Austere August come join us!!

[takeaway2]

New thread.

Hello! Unexpected NSD! Went to spa and the lady who did my back massage was the best ever ever. Seriously. I have v bad knots in my shoulders and wow she's the first to ever sort them out. If I lived nearer I'd be living on toast and joining up as a member...!

Because I drove my friends to the spa (an hour in total) they paid for my sandwich and a crepe/coffee.

But I paid £30 for a cake for Sunday - dh's birthday. Yums.

Think the British gas deal is abit of a fraud thing. Unless you really don't live at home during the week I don't see how you can use electricity mostly on Saturday. I guess you could save all the washing on that day but still it'll more than made up by costing much more on the weekdays.

confused fingers crossed your house gets sorted.
takeaway I could do with a spa day like that. Still, holiday in 9 days so can't really complain
I've had a good week for spending and the weekend shouldn't be too bad either.
Had to send ds off with £10 this morning but that was to get him to Old Trafford for the cricket where he got to play Kwik cricket on the pitch at lunch time (his idea of heaven on earth!). Maybe that will make up in part for having his bike stolen . He saved up birthday, Christmas and pocket money last year and spent a lot of money so is gutted.

Hi, can I join you lovely ladies please? I seriously need to budget better as every month we spend the last 10 days scrabbling around to keep the bank account from reaching the overdraft limit. Not sure what we're doing so wrong as in theory we should be able to manage with our income . I will be reading all the tips and hoping to pick up some sage advice! northender sorry to hear about your ds's bike, it's awful to think someone would steal a child's bike.

We've been having freezer and cupboard meals all week. I wish our leftovers were more like Nigel Slater's! Shopping tomorrow though- we get everything at tesco and use their credit card on things we can't get in store, and then use the clubcard points for days out, etc. Just means ignoring my lofty principles in favour of a cheap day at Thomasland .

what kind of massage did you have takeaway? I have a dodgy shoulder from lugging the DC around.
oh, and confused, I also spent a year in brussels . Loved it.

Unexpected spend for me, but not too much. Should have been a freezer dinner night but I haven't managed them as feeling rough, worked out it's the sleeping pills so they are being changed. So, £4-ish on frozen pizza and ready chopped salad for dinner. Then another £4 om wool, DD2 needs it for a school thing so that comes under my remit.

Have canceled Pilates tomorrow so that cost will be next week now. Still need to go out to do errands and pick up a new prescription.

Will catch up when feeling more human.

It was just a back massage. The person who did it though was fabulous. I slept really soundly last night too. Amazing as the last few nights have been rubbish. Wake up about 2am and that's it... Rubbish when I needed to be at work etcetc.

Today may be spendy. Need to get some basic supplies like milk and bread - and some of dh birthday presents. Happy Friday everyone!!

confused I'm going to Antwerp to stay with my dearest friend. Am actually posting from the Eurostar Have a great weekend everyone!

Have a good time Exasperatedsigh.

Today WILL be a NSD. I'm going to look into new dual fuel and BB providers

Dh gave me a back massage once, I have never slept so well before or since.

fluffy I've just moved our dual fuel & broadband etc with top cashback, saved abt £40 a month and got over £100 in cashback too. Moved to scottish power and virgin.........

Welcome newbies.

Happy Friday too, to everyone.

Enjoy your day in Antwerp Exasperated.

Today I have spent £4.00 on bagels - DS has a serious bagel habit at the mo . However, that will be the only spend today.

I will do a freezer/fridge/larder dinner tonight...and over the weekend!!

Hi all,

I was on these threads before but I think it was back in January or maybe February!!

We've had 2 years of fairly heavy spending on renovating our house and garden (and splashed out on a new car a few months ago) and we're having a baby in a few days (hopefully, 39+5 and ready to have her now!) so there was a bit of spending for things like travel systems and clothes and stuff! Luckily we had the money for all of the above but now we really do need to cut down a bit, especially as all the MAJOR spending has been done.

I LOVE budgets but I'm going to wait until January before tracking everything and until then just keep an eye on things. Left this year to pay is farm insurance, house insurance, DHs birthday (although it's in August so this year I'm just giving him a baby!) and BIL birthday (we just give him ?20 in a card).

We used to do our weekly shop in Aldi/Tesco but due to lack of energy we've just been going to Tesco the last few weeks and our spending has definitely gone up. There's a big new Aldi opening soon in our town and we're going to JUST shop there. Although I have to say - I was quite happy using Aldi cleaning/laundry products but now that I'm back to using branded products I really do notice that certain branded products are better - so maybe keep an eye on the Special Offers in Tesco and stock up when on offer.

Ok, really need to stop waffling now. I'll check back in when I can.

Ended up spending today... £6 in Lidl for a bit of baking stuff and 4 cans of cheap beer for DH (who bought wine last night - I'm trying to stop him buying extra booze... ) plus £100 for a weekend away in Nov (it was booked months ago when money wasn't tight..... and I can't cancel). Oh and DH went to dentist so £17 ish for check up and another £35 for a replacement filling..

This budgeting lark is getting to me... I can budget and I will stick with it but DH still keeps buying stuff (unessential stuff such as something for his car). I ask him not to spend or to discuss it with me but he still spends.... I don't know how we can sort ourselves out if he doesn't help me stop non-essential spending.....

