Austere August come join us!!

[takeaway2]

New thread.

confused thanks, we had a lovely time :) With young children, there isn't any need to go in the palace itself, you can just pay for parks and gardens and they will run themselves ragged all day. We had a picnic, played in a playground, got lost in the maze, played in the adventure playground...didn't even make it to the butterfly house this time.

Spends: £30 worth of diesel in the car, £13 on entry, £7 or so on cups of tea and ice creams, then £20 on booze after the three hour drive home

I was talking to a woman at Blenheim who said you can get in for free via 'the green gate' - she gave me rough directions so we may google map that one next time we go!

Planning a very lazy day today as DC both still knackered after two action-packed days out in a row. Need to get cheese for tea tonight, so will walk down to the mini Tesco. I have promised them both that we will not be going anywhere in the car.

Oh no Just got a letter from Tax Credits saying we owe them over £2000 I will not challenge it as I can never work out their calculations, so I assume they are correct. I just hope they let us pay it over a longer period, I will not be able to get that much together by September, especially with house move & baby!

Also got scan date, for next Thursday, & I don't think DH will be able to make that

Not a good day today.

Bloody hell confused, it never rains eh :( I don't know a single person who has had straightforward dealings with the Tax Credits people.

Have just rung them & agreed to pay £60 per month for 3 years, starting end of September. I reckon this is doable, as we have paid a lot off of our credit cards, plus DS2 should get some nursery funding soon to help with his speech. It's just a pain! But, tbf, we have had the money, so if we have to pay it back, so be it. I still don't understand their calculations at all

Small spends today - 55p on lemon juice, £4.30 at charity shop on toys for both DSes (including 2 puzzles for DS2 that I can do games recommended by the speech therapist with).

confused I know exactly what you mean about not understanding the TC people, year before last I got 7 separate award letters and then lo and behold they decided I'd been overpaid! Will be paying it back until 2017 and panic every time I get anything in the post from them.
£2.10 parking for the cinema, tickets via nectar and we took our own snacks etc so LSD today thank goodness.

I don't think the tc people understand it from the sound of it. What a horrible thing to happen to you.

Glad you're able to pay it back in installments Confused and I hope DH can wangle the time to attend the scan with you.

My OH got up early for a meeting, but it's a holiday so the other party, who asked for the meeting, decided not to attend

Not sire if we're getting shopping today as need to use OH's CC, his other is definitely stuffed.

Today just goes from bad to worse! I have been unable to get hold of my midwife to try to see her before my scan on Thursday. I have been trying her for 2 weeks. Doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. Also, I have been unable to get hold of B&Q, from whom we ordered a toilet cistern for the new house, over a month ago. They said they'd call us when it was in. They didn't call. Now they have texted DH to ask if we still want it! But when I ring, the phone just keeps ringing out.

And finally, DS1 got far too overexcited playing in the garden, very rough & boisterous. Despite me telling him repeatedly to calm down, he jumped really hard on the slide - and broke it. Their favourite garden toy It was from freecycle & we've had it 2.5 years, but still!

Tomorrows another day confused. I bet he's gutted about the slide.

Yep, what Fluffy said, hope you get the MW and B&Q sorted quickly.

Did shopping, OH slipped in office supplies so it came to £200 (ffs). He did score a flash box of naice toffee from the same car dealier who we got the chocs from last week, they are desperate for him to buy another car. The peed him off over a service and he complained to the head office.
Then £40 in the farmacia on supplements for DD2, seems to be working and she is getting taller.
Today we (finally) spoke to a dog trainer. It's going to cost us £400 for all 4 dogs, for 12 classes and the important thing is he's going to train OH too

confused are you sure it's not worth contesting? A few years back I had a letter saying I owed 1500 to TC - debt had gone to an agency who were chasing it.

Basically they applied the charge because they hadn't received a form saying my circumstances had changed. They'd never paid out as I was no longer working (or indeed even in country) but were treating me as if they had. It was all a farce but eventually sorted.

I had a NSD yesterday - went to friends for afternoon/evening and took wine we already had in and a tart that I made from store cupboard ingredients.

I bit bullet in Thursday and did shopping at cheaper supermarket that I usually avoid and bill came in about £35 cheaper than usually would - I really have to make effort to continue that.

Which supermarket was it Platinum?

It was a Carrefour (I'm not in Uk) I'm not overly keen on them (fruit and veg very hit and miss) but for meat, store cupboard and cleaning/toiletries they are considerably cheaper.

