Frugal Feb gives way to Money-Saving March. Now featuring austerity health and beauty tips!

[Lexilicious]

Third thread after first and second

Let's get saving and enjoying our frugal wins!

summary of links so far
www.organizedhome.com
www.supersavvyme.co.uk/
womenfreebies.co.uk/
www.lovemoney.com/
www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/discount-voucher-codes/
www.poundland.co.uk/top-tips/gardening-2012/
www.purlbee.com/
www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/halfterm
www.makeupstop.co.uk/
www.approvedfood.co.uk/
www.goodtoknow.co.uk/money/cheap-food-deals
www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/perfect_portions

First NSD, yep I've done it. Didn't leave the house at all, although tomorrow I must.

I'll bank any spare cash on Friday so I can't be persuaded to spend it.

Hi All, been a busy few days so haven't signed in. Had a few spendy days on groceries (nothing unnecessary) and no superfluous extravagances. However, a rough totalling of this month's expenditure has been £900 - this does include all entertainment and diesel and woodwork supplies (DH). It's still too high (although significantly lower than any month last year).

Aim: to start fresh again tomorrow and really really focus.

Welcome to newbies ... it's a great thread. Have a look at the old ones as well - lots of useful links and ideas.

Rogue pixie

Thank you for the welcome, I'll delve into the other threads once the DDs return to school next week. That's also when I'll go rough all cupboards and 2 full freezers. Can't imagine I'll need a weekly shop for a while

Chile, it's amazing what you find when you go through the freezer(s) and cupboards. There is a link on here (I think) and the other threads to www.organizedhome.com which gives you tips etc and also blank lists to get your inventories going (although a piece of paper works just as well, I suppose). I did it and found that not only did I find enough supplies to negate a shop for about 3-4 weeks but also made me realise that I keep far too much "in stock" (I mean, this is a home, not flippin' Tesco!!!) and I forget what I have...meaning I go out and buy stuff that I already have .

Am making today a NSD ... start as I mean to go on. Going to come in under £600 this month .

I think lidl's suddenly perfume at #3.99 is a great buy. Am making snacks rather than buying them. Must cut back.

OK, all standing orders for bills and savings have gone out, and we have £644.52 to last us until next pay day. I got a letter yesterday to say that our tax credits were ending at the end of March, but at least we'll still get our child benefit. We're actually earning less as a household than when we applied for tax credits, so not entirely sure why they're stopping them.

I should have a few pounds coming in from freelance work, but not a huge amount. And we need to get some baby-proofing stuff for the house (room divider to stop cat litter being used as a sandpit...).

Saturday £26.00 Lidl spend
Sunday £7.00 Lidl spend
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday NSD
Thursday £5.68 spend on Rescue Night remedy as I am so desperate for a decent nights sleep. A good deal though as Boots have it on a 3for2 and there were 3 of us in the office who wanted to try it.

Friday will be £35.00 for DD to go on the Malvern challendge camping weekend with Guides. Fab weekend, and approx 5000 guides went last year, just keep my fingers crossed that they have good weather.
Saturday and Sunday I plan not to leave the house and start my OU essay so that I don't spend anything

Spew, ours are being stopped too. Our letter said anyone who earns over £26,000 a year with one child is no longer entitled to them.

Spew I think (but am not sure, so don't quote me on this!) that you can ring Tax Credits & ask them to base your payments on your current income, as they usually base it on last tax year's income - might be worth a try, anyway!

Re: your babyproofing - car boot sales are a great place to look for things like this & will be just starting up now (our local massive one starts on Sunday). Alternatively, if it is just the cat litter that is a potential problem, I believe you may be able to get 'lidded' litter trays.

HTH

Tax Credits link

Last night's dinner was from the freezer, pulled out a pack of chicken thighs and some frozen veg. Roast chicken with jewelled rice. I've developed a habit of stocking up even though I may not need it, reaction to income being in peaks and troughs. Also, OH likes to have a stash of non-perishable quick to cook "emergency" food in the garage. We had a large earthquake a couple of years ago and lost power for nearly a week. So, the pantry extends outside the house.

I also fell into the habit of using my small amount of personnel money for household expenses, but that's sorted now.

Will check website later today, thanks for the link roguepixi.

Not sure how much needs sending today, vet bill probably around £250. -ish

Grrr! Just wasted an hour trying to do my weekly online shop at Sainsbury's, but it won't recognise my updated card! The old one expired yesterday and the only thing that's different about the new one is the expiry date, so I tried several times to add the new information, but no joy. I've e-mailed their customer services to moan about it and to tell them they won't be getting my custom this week. I am fuming now, because it's such a waste of time. Grrr!

My week is getting more and more expensive after a good start. Yesterday had to put petrol in the car(£50) and pay for son's haircut (£20, don't ask! It has been such a source of trauma in the past!), then £4.32 today on bread/breakfast cereal/eggs. But my total food shopping for the week still only amounts to under £5 and the fridge and cupboards are looking much better!

£117 for me this week.

Including weekly shop for 2 adults and one child. Sister's birthday present, cards for her from us and the kids and some crafty bits for making Mum's mother's day gift.
Some false eyelashes and some tights for me for a night out later in the month (wallet growns) a £2 mascara (which is every bit as good as my Dior one).
DD's pocket money, some socks for her, also so iphone apps that i really didn't need

So I don't think I have done too badly considering this is my first week of scrimping...

