Judicious January - Long may the credit crunching continue

[roguepixie]

So, the credit crunching team are into Year 2013. Happy New Year everyone.

Let's continue our cost-cutting, , money saving,penny and pound pinching, NSD ways.

Thank you I didn't know that. We do have a branch but I've never ventured in there so no idea if it has a coffee shop but I will find out friend just phoned me in tears her dh has taken all her money but £10 and told her she has to account for it to the penny with receipts. I HATE him and I wish she'd leave him :( :(

£1.44 on bread.

Oh Stormforce, how awful for your friend :(. I shudder to think how much worse things would feel for her if she didn't have your support... Hopefully, she will see sense in the end, but all you can do is be there for her until then.

Only spent 50p on a 2nd class stamp today, but my expenses on card at the weekend have caught up with me! £303.10 on my quarterly utilities bill (I budget £120 for it every month, so the extra £57 has come in very handy after our trip away :) ) and just under £76 on an online shop at Sainsburys. I will only need milk, bread, fruit and veg until next weekend though.

I also changed my euro back into sterling at the Post Office, and was a bit disappointed to get just under £195 for ?270. Still better than if I'd spent it all whilst away though!

Oh Storm that's terrible for your friend, I'm so glad she has you. Don't let him push you away, he's almost bound to try. I don't know your situation, but could put a little bit aside for her buy food/toiletries if she leaves?

NSD here today, I'll need more fruit juice soon, homemade ice-lollies are going down a treat I think we're having a mini I hope heat wave, 36C this arvo. OH bought me coffee while DDs played volley ball today

Not much interesting to report here. Renewed my sports membership, which was £140. But I chose swim only as I rarely went to the gym, so that saved me £100 or so. I can freeze the membership for 8 weeks or so after the baby is born, so I won't lose out.

So today I spent £7.50 at a local shop on lentils, coffee and rice milk, £2.50 on bread, £2.50 on baby wipes, and £15 at the pound shop mostly on bibs. So if I can still count at all that makes £27.50. Gosh, that was complicated at this time in the evening :o

DH spent £1.45 on busfare for him and DS's to meet me from work today and 65p on milkshake for DS1 while waiting for me to finish. (Joint account, so his spends count )
£12 on haircuts for me and both DS's. They now look like little boys again instead of curly haired girls! and I have a lovely swishy bob instead of a ratty ponytail Might treat myself and actually use the Aldi hairdye that I bought 5 months ago and go a deep burgundy colour

Storm How horrible for your friend :(
MrsFrugal Such a shame about your house, but lucky that you have that option. Hopefully you can find something else that you can fall in love with.

Friend came round earlier and I gave her £40 which is basically the unexpected money I got from BT yesterday. She needs it far more than I do Don't expect to see the money back but I want to look after her. She's talking about leaving if she can but they have 2 DD so its more difficult for her than some :(

Otherwise it was a NSD and I'm going to count it as one as the £40 was a lovely surprise and I'm very happy to put it to such a good use to help a friend. I need it more than BT she needs it more than me.

Storm so sad for your friend, but it is really great that she has you. It sounds like you are being a big support to her.

NSD here today as didn't get newspaper. Friend who had us round for lunch also gave boys dinner to save them from yet another night of pasta!

Predict a small spend tomorrow - library for story time, visit charity shop while there plus get newspaper & milk for DS2. Need to look for some thick jumpers for DS2 as there is a cold snap forecast for the next couple of weeks!

You are a good friend indeed, StormForce xx

Dentist was okay yesterday. Well, expensive but no fillings needed. Dd needs to have some sealant put on her back teeth so thats another cost coming up but I'd rather that than them have bad teeth like me.
The car started first time for dh this morning...yaay! jenduck I don't think DIY is an option for us and the car as there are so many different things that could be causing the problem. Just hope we manage to get through to Wednesday.
Almost 50% of our monthly budget has already gone and we're only on the 10th of the month . I'm still hopeful we'll pull it round though. A lot of the expenditure has been one offs and I now have enough food probably to last out (apart from the fresh bits and bobs)
Sticking to the meal plan and finding the expense manager app really helpful for recording spending and reviewing where our money goes.

stormface, what am amazing and loving friend you are. Hopefully your friend will follow her instincts on this and be able to address what is so obviously an abusive relationship. You are wonderful to be there for her and to be so generous.

Very spendy day yesterday: needed yarn for project and for squares for a blanket (other thread). I also spent on some body lotion and some food.

Need to spend today at the butcher - totally forgot that it is my anniversary today . Only my DMum remembered!!! Both DH and I had completely forgotten. So, I am going to make a nice meal and we will open the chilled bottle of Prosecco that DMum and DDad bought us. (It came with lovely choccie truffles too, so that's dessert sorted)

Then I plan NSD's tomorrow and Saturday. The garden needs attention so, weather permitting, I will be digging on Saturday.

A very spendy day and its only 11.30am.

£5 on coffee and some breakfast with friend who phoned Womens Aid after our talk last night and talked to someone there about her options. Yay first step.

Then FIFTY SIX POUNDS in Aldi That did include 2 presents for parties DDs already been invited to this term, a big thing of freezer bags as we've run out. Loads of fruit and , 2 big blocks of chedder, more butter and various other bits hopefully last us a couple of weeks though some of it may not be very fresh by the end of it but good for soups etc. Also got some cleaning stuff. I resisted all the lovely marked down Christmas offers and the chocolate so feeling quite virtuous.

