Sashaying into September savings, the frugality continues....

[Fluffycloudland77]

NSD.

Sorry to hear about your cat exasperated.

NSD here and payday tomorrow so just worked out my weekly budget. Im going to save £150 but my budget will be tight as it's my mum and aunt's birthdays this month. No idea what to get them!

exasperated so sorry to hear about your kitty

Got a £177 tax rebate for DH. Nice surprise for us!

NSD5!

So sorry Exhasperated

Was feelling quite hacked off Today so I Spent £50 in the supermarket. That got me chickens for the dogs, turns out the puppies need vastly moré than even I estimated, dinner for 3 days and a load of crápula for DDs to have a sleep over Tomorrow. Only problem is said sleep over is happening here, I agreed in a moment of madness.

I am so sorry Exasperated. The loss of such a loved member of the family is devastating. It is so, so hard even though you did the right thing for your pet.

Thanks everyone. We splurged on a takeaway curry last night as I was so exhausted and sad. It's what the cat would have wanted - he was always trying to nick our food, he loved curry

Yesterday made me realise how ground down I feel at the moment. My 2yo DD is being hard work, she is lovely but incredibly full on. My son was such a chilled out toddler that I've never had to deal with crazy 2yo tantrums over EVERYTHING. DD is ridiculously stubborn and determined, plus ridiculously strong and heavy. Everything is attacked at a run (physically and otherwise!) It's tiring.

Anyway, it's raining here so I might take her to soft play and let her burn off some of the madness Need a couple of bits for tea as am having some friends over for post-school playdate.

Evening all. Today I've spent £55! 50 on petrol, 4 on milk and 1 contribution to a collection at work. I told you there's always one going round! I'm getting mean though as I barely know half the people so minimal contribution from now on in.

This morning I returned one of the costumes for the school performance which was a bit big. Had waited until the day of the event in case DD changed her mind about using last year's. As we'd bought it from the supermarket I got £20 worth of storecupboard things I would normally have spread through the month.

Actual spend today was a hefty £6 because of zipping around on the roads, 80p parking and £3 on a very late breakfast.

LSD yesterday. Didn't spend anything except on tip for dinner out. Today will be quite spendy as need to get the week shop but also cake baking stuff for DD's birthday tomorrow! I know cutting it fine...! But
Dh says he'll be doing it... And if it fails it's off to sainsbos for the hello kitty cake!!!

Well, my car insurance came through today. £247 if I auto-renew with them or £186 if I do a quote as a new policy.

I will be changing insurers as usual

£155 at sainsburys. But that included 3 pairs of shoes for winter (including matching pair for me and dd only because I have small feet and can fit into the kids size!) and cake baking stuff for DD's cake tomorrow. Rainy. So not going out now.

Did a shop in sainburys yesterday but I had a giftcard with some money on it so effectively free. I do think it's so much more expensive than other supermarkets. Then I spent £5 something on pic n mix and clips to baby proof cupboard doors. I though I could avoid this but DS makes a beeline for one in particular where I keep oils and I know im going to be dealing with an oil slick soon if I don't sort it out. He is with his dad this weekend so thought I'd get it sorted yesterday but I need a drill so I'll need to wait for my dad to visit next month. Thought id use a £10 pizza hut voucher last night so placed my order and went off to kill some time but the man ran out after me saying his manager had just told him they didnt accept that voucher anymore. Gutted! Bought a Tesco value pizza at £1.40 instead which was not quite the same. Bet it had half the calories though so not all bad I guess. DS not back till 3 today so will be a NSD today.

oh help there are some strange people on ebay. I once sold something for a couple of quid more than the buy it now price I'd listed. Still it was more money in my pocket so not complaining.

I've done a huge food shop, £125.50, which included bird seed as winter is coming. I will hopefully just need fruit and milk for the rest of the month. I really must make an effort to stick exactly to my meal plan as I need to be putting money aside for car insurance and that day in December.

I've batch cooked loads of packed lunch treat items this morning so they'll keep dd and dh happy this money. They've gone to the cheap cinema showing while ds naps and I cook my first roast dinner this autumn.

I need to get dc some wellies but Tesco or Asda ones will do. Both have new (to them) winter coats but I'm thinking I may have to get myself one. Has anyone seen any good deals?

First post on the September thread - can't believe we are half way through the month. It is much easier to have NSDs now that I'm back at work but of course it just means the purse is out a lot at the weekend. Had a look at the state of this month's likely cc bill and the depth of the overdraft yesterday morning, and feeling reasonably buoyed as we have shaved quite a lot off both. Still hoping to be out of OD and back to saving by the end of November but it is a bit touch and go...

Friday:
£12.00 on socks for DS.
£25.00 top up shop - although what the bloody hell I had to "top up" after spending £175.00 on Thursday is beyond me .

Saturday:
£5.00 on oyster fuelled tube journey/return. (DS is recording a CD with his choir...)
£2.00 on bag of chips for said DS as his stomach is a never ending pit of hunger .