Hello all - have had a few NSDs post knee op (only spend so far has been £20 on taxi back from hospital on Monday)... not really the best way to avoid spending cash though DH renewed our car insurance on Monday - he shopped around and managed to save £250 on insurance - and I renewed our contents today (again, shopped around and managed to save £300!). Amazing how much insurers charge nowadays...

Less then a tenner today for me, £3 on soups for the weekend, £1 on spaghetti for tea and then about £4,50 on sweets and dfrinks for me ands the dd's at playgroup, chocs are our weekly treat and I try and stick to that.
SHopping day tomorrow and a few bills to pay.

I am going to try and claim my PPI's back this month. I had 2 loans and one huge credit card all with PPI on and I wasn't entitled to claim as I wasn't working when I got the card and loans. DP was working so I got them based on his income+benefits but I couldn't claim when he lost his job. I have been meaning to claim it back foir about a year but I never get around to it and with the loans totalling around £10,000 I am hoping there could be quite a bit to come back.

No food wastage yet this month so I'm sticking to one monthly target

Have spent an eye watering £52 today!

£32 on new shoes for DS. Luckily they are slightly bigger than they should be due to one foot being bigger than the other (one foot is just over a size 9, and one foot just over a 9.5!) so we have a new pair of size 10s! Hopefully they will last him til summer!

£20 on a new (to us!) fridge freezer from HomeAid. We have been on the list for one for months, and finally they got one in! Ok, its not great, needed a good clean, but it will do us until July when we move.

On the plus side, my brother finally transferred the £45 he owed me for going halves on Dads birthday present, and I am selling my fridge and freezer, and should make about £80. So really, Im in profit!

Wow, you and your DH saved a fortune, dinky! It just shows how worthwhile it is to shop around.

Good luck with reclaiming the PPI, debs.

A fridge freezer for £20 is a real bargain, DanJar :).

I spent £1.10 on a bus fare and 80 p on a chocolate sponge cake from the Co-op. I needed ot to cheer myself up, after the online shopping didn't happen!

Thanks for the carboot tip, Jen - I might try and get out to one this weekend.

£3 spend today on a baby/music group. That came out of my weekly £10 odds and sods money. Then met a friend at her house, rather than coffee shop, so that saved £s.

Hopefully a NSD tomorrow, but if any spend, it'll be minimal.

Well, got the last of the school books, 2 Maths text books EIGHTY POUNDS!!

Road tolls to get there and back £2.40, plus 70km's worth of fuel.
Lunch out £10- and it was only a salad with a bottle of local water and a small coffee
Parking, no idea! I use a card for the shopping mall car park but when I left the system was down so it might be a freebie or I might be charged until "leave" again

Tried to pay the vet but their office was closed, have to go back tomorrow.
Also have to take the DDs out all day tomorrow as the house is being fumigated, no cost this time as it's a repeat application. We paid about £140 at the beginning of Feb.

Need to buy nuts tomorrow, I get a kilo of shelled walnuts for about £9-ish from a local grocer. That, plus a kilo of almonds, lasts a month on average.

The house is full if dust this afternoon, the kitchen floor is being done. Just a few chipped tiles to be replaced, oh and ALL the grouting removed and replaced as OH wasn't happy with it. I just went in there to answer the phone and I'm not kidding, visibility is reduced due to the dust.

Ooh, almost forgot, 60p on a bar of chocolate all for me, half of which is stashed in the car.

NSD here today

Woo hoo GossipMonger and issimma! Have a very late St David's daff to celebrate.

My day got worse spending wise. We were given tickets to a West End show by a friend who is in the company, so decided to go - I took the kids and one of DDs friends. £12.90 on some ices and chocs, and £27 on parking, but decided it was more cost effective to take the car and park than pay for train up and taxi back. Also had to get money to pay the dog walker, who we forgot to pay last week. So all in all spent around £110 today.

We did have a brilliant time though and it was fun to wait at the stage door for someone we knew

Going to try for my first ever NSD tomorrow.

Bad start to the month on the no-spend front, with a £77 bill in Waitrose. But but but, that included some simply bargainous things:

Mince: £4/700g pack full price, on a buy 3 for £10 deal (meaning they knock £2 off if you buy 3), reduced to £1.09/pack--> 3x£1.09=£3.27, £3.27-£2=3 packs of mince for £1.27. I therefore got 6 packs for £2.54- more than enough for the whole of March. Five are now sitting in the freezer, one going to be made into moussaka tomorrow evening.

Used same system to get bargainous raw king prawns (down to £2.75/pack), salmon steaks (down to £1.99/pack), and blueberries (a slightly different offer at £4 for two packs, reduced from £2.49/pack to £1.39, so £1.39x2=£2.78, minus £1= £1.78 for 2 packs. I got 6- we eat a lot of blueberries in packed lunches etc. All fish now in freezer.

Yeay for multibuys + discounts!

chilena, can you by any chance shop for the textbooks online in future (do they have Amazon where you are? -Not just The Amazon)? £80 does seem steep for 2 textbooks.