I cleaned the fridge out and found a pack of tomatos I'd forgotten about far past their bestg, some dried out grated cheese and some peppers so made tomato, basil and pepper soup for the freezer . In the past id have just thrownin them out

Stormforce, that's fab news about your friend :). And I think you can take a lot of the credit for your support.

Rogue, happy anniversary! Enjoy your special meal and . :o

That's really good news stormforce. Well done to you for supporting your friend so well.

Storm that is great that your friend has made the first step to improve her situation. I hope she has the courage to see it through, it must be so difficult

Happy anniversary Rogue! Dare I ask how many years?

Northender it's a shame you can't fix your car yourself, but positive that it started this morning! The repairs may not be too expensive after all! And I'm sure you would be able to ask to pay in instalments, if it helps.

Only spent 40p so far today on a paper. But going to Tesco once DSes are awake, so will spend again there. Need to get some children's scissors, among other things, as DS1, aged just 4 & in pre-school, has been given his first homework of cutting & making a paper rocket! Also spent £8 last night on the Mothercare website as saw the Happyland circus down from £20 to £8, so will stash it for DS2's birthday in April. Went through topcashback so got 40p back

Oh, also, for anyone who is interested, you can get free fish & chips at BHS restaurants every Friday lunchtime between now & 5th February, when you buy a hot drink! I plan to go tomorrow, park in the nearby free car park, buy me a tea & DS1 a hot chocolate, then meet my friend at a soft play round the corner link

storm, well done for supporting your friend & helping her towards her first step

Rogue, have a nice evening!

£18 in Sainsburys today (DS's nighttime nappies on offer, £1 cheaper than normal, £6 half price jacket for him for next winter, 99p on that knitting mag for me & some other baby bits).
£5 in Lidl on Milk, juice & 'parmesan' (t'was rubbish! Lidl is very hit & miss).

jen, oooh, good tip! Might have to take DS, he loves fish fingers!

Eco-friendly cleaning MN-ers...where's cheapest for borax substitute & white vinegar?

I had sort of meant to have a nsd today but failed. spent £2 on cherries (gosh, I do love cherries though :) ), £2.50 at a charity shop on a skirt and 3 t-shirts for dd, and £6 on a new thermos flask that was half price. Me and dp use ours loads but it is about 6 years old and getting a bit scummy, also this one has 2 cups!

Depending when dd wakes from her nap I might go to clarkes for some advice on first shoes for her. She is just starting to totter about and desperate to walk whenever we go to the park so she needs something a bit more sturdy then her moccsons in this weather. So that may well end up with some money being spent.

I have a vague memory of borax being used in gardening...garden centres might have it or old hardware stores or places like homebase. Dripak will post it but the postage is extortionate.

If you want it for laundry gloop it isn't really needed.

I find aldi a bit hit and miss for cheese, the mature is lovely but the mild cheddar was rubbery. Didn't stop me eating a whole block in a week though. I think there's another Italian strong cheese that's cheaper than Parmesan, I can't think of the name though. It will come to me later, it grates the same as Parmesan.

Was going to be bad but I need soya milk and bourbons.

I'm trying out a new sunscreen to use instead of Clinique city block, it's a Hawaiian tropic one. I wear sunscreen every day so I get through loads.

Storm, you should post in relationships for your friend, you'll get lots of advice about divorce etc, I was listening to radio 4 today and you can still get legal aid for divorce if there was DV. Worth knowing.

Dd's first shoes...£28! Argh!!

They are super cute though and she had a lovely time tottering about at the playground :)

Happy anniversary Rogue and MrRogue

You're not the only one who forgets, don't worry, my birthday is coming up and this is the first year since moving to roasting warmer climes that I haven't needed to be told it's my birthday. Problem is for 30 odd years it was in winter and the last 10 it's been in summer, really messes things up.

Storm I'm so glad your friend has taken the first step. Be patient with her, it may take much more time for her to actually leave if he doesn't genuinely change.

This morning I spent a fiver on drinks and ice-lollies post volley ball, later I'm going out to get a ready roasted chicken I'm not putting the bloody oven on in this heat and more fruit/juice/salad and ice-cream.

Tomorrow we're out for dinner, OH wanted to take me to scaryspensive hotel's fabulous but extortionate Italian restaurant but I've vetoed that and decided I want to go to more reasonably priced provided we don't take clients Italin restaurant.

adorabell you're obviously not in the UK its freezing here - ice lollies and ice cream are the last thing on my mind. We're having cottage pie for dinner, proper comfort food

Thank you everyone. Well, we met in November 1983 and got married in January 1993 so ... what's that ... 30 years together, 20 years married .

Oh. My. God. I never knew we were that married.

MrRogue always just says the combined amount when asked, which is nice (I think ). Anyway, steak, chips and veggies with Prosecco and chocolate truffles and Baci for dessert.

Fluffy cheese like parmesan, either pecorino or grana padano? I find pecorino has a very distinctive flavour and I don't like it as much, but grana padano makes an excellent substitute for parmesan and is a third of the price.

Spent £12.80 on a top up shop at Waitrose, but only bought things I needed and will hopefully be able to avoid a big shop until next week now. Also used £10 John Lewis voucher that I got from answering surveys, so less than £3 actual cash.

Estate agent has valued our house at more than I expected, which is obviously great news, although I got a but weepy tidying up before he came at the prospect of leaving it. We have also arranged to see a house on Saturday so we've got the ball rolling and I hope seeing a few places will give us an idea of whether this really is an option for us or not.

Happy Anniversary rogue