Nearly 6 months.

On Wednesday my beautiful daughter will be 26 weeks old. 

The last 6 months have flown by and I feel incredibly blessed.

I'm sitting here at 6.13am breast feeding my little girl who I have to be honest smells vaguely of poo. I'm happier than I have ever been. Motherhood has been a joy to me. I have been lucky, she's been a good sleeper from the beginning and breastfeeding came easily.

I'm 40 in just over a week, apart from the mortgage I'm debt free and life is pretty good folks!

I decided not to share my daughters photo online, but just one today I think.

Oh and did I mention The Chap asked me to marry him on Valentine's Day?

Yours frugally

Abigail X

It's 3.21am

Thank you for all your good wishes! 

A few weeks ago BB (before baby) I probably still would have been awake about now, the difference being that I would have needed the loo. The Chap's snoring  may have stopped me from easily returning to sleep, but never mind I could and did just migrate to the spare room for the rest of the night.

Now I'm stuck. I'm here with a newborn on me. I'm so concerned that she doesn't choke that we have an upright cuddle for at least 30mins after a feed day and night. Besides who doesn't love a snuggle with their new daughter? 

So here I am at 3am blogging. 

I've been thinking about what I can talk about as having a baby is not cheap. But there are ways of bringing down the cost not just on your pocket but on your sanity too.

So here are a few topics I thought I would cover soon.

Aldi baby range

The birth

Visitors

What do I actually need before the birth?

Coping in hospital

eBay for the baby

The perfect change bag

The essential list

Financial preparation for the baby.

Crass comments that have been made.

I will state now that being a mum is the most rewarding thing I have ever done so I wouldn't change it for anything. 

Frugally yours 

Abigail

X

New Life

Our  daughter born 2 weeks ago. 7lbs11.

You can't understand how your parents feel about you until you have a child. I see that now. 

I have never felt love like this.

The Chap has fallen head over heels in love.

The first words I said to my little girl after a pretty traumatic birth were "hello little bird. I've waited 39 years to meet you and I promise I will be the best Mummy I can possibly be. I will love you forever"

I've thought long and hard about I want for her and decided I wish for my little bird good health and happiness. 

Frugally yours

Abigail

X

It's a ...

Little girl!

🎀🍼

So, Where Was I?

Hello

I would not blame you if you had long since given up reading this blog and moved on to other bloggers.

I haven't posted in over 6 months and my last post told you we were having some problems.

We spent the months before and after Christmas going through investigative procedures which resulted in February being told that The Chap has super sperm. Yes, seriously that's the term the Consultant used! Super Sperm! I bet you are imagining sperm wearing y front over tights now aren't up you as they frantically swim towards an egg?

His were plentiful, of a good quality and going in the right direction. Bless Him, he was so proud of his swimmers. He even told his parents over Sunday lunch recently. That wasn't awkward  at all love..

So why weren't we we pregnant with his determined little heroes ?

No matter how wonderful his sperm is at 42, if there are no eggs then there is nothing to fertilise.
The problem is all mine. I had hardly any eggs left.

So very very sad.

I had been using a fertility monitor which cost £100 new and I bought second hand from eBay. The sticks were then about £30 a month. Getting pregnant is not cheap.

I knew I wasn't ovulating all the time but thought that sometimes you could miss it, as you ovulated after taking the morning test but the it had gone by the next morning.

No, no egg, no happy fucking smiley face for me on the machine. (sorry for the swearing)

We are lucky we could have one round of NHS funded IVF where I live if we could give up smoking for three months. I smoked my last cigarette on 3rd of January before we had been told we couldn't conceive. The Chap a few weeks later after our consultant appointment.

TC sole contributions to the process is a twenty minute happy time in a locked room with some mags, me? Well mine involved needles blood work and a lap and dye. That's a process of injecting dye into your Fallopian tubes to check for blockages.  Don't let anyone tell you it will be a bit sore. Forcing one's cervix open is a painful but quick procedure the dye hurts like hell and then you wait with your FooFoo out for all in the X-ray department to examine.

