Juggling July - Frugaleering into Summer

[roguepixie]

New thread for everyone here.

Lots of excellent frugaleering going on. I let the side down this morning as I had half an hour between meetings in Birmingham during which I managed to part with £20 at Muji on storage boxes - kidding myself it's necessary spending for new house.

Daisy thanks for the app tip- will give it a look. I've meal planned the remainder of the freezer contents up until moving day and I just need a few fresh things plus cereal and bread to see us through.

Found out we can have an exemption on Council tax on the new house until we move in which is great, though sadly more than offset by our underestimate of the bill for fitted furniture for the bedroom. They are DH's suppliers and he thinks they are taking the p*ss - hoping he can negotiate it down.

Daisy - well done to your DS for his SATS results

Nsd, couldn't be bothered to go out earlier.

Hopeful NSD today which will make it 10 I think. I think I've got out of Brazil. I need to book a flight to Asia for November. I work at a university. All the flights are for work reasons. Really sounds more glam than it really is as I hardly get to tack on time to look at things and places as I have plenty to keep me busy here unfortunately. Having said that it is fascinating.

To the person who was asking about translations....,(sorry I'm on phone and can't scroll!!!), I think that's a great idea but perhaps you'll need to just do an amazon search of what's out there and try and pitch your work to slightly quirky but still sellable. It may be that you take all sorts of French-inspired cooking.... And not just traditional French. Obviously you'll need to know the French market as well or at least the French speaking market.

Well done Daisy's ds.

I always cut DH and DS 4yr hair when he will let me. It easy once you get the hang of it, just make sure you have the guide on. DH has a number 1 on his little bit of hair and I do number 2/3 on ds.

Hello again

Well done to your DS Daisy. Great results.

Bit of a spendy week here I'm afraid as had to pay our holiday balance but I am so glad we booked in feb as if we had known about the dry rot then we wouldn't have felt we could have a holiday IYSWIM.

NSD here today (first one for ages). Woo-hoo

Re haircuts...I used to cut DS's hair but he quickly rebelled and now has his haircut (so that it actually looks trendy) in Hob Man. DH, however, hates hairdressers, barbers etc and gets me to cut his hair - we've been together nearly 30 years and, in all that time, he's had 2 haircuts in a salon and barbers and the rest have been me!! Believe me when I say I learnt on the job and am now akin to Nicky Clark in comparison to how I was then!!!

well done to helena and daisy's DC for splendid results

(I am a teacher so feeling an urge to give you both sparkly stickers saying "well done!" Just about restraining myself)

Sold a big box (10kg) of old games consoles, games etc (seems like we had every nintendo since the SNES!) to a game website for £200 and have 3 lots on eBay that they wouldn't take too. I think they'll deduct money from the £200 as not all the items were pristine but I'll be chuffed even with half that.

I need to claw back some money as I caved and had my hair coloured. The roots were getting out of hand.

£5 in aldi
£20 petrol
£40 on three posh lampshades from John Lewis. Full cost would have been £100 . Obviously lampshades is where it's at for making money these days.

Took broken steam mop back to Costco £35 refund.

Spent about £6 today in Tesco (reduced yoghurts, crumpets, cakes, fish gojuons plus butter & much needed squash, drinking loads in this weather). Then £4.35 in Costa afterwards as a treat for the boys. Then £1.40 library fines & £1 on a tshirt for DH from charity shop.

Aniticipate a lunch and/or coffee spend tomorrow as we have to go into town to go to the appeal for DS1's school place. Fingers crossed it goes OK.

Artemisat that's a good amount for games you don't want any more

Great bargain at JL Fluffy

£31 in Waitrose - reduced to £16.00 with a £15 off voucher ... woo-hoo.

£6.99 spent in Boots on sunscreen for DS to take on his trip to Prague. Btw, when did sunscreen get so expensive??? (just goes to show how long it has been since I've been anywhere where sunscreen is needed .

Oh, and forgot to list that I spent £280 in Costco on Tuesday .

Not doing so well this month - seems very expensive so far. What I am doing though is being very conscious of what I'm spending and not frittering the money away so it's an improvement.

