Juggling July - Frugaleering into Summer

[roguepixie]

New thread for everyone here.

Good lord Adora, those vaccinations are extortionate. I'd image take up rates aren't great in chile.

Should have been an NSD yesterday but I ended up in A&E. My eye condition is in massive flare up and the pain was unbearable yesterday.

I've been a bit stressed thinking that the college job (zero hours contract) might not offer me hours next year but charity job boss thinks she may be able to offer me another 10 hours a week in that job which replaces those hours.

I also spotted a job yesterday which is twice the hourly rate and home based so I'm planning to apply for that. It means working through the holidays but I can tell the "oh we might need you or we might not but we expect you to keep three entire days available until the last minute and we won't confirm your timetable until five days before we expect you to start working it" college to off.

Good grief adora, that's an insane amount! (Suddenly extremely grateful for the NHS and the free roads here!)
I'm going to try for a no spend day here today.

Yep Fluffy low take up rates on anything isn't administered in school, not all DCs get to attend school, and DDs are outside the age range that authorities have agreed for the new strain of meningitis. So our choices were don't bother or pay for it. OH has had meningitis, luckily was cared for by the much slated NHS and recovered pretty much unscathed.

Not sure if I'll bother going to shops today, I should get kitchen towel, Cif, chamomile tea, chicken and summat else, but I don't feel inclined to spend me pesos.

Helena hope A & E were able to help with your eye. That zero hour job sounds like more stress than it's worth, good luck with other one.

Zero hour contracts are just evil. It's all weighted towards the employer.

NSD today.

I did get shopping, OH wanted to take DDs to a fun place nearby for lunch and we swung by the supermarket and vet's after lunch.

20 quid in the supermarket on stuff that will go through the weekend to about Tues. OH spent 75 quid on dog food. I'm going to start weaning them onto raw food and try to make what we have now the last bags of food we buy. He also paid about 575 quid for the 9 nights of kennel fees and deworming.

Tomorrow someone he knows through business is coming to view the house, but they already know they can't afford it, so I'm confused as to why OH thinks it's worth them looking.

£20 on candy floss and fish and chips by the sea.

Need to get big shop in and have just done list of things to get for when kid goes back to school like shoes!!! Argh.

Yesterday spent £3.80 at Costa for me & DS1, then had my hair cut & took him with me. He was really good, stood watching buses out of the window the whole time Haircut was £18 down from £55ish, from Groupon. Then spent £3.50 in Tesco for cheese, lunch for DS (ran out of time & juice - if you spend £3 or over they let you use their town car park for free. Then £3 on a bed guard my friend was selling, which we need for camping as DS2 has not tried a bed yet & the bed in our van is really high.

We are going to the seaside (about an hour away, same county still!) today, to a Parks park, to try out our folding caravan before we go away for the bank holiday. It is £40, & we will buy fish & chips etc, but I am packing other food & entertainment is free. Just hope it doesn't rain!

I know this is a spending thread, but I need to vent. We are supposed to complete on our house purchase on Wednesday & the tenant is still there! She has had plenty of notice, plus an eviction order from the court, which she has appealed against & lost and she is still there! She should have been out on Thursday! Makes me and a little bit desperate

So sorry you are going through it confused. I hope that tenant is removed quickly. It seems so hard to actually get people out.

Quite a few NSD's here. Can't help but not spend as problems with home life make it impossible.

NSD.

Could get used to this.

Did big shop. This month has been pretty good. Three big shops (usually weekly - and July has been more of a 5 week month I think). Today was a £110 shop at sainsburys but managed to break it into 2 shops of £60. First £60 went through and I claimed a £2.50 'the previous shop was 2.50 more than it should have been' and got the 10p off petrol coupon which is great. Then put the rest through and that came to £60 too but because the first shop spewed out a whole load of coupons I used a couple, one of which was £9 off a £60 shop! Whoopie doo.

Then came home had lunch and went for walk in the woods nearby.

Tomorrow should be an NSD. Christening and then buffet.

Good frugallering takeaway

Hope you get the tenant problem sorted quickly confused, that was the main reason OH refused to let the house we had in the UK while living here.

Spent a tenner on a prescription for sleeping pills, anti acid pills for heartburn and paracetamol.

Tomorrow should be an NSD.