IVF was booked for April as we had to start before my 39th birthday to qualify for free IVF. Honestly we were really lucky to get it hardly any NHS districts offer it so it was liked being offered hens teeth.

So the beginning of feb we learnt of my barren status and settled down to see if our IVF would be lucky. Would it?  What would happen?




I'm writing this now 20 weeks pregnant, and fat with knickers that roll down as I'm too tight to buy maternity knickers wearing eBay bought maternity clothes with terrible indigestion and Yet I couldn't be happier.

Two and a half weeks after being told the devastating news about our pregnancy prospects and I can't tell you how many tears later I was going to bed and couldnt find my pjs. Whilst searching for a clean pair I came across an old test and took it. I don't know why there was no smiley face again on my ovulation machine.

I thought I saw the faintest of faint lines. I didn't say anything to TC. What was the point? I cannot have kids. The next morning The Chap left at 6am for an early meeting and I was at the store by 20 past six in jogging bottoms and hoodie sans underwear. I bought one of every test. I mean damn the cost right? All were positive. Cue more tears and then a 14 hour wait before my handsome and loving Chap returned home to the good news.

No child will ever be more cherished and more loved than ours and I cannot wait to meet my baby on Halloween!!

Thank you for reading, it's been a journey hasn't it?

Frugally Yours
Abigail
X

In Which I Am A Paragon

Afternoon All

Hello Mrs G, thanks for your kind comments.

So it is a good thing that I write a frugal blog isnt it? It means I always watch the pennies and make do and mend.

It means we live always conscious of the pennies and constantly save toward the future.

Do we bollocks..

I am so sorry to burst your bubble, but I dont live like Frugal Queen or Mean Queen. I think they are brilliant, but I could not live like that.

TC was about 9 months ago made a Partner of his firm and so we do want to enjoy some jam now, but not on credit.

Anyway in a week we are going on holiday... on a cruise no less and have splurged on an outside cabin with balcony. We travel around visiting Toulon, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Genoa. I am so excited and cannot wait. I have also been very lucky and TC put in £250 toward the coast of my holiday too. It is all full board, but we will have to pay for the drinks and any extras we want.

After 4 years together we have only ever been to Spain to his parents villa or for a weekend in Amsterdam when he got really sick.

So its a proper holiday with waiters and room service etc.

Of course I needed to get some new clothes, so after work I hopped to Tamworth and their retail park which is open until 9PM buying two tops and two pairs of trousers, I also ordered a multiway dress a few weeks ago thinking i could wear it for the two formal nights.

I got home and The Chap wanted to see what I had bought him to go away with as he has now surrendered all buying of clothes to me. I had not got him anything as he only needed shorts and they were in pretty short supply in October. Gloves and hats no problem, but not shorts.

"No worries" says he "I will grab some from town on Saturday"

ME "Where in town? as everywhere has sold out of shorts and only has winter clothes in"

HIM "No Screwfix has shorts in"

Screwfix, I ask you?? Thats where he is buying his holiday clothes from now. I really do give up, no one is ever going to think he is a Metrosexual as he grunts his way through life in a Star Wars Tshirt and Air Max Trainers.

No seriously I bought him a tshirt for Christmas and as he had had such a bad day at work I gave it to him early.



It has not been off his back since.

Bless his cotton socks.

So what I am longwindedly trying to say is I am not someone to look up to as a frugal blogger, but I am trying my  best, however I do occassionally think "Stuff this for a game of Soldiers" and go and blow cash on unneccessary purchases, plus in the last 12 months I have increased from a size 12 to a 14 and so nothing fits and I constantly look like I am popping out of stuff. Oh dear!

Frugally yours
Abigail
xxxx

The Big Shop

When I get paid, which was today, I always immediately go shopping and buy all our food for the month.

