RRP should have been £275). An absolute bargain and a real show stopper. .....it comes out for every cruise and it always turns heads.

Once you have found a manufacturer you are happy with then eBay is your new best friend. I have had some serious bargains from eBay. Beautiful full length evening gowns for £6. I think a lot of people are selling their clothes now instead of donating them to charity shops. Tbh of late I have not had a great deal of luck with charity shops, at least not for nice dresses.

moneyistooshorttomention

I will admit to being wary of internet shopping for clothes - it's been mixed experience on what I've done to date since moving. Usually along the lines of too poor quality.

But I have discovered it's possible to get chain shops to order in clothes in their brands stocked that they don't have in and have done that a couple of times. There are a couple of non-chain shops with reasonable quality brands I like - but very limited stock (as they're so small) and I'm planning on asking them if they can also order in anything I've decided to have from those brands.

Otherwise - I think clothes shopping will probably be done on visits I'm making anyway back to my home city. I can see going back with one suitcase of clothes (for my visit) and coming back here with two suitcases worth.

Another possibility is that I can get at Cardiff by public transport. It makes for a long day and I've not done it yet - but am promising myself to check it out soon. There's an added temptation that I'm from a foodie location and I gather Cardiff has gone rather foodie these days - so I'm rather bargaining on visiting John Lewis (think it's in Cardiff?) White Stuff? etc etc and checking out a new foodie place to eat my lunch at a couple of times a year.

EDIT; I can see some of the clothes on there look good - though not quite my taste. I like bodycon and wrapover dresses and, at proper weight, I am very partial to clothes that are well-fitted over the stomach (as I have a pretty flat stomach - so that is a good point I like clothes emphasising - now I'm a bit too "mature years" to emphasise my boobs as I used to).

chanie

Money I also hate the disappointment of ordering something online and then not liking it when it arrives. As ll wrote, I have gotten to know a couple of brands well and have a good sense of whether the item is good or not.

Sugar I hope your brother is going to be okay. The fact that you are helping him, even with your own worries just shows what a kind person you are.

We have had a nice chilled Good Friday. I treated OH to a hoodie today as I had a groupon voucher for £20, which I paid £10 for. He was pleasantly surprised with his present. I also picked up a Sainsburys order today of underwear for the children, saving £9.

Im looking forward to the new experiences my redundancy will bring, but nervous at the same time. I am focussing on my new work wardrobe as a way to motivate myself and give me something to look forward to. I am going to keep my items aside until I get a new job. Unlike my out of work clothes, I dont like to spend much in my work wardrobe, so I am on the look out for bargains which spark joy, as Marie kondo would say. My first item is a skirt reduced from £16 to £6.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Chanie, unfortunately my brother H will not live to old age and he knows that. He has mostly come to terms with it, but sometimes he gets depressed. More often than not though, he laughs at his serious health issues and just tries to get on with his life. He has a great sense of humour and is a real joker so every time I go and visit him, he has me in fits of laughter.

My daughter has finally found 2 jobs, both casual. So soon as she starts receiving her pay, she will be able to contribute some money to the family finances. :j:D

My son is also insisting that i must use any money that I need to from the money I had saved for his University fund as and when necessary for grocery shopping until my ESA is reinstated. I am very reluctant, as I will not be able to replace the savings. It will be a disaster for him, if he does not receive the bursary he has applied for and the savings are seriously depleted. I told him I would rather we had beans on toast for a lot of meals than him miss his chance to go to university just because money is so depleted in our household in the short term.

He is working extremely hard at his A Levels to try and get the 3 grade A's that he needs to go to University here in London. He is making me feel so proud of him. He got a £5 Love to Shop voucher this week as a prize this term for 100% attendance and he gave it to me for food shopping as he knew I could spend it in Iceland. :T

lessonlearned

Hello lovely ladies.

SUgarbaby. Just sending you a huge :T:T. Well done. With such a positive attitude and such a supportive family all pulling together I am confident you will get through your hard times. You are such a caring close knit family.

Speaking of families. My Belgian aunt is dying. Not sure about time scales. It is with some trepidation I contemplate the trip to Belgium and having to spend time with my sister.......hey ho. As Scarlet O Hara would say I will think about that tomorrow. :rotfl:

Nothing much planned today, a bit more decluttering perhaps and give myself a facial and manicure. Just a nice gentle day.

Have a fab weekend everyone.

moneyistooshorttomention

Fingers crossed for that Belgian trip then LL - thinking of said sister - as I've been reading your posts about just what she's like:(

A little bit of "fabbing" here for me today - I've changed hairstyles. I think it looks better...

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

LL try not to worry too much about seeing your sister again in Belgium after the death of your Belgian aunt. Just concentrate on your sorrow and your grief when the time comes and just be polite to your sister. I hope your aunt has lived a long and happy life.

Like most large families there are sometimes disputes big and small in my family, but in the end we will all rally round to try to support any family member that is in need.

lessonlearned

:easter_ba

Happy Easter Everyone

Without getting into discussions about religion let us remember that Easter is named after the Germanic goddess Oestre, going back through the mists of time.......a pagan celebration to herald to the coming of spring. A time of rebirth and renewal.

So today celebrate your inner goddess :rotfl:

A little pampering, nice food, time with loved ones.

Enjoy.

Hope you all have a lovely day.

SUgarbaby.......my aunt is 90 and yes she has had a long and happy life, although her health has never been particularly robust. She is now very frail. Apparently she has asked to be allowed to die. Belguim is one of those countries that allows doctors to help patients to slip away so hopefully she will get her wish soon.