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

[Fluffycloudland77]

NSD.

Adora - did something happen to your dh's job?? I thought you were looking to move back here?

NSD!

Nothing major takeaway, it goes through peaks and troughs and this country is getting more and more expensive. We are trying to move back but it hangs on selling the house. When we moved here he kinda failed to take into account the cost of healthcare, health insurance and education, oops!

Hi everyone, wondering if I can join in? Its payday here for us, we get paid monthly, so want to get the month off to a good start. Its a really tight month for us, so need to make the most of the money we have!

I've been lurking for a while and have picked up a few tips, and its good to know I'm not the only one pinching the pennies. Sometimes it feels like I'm the only one scrimping!

Claret Well done Ironing out that agreement for spending, hope your DH sticks to it.

NSD here. OH is trying to change the car I use, which was his choice, surprise surprise the dealership won't part exchange for a much cheaper model. I imagine we'll end up swapping so that he uses the gas guzzler, now that he's not restrictiva to an awkward parking bay. If I can Get him to agree to it. I do moré miles than him during term time.

Lineup good idea stashing cash in the cupboards

£21 on waxing, £5.75 on lunch and curry chips for tea too, as I was on the go all day and too hungry/tired to cook by the time I got back, £3.30 on travel and £6.51 on some shopping. So, £36.56 total.

Really hope you manage to sell soon, adora.

£11.85 on a small food shop today. However I do now have a freezer full of pasta bake. I really want to defrost my freezer but want to do it when DS is with his dad so I don't have him climbing up my leg and trying to get in it. I just can't get my timing right though and have too much in it when I have a DS free weekend. Oooh my life is just too exciting at the moment as this is something that occupies my thoughts!

Adora, I hope he sticks to it too!

NSD for me today. Interview tomorrow, which would mean £240 a month extra in wages per month - fingers crossed.

Adora, check the credit agreement for voluntary termination although if you paid for it upfront it obviously won't apply.

After you've paid a certain amount off a finance agreement on a car you can hand it back with no financial penalty. They don't like you doing it and make a fuss about "updating your credit record" but I've done it and gone straight into another car on finance with no trouble.

It's in the small print. The easiest way to find out is to ring them and ask how much it would be to voluntary terminate.

Fluffy it's a little different here, but still posible and the finance isn't through the dealership or manufacturer so if it comes to it he'll have to take what they offer. Even if it's punitivo it'll Get us away from the running costs we're incurring with it.

picnmix could you skip buying food this week and forcé yourself to eat the contents of the freezer?

Sounds like the dog trainer is here, TTFN

Welcome to Theonlypink

morning fellow no spenders

using up contents of freezer until monday here, as DH not paid until Mon!

so it looks like this menu for the week ahead:

tues: spaghetti bolognese
(using bolognese i froze last week from a batch cook)

wed: sausages, potatoes, broccoli & gravy (but i dont have any gravy)

thurs: spicy chunky beef casserole & rice/potatoes

fri: spaghetti, peas/veg & homemade passata

sat:
lunch: brunch/scrambled eggs
dinner: homemade pizzas

sun:
lunch: roast chicken & yorkshire puddings
dinner: leftover chicken & rice

monday cant come soon enough, i'm trying hard to distract myself from going near shops!!! it's HARD!

Yesterday spent £4 in Co-op for ready meal for boys' dinner (must get more sorted on football nights, it's at a really awkward time), pork mince & cream soda. £4 for football for DS1, which he loved & 50p for toddler group & 50p for DS1 class money.

Have today spent £9.70 in Tesco on lots of cakes (to take to playdate tonight), bread, milk, grapes, casserole veg pack, butter & cheese. Also £3.25 in Costa on pain au raisin, tea & babychino for DS2

Tomorrow will be a bit spendy, meeting my cousin's fiancee for coffee after rhyme time, will be lovely though.

lineup if you don't have gravy there are 2 options: Tesco value granules at 20p/pot are fine OR just use stock cube (maybe pork/veg flavour with sausages?) & add Bisto or cornflour to thicken. I always freeze any leftover gravy to add to casseroles etc

claret good luck with interview

Welcome pink you are definitely not alone, but I know what you mean! I am always the one digging out hm food & drink on playdates or wearing clothes from ten seasons last season

lineup chop an onion and put in a cup of boiling water, blitz in the microwave for a minute. Drain the water into a saucepan. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour, a stock cube, a teaspoon of marmite and a generous dash of soy sauce. Bring to the boil whisking all the time. Add onions, and crushed garlic if you fancy it, simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water to get consistency you prefer. Really cheap, tasty gravy. It freezes well and thickens up when it cools so even if you only freeze a little bit you can add water to it next time to make a bigger portion.