Here it is..

The whole process took 2 hours today and I spent £150. I will need to go back and buy more vegetables and milk during the month, but all these bags and boxes that fill the boot and spill onto to the back seat also include toiletries and cleaning products.

I start thinking about "shopping day" about 5-7 days before I get paid, and write a list as I check cupboards and start thinking what we both need for the next four weeks.

I then rewrite it, according to where I'm going to buy each item from. 

Aldi is always cheapest, but my girls won't eat their cat food and I swear by Catsan so that has to be done somewhere else along with, for example, curry sauces as I don't like Aldi ones. 

So "shopping day" always means visiting 2 supermarkets, I do one straight after the other, but today I did 3 separate transactions. 

Why?

Well on Thursday The Mirror newspaper was offering a £5 off a £40 shop at Aldi, so I bought two copies of the paper to get 2 vouchers and then split my shop into two separate transactions. That meant I walked around on the first shop writing down prices and adding them up on my calculator to make sure I didn't exceed £40 by too much so I had a chance of making the next shop to £40 too. I don't mind looking a prat to save.

It meant I got £10 worth of free food which covered all the chicken I bought and more.

Then Lloyds bank are offering 10% cash back on all food purchases from Morrisons for the next 10 days, meaning I got paid for the final transaction too. 

I always start with Aldi though so I can double check that everything I still have on my other supermarket list is not available in Aldi.

It really pays to prepare, food costs so much today that I want to make sure my money is going as far as possible.

The only downside is when I got back the last thing I felt like doing was cooking!

Frugally yours

Abigail

X

Aaaaargh!!!

I just found an old face mask I got free and thought, why not?

Apparently Twinkle isn't impressed as she wandered into the bathroom when I had it on Miaowed twice and scarpered downstairs.

TC just saw me and said I look like I have just had plastic surgery.

I am hoping to look 25 in a bit.

Frugally yours

Abigail

X

ERNIE

The Chap had a letter from his bank the other day, they are transferring his ISA to another ISA and reducing his interest rate from 2% to 1.3%. He was not happy and we were discussing where best to save your money.

In these days of large debts and poor interest rates on savings, trying to get a decent savings rate is pretty impossible.

I do not know what TC will do, but I have started to put some money into Premium Bonds. I am not advocating this as a savings plan to anyone, but in the last 12 months I have had a 7% return on my money, much more than I would expect on the high street at a bank or building society.

If you are not from the UK, you can read more on Premium Bonds and Ernie here. Interestingly, according to the Premium Bond Probability Calculator on MSE If you hold over £100 per year the chance of winning anything is 4.5%.

Just be aware that some years, I have not won a penny for over 12 months then had a bigger win of say £100.

I like Premium Bonds, I like receiving the Long White Envelope with a cheque enclosed and enjoy the thought you never know I could win a £1Million!

I can get my money back at c. 10 days notice.

But beware, the rules for buying Premium Bonds have changed a lot recently and its pretty annoying if you go in the Post Office unprepared.

Some Thoughts

1)      If you already have some bonds, make sure you have your Holders Number to hand when you buy more so they are amalgamated together with that £25 your Aunt Bertha gave you on your Christening.

2)      Do not go in to buy them with cash, the post office will not accept it, due to cash laundering regulations. Seems ridiculous to me as most of the time one is only buying them a £100 at a time.

3)      You will need your bank details, as they have very recently changed the payout from a cheque to bank transfer.

4)      If buying them for someone else, e.g. I often pick up some for The Chap, you will need them to sign the form.

And finally, you can only buy Premium Bonds in multiples of £100.

It is a faff to buy them now to be honest, TC has registered to buy them online and says that is irritating too.

I like having them though, as it is a bit trickier to get at your money quickly so no impulse buys of shoes etc, but I can still grab my money back if needed within 2 weeks.

