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

[Fluffycloudland77]

NSD.

Every three weeks on the online shop, every week to LIDLs and every three or four days to the local shops for fresh food top-ups, wendy. But I'm lucky in that I have good storage and plenty of freezer capacity if I'm reasonably disciplined. How is your storage ? (Thinking that that might be the reason for the lots of LIDL trips for you?)

Well, I spent DH to Sainburys to buy 'proper food', he came back with loads of things (mostly treats) THAT I DONT LIKE (and I like most food!). Urgh. He did get me a chocolate bar, so I suppose I shouldn't moan :) There were also many items of fruit which are all very far from being ripe. Good for later in the week, but not ideal for lunches tomorrow!

wendy I do one big shop per month at Lidl and try and stick to one small top up per week, again at Lidl if I can manage it, otherwise at the hated Tesco or bits and pieces as I find them e.g. fruit stall in the high street, pound shop etc. But I am not working at the moment, which gives me lots more opportunity to cook, use things up, plan ahead and sort out freezer or cupboards. I know it would be different if I had a job.

We shop once a week.at aldi that comes up to about £60/week for dh, me and 2 dc (5 and 3). This weekend we did it at waitrose which was £80. Still not bad I suppose. We got naice things like lovely ham, olives, an Indian takeaway and some arnica.

I don't shop beyond that if I can help it. We work ft. I have no time with work, school, afterschool activities and weekend stuff!

To avoid having to pick up stuff midweek I've decided to buy fresh milk once a week and also buy a few packs of uht milk. This means I can buy them all on the weekend and start the uht milk on Tuesday or so. Alternatively I can buy fresh and freeze but my freezer isn't huge so wouldn't do that.

For bread I buy 2 loaves and freeze one. If I'm honest it's more like 3 loaves in 2 weeks so that's good. Fruit and veg last me the week, even the aldi one. If anything I find fruit and veg from asda and tesco really rubbish in keeping beyond 2 days.

Unless it's avocados. You'd most times need a hammer and chisel to eat the ones my local stores sell.

A few months back, I spotted a greatly reduced avocado in my local co-op and decided to treat myself - several days down the line because it was hard as a rock. Reached the till and they refused to sell it to me because someone had made a mistake and it was past its sell by date. My protestations about its unripeness were to no avail. They stood on their dignity and the avocado went to the shelf behind. For subsequent binning, I guess.

Hi all. The family problem has slightly resolved itself as I have been talking it over with a few people, which is a relief. DS2 is somewhat better, although still has a long way to go. He played happily for a total of some 2 hours today & spent the rest either whining gently or snuggling up on my lap, with a long nap at lunchtime

Yesterday I spent around £60 on diesel from Sainsbury & DH topped up our electric meter with £10. I am ringing British Gas for a second time tomorrow to get this switched over to bill payment, then I can shop around for the best deal on price comparison sites.

Today has been an NSD, also a small spending victory. In July, DH & I purchased an incomplete toilet set (no cistern & no seat, but did include taps & basin which are expensive) for £75 down from £250 from B&Q. Nearly 2 months & many phone calls & visits later, it transpires they cannot supply us with the separate cistern which we ordered on that day in their store. Had we thought this, we would not have bought the set, even at such a discount. So, after a lot wrangling, when they offered us a chance to re-purchase a complete set for twice the price , we finally came away with the complete set, including toilet seat which we would have had to purchase separately, for no extra money. Feel quite pleased with that

I imagine this week will be pretty non-spendy, as I will be mainly spending it nursing poor DS2 back to health

Well done to those being frugal & keep going to those who haven't quite managed what they wanted - it happens to us all!

NSD for me, OH paid for cleaning materials in the DIY store, bigger packs and cheaper than the supermarkets but not where I usually need to go.

Wendy I aim to do supermarket once a week and fresh produce 2 or 3 times. I'm not always buying the same things though and live semi-rural, and abroad, so not the sane set up as most frugaleers.

Ha, ha, that should have been same although I often feel my sanity slipping away with the way things don't work here!

Have read this thread for a long time and now feel I need to join in - have to really try and organise my finances.

Have managed first ever NSD today but think this is because we haven't left the house. Tomorrow should be another one as have diesel in car and have meal planned but we shall see!!

Hoping to sit down when DD is at school tomorrow and do up budget for rest of month. Am also starting to keep track of all spends in a little notebook to see where my money is going cos even though I don't make a lot we shouldn't be struggling so badly

Well done Secondchance.

Another high spend day for me today. DH hadn't been to the bank, so I gave him £30 to go off to a rugby club BBQ with DC while I went to work. Then I paid out nearly £400 in music tuition fees by cheque.

I hope once the beginning of term payments are over I can have a few sensible NSDs.

Well done on your B&Q victory Confused and I'm glad to see DS improving and the family situación diffusing, albiet in small measures.