Off to Heathrow tomorrow morning to deposit DS with his school trip - have to be there by 0530 so it's silly-o-clock get up for us in the am...argh.

£59 at the vets (& poss more on Monday... sob....) plus £3.89 at chemist and £11 in lidl.. (barely bought anything....)

Tomorrow I need to go to the PO and I need some cash for ds1 who is going on a day trip on Sat with friends...

Swear it's like someone has turned the money tap on......

£3.50 top up shop in Asda.

Its all gone totally out the window here, car decided to break this week and it cost us £500 to get it fixed. DH needs it for work, luckily we borrowed one while it was down so he didn't miss work. Then last minute bits n bobs for the holiday, the school uniform order, still have to do shoes for them. Serious knuckling down to do after our holiday, at least I will be able to concentrate on it then.

£6 for lunch with a friend I've not seen for a while. Tomorrow will be spendy as have to do big shop (haven't done one in two weeks since before I went to Canada) and because inlaws will be in town.

Sorry about car costs. Nightmare.

I'm rubbish at NSDs . I seem to be constantly buying salad. Firstly because we're eating lots and secondly lettuce doesn't seem to last very long these days, it goes soggy and limp. Wish I'd planted my own.

Also have to buy a new blazer for dd this weekend. Yesterday dh had to put petrol in the car so that was £30.

Today I spent £2.40 in new buttons for a work skirt and £11 on face cream.

Daisy, hope your dog is ok.

loopy if you put a sheet of kitchen roll in the bag with your salad it will last a bit longer.

I'm finding that imminent move + lots on at work + DC being hot and grumpy is making me disorganised and less frugal. I plan to get properly back on track after the move. I'm going to need to now the bills are rolling in.

We have managed some money saving though: I managed to make an owl costume for DS for nursery with stuff I already had in, and DH is pleased he has acquired some vintage light fittings off our new next door neighbours that will look good in our living room.

Thanks Spangle, I'll try that. I used to do that, but recently have been forgetting

Spendy day yesterday - met some friends for a picnic where we all had to contribute food and went a bit overboard as didn't want to look cheap. Bought far too much! On the other hand we can eat it all at home, so not much will be wasted, and we can put off going to the supermarket until we've eaten all the picnic stuff.
But I wouldn't have bought the £10 salmon so still

£2,60 postage of Ebay item, so factored in.

£40.00 in John Lewis on knitting sundries - not exactly a necessity but will be used.

DS is now in Prague!! Can't believe my baby (6'1", 13 yo, 12 st is there without me. Argh. Finally realised that he really doesn't need me anymore...I have done my job well .

Another few years rogue and you can have a drink every night safe in the knowledge no lifts will be required

£23 eBay postage and 62p on crisps.

fluffy. I have a weird feeling (in that it is probably the closest I will ever come to being psychic) that he will be one of those 23yo's that are happy to call at 3am asking for a pick up and lift back from somewhere in England . Knowing me...I'll get in the car and start driving .

I am stupidly proud of him - he is only 13 and is so tall for his age that he is often thought to be older and therefore act differently. He is responsible, clever, funny, polite, amazing, cool and ... my buddy (his nickname since he was born has been buddy, or bud). I just had that moment today, that epiphany...that he is moving towards manhood and doesn't need me in the same way (he is still cuddly though). And I thought, wow, I've done well there.

Sorry, shameless "I'm-so-proud-of-my-boy" hijack .

Oh, and just spent £6.22 to send a letter that has to be there tomorrow, on behalf of DH. He'll get that back though so...technically a spend but will get cancelled out.

Spent £3.40 today on my last solo swimming session for 6 weeks , then £3ish in Costa on a coffee & biscuit. Also £2.10 on sandwiches for a picnic, as I forgot to take the bread out of the freezer last night

Whilst I was at Tesco I saw them putting absolutely loads of reduced meat onto the shelf, so will head there shortly in the hope it's still there & vastly reduced to get rid of it

£3 in co-op on booze and cat food . I've tried to stop he cat drinking, I really have.

Lol! @ fluffy!

£7 at post office and then £11 at Tesco - did have some christmas gifts in that (vastly reduced!) so I don't feel so bad!