One last thing, if you do have an old £1+ premium bond knocking around, write to National Savings and Investments Agency, immediately as chances are it is registered to the wrong address and they cannot find you if you had won. When I did this years ago I got a nice cheque for £100 as they numbers had come up more than once in the 20 years since it was bought.

Frugally yours
Abigail
x

So I Joined A Gym

Yes, can you believe it? Sedentary me?

 

Its blooming expensive at £65 / month, and was not the cheapest in my area, but it is the nicest and it has a pool. Its actually a country club style place and so I am thinking I will start to have to wearing Chanel inspired tweed suits and drive a Range Rover.

 

I'm certainly the poor cousin in its midst and it does amuse me driving the Polo into their car park amongst the BMWs, Audis etc. It these situations I always think to myself, I wonder how many of these cars are paid off like mine?

 

Anyhoo, as it is soooo expensive I have to get my moneys worth especially as I had to have 7 weeks off as I did my knee in tearing a ligament.

 

So this week I was back with a bang, but this time rather than running, I have started going to the classes. Monday I did fitsteps a Strictly Come Dancing (Dancing with the Stars for my American readers) inspired workout that was so much fun. Infact so much so that last night I tried Zumba. What a difference. I have always nutured a secret belief that I am quite a good dancer. But, with Zumba by the time I had got the hang of the step it had either changed or I was off the beat.

 

Anyhoo, by the end of the class I was soaked in sweat and feeling decidedly sick and had cramp in my toes.

 

Off I went for my hot shower and to change into new clothes before driving home. It turns out I had remembered everything I needed for the shower and the change after except new knickers, so I had a choice put on the sweat soaked pair from class or go commando. What would you have done?

 

I am certain these situations only happen to me...

 

Ok, I am rubbish at Fitsteps and Zumba and look like I have a bad case of Dad Dancing, but I thoroughly enjoyed them and have booked another Zumba class on Sunday but it is a family class, Do I need to "borrow" a kid? and Friday I am doing an Express Spin class after work. I had a Spin induction yesterday. Im a bit worried about that to be honest.

 

And as I was leaving there was an outdoor class going on where men and women were running around and moving tractor tyres. Should I be intrigued or horrified? You decide..

 

Ok, it is ridiculously expensive to join a gym, so I'm trying to get my moneys worth but most of all I would like to shift some pounds and therefore and going for the cardio type work outs.

 

My debts are paid off and I am saving, so at the moment I can justify trying it for 12mnths and seeing whether I will get my moneys worth,

 

Frugally yours

Abigail

xx

 

Thank You

Evening,

Thank you for your kind comments yesterday.

Discussing such a personal issue is quite cathartic and made me realise the loneliness of trying to conceive.

Baby making is one of the last bastions of secrecy. With most, if not all couples the first time an outsider becomes aware they are trying for a family is the joyful 3 month announcement to friends and family.

Trying to conceive, you are stuck in the solitude of it. If it is not possible for The Chap and I to have a family naturally or artificially  then my pride would much prefer that no one was aware we had tried, but instead for friends to assume we had chosen to be childless. I could not bear the pity I would face on a daily basis from theses who had become parents.

As it is I currently suspect a few people are on "pregnancy watch" and so I feel self conscious if I mention I feel off colour or tired. TTC (trying to conceive) affects most waking moment from taking your temperature in the morning so you can catch ovulation to the obsessive counting of DPOs (days past ovulation) etc.

And it's all done alone and in relative secrecy. Though of course The Chap is always there for me. 

What should be an exciting and somewhat 'rude' period turns into a month of two fortnights. 1 fortnight waiting for your period to be over and ovulation to start and then the 2nd fortnight of waiting  to test.

It's lonely in all honesty as it's so personal and private.

So I write about it on the internet. Crackers isn't it?

Thank you once again for your hopeful stories yesterday. I won't be talking about this again for a while but it's nice to know there are so many other people who have been or know other in my situation who did have a happy outcome.