People liked the house today, but as previously said, it's out if their price range.

No listing fees on ebay again this weekend, I've just discovered :)

Been so busy this week, have been reading but not had time to post. Did first shop with our new £100 p/w budget - £85 at Lidl, £31 at Morrisons, but the Lidl shop included several monthly items so the cost of those will come off the next few weeks' supplies. Is it sad that I am excited by the challenge of cutting our costs down? Just shows the difference a proper plan can make, and having both people on board.

On the minus side, one of the slings I sold on ebay is having to be refunded. The guy messaged me to say that his wife was unhappy with the colour (I had accidentally described it wrong - my bad) and that there was no travel bag with it 'despite being pictured'. I don't have the travel bag, it's not pictured or mentioned in the listing Anyway, he was very nice about it and what can one do as a good seller but offer a refund? Will relist when it arrives back, just wish it was here now so I didn't have to pay to do so.

£2.00 on muffin for DS after swimming. £4.00 on bagels for lunch/breakfast. No other spending ... feeling very good with myself.

£44 on big food shop....but still need bread.

£15 present, but I should get 10% cashback if topcashback will price match quidco.

Thank you for the tip about eBay.

Not a NSD unfortunately. Gave £10 to church for a donation thing. Bought oven gloves on sale as a housewarming present £10. £10 for coffee after church.

But had free lunch after christening and then popped into halfords for free car shampoo and sponge! Dh bought another sponge for dc as they were arguing.

Happy week ahead everyone!

NSD for me.

I haven't posted for a while but I have been keeping up with everyones efforts. It's been a mixed month. In many ways I think we've done ok but we had dd's birthday which was done on budget but it's not an expense we have every month and I bought house insurance. Very pleased with that though as cost £143 but getting £45 cashback. When I bought my first house we went to a broker and it cost nearly £550! Suppose there are some pluses to getting older and wiser.

I've made a summer holidays calendar with dd so we can plan our frugal days. I have quite a few Tesco vouchers I may start to use. We're off to the library today to sign up to their book challenge. It's free and will hopefully keep her quiet for a while! I have also done what I thought I'd never do. I've discussed behaviour with her and said if hers is consistently good (with some leeway, she's only human) that she'll get something special before going back to school.

Confused Congratulations and I hope this week goes smoothly for you.

Yesterday was finally an nsd! Shouldn't spend too much today as taking ds1 for prepaid swimming lessons every morning this week, then meeting friend at park this afternoon. Will probably need bread, bananas & yoghurts from farm foods, plus a snack for playdate.

Camping went ok, spent about £20 on drinks, chippy dinner & coppers for slot machines. Ds1 kept waking up in night, most unlike him, due to.thunderstorm which sounds much louder under canvas! Ds2 was fine on his first ever time not in a cot.

Not been on much lately either but have been lurking. July has been a struggle but we're almost there now and finances are looking ok. Worse than they would have done had we not had to replace dh's car and have the work on the roof done, but better than they would have been had we not been frugal all year.

We had a bbq here at the weekend with lots of friends and family which cost a bit but was so worth it, it was great and the weather held until most people had gone at about 1030 (pm!). Stocked up using 2 Aldi vouchers from the Mirror, thanks fluffy We are now on a mission to only buy fresh fruit/veg and dairy between now and going to France in a fortnight and use up store cupboard and freezer stocks.

Need to try to plan for the France holiday too so as not to spend unnecessary money

£1.30 bread, marked down. That'll see me through the week.

£2 on parcel tape and colour catchers.

Definitely a no fritter day. I sent off my old CDs to music magpie for £6 + 60p cashback from topcashback. It's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

There seems to be an aldi voucher at the end of every month.

Bought veg for dinner and tomorrow's packed lunch, £3.70 at the green grocers plus offal for the dogs. We are moving them onto a raw food diet and I am reliably informed by google that what I've bought is corduroy trousers something got lost in translation. £1 for 600gm, spent £4 on it.

I again appear to have a full freezer to work through.

Rogue did DS enjoy Prague?

Went to the Asian shop and bought £59 worth of food. That should last us a good few months though. I now have a freezer full again and we go away in 3 weeks. I need to get through it! Happy days!

NSD yesterday and might be another today if the rain keeps up. I do need to post some eBay stuff though.