Austere April - Frugaleers continue to the next quarter!

[Leilandri]

Come and join us for another frugal/thrifty/down-right stingy month!

NSD finally after the holiday break! I think it's my 5th one for April. I even got money back as I returned something at aldi and got £5.98 back. Yesterday did the food shop for the week (and more) and spent £62 at aldi (got a £5 voucher to spend there). So with today's money back my weekly shop there was more like £56 which is great considering my previous sainsburys and ocado and waitrose used to come in at at least £80 or more.

I will need to pop in to get ham and possibly bread tomorrow or day after but I've written meals out till next Wednesday or so just based on yesterday's shop so I'm happy.

Hi All, need to get back on the wagon after our holiday.

In fairness, a week in a 3 star hotel in Portugal for me and DS (10) cost under £450, including flights and travel insurance. I found it on travelrepublic.co.uk two weeks before we went. We ate out every night, usually costing 18 to 26 ? for both of us, but we made 5/7 breakfasts and 6/7 lunches ourselves. We also deliberately didn't do anything "extra", such as outings and excursions, as the point of the holiday was enjoying the pool and the beach :).

Anyway, I'd meal-planned before we left, so didn't need much to keep us going until I get my maintenance on Thursday. I took out £20 in cash today, spent £17.30 on food, £1.10 on my bus fare and 20p on a library fine for DS. I have £4.70 left until Thursday, as I still had just over £2 left from travelling money yesterday too. It's fine, as I will just need milk and bus fares for tomorrow, when DS has to lug his guitar and swimming kit home after school.

Glad you had a good holiday cremeegg, sounds lovely .
Small top up shop today £9. Nothing else though so April still good here. Made curry for tea and to freeze today. More curry and bolognese tomorrow. Determined to be prepared when the hordes arrive.

Thanks North. Sounds as if you'll have lots of tasty treats for all your guests :).

I made a lentil bolognese myself tonight. There's enough for tomorrow too. All good :).

NSD yesterday. Today I need to pay school lunches for the term so that'll be £107.10 but I cannot deal with the whole packed lunch thing (and that is for 2 dc) and then we're heading to the library after school , I have no idea if they will charge for new cards as I have no clue where our ones are need to declutter my home

No NSD today. Paid £4.40 for school dinner this week and then £9 for a sainsburys shop including 3 packs of ham, 2 loaves of bread, some sauces and a toothbrush. That's ok.

For me, freezing milk and bread is the key to a fortnightly shop. That and cooking lots of perishables or eating them more in the first week.
I actually managed a meal plan the last shop. Feels half pathetic for not doing it before and half a huge achievement for finally managing it!
I have even managed lunch time meal planning and reducing waste. My latest thing is googling what I can make with leftover stuff. Yesterday I made a dip with leftover yoghurt and cumin etc I had in the cupboard anyway. It was fab and we had it with leftover pittas (they are v cheap why didn't I know?) and crudités.
Exh is home this week early do I will have done unexpected dc free time. My challenge is to do contents lists for the cupboards and make a selling plan for bits and pieces

Hi all, today I've spent £8.01 on petrol (using change fished out of the big cola-coca saving loose change bottle!) and £10.53 top up shop in sainsburys.desperately hoping the petrol and food will last until Monday morning when I can spend again.havent done too badly this month-went £35 over budget but will still be able to clear my cards on pay day and save some money.was hoping to save £135 but will probably only manage £100 unfortunately.just counting down to payday now - has seemed like a long month for some reason! Got lots to pay for next month -hol spending money and taxis to airport,sons birthday trip to legoland to book and pay for and want to pay more off something else I've got to pay the balance for in July.also got not and service at the end of may but can pay for that the following month.I daren't work out how much I've spent on food shopping this month but I'm going to try really hard to keep it as cheap as possible next month -the fact we're away for a week should help too!the less I spend for may the more I can put into saving when I get paid at the end of may.well done everyone and keep up the frugality!

Mot

I've been experimenting with doing a monthly shop. Meal planning takes a while as I do 23 dinners, 28 lunches and 4 weekend 'treat' breakfasts. I then buy all my tinned/packet stuff from Aldi for the month along with the fruit for the week. I then do a weekly top up of fruit and milk. At the end of the month we've usually had a meal at pil so only have 4 dinners to 'find'. We then eat the portions of dinner I've frozen during the rest of the month or put together something out of what we have in. It makes some interesting meals but means my weekly food budget is now around £55 a week. We have organic dairy, eggs and tea but we don't eat meat.

Fluffy Have you seen Quidco is now free?

I've enjoyed the Easter holidays but glad dd is back at school and weather has improved so spending lots of park time with ds. Have sold a few bits on ebay as we're going away next month and I'd like to get some spending money together.