Hello all

I have been on threads previously, but an unplanned baby kinda put a spanner in the works, so I have been living with my fingers in my ears going 'la la la' about money for the last year or so. Baby no.3 is a delight, and so worth it

I am back on full pay now thankfully, and go back to work in 4 weeks. My childcare costs will be £385 pw, and that is just for the younger two. Thank fuck for tax credits!

I am now selling baby stuff with great enthusiasm.

I also have a husband who likes to spend. Grr!

I have a husband who likes to spend too, but he is getting better.

I remember you Valium, you were about to have the baby when you were here last.

Aldi cleaning stuffs not tested on animals though, and the bio powder beat Persil in Which? Tests to come level with ariel. I use e-cloths ALOT and it's saved me loads over the past few years. My cleaning cupboard is now;

Washing up liquid
Multi surface cleaner
Astonish cookware paste (also not tested on bunnies)
Dishwasher tabs
Rinse aid
Dw salt
19 ecloths
Laundry gloop (home made laundry detergent)
Sp vinegar.
Bio powder.

Mine spends his time looking at yachts for sale we have two DDs to feed clothe and educate, and they are not getting short changed in comparison to his son but we can't afford toys like that. He's always wanted to sail around the world.

Exhaspersted hope you have a fab time with your friend

Valium congrats on DC3, but those child are costs how do people afford to work with costs like that?

North that's rotten, my bike was stolen when I was a kid, then we saw the toe wrag on it and the police said they coudn't do anything because there was no proof that he had stolen it, and of course we coudn't just take it back because that would be stealing.

Takeaway glad you got such a good massage and hope DH has a lovely birthday.

Helga great idea for a birthday present

I will have to spend some money today, have to go into town to swap something and pick up prescription for different sleeping pils, it's two different areas which is a pain. Another agent, one that we fired, has said they have someone who might want to view the house tomorrow, so I need to dust and vacuum etc in case they turn up. It's not in a bad state but we do get a lot of dust here.

Hi Fluffy gosh I did not realise I was on the thread that recently. Well, he is 9 months old now, so not that recent.

DH had said we were doing ok financially, but had kept quiet about the credit card bill which is over 3K. Men eh? Still, no point worrying, but hence why I am back here. I need to regain control.

Have spent too much. Got wellies and shoes for DD and a pair of geox trainer looking shoes for me. All on discount but still £70. Then dh presents about £50 (bought other things already). Then a hot dog which Dd and I shared £2.75 and a happy meal for £2.49. I should really be banned from the shops.

Gave away DD's old wellies though - so I feel good about it.

Re child care - yup they are that expensive. When DS and dd were in childcare it was nearly £1500. Now it's 'only' £750 per month. Yes I get the childcare voucher which allows me not to be taxed £243 (yay...) but bloody hell. And they say we can afford it.

Adora, are you in Chilli? I seem to recall it is somewhere rather exotic. I seem to have vague recollections of toll charges to go everywhere.

Just been on an emergency visit to the dentist for severe pain a week after having a tooth prepped for a crown ouch and ended up having to pay for a prescription for antibiotics, so my NSD didn't happen :( then to make things worse I did a bit of retail therapy in Sainsburys (where the car was parked) but kept it down to 14 pounds spend so not too bad and I did pick up my favourite quiche :) Really didn't need any food shopping so a bit disappointed with myself, but was feeling sorry for myself when I came out of dentist ha

£5 at the park for icecream and £4 for dd dance class which isn't too bad, leaves £35 for the week for petrol and anything else out of the £100 I want to have as my weekly budget.
Also swapped some of mt nectar points for cinema tickets so a treat for the children for next week, hoping for NSD tmrw and Sunday

Yes Valium, and yes the fecking tolls, and we have a tag on the car for the roads without toll booths.

I also have to confess to retail therapy a sweater it's a lovely shade of purple so that's okay £40, I don't usually spend that much on my clothes so it must have been those pills that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it

Spent £13 today at Tesco on nappies, doughnuts to take round my grandparents' house & mince. Plus £3.50 at Costa as a treat to say well done to DS1 for completing his swimming lessons - he has done an intensive course this morning & was in bits the first morning & swore he wouldn't go back, but by today he was really enjoying it & even swimming half a width or so with just armbands Although, in other ways, he has been an absolute toe-rag this week (whingey, demanding 4-year old) so I'm definitely focussing on the positive!

DH did the weekly shop by himself this evening as I didn't feel up to it. He did it in about half the time and spent ?30 less. Guess we know who the impulse shopper is!

Hello all :) Can I re-join?

I posted last in June (I think) and DH had just been made redundant and things were looking very grim indeed.
Pleased to say that after 5 days of gut wrenching panic and despair, he got a job again :D
We've now actually benefitted from his redundancy, as his old job paid him 2 months salary as a package, and he got paid quickly from his new job.
He also heard back from a PPI claim, and has paid off his outstanding loan, so we are now ahead with our plan to be completely in the black financially by year end. I have 3 payments left to my IVA, and then we're done
So far this year we've paid back - £1080 to nursery, £400 to my parents, £750 overdraft and £7300 DH loan. HUGE to everyone on these threads from last year and earlier 2013 as your money saving tips and support have been invaluable.

The problem is that now our finances have improved somewhat (still along way from being comfortable) I have slipped into old habits of sporadic and non essential spending :( So I'm signing back up again to reign myself in!