Well done confused - great result

NSD yesterday...but here starts the cash haemorrhage:

£40 for choir tonight
£24 for Beavers tomorrow
Frightening (as yet undisclosed) amount for trampolining on Wednesday
£20 for hockey on Friday
£24 for guides on Friday

Shoot. Me. Now.

Forgot to say DH has an interview today and I have an interview tomorrow.

Well, nearly £50 on food in Aldi yesterday, I think I need to prune that right back.

Today will be around £40 on fluffy cats booster jabs. An hour in the car with a bengal who doesn't stop yowling. Fun.

Dh wants a petrol mower because we used the flymo on the new lawn yesterday and now it looks like the a re-enactment of the Somme. That flymo is only 2 or 3 years old too. So I will put £100 towards that out of my utility refunds.

I also need little pots to grow my herb seeds in but I will start them off in cut up egg cartons from the recycling bag.

Good luck with those interviews Helena.

Good luck with interviews, Helena.

DS changed his mind about guitar tuition, so that's £48 in my pocket. Yes!

Good luck for the interviews Helena

Fluffy cats don't seem to like cars much, do they? Mine get sweaty paws, too

Welcome secondchance, good start.

Adora I know what you mean about the sanity thing

DS seems a lot better today, eaten & drank a reasonable amount & quite cheery. I imagine there'll be a slump this afternoon, but any improvement is good.

Bought 3 Christmas presents today! They were reduced in Tesco, 2 things for 2 6-year old dnephews were £25 down to £7.50 each & a ball pit for dniece was £2.50 down from £10. Also bought juice, chocolate , biscuits, bread, pancakes, raisins, mushrooms, pasta & cheese for about £24 altogether. Shouldn't spend any more today, though, hope to take DSes to the new house & try to do some more painting if it's not raining this afternoon. We will probably move in at the end of the month, once we have various bits done to the roof (to the tune of £6.5k )

£32 on jabs. He needs dental work now so they estimate £150 for 15 minutes work.

That sounds like a lot of roof work, did you know about it when you made the offer Confused?.

Good luck to you both for the interviews helena
confused glad ds is feeling a bit better
Should be an NSD today but ds has a cricket presentation evening to go to. I'm hoping it'll be short and we won't need to buy drinks but have no idea. Shouldn't need any shopping for the rest of the week so hoping for a very low spending week.

Yes, we did Fluffy. The house we are getting is very good value for money, the roof is the only thing that needs doing structurally speaking & a lot of the work could wait, but we are doing it while we have funds from the sale of the old house & also while the house is empty. We got 3 quotes & this is the middle one, the cheapest one didn't have good customer reviews. We live in Essex, in a very desirable village & this is a 5-bedroom house, with downstairs WC & utility room. Any other properties in our price range were 3-bedrooms or one 4-bedroom on the 'rough' road of the village, mainly without the added downstairs facilities (and we looked for about a year). Our house needs decorating, too, but I'm enjoying that part of things

Your poor cat seems to be going through the mill a bit, hope it all goes OK.

Northender enjoy your DS' cricket presentation, he must be a good player to merit being invited along to it.

£28.14 at the vets; poorly cat has cancer and is likely to be put down in the near future :( In purely frugal terms, it will save us £20 per month on the insurance payments

Did top up shop in Lidl this morning...£16.17. We have so much food in, it's ridiculous. Off to make chicken stock with the carcass from yesterday's roast now.

Nothing like a bit of decorating, I've got the F&B paint chart out , as long as you knew, it's a bit of a shock otherwise.

I'm going curtain rail shopping soon, I'm sure all the neighbours are sick of seeing dh in just his pants every night.

NSD yesterday as DP paid for coffee while we were out and I managed to put off petrol til today......... £40 on petrol today but that was it and planning NSDs tomorrow and Weds. On a good note my Topcashback is starting to pay out, £50 in lovetoshop vouchers for xmas already!

Not bad today. £2 in jack fultons on beans and crisps. £1 for 5 birthday cards. They'll do for children's birthdays. £1.85 in Tesco for a birthday card for my mum from my DS - had to be a granny one - and also some custard creams! I only went to the shops to go to the post office which was shut for refurbishment. Anyway this afternoon we went to soft play which was £1 as DS not walking yet. It is £4 for 2+ which seems a big hike as thatll be him in 10 months. Won't ne quite the bargain few hours then. Im chuffed though as walked everywhere today so no petrol used.

Was technically a NSD as didn't spend anything. £3 for work prizes and £60 for dinner out again for work. Will claim them back.

Sorry to read about your poor cat Exhasperated, it's hard to let Go but if they are suffering it really is the best thing to do for them.

picnmix that really is a price hike

Spent about £60 Today on food for us and dogs, then had lunch out as our water was off while blokes did whatever work they were doing. OH paíd. Should only need fruit and veg for the rest of the week, dependíng How quickly the dogs demolish their food, greedy gannets.