Glad you had a good holiday Creme

Yesterday was an NSD, DD2 wanted a slushy from the donut shop, I said no as we had frozen berries and ice at home. She also wanted to buy things for smoothies, again- No, we already have food at home. I'm getting good at this game

I will have to spend some money either today or tomorrow as that Czech beer I ordered arrived. That'll be £25, my extravagance for the month.

I'm thinking about doing a fortnightly or monthly shop but I'm not sure because these strange pre-teen creatures that have replaced my DDs seem to be helping themselves to food at will. Seems like it'd be safer, not to mention cheaper, to just have a couple of day's supply available at any one time.

No I didn't know, topcashback will convert into tesco points now though.

Thanks adora. Enjoy your Czech beer :).

Total spend today: £4.30 (£2.50 on bus fares and £1.80 on rubber gloves and a tv magazine. But I earned £2.80 on a couple of carrier bags full at Cash for Clothes.

Another good day here.
Re school dinners, I've done school dinners on my work days and packed lunches on my 2 days off. However I got more and more unhappy at what they were getting for£2.10 a day and the were always hungry at the end of school. So with a heavy heart but pound signs at the back of my mind, they are now on 4 packed lunches a week. It is more work but worth it I think. I bought a food flask type thing so they alternate hot meals.
My cooking for the freezer fest goes on [yawn emoticon] . Tonight mince in the slow cooker to be split and converted to chilli and bolognese. Half a ton of chicken curry now ready for freezing. Carrot and coriander soup and beef casserole tomorrow!

Re the fortnightly shop idea, I definitely think it helps in terms of frugality but still the most crucial thing is planning and only buying exactly what you need. I think the longer you have between shops, the more you tend to have to spin things out if that makes sense??

Did a top-up shop after school run, bought DD2 a slice of cake too as she's feeling left out, DD1 had to do joint homework again but this time with her best mate. So, £3 on cake and a coffee for me, £22 on top-up shop.

Don't think I need anything tomorrow, fx for another NSD.

Yest was spendy as I had to pay for hot dinners for the half term £109.70 but tbh I'm happier with this cost than making packed lunches, so that's a choice I have to live with. And dcs school employ their own chef so the food they get is locally sourced (or grown at school) good quality food. They do come home hungry but no more so than after having packed lunches. And it means I can get away with toast, beans, eggs and veg sticks for dinner with fruit kebabs (and a crispie cake) for pudding, and I know they've had 5 a day without me having to think too much. can you tell my brain hasn't got over the new baby yet? And he's 4mo!!

Today should be a NSD

Should be a NSD today. Bringing lunch for me. Paid for school dinner for DS already. Am desperate to get this fantastic face cream that's been talked about in style and beauty but might leave that till I get through my current creams.

Really pleased with the top cashback doing Tesco points as im saving up my points for doubling up for clothes or toys for Christmas so that will help me on my way. Thanks to whoever mentioned it. I had another nsd on Monday but popped into the shop yesterday with my sister so spent about a fiver. Im at 10/12 nsd so keeping track and trying to stay away from the shops is really helping my finances this month so hopefully ill break even.

What's the cream in style & beauty?

Got to post an eBay parcel today so I'm long to have a go at doing it online as my local post office charge more than the post office in the next village but no car today.

Boden goes well on eBay doesn't it? I've got 30 watchers!.

Oh crap the ironing board just broke. I am never buying Minky again

Fluffy I have a giant Ikea ironing board, it is fab and you could knock down walls with it it is so solidly built.

Things have gone a bit pear-shaped the last few days, I've been getting really anxious which always makes me loose with the purse strings.

So today is a NSD so far, and I think can remain one. I have £53.24 in my purse, which along with the food shop I'm having delivered on Friday needs to keep us going up until the 26th. If I can do that then we will come in ok for the month I think.
I'm very keen not to overspend because we are going away for a couple of nights next month. I've already paid for the hotel and breakfast, but with petrol and meals out we will need £300 spending money. Trips while we are away will be free because we are going to use our NT and English Heritage memberships. Finding that next month will be no problem provided we don't go over this month.

I've realised the ironing board came from Costco so I will be taking it back. It's only 3 years old.

Yikes at going to Ikea

Royal Mail online postage is fab, you have to pre pay a minimum of £3.50 but you withdraw any you don't use straightaway.

Ali, have you looked for restaurant vouchers for your break? Sometimes topcashback and quidco have ones that money saving expert don't list.

My arts council cards came today, valid until 31.7.13 so I might not need national trust membership this year. I might buy it in October though so I can use it all next summer but pay this year.

The cream www.bravuralondon.com/moisturise/problem-acne/glycolic-acid-15-night-treatment-50ml.html

Ta!