At least I stuck to a meal plan and I'm bulk cooking today.

I keep buying Xmas pressies!!
I'm justifying it that they are all reduced by silly amounts in various shops, and I won't need to get when prices jump in November. I've started a notebook so I know what I've bought for who, to avoid doubling up. Also means I get collect and hide it from DS's before they are home on Tues

Going into town today to have a mooch in Poundland, without DS's asking for all sorts of crap stuff, and 2 collect some reserved items from Argos.

We had Carrefour here when I was little, it had an ice cream counter in it and I'd have an ice cream cone from it every week. Loved it. If you saved 35 a week every week that's nearly a 1000 a year saved.

Hotukdeals.co.uk is good for Xmas presents, they had nook e readers for £29. It would be perfect if I had anyone to buy for who would be remotely interested in an e reader.

Well I had a lovely afternoon. I was able to go into all the stores that are forbidden when with DS's due to cramped layouts and grabby little hands
I spent £52, but this was money that I earnt during the week sellling DS's outgrown toys on Facebook, so cost neutral really. I've nearly finished my boys' stockings, and finished 3 other people completely, so I'm happy with that.
Should be a NSD tomorrow as going to spend the day at the allotment with DH :)

Only spent £9.65 today on chips for all of us. Tomorrow will spend £10 on a new (secondhand) slide for the boys. Am making DS1 put £1 towards it as part of his punishment for breaking the old one.

Just had Dsis on the phone rabbiting on about how she & DBIL have just spent £10k on a diamond ring for her & a Tag watch for him And to think I baulked at spending around £500 on a Hugo Boss watch for DH's 30th birthday . Makes me feel a little as I'm sure we'll never be able to afford anything in that league, but I know we have what really matters - a lovely little (growing) family.

Confused I have an SIL who can't understand how anyone could be unable To afford whatever they want. It's not that she's a high flyer, she still lives at home aged 45, with her teen DC and pays jack shit towards the house hold bills because she's saving up To buy a house -cash. I wouldn't want To be her.

Another NSD for me, we drove out To the coast and OH paid for food & petróleo etc.

£43 on weekly shop.

Signing back in, after my last post which was back in March I think. Plodding along trying not to spend but it is difficult in school holidays. We want to be OD free by November and will have big cc bill next week. Childcare costs will be better by the end of Sept as DC starts school and I return to work ft. There is hope that the £ situation will improve but I want to feel more enthusiastic about saving on a daily basis and getting out of our OD so we can start having a more interesting savings goal!

Not a great weekend for spending, but tomorrow is a new day. Money coming in soon, but goes straight to bills, so at least it won't be seen to be missed.

£10 on McDonald's and beer.

£16-ish on my CC today, that's birthday gifts from/to DDs using their pocket money. DD1 is now debt free and enjoying the feeling

The peeps made an offer but way below the price we've dropped to. Weather is improving and blossoms are just beginning to come out, early, so we're planning to do another open day in a few weeks.

Good luck with your OD and CC Pluto

Fluffy I thought I was the only one who squanders money on dirty food, seems I'm in good company though

Not had a bad weekend. We were at a big family gathering that was all paid for. I was asked to make a cake which I was more than happy to do. It ended up costing me about a tenner but I didn't spend anything else and I was given £30 'to help pay for the school holidays'.

I have dentist appointment this week for a filling, so I think that's about £50. I'm planning a cinema trip using Tesco vouchers and treating dh to a meal out also using vouchers.

Have a good week everyone.

Spent £10 yesterday on replacement slide for DSes (got DS1 to contribute £1 as he broke it by deliberately jumping on it, but did feel a big meany, as he is only 4). Then spent £9.60 in Farm Foods on milk, bread, washing powder, bananas & orange juice.

Today will wander to the village at some point to post a parcel for Dmum, have promised the boys we'll try out one of the many teashops whilst we're there. Then she wants me to go to Farm Foods again & get milk & sugar for the office. Then I want to try & go to Sainsbury's & get stuff for camping. I normally use Tesco but have a voucher for 6p/litre off fuelif I spend £30, and fuel is cheaper there, anyway.

Otherwise I have a busy week with scan on Thursday, which it is doubtful DH will make , midwife just before scan, 3 x playdates on Wednesday & on Friday we are heading off to Gt Yarmouth to camp for a few days. I do wish, though, that people wouldn't think that just because I'm not working I can pop here & there for them, then do this job & that job - quite frankly, most days I'm out most of the time & it is awkward with 2 small boys in tow anyway!