Frugally yours

Abigail

X

Where Have I Been?

Hello Internet. Are you still there?

I have thought long and hard about whether to write this post.

 

Life has changed so much since I started blogging, I paid off all my debts and started putting money into savings. Today they stand healthily in the £1000s. My only debt is a mortgage.

 

Life has reached a level of normality. The Chap and I live quietly at Southfork both of us saving. He spends his weekends doing up the house as we would like to have it on the market  in 12 months and move somewhere bigger and detached. We will stay local as work is going well for us.

 

He has recently had a promotion, whilst I had my 12 month review (Lordy! 12 months since i left , my god awful previous employment - can you believe it?) which went very well and has led to a nice bonus payment which went straight into premium bonds as I am currently winning more than  I get on the ISA.

 

I have said before that TC is intrinsically a saver and puts away more each month than I take home.

 

The cats are all grown up at 2 years old and lazy ass teenagers, eating too much, staying in bed until lunchtime and generally being a delightful nuisance.

 

So life has quietened down. No debts to service, but I am still committed to living a cheaper life, though in all honesty I am never going to be a Frugal Queen or Mean Queen as TC would never eat their delicious looking fare. He wants meat and more expensive food. Quite frankly I feel he deserves it too, often working over 80 hours a week and still at it over the weekends. We are far from poor, and can afford to spend on the household budget. However, I do get whatever I can from Aldi.Why should I pay more?

 

We are very happy together withy only the odd disagreement, never about the big stuff.

 

So what do I have to write about? What could possibly interest you Dear Visitor? We are healthy, relatively wealthy and strive to be wise.

 

Little to catch the eye of the world looking for a few minutes respite from life.

 

And here is where I stumble. Life is not perfect and we have both reached a point where it is time for a change.

 

This was started 12 months ago when I left my position in sales over an hour away and downsized to an Administrative role, walking distance from home.

 

Why?

 

Because we both wanted a family.

 

We started trying 4 months ago and no luck. I am 38 years old and he is 42 years old, so I never expected it to be a quick and easy process. In all honesty I am not even that optimistic I will ever have a child. Time is against us. I believe I would be classed as a geriatric monther.

 

It seems a shame that as we met late in life, it has an impact on whether we can have our own family.We did not put off a child bearing due to financial reasons or wanting a career first, we just never met anyone we wanted to settle down with before.

 

Life is sad, read the papers and that is apparent on every page especially during these turbulent times.

 

But, I cannot help feel depressed every month when it becomes apparent once again I am not becoming a mother anytime soon.

 

"Relax!", many will cry. "It will happen!, but age is against us and that makes me sad.

 

Frugally yours

Abigail

x

 

 

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly.

If you are anything like me then December is running away with you and Christmas is edging ever closer.

I have been out a few times as Christmas party season hits full throttle.

Tuesday was my sewing class dinner out £20, then Wednesday was a night out with Sarah Millican. I purchased my ticket back at the beginning of the year and was just brilliant.

This was on top of a night out with friends on Saturday, for which TC kindly picked up the tab.

Then this weekend is my book club do and we have afternoon tea booked at Netherstowe House in Lichfield. I am really looking forward to it, but at £19 plus tip it's not cheap. 

And finally on 23rd my work is taking us out to dinner. 

December is soooo expensive. I am enjoying having some social life, but no-one is could keep up this level of spending. Especially when you factor in Christmas presents. 

January is going to be the start of some big changes in the way I view savings as I plan to start putting away some serious cash.

Want some good news? 

Well, I had my review at work after the end of my probationary period. Every single area of my work was rated either "Exceeds Expectation" or "Outstanding". The two top ratings. I am thrilled. When you look back to how unhappy i was at the beginning of the year. 

So enjoy Christmas folks, as long as you can afford it.

Frugally yours

Abigail 

X

Trips for Food.

I take great pleasure in keeping my wobbly bits wobbly with food.

As I am guessing many of the main chefs in families are women, you may be like me and mentally planning meals weeks in advance. I can normally tell you the meals I have available for the next  three weeks even if I am not a person who has it all planned out on an Excel spreadsheet.

I do a two monthly trip to Costco, a monthly big shop at the supermarket and then just pop in for fresh milk and veg.

Today was my Costco trip and as last time I went with my friend P who introduced me to the The Chap. She is a retired lady, and as she does not have a Costco card we go together and I pay then she gives me her share back when we get to her house.

I mainly go for the meat, picking up two months supply at a good reduction to supermarket prices.
4 racks of ribs for £9.48. £6  for one rack in Tesco for less meat. I have to add the sauce, but at a Pound from Poundland that's not a problem.

16 chicken breasts for about £12, 2.2kg of strewing steak for £9. And a 2kg pack of bacon containing about 50 thick slices for £7.78.

 You buy in big catering size trays, so as there are only two of  us I have to bag it into portion sizes. The chicken is so big I bag it in singles as one breast will do two of us in a curry.

So the freezer is full tonight.

You would think tonight we would be munching our way through it. Not true as this week week I got given this..

2 free pheasants shot by my new boss. I was delighted as the freezer still contains some salmon steaks after he gave me a whole line caught Scottish salmon a month ago.

Free food is even better than discounted food.

Costco is not only good for meat, I also buy wine there as Barefoot Merlot is £7 in the supermarket, but there I get a box of six bottles for £26.38, less than a fiver a bottle.

I still have to do the main shop, but if by chance we have a zombie apocalypse in the near future TC and I will be eating like kings for a considerable amount of time without having broken the bank.

I am always interested in what other people think is good at Costco, so suggestions would be welcome. 

I have learnt after a few trips that if I do not get their pistachios TC will pout.

Frugally yours

Abigail

X

Sneaky sneaky

The Chap gave me a weird compliment the other day.

"Since you moved in, I've been a lot more regular"

Once, I caught my breath and stopped laughing I gave him a big kiss, as really he thought he was being nice.

I always knew he didn't eat very well, think frozen chicken nuggets and chips.

But I am a big believer in vegetables. I always thought TC didn't like vegetables, as when I asked him which veg he fancied with dinner I always got the slightly disgruntled look of a man offered an insect stir fry.

But after nearly 12 months living together, I have found a new way of dealing with it. I don't ask I just present him with his dinner with a variety of sides. He now eats corn on the cob once I bought some nifty spiked handles, asparagus, mange tout, cabbage, beans..... Well the list is endless.

I also sneak veg in to dinners without telling him. Tonight was a good examples. I cooked a cottage pie, including peas and carrots into the mince and then gave him a side salad with it. It all got eaten and seconds were asked for. 

You see sneaky sneaky!

Frugally yours

Abigail

X

Christmas Saving

Christmas Is coming blah blah blah...

If you are anything like me then I suspect most of the shopping is done.

Judicious use of vouchers has really reduced my outlay.

Take the beginning of the month for example. The Chap is getting a SamsungTab 3 retails for £299.

I managed to get it for £235. By using my tesco club card vouchers and then buying it online to get an extra £20 off, plus another tender as it was my first online Tesco shop. I only had to wait two days, and considering it is still only November that's no hardship.

I have also picked up a couple of surprises, he knows nothing about. The Chap is not at all curious so I am not expecting him to go a searching. But, I am keen to know what his Christmas ideas are for me. He has not asked for any suggestiones and never visits shops. I have arranged all his family's gifts. 

So I am currently reviewing all post office cards saying there is a parcel waiting for him and as the sorting office is 200 yardsfrom my office have also been very helpful by picking them all up for him. If I am being given a Return of the Jedi poster I shall be most unhappy.

Also TC if you are reading (which he never does) any cleaning or cooking implement also comes under the "that is a shit present" heading. 

As it is our first proper Christmas living together I have invested in a special Christmas decoration that the cats cannot destroy.

Isn't he just precious.

eBay  has come up trumps again when it comes to work shoes..check out these bad boys for £1.24

So many nice comments from my lovely new colleagues.

And finally I had my 3 month appraisal (1 and a half months late, but hey who is counting.) and it went so very well. What a change 12 months has brought.. I am now happier, closer to home and saving a bloody fortune walking to work, not to mention 3 and a half hours better off every day.

Whoop de whoop! Wonder what next year will bring?

Frugally yours

Abigail

Sluice

Warmth In Your Bones?

We have just comeback from our holiday just over a week staying at the inlaws villa in Murcia Spain.

The weather was glorious so much sun that I really felt my bones were being warmed. We did nothing whilst there.

We got up mid morning then sat outside until about seven at night before retreating inside to have a shower before walking down to the local restaurants.

Last year we did ten days and only ate out half of that time, this year we threw caution to the wind and ate out every night.

It's not cheap, and as we didn't want to pay for taxis (30 Euros returns trip) to the local town it was cheaper in the end to eat on the complex.

Considering the flights cost us £200 each back in January and the accommodation was free, it was an expense we felt was justified. We rarely eat out at home. 

I spent £200 whilst we were away. And I am fine with that. £400 in total for a week in the sun. You could go away for a weekend in the UK and it would cost a whole lot more without the weather.

So I have started saving, big time! I want to go long haul next year with The Chap. He is completely uninterested in planning it. So destination, dates and accommodation is all down to me.

I am also starting to plan ready for Christmas, as only three pay checks until Santa arrives.

I also have a big tax bill due on the flat I rent out, I need to be ready for.

The washing is done, the ironing completed so time to put the heat of the summer behind us and knuckle down for winter.

I don't know about you, but it is bloody freezing here. I don't like using the dryer so am planning the washing according to the weather forecast.

I cannot reduce the water bill by not washing but i can keep electricity usage to a minimum. 

The heating is not on here at South Fork, so I am writing this wearing a vest, shirt, jumper and hoodie . I am sure The Chap is raging with hormones at my pink fluffy and very thick socks. 

If you are sitting at home shivering like us, then I suggest some early nights under the covers with long chats about the state of the economy or Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball. 

Better pop off, need to empty the washing machine so TC doesn't have to go to work in his under pants and socks rather than trousers and shirt.

Frugally yours

Abigail

X

Division Of Labour

I often think that living with a guy successfully is all about hiding the CRAZY.

My crazy I mean, not The Chap's.

I don't mean clown wearing, axe wielding, rocking uncontrollably crazy. I mean hiding the fact I am obsessed about cleaning between my toes and not telling him  I count everything from steps to windows or those times when I suddenly think of the perfect comeback to a situation I faced years ago and say it out loud.

The Chap is not weird at all. The strangest thing I can say about him is sometimes he can through 3 pairs of socks a day. I don't know why or how, but I find them all over the place.

So, today is a case in point, TC needed a new suit for work, as he flies out to Norway this week, before returning to fly out with me on a much longed holiday.

So we were in M&S moaning about the machine washable suits were mainly slim fit for skinny jean wearing boys and not manly broad chested hunks of testosterone. Clothes shopping, is a chore for TC as he prefers to order items from the Internet, so clothes shopping is somewhere on a par with Ikea, Macros and queuing at the the post office in his mind.

Well, I had a wander off, only looking I promise! And was trying on some shoes when I realised that only half of my toes were painted, literally every other toe on each foot. The lady sitting next to me also noticed and was nudging her friend trying to get her to look.

I had been painting my toes before bed a couple of days ago and had only done every other so they would not smudge then I decided I was tired and meant to paint the rest the following day. I forgot.

So this morning I quickly grabbed my socks, and made a lunge for my trainers shoving them on.

It turns out ....on the wrong feet.

I couldn't then put them on the right feet as TC wandered over, and I was too embarrassed to change them over. 

 I spent the next twenty minutes as he paid for his suit with my shoes on the wrong feet.

I am thirty seven years old..this is a complete fail.

TC is none the wiser.

You see, hiding the CRAZY.

He is happily ignorant and together we are perfectly happy.

What crazy do you hide from your other half?

Frugally yours

Abigail

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New Shades

I have been after some new curtains for the spare box room for ages.

But finding something nice and reasonable had proved tricky.

Imagine my delight at finding these..

Brand new!

And only, wait for it..

£4.

Yes that's right four pound coins.

I picked them up a couple of weeks ago from a car boot and finally got round to putting them up this week when I had a good go at getting the room cleared of junk.

I expected them to be too long / big etc. So was thrilled I did not have to fish out the old sewing machine.

Now if I could get some carpet for a fiver, life would be prefect. Lol

Frugally Yours

Abigail

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Sorry Sorry Sorry

Sorry for the blogging break, but with my new job life has been hectic but I am back now and raring to go.

Firstly, work is great! getting home at five is AWESOME, The Chap loves it. Proper meals every night and no frozen food. I am finding my love of cooking agin as I am not doing it shattered after a ten hour day. he is just working is little socks off and going away to Europe at least twice a month for a few days at a time. 

So I have been spending a lot of evenings trying to clean up the mess all the DIY created. The kitchen is so very nearly finished all that's left is hanging the new door and putting a blind up so hopefully I can debut it soon.

We have been up to Scotland for a wedding which was so much fun.

But I think I told you all about that last time.

My potato crop has been harvested, a little early but still a good amount.

A lot of boiled spuds have been eaten, and we were getting sick of them, so now it's potato salad. 

We've even had the odd spring onion from the garden.

But my favourite thing about the last few months is I have finally got a Costco card.

Being so tight I refused to pay the annual membership fee of £25. So The Chap got a card through work as he is in the favoured professions, then his work very kindly paid for my membership too. I knew that I would never get him to go again (it's on a par with Ikea) in his mind. Hence the reason I had to get my own card.

We spent a lot on our first visit, but it is so worth a trip. Good savings to be had. Meat and fish is getting so expensive to buy at the supermarket, buying in bulk is a great idea.

I bought 48 loo rolls, very good quality for £13

* 4 huge tenderloins for £11.51 that will do eight meals for the two of us .

*4 huge racks of ribs for £10.25' I pay £5.99 for one rack in the supermarket. 4 meals there. Tonight I roasted one rack for 25 mins in dry rub and BBQ sauce  then put it in the slow cooker for 2 and a half hours. Salad and more home grown boiled spuds finished it off with Aldi mayo at 89p / bottle.

*4 huge haddock fillets for £7.98 again 4 meals there for the pair of us.

* 10 chicken fillets that are massive and so much better that the little things from the supermarket at £10.23. One fillet does both of us in a curry.

*of course have the The Chap with you whilst shopping also meant I got conned to also buying a catering size bag of chicken nuggets for 10.69 and another 2kg bag of hash browns for £2.49. Perhaps it's not a bad idea he does not go again.

* Every week we take a bottle of our favourite wine Barefoot Merlot to his parents for Sunday lunch. £7.99 a bottle in Tesco. We got a box of 6 bottles for £26.39 a saving of £20.

*Cat items were also a lot cheaper. I pay £10 for 10kg bag of Catsan in the supermarket and pet superstores, there it £7. And a 4kg bag of GoCat for 6.19 also a lot cheaper.

We spent a small fortune on our trip, but enjoyed spending some time together and I have only been buying vegetables, milk etc since and we went on the 27th July. I am definitely going again in 2-3 months.

In conclusion, it is worth spending the £25 to join and 2-3 trips and you will be in pocket, especially if looking at big ticket items. But, if you can get work to pay, even better!

Frugally yours

Abigail

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