Today:
NSD!!!!! Woo-hoo...finally, a NSD this week.

DS and I are having a lazy day...ironing is done (for me) and homework is done (for DS) so the time is our own. Roast is in the oven and all is right with the world...for 5 minutes anyway .

I hope everyone is having a great Sunday?

£8 in Farm Foods, £13 in Tesco, shouldn't need to get much more in the way of groceries for the next week.

Plus DH has just bought a wall-hung granite fire (really modern, looks like a TV) for £56 from Ebay, but they are over £400 new.

Have sold some curtains on FB local pages, just £3, but all to the good. Somebody was asking about selling on FB local pages, just go up to the bit where you would find a person & type in eg London selling page & some will come up. You can upload pics & chat to people about your items for free.

NSD for me but only because OH went out To get chickens for the dogs, and picked up a few other things. I told it didn't matter which local supermarket so he went To the closest and their chickens were twice what I'd paid in t'other shop last week. He racked up about £50. Add that To (hang on while I think about dollars) about £360 on kennels and deworming pills. Dogs have picked up a parásito on their ventures but are treated now.

Rogue having a lovely Sunday here, Thanks, not surprised you are proud of DS, sounds fab.

Hi, mind if I join?

We have serious financial problems at the moment but I'm trying to turn it into a bit of a game. DCs are too young (just gone 3, and a baby) to be bothered about having expensive things), and I enjoy a bit of frugality if it's just for a while -- here's hoping! We have the in-laws to fall back on if we really can't manage, but who wants to fall back?

Have been selling heaps of stuff on local FB pages, usually just a few pounds here and there, but it's more to get things out of the house (we have way too much stuff, I don't know where it all comes from -- mostly thanks to children's clothes and toys I guess).

Apart from yesterday when we went out for our first family day in aeons, we haven't spent anything (apart from on food and bills) for a month or two. My main priority right now is getting the food costs down down down, while still having yummy and nutritious meals.

Hoping that my next lot of payments come in (I'm a freelancer) before the next lot of bills have to go out at the end of the month. Bit nerve-wracking but that's life in a financial crisis eh?

Everyone's welcome Stitch. Aldi or Lidl are your freinds for cheap shopping but good food. Except the world and his wife shop there now and Sunday morning is not as quiet as it was.

So, today I spent my £20 shell fuel voucher I got off moneysavingexperts offer months ago for £10 plus £1.30 cashback from topcashback and now have enough petrol for most of the week.

Can I bore you about my new broadband? It's from Primus, it's £4 a month unlimited (£2 for the first 6 months) and £10 a month line rental if you pay upfront. I got £57 cashback from topcashback. It doesn't seem to be price comparison sites but so far so good. I had a query the other day and when the operator couldn't hear me she rang me back after re-starting her system so she could find out why I'd rung. Plus it's an English call centre.

£4 on poundshop cat collars as the cat keeps having scraps and losing his. So I got him pink ones. With polka dots.

Evening all. £4.35 today on entry to soft play, coffee and a toasted tea cake! I found a load of reusable nappies that I haven't used today. I bought them while pregnant and naive. Think I'll check out my local Facebook selling pages as I have a few other baby things I want rid of too.

LSD with school dinners. £4.50. Dh stumped up the rest coz I had no change! Bright packed lunch to work.

50p today on toddler group for DS2. Forgot to pay DS1's class money of 50p though, so will pay that tomorrow

Had DS2's first SALT session today (following his assessment about 6 weeks ago). The SALT was really pleased & impressed with the difference in him since the assessment & says he's made good progress & is laying some good foundations for starting to speak. I'm not kidding myself that he's anything other than very delayed in talking, but I'm so proud of him for this progress - it makes it feel more real that a professional has noticed it too Anyway, back to normal after that Proud Mummy Moment

Tomorrow should be LSD, need baby bath, yoghurts & chocolate , but that should be it.

picnmix I didn't use them, but I think there may be particular websites or FB sites for selling cloth nappies on.

Fluffy that sounds like a great broadband deal, will look into it for the new house, thanks

Welcome stitch I have done freelancing in my time (& will do again once the DC are all a bit bigger) so I totally get the money situation. My main work provider was a terrible payer, up to about 6 weeks late & I had to remind her all the time. She was a national 'name', too, so it's not like she didn't have it

adora if your DH is anything like mine, he needs specific supermarket instructions & even then will come back with a load of things you don't need & nothing that you do (but usually a bunch of flowers or chocolate for me too)

Hi All,
I'm back again after a busy and rather spendy summer, as we moved house and then I had to decorate. Also had to pay for my DS' s Scouts trip, Scouts uniform, school uniform and his 11th birthday at the end of this month, as well as a few small gifts for other relatives and family friends. Oh and guitar lessons for the term, until Christmas. Phew!

Anyway, it's been great catching up with everyone's news on the thread, and I'm pleased to report my first NSD for a long time. :)