Mumsnet Talk

helena when dh unlocked my phone O2 did it for free. They gave us a code to put into it and that was it.

I'm sure Costco do branded formulas cheaper, just in case BF doesn't work economy.

£3 today in Aldi on paracetamol, Jaffa cakes, bread, pop and crisps. Approved food have my fave Xmas puddings so might be more later.

<lurks>

takeaway2

I thought you weren't allowed to spend any money at all for the whole of February!! I was thinking how does that work unless you have a massive freezer for meat and milk, grow your own vegetables and only go places that are walking distance!

I see now that you are allowed a budget for groceries and a budget for travel. That I could do. The one thing I would struggle with is meeting up with friends. Most of us don't drive so rather than taking it in turns to go to eachother's houses it is easiest to meet up at our nearest town or shopping centre which means you have to at least buy a tea/coffee from somewhere.

Another from the January thread . Marking my spot. Will catch up properly later

It was my mum's bday last week so took her for lunch today which ended up being £54 for 3 of us. Not the best start to the month.

Just pondering on expenditure:

1) does it make more sense to pay for school dinners (£2.20 per day x 2) or send them with packed lunches? They moan about having school dinners but then I find half their packed lunch uneaten (and I only give them what I think will actually get eaten). My thinking is that if they have a proper dinner at least its more filling (but really I don't know how much of it gets eaten)

2) Does it actually pay to do an online shop? Everytime I do one I seem to spend loads but not actually have that much to show for & am then popping to local shop every other day for top ups. How can I make an online shop really work??

Give up the TV (licence).....legally.

Do you really NEED to watch the same as everyone else at exactly the same time as them....? Isn't that just a bit inconvenient - and wouldn't it be better to watch stuff when YOU want to.

It is legal to watch "non-live" iPlayer. ITV Player, 4OD etc. WITHOUT a TV licence. We did this 5 years ago - and have only watched online pre-recorded stuff since. (They don't like to advertise this fact and try to make it confusing - but it IS the case).
For a year or two they will send you threatening letters but if you aren't watching live TV then there is nothing to fear.

Also - if you only watch pre-recorded videos (Charity shops up here do them at 10p each!!) and there are plenty of films we still haven't seen and the VC contyains the same folm as the DVD, BluRay etc. VCRs are typically available for pennies or free on Freecycle if you moved to DVDs when the industry decided you should.

Nappyaddict
I think it would be brilliant if we didn't have to spend at all!! But yes I think the idea is that even if you don't spend 2-3 days at a time, you'll feel better and it's another day closer to payday or whatever.

Today I did a shop and spent £60 odd but had a £5 voucher so that was fine. Didn't buy everything on my list and so am going to aldi to get the rest, for a small party tomorrow too. Hoping to get it for under £20!!

Mikey9, what evidence did you have to give the licensing people that you don't use live broadcasts anymore?

I cancelled mine yesterday but they couldn't think what on earth I could do to prove it. So I have no licence and no refund.

chasingtail I too have struggled with the whole online shop thing. But I have almost got the balance right now. For me, if I can stay out of the supermarket, I tend not to buy things I don't need. So, I get my meat online from Donald Russell (I go for the offers and buy in bulk, and it is very good quality), I get my milk, fruit and veg in a regular weekly delivery from Riverford, I make my own bread (as I said before I get my flour in bulk from Shipton Mill and buy with a friend so we don't pay postage), and I go to the supermarket for the other stuff. This means that most weeks there are things I can make as I always have the fresh veg and a freezer full of meat - and DH doesn't have to get milk on the way home and buy lots of other crap because he has no self control and can't resist a 2-for-1 deal on anything.

Fluffycloudland77 - we certainly never have given them any evidence (it isn't your responsibility to prove you don't - it is theirs to prove you do!!) - have just repeatedly told them then just ignored their threats which have stopped for some years now.
The Licensing site indicates they will refund 3,6, and 9 month periods. I would go back to them and ask for the refund with the webiste in front of you.

We even still have an old skydish and aerial stuck on the chimney and the house is wired (prev owners) throughout for sky (I think...?).

Quite simply - the bottom line is we don't watch live TV - so they are not able to prove we do - however hard they try.

Hello, can I join your lovely February thread please? I'm also from the January gang

Had a spendy day,

House fumigated -£120
Lunch out with DDs due to fumes in house -£15, that was local so no road tolls.

Don't what the weekend holds, my badly twisted ankle might curb
activities tomorrow. Sunday we're collecting OH from the airport, ankle permitting. Oh, and I forgot to seal the dog food before the chap sprayed so that needs to be binned and replaced . Bags are only half full.

Oh Adora, you are having a rough time of it aren't you?

What does the fumigation kill?

Well my NSD was ended by DH ripping his work trousers (where they were thread bare so no way of repairing) so I've had to order him new ones, although its on my next account and doesn't need paying until the end of the month/early next month.

But I was good DH offered to go buy Chinese for dinner as I've been ill but we had some left over pork in the fridge so I made pork stir fry and egg fried rice (never made the rice before) and it was just as good if not better than the takeaway! so overall I feel today was a win.

Chasing tail...I find I spend less shopping for food online...no temptations!
I use ocado and have a delivery pass so it coats me £6.99 per month to get a delivery whenever I want (there are cheaper ones if you are happy with mid week dels etc)
I live in a village so paying the £6.99 is less than I would cost in petrol to the nearest town.
I spend £60-70 online and top up at the co op when needed = £100 per week.
I would love to get this down but don't seem to be able to ATM (4 of us to feed so I supposed £25 a week each isn't too bad...)
I have been buying quite a lot of clothes for the dc on e bay lately...they are both having a growth spurt ATM and I can't afford new clothes.
Have had some really lovely things actually...designer even!
Just heard that my cousin is getting married in the summer and whilst I am delighted for him I am dreading the cost..that makes me sound awful doesn't it?
New clothes for me and dc (dh has loads) and a gift and travel....argh.

There's a book on amazon called the takeaway secret, all the recipes for things like currys and sfc.

It gets very good reviews.

<hangs head in shame>

MesDV what did you do? I'm sure it's not that bad!

Thanks fluffy although I normally just get recipes online when I need them and save them in the notes but on my phone if they go well so I have them to hand.

I got on the tube about 3 minutes early thus missing off peak. Because I was chatting
I bought a trackie for DC5 because its bright blue and cosy and he looks so cute in trackies
I popped into Boots for painkillers and they are selling off their Time Delay stuff for half price so I stocked up a tiny bit

I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON.

MrsD what's happened???

Chin up mrsDV tomorrow is another day.

Tomorrow my plan is to take dcs to the park if it's not raining and them back home for lunch and homework in the pm. Then cinema sun where I have already saved £4 as I've convinced them a homemade snack box is infinitely better than buying one there trying to work out if I should put the cash from savings like that into a pot to mount up, or leave it in the current account, what does everyone else do?

true for the foreseeable future any 'non-spent' money gets left in the current account as we have an overdraft of about £500 to clear. I long for the stage at which I can actually save some money!

Chin up mrsd only the 1st today, you have the rest of the month to keep at it

MrsD we all have days like that, you're not such a terrible person

Fluffy the fumigation deals with most things really, but my main issue is ants millions of the fecking things last year we had them coming out from under an internal wall. We also have a dangerous spider here.

True I would put the savings in a secret pot because my OH would fritter it.