I've managed to stick to my food budget this week but all my 'spare' cash for the week is gone as I've picked up some Christmas presents. I'm happy with that though as with 2 young dc I feel that Christmas presents fall into the essentials category! I'm building up to sending a family email saying that my gifts will just be token ones. I don't think anyone will mind but I'd like to be clear before the day.

lineup chop an onion and put in a cup of boiling water, blitz in the microwave for a minute. Drain the water into a saucepan. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour, a stock cube, a teaspoon of marmite and a generous dash of soy sauce. Bring to the boil whisking all the time. Add onions, and crushed garlic if you fancy it, simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water to get consistency you prefer. Really cheap, tasty gravy. It freezes well and thickens up when it cools so even if you only freeze a little bit you can add water to it next time to make a bigger portion.

I've managed to stick to my food budget this week but all my 'spare' cash for the week is gone as I've picked up some Christmas presents. I'm happy with that though as with 2 young dc I feel that Christmas presents fall into the essentials category! I'm building up to sending a family email saying that my gifts will just be token ones. I don't think anyone will mind but I'd like to be clear before the day.

Dealership/finance rep are being predictably awkward so OH has switched to Snotty mode.

Adora - good luck with it all. Dealership thing sounds a whole ball ache you don't need!
NSD. Can't remember what number now but it's good considering we have the car insurance to pay for (already paid on cc but need to pay in real in a week or so).

Whoops actually forgot. I paid £2.50 for school dinner for DS and £3 for a colleague's leaving.

This has been hectic week. I'll be at work all week till Sunday pm. Argh!! No let up till possibly next Friday. I'm definitely taking that day off. Roll on 4th October!

Spent £2.70 on bread and a newspaper so that DD2 can do her homework.

Takeaway thank you, I have reminded OH that with his office move he gets rid of his parking problem, in the stress he'd overlooked that. He had a space included with the rent but the position made it impossible to get a big car into it. Now he'll be using public car parks and will have more scope for manouvering.

Hope you enjoy your day off when it comes around.

Spent just short of £5 om yellow stickered bargains in the supermarket today. I didn't need any of them at the mo and just delays when I can defrost the freezer! Sorry adora! I just can't resist the yellow stickers. Back to work tomorrow so should have some NSDs although I need milk tomorrow.

Today's spends
£10 cash withdrawal; £3.02 on some cold sore cream and £1 on a salad. The rest of the change (bar £2) went in my change box for kids activities / bus fare
£10 cash withdrawal for DH so he could buy some cartridges for his e-cig.

Had my job interview and my gut instinct is that I haven't got it, but if I do get offered it I will accept it due to the money, but if I don't get it, I won't be devastated. I don't think I have got it anyway because they did say they would let the successful person know by the end of the day and I haven't heard...

£11.25 in Lidl and £3 posting a parcel.

Progressively less spendy here now most of the activities have been paid for for the term.

I've only managed 1 NSD all month. Tomorrow I get paid so we restart our budgets then. I will do two NSDs every week next month. I work from home - it should be easier for me!! It's mostly the activity costs that have snookered me this month.

Just found out that DH is getting an unexpected bonus. We think it will be about £500.

The saga of Christmas drags on. (D)B still wants to go to the pub for Christmas lunch - at a cost of £200 . I refuse to eat sub-standard food served very slowly by harassed teenagers who are only there for the triple time! I could have a lovely weekend away for £200. I will not back down!

I dread Christmas these days. I have the opposite problem, I'd rather go out than cook but no one else wants too, they don't want to cook either though.

£10 yesterday on petrol and will need some stuff for work later.

NSD yesterday. Woo-hoo!!!!

Good luck with the interview today claret. Fingers x'd for you.

Helena, that sounds like my idea of hell. I'm firmly in your camp. Could you do Christmas for yourselves your way and (D)B could come over later?

Meeting a friend for dinner tonight so will be some expenditure but hopefully not too much.

bloody hell. checked internet banking today. £81 overspend so far in the spends account and £12 misbudget in the bills with 5 days to get through til payday.

car insurance is due on Friday too. I pay monthly though but cheapest is still £34 per month.

also I though DH would have his payrise in this month's wage but he thinks its the end of October.

Thanks so much for the welcome!

Helena that sounds like my idea of hell too, don't back down! Great news about the bonus!!

I spent €2 yesterday for toddler group with ds2, was a planned expense tho and have budgeted for it. Had a school mum over for coffee today and instead of popping to Tesco for some bits with our cuppa i baked scones! Had ingredients already, so that's made today a NSD

namechanged (i'm takeaway). so far NSD but will spend some money at sainbos later